John Gotti

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. 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.

Early life

John Gotti was born on October 27, 1940, in the Bronx, New York City, the fifth of thirteen children (two died at birth) of John Joseph Gotti Sr. and Philomena DeCarlo. His grandparents likely came from San Giuseppe Vesuviano, Italy. Four of his brothers also became Gambino crime family members.

At age 12, his family moved to East New York, Brooklyn, where they lived in poverty. Gotti resented his father for struggling to provide. He was truant, bullied others, and dropped out of high school at 16. From age 12, he was involved in street gangs; at 14, a cement mixer crushed his toes, causing a permanent limp.

He later joined the Fulton-Rockaway Boys gang, befriending future mobsters Angelo Ruggiero and Wilfred Johnson. He met Victoria DiGiorgio in 1958 and married her in 1962; they had five children. He attempted legitimate work in 1962 but was jailed twice by 1966.

Associate

As a teen, Gotti ran errands for Gambino soldier Carmine Fatico and committed truck hijackings at Idlewild Airport with his brother Gene and friend Ruggiero. He befriended future Bonanno boss Joseph Massino and gained the nicknames "Black John" and "Crazy Horse." He also met his mentor, underboss Aniello Dellacroce. In 1968, he was arrested for a hijacking after being identified by United Airlines employees, then arrested again for stealing $50,000 in cigarettes.

He pleaded guilty and served three years at Lewisburg. Paroled in 1972, he managed the Bergin crew's illegal gambling and became acting captain when Fatico was indicted. He frequently briefed Dellacroce at the Ravenite Social Club.

In 1973, after Emanuel Gambino's murder, Gotti was on a hit team that killed James McBratney. Arrested in 1974, he pleaded to attempted manslaughter with lawyer Roy Cohn and served four years. He was later identified as the killer of Vito Borelli in 1975.