Summary:
This biography of John Gotti reveals his background, his rise to power in the Gambino Crime Family, the development of his reputation as the "Teflon Don," and his eventual arrest and conviction in 1990. Despite his life of crime, Gotti had many supporters, particularly in the wake of his conviction and at his funeral in 2002, and is still widely remembered.
John Joseph Gotti was born in the Bronx on October 27, 1940. John was the fifth out of eleven children belonging to John Sr. and Fannie. The family was very poor and some of John's siblings ended up dying at an early age because of bad health care. According to Gotti, his father wasn't a hard worker and the family was forced to live in the poorest section of the South Bronx. John learned to use his fists when he was young. He had a quick temper and was in fights often. He was known as the bully in school and picked on anyone that had a better life than he did. Teachers called him a problem child and a distraction to the classroom. It wasn't until John was ten years old, that the family could afford to move to a nicer area in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.
The next year, the family moved again to East New York, Brooklyn where Gotti spent the rest of his childhood. Even as a teenager, John showed authority through his confidence. The older gangsters in the neighborhood noticed that and soon John and his two brothers, Peter and Richard, joined a gang that ran errands for the local gangsters. After being in the gang for a while, he dropped out of school in the eighth grade to begin full time involvement in street gangs. One of the gangs he joined was called the Fulton-Rockaway Boys. It was named after an intersection in Brooklyn. John soon became the leader. Gotti committed several small crimes while in that gang. He was arrested five times in that gang, but each one was dismissed and he got away with probation. The first time he got in trouble with the cops was in 1954 when he and some friends were trying to steal a portable cement mixer from a construction site. The robbery stopped when the mixer tipped over and landed on Gotti. He went to the hospital because it crushed his toes. He spent most of that summer in the hospital. After he got out, he joined a mafia called the Gambino Crime Family. "The American mafia is one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world."
By 1960, Gotti met Victoria DiGiorgio. They fell in love and got married on March 6, 1962. They had five children together. Their names are Angela, Frank, Victoria, Peter and John. That didn't slow him down.
His illegal gambling began in an empty apartment on top of the Bergin Club. John Gotti, known as an addictive gambler spent most of his time playing card games. He often played "box gin" for stakes as high as dimes (thousand dollar bets) or nickels (five hundred dollar bets). Gotti quickly increased the crews gambling network. Soon after, the illegal gambling operation grew and income began to rise. A large number of push-button poker machines were placed all over the Queens. Each establishment brought in 3,000 dollars a week. The risk of skimming returns by bar owners took constant monitoring and reminders to make that choice
would not be good for their health. This was no simple task. The network was faced with difficult management problems. The illegal casinos throughout the Queens brought in a rough crowd. This required some form of police protection which involved dealing with corrupt cops. They had a habbbit of attempting to extort money. Card dealers, stick men, and workers had to be watched to prevent cheating. The toughest hoods were hired to keep control. There was one who always arrived at the door carrying a submachine gun and another who announced his presence by throwing a large meat cleaver into the wall. Gotti maintained tight control and discipline. Gotti would usually solve problems by threats. His
growing reputation often helped solve any problem with just the mention of his name.
On a yearly basis, Gotti committed crimes and was convicted of them. The crimes ranged from grand larceny, hijacking, and murder. Though he was convicted for several of these crimes, he proved to be a model inmate and was released on good behavior. John used to hijack trucks from JFK International Airport. The most he was sentenced for hijacking was three years. In 1973, John participated in the killing of James McBratney. McBratney was one of three kidnappers and murderers of Manny Gambino. John Gotti was convicted of the murder and sentenced to seven years in prison. He only served two before being released. Once out of prison, Gotti became better known for his part in the McBratney murder. He also was named a capo for the Gambino family.
Frank was killed at the age of twelve when he was driving a friend's minibike and was accidentally run over by John Favara, one of the Gotti's neighbors. Favara was threatened many times that he was going to be killed. The Gotti's were mad that he never apologized of repaired the car, so one day Victoria attacked him with a baseball bat. A few months later, Favara was abducted. Witnesses saw him get hit over the head and dragged into a car, but he was never seen again.
One day John's group was caught dealing drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Dealing drugs is against the rules of The Gambino Crime Family, so they were about to be thrown out of the family. To
prevent this from happening, Gotti and some others from his group made a plan to shoot the family's boss, Paul Castellano. On December 16, 1985, they followed out the plan. Castellano was shot six times in front of Sparks Steakhouse in Manhattan.
After the death of Castellano, John was named the Godfather of the Gambino Crime Family which was the largest Mafia family in the nation. In 1986 Gotti was charged with racketeering, but somehow got out of it. Over the next few years John became popular with the media. He was always having pictures taken of him and was always on the news. Gotti became somewhat of a celebrity. Tourists would gather outside the Ravenite Social Club in Manhattan where they would wait to shake his hand or get a picture with him. This was also where The Gambino Family had their meetings. He appeared in public wearing expensive hand-tailored suits. The press nicknamed him the Dapper Don because of his charm and good looks. They also nicknamed him the Teflon Don because charges against him never seemed to stick.
The F.B.I. tapped wires at the Gambino Family's headquarters. It is estimated that they spent over 75 million dollars to monitor John's activities. They taped more than 100 hours of phone conversations that told about racketeering plans. While in court, former friend Sammy "The Bull" Gravano heard Gotti say something bad about him on the tape. This made him angry so he agreed to testify against Gotti as long as he had a lighter sentence. Even though he participated in the murders of 19 people, Sammy only received five years in prison. When he was released, he was put into the witness protection group. Sammy's new nickname was Sammy "The Rat" Gravano.
On December 11, 1990, F.B.I. agents and some New York City detectives raided the Ravenite Social Club and arrested John Gotti. On April 1, 1992, the trial started. He was acquitted of 14 counts of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, loan sharking, racketeering, obstruction of justice, illegal gambling, and tax evasion. After 13 hours the jury agreed that John Gotti was guilty of all charges.
James M. Fox, the assistant director in charge of the F.B.I., made this famous comment, "The Don is covered with velcro, and every charge stuck." On June 23, 1992, Judge Glasser told John his sentence: "The guidelines in your case require me to commit you the custody of the Attorney General for the duration of your life" He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Gotti was asked if he had anything to say and he shook his head and said " no ."
Outside the courthouse there were between 800 to 1,000 people that wanted Gotti to be released. Once the sentence was over, rioters wrecked and turned over cars in front of the courthouse, others shouted, "Free John Gotti." Eight police officers were injured and more than a dozen protesters were arrested. On April 1997 John asked for a new trial, but was denied by Judge Glasser. It had been the forth time that the judge had turned him down.
John had been sent to Marion Federal Penitentiary in Illinois, which is known for being one of the nation's toughest prisons. He was kept in solitary confinement cell for twenty three hours a day. In July 1996 while in the prison exercise yard an inmate assaulted him. When he went to the hospital, he found out that he had throat and neck cancer was suspected. He was transferred to the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, where the diagnosis was confirmed. Doctors found a tumor near his tonsils and lymph nodes at the back of his throat. In September 1998, the cancerous tumor was removed.
Doctors thought that he would make a full recovery. Unfortunately the cancer returned in 2000. He was not expected to live past two months. He was forced to be in a wheelchair. He was extremely weak from the chemotherapy treatments. The prison hospital had to feed him through tubes. He was now allowed to have limited contact with family members. After each visit Gotti would be taken back to his solitary confinement. By June 13, 2001, he had lost too much weight and the chemotherapy was stopped. The next day he got pneumonia. Doctors thought he was going to die, but he held on for another year.
In conclusion, On June 10, 2002, John Gotti finally died. John Gotti spent nine years at Marion Penitentiary. Before him, the longest stay was only three years. He received a funeral at a Queens church and was laid to rest next to his son Frank Gotti at St. John's Cemetery. Although John Gotti led a life of crime, he was well known and respected by many. At the funeral there was an abundance of flowers and supporters of Gotti. Even now, John Gotti is still talked about and remembered. Today it is said that his son John Gotti Jr. is the head of the Gambino Family.
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