John Gotti
Gambino crime family boss who ordered Castellano's murder.
John Joseph Gotti Jr. (October 27, 1940 – June 10, 2002) was a New York City mob boss who ran the Gambino crime family, at the time considered the most powerful criminal syndicate in the United States. He rose to power by planning and carrying out the murder of the family’s previous boss, Paul Castellano, in December 1985. Gotti and his brothers grew up poor and turned to crime young. He became a top earner for the Gambinos and a protégé of underboss Aniello Dellacroce, operating out of Ozone Park, Queens. After federal indictments hit his crew for drug dealing, Gotti worried Castellano would kill him and his brother Gene over the narcotics trade. That fear, combined with growing discontent within the family, led Gotti to arrange Castellano’s murder.
At his peak, Gotti was one of the most powerful and dangerous crime bosses in the country. Unlike most mob leaders, who shunned publicity, he became known as “the Dapper Don” for his flashy clothes and blunt comments to news cameras. After three high-profile trials in the 1980s ended in acquittals, he earned the nickname “the Teflon Don.” It later came out that those trials were compromised by jury tampering, juror misconduct, and witness intimidation. Law enforcement kept building a case against him, and Gotti was reportedly making between $5 million and $20 million a year as Gambino boss.
His downfall came when his underboss, Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano, turned state’s evidence in 1991. Gravano agreed to testify after hearing Gotti insult him on a wiretap that implicated them both in several murders. In 1992, Gotti was convicted of five murders, conspiracy to commit murder, racketeering, obstruction of justice, tax evasion, illegal gambling, extortion, and loansharking. He got life in prison without parole and was sent to the federal penitentiary in Marion, Illinois. Gotti died of throat cancer on June 10, 2002, at the federal prison medical center in Springfield, Missouri. As Lucchese crime family underboss Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso later put it, “what John Gotti did was the beginning of the end of Cosa Nostra.”
Gotti was born on October 27, 1940, in the Bronx, the fifth of thirteen children (two died at birth) of John Joseph Gotti Sr. and Philomena “Fannie” DeCarlo. Both parents were born in New York, but his grandparents likely came from San Giuseppe Vesuviano, near Naples, since his parents married
- born
- October 27, 1940, Bronx, New York City
- died
- June 10, 2002, United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, Springfield, Missouri
- field
- Organized crime
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Boss of the Gambino crime family; ordered murder of Paul Castellano; nicknamed 'the Dapper Don' and 'the Teflon Don'
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- John Joseph Gotti Jr.
- Birth Date
- 1940-10-27
- Birth Place
- New York City, U.S.
- Death Date
- 2002-06-10
- Death Place
- MCFP Springfield, Missouri, U.S.
- Resting Place
- St. John Cemetery
- Conviction
- Hijacking (1968) / Attempted manslaughter (1975) / Murder, conspiracy, conspiracy to commit murder, loansharking, racketeering, obstruction of justice, illegal gambling, tax evasion (1992)
- Conviction Penalty
- 3 years imprisonment (1968) / 4 years imprisonment (1973) Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole and fined $250,000 (1992)
- Criminal Status
- Deceased
- Other Names
- The Teflon Don · The Dapper Don · Johnny Boy · The Chief
- Occupation
- Crime boss
- Spouse
- Victoria DiGiorgio · 1962
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
John Gotti was born on October 27, 1940, in the Bronx, the fifth of thirteen children. He grew up in poverty in East New York, Brooklyn, dropped out of school at 16, and was involved in street gangs from age 12. He met his wife Victoria DiGiorgio in 1958 and married in 1962; they had five children. Gotti attempted legitimate work in 1962 but could not stay crime-free and was jailed twice by 1966.
Gotti became a protégé of Gambino underboss Aniello Dellacroce, operating out of Ozone Park, Queens. Following the FBI's indictment of members of Gotti's crew for selling narcotics, Gotti feared that boss Paul Castellano would kill him and his brother Gene for dealing drugs. Amid growing dissent, Gotti arranged Castellano's murder in December 1985 and took over the family. Gotti reportedly earned between $5 million and $20 million per year as Gambino boss.
Gotti's underboss Salvatore 'Sammy the Bull' Gravano turned state's evidence in 1991 after hearing Gotti make disparaging remarks on a wiretap. In 1992, Gotti was convicted of five murders, conspiracy to commit murder, racketeering, obstruction of justice, tax evasion, illegal gambling, extortion, and loansharking. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole and died of throat cancer on June 10, 2002, at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.
Reader's Guide
John Gotti's significance lies in his role as a high-profile Mafia boss who broke the traditional code of secrecy and media avoidance, becoming a celebrity criminal. His three acquittals in the 1980s earned him the nickname 'the Teflon Don' and suggested invincibility, but later revelations of jury tampering and witness intimidation tainted those verdicts. His downfall came when his underboss, Salvatore Gravano, cooperated with the FBI after hearing Gotti's disparaging remarks on a wiretap. Gotti's conviction in 1992 on multiple charges, including five murders, marked a major victory for law enforcement. According to Lucchese crime family underboss Anthony 'Gaspipe' Casso, 'what John Gotti did was the beginning of the end of Cosa Nostra,' implying that his flamboyant leadership and the subsequent cooperation of high-ranking members accelerated the decline of traditional organized crime in the United States.
Did You Know?
- Gotti was nicknamed 'the Dapper Don' for his expensive clothes and outspoken personality, and later 'the Teflon Don' after three high-profile trials in the 1980s resulted in acquittals.
- Gotti's underboss Salvatore 'Sammy the Bull' Gravano agreed to testify against Gotti after hearing the boss make disparaging remarks about him on a wiretap.
- Gotti died of throat cancer on June 10, 2002, at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.
- Gotti reportedly earned between $5 million and $20 million per year as Gambino boss.
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