Discussion Paper on John Gotti

Seminar on organized crime

Discussion Paper: John Gotti Jr.

John Gotti was born in the bronx on October 27, 1940. His family moved into a tough neighborhood in Brooklyn when he was 12. John began to love the streets and dropped out of school in 8th grade. After spending years performing small crimes and gaining respect in the underworld, he became affiliated with the Gambino family in 1966.

In the family, John made a lot of money hijacking freight trucks at Kennedy airport. The Gambino underboss Aneillo Delacroce became good friends with him and took him under his wing like a son. Despite a minor setback of 3 years in prison from a hijacking, John moved up in the family quickly.

Carlo Gambino, the boss of the family, died and appointed Paul Castellano as his successor. Gotti was very angry about his friend Delacroce getting passed over, but would wait a bit before taking things into his own hands.

Gotti agreed with some other capos in the Gambino family that Castellano needed to be whacked so he met with the other NY families and received support from 3 of the 4. On December 16, 1985 Castellano and Tommy Bilotti, his underboss, were gunned down by a hit team as they were entering Spasks Stake House in Manhattan

Following the death of Castellano, John Gotti became the new boss of the Gambino family. Gotti ran the family from the Ravenite Social Club, unafraid of the public eye. Gotti was known for $2000 suits and flashiness, never hesitating to press the flesh with reporters. Despite a number of trials involving him, he emerged innocent, earning him the name "Teflon Don".

Apparently even the "Teflon Don" would experience some friction. The FBI succeeded in wiretapping the Ravenite Social Club, getting tape recordings of orders for hits and strong