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John Gotti (October 27, 1940 – June 10, 2002) was an Italian-American gangster who became boss of the powerful Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti and his brothers grew up in poverty and turned to a life of crime at an early age. Gotti quickly rose to prominence, becoming one of the crime family's biggest earners and a protégé of Gambino family underboss Aniello Dellacroce, operating out of the Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens.
The FBI indicted members of Gotti's crew for selling narcotics, and Gotti took advantage of growing dissent over the leadership of the crime family. Gotti feared that he would be killed along with his brother and best friend by Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano for selling drugs, so he organized the murder of Castellano in December 1985 and took over the family shortly thereafter. This left Gotti as the boss of the most powerful, richest and largest crime syndicate in the world, one that made hundreds of millions of dollars a year from construction, waste management, hijacking, loan sharking, labor unions, drug trafficking, bookmaking, labor racketeering, prostitution, extortion, pornography, numbers racket, illegal gambling, and other criminal activities.
At his peak, Gotti was one of the most powerful and dangerous crime bosses in the world. During his era he became widely known for his outspoken personality and flamboyant style, which gained him favor with some of the general public. His peers avoided attracting attention, especially from the media, but Gotti became known as "The Dapper Don" for his expensive clothes and personality in front of news cameras. He was later given the nickname "The Teflon Don" after three high-profile trials in the 1980s resulted in his acquittal, though it was later revealed that the trials had been tainted by jury tampering, juror misconduct, and witness intimidation. Law enforcement authorities continued gathering evidence against Gotti that helped lead to his downfall.
Gotti's underboss Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano is credited with the FBI's success in finally convicting Gotti. In 1991, Gravano agreed to turn state's evidence and testify for the prosecution against Gotti after hearing Gotti on wiretap making several disparaging remarks about Gravano that implicated them both in several murders. In 1992, Gotti was convicted of five murders, conspiracy to commit murder, racketeering, obstruction of justice, illegal gambling, extortion, tax evasion, and loansharking. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole and was transferred to United States Penitentiary, Marion. Gotti died of throat cancer on June 10, 2002, at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.
According to former Lucchese crime family boss Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso, "What John Gotti did was the beginning of the end of 'Cosa Nostra'".[1]
The FBI indicted members of Gotti's crew for selling narcotics, and Gotti took advantage of growing dissent over the leadership of the crime family. Gotti feared that he would be killed along with his brother and best friend by Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano for selling drugs, so he organized the murder of Castellano in December 1985 and took over the family shortly thereafter. This left Gotti as the boss of the most powerful, richest and largest crime syndicate in the world, one that made hundreds of millions of dollars a year from construction, waste management, hijacking, loan sharking, labor unions, drug trafficking, bookmaking, labor racketeering, prostitution, extortion, pornography, numbers racket, illegal gambling, and other criminal activities.
At his peak, Gotti was one of the most powerful and dangerous crime bosses in the world. During his era he became widely known for his outspoken personality and flamboyant style, which gained him favor with some of the general public. His peers avoided attracting attention, especially from the media, but Gotti became known as "The Dapper Don" for his expensive clothes and personality in front of news cameras. He was later given the nickname "The Teflon Don" after three high-profile trials in the 1980s resulted in his acquittal, though it was later revealed that the trials had been tainted by jury tampering, juror misconduct, and witness intimidation. Law enforcement authorities continued gathering evidence against Gotti that helped lead to his downfall.
Gotti's underboss Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano is credited with the FBI's success in finally convicting Gotti. In 1991, Gravano agreed to turn state's evidence and testify for the prosecution against Gotti after hearing Gotti on wiretap making several disparaging remarks about Gravano that implicated them both in several murders. In 1992, Gotti was convicted of five murders, conspiracy to commit murder, racketeering, obstruction of justice, illegal gambling, extortion, tax evasion, and loansharking. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole and was transferred to United States Penitentiary, Marion. Gotti died of throat cancer on June 10, 2002, at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.
According to former Lucchese crime family boss Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso, "What John Gotti did was the beginning of the end of 'Cosa Nostra'".[1]
John Gotti - Wikipedia
Posted from en.wikipedia.org
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Responses: 11
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As an Italian-American I always viewed the Wise Guys (yeah I had them in my neighborhood as well in Rome, NY) as losers. Always looking for the next score, always walking around with a chip on their shoulder, always believing they were superior to everyone else. None of them that I went to high school with (or their Dad's) ever amounted to anything. I saw some of them at my 45th High School reunion and nothing had changed. The myth of the good gangster is a myth. Coppola made millions along with Puzo selling the Corleon Family as lovable villians. But that is all it was a myth. At the end of Godfather III - Michael loses everything. The sad thing is that is People do not realize that no one walks away from that Life. You always pay for your crimes in one form or another
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The Gambino Crime family had it made as long as they stayed out of the areas that the public wanted the authorities to really crack down on..........like drugs. Seems the attraction of quick money was too much and Gotti had an issue with the power going to his head and thinking he didn't owe anyone anything. His lack of loyalty to one of his closest friends and then him blabbing about it openly is what did him in along with the drug dealing.
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SGT Charles H. Hawes
Money laundering also had an impact on wrapping him up. The saying follow the money held true in his case.
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LTC Orlando Illi all that you say gets a "ditto". Over the years, I have seen karma take a toll on criminals ranging from CEOs to street level minions. Godfather 3 does demonstrate "redemption a day late". Isn't it interesting how those who partake of that lifestyle attempt to become pious after endless numbers of murder and hundreds of millions of blood-money dollars. In addition Maj Marty Hogan we also know there are unknowns. For instance no one can know the hearts and minds of any person. But surely there are family (not crime family) who loved John Gotti and in his rightness and wrongness they don't shun his memory. So, God bless the Innocents in his life that continue to honor him. And the rest of us, we are just fascinated with the movies about him and other crime bosses.
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PO3 Phyllis Maynard
MSgt Robert "Rock" Aldi I am one of those individuals who felt the sting of bullies who ranked themselves connected. Weird, most of them I felt so sorry for when they fell into karma. The reason, good and peace follows my life but those ones have the bite of hell and tormented innocent souls looming over them and anyone in their life. It is true to my religious teaching, a good man will have compassion for those who do evil because they know not what they do. Meaning they have no belief or idea of what paying to the piper looks like
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