– (Diego Sanches/)
1) John Gotti was born in 1940 in New York. Fruit of a poor home, Gotti he began his life of crime at the age of 12, joining gangs associated with the Italian mafia until he reached the Gambino family, involved in thefts and other crimes. Four of her 13 siblings were also part of the family.
two) Between 1968 and 1973, hijacked trucks carriers and stole cargo. The actions focused on targets that made routes between airports. Gottihe also killed on demand and helped eliminate James McBratney, head of the Irish mob, who was at war with the Gambino family.
3) Gotti took over as “capo” (mafia commander in a region) and started to answer directly to the boss Paul Castellano. In 1985, he ordered the elimination of leader inside a restaurant. Gotti and his right-hand man, Salvatore Gravano, watched from the sidelines.
4) In 1986, 20 New York capos elected Gotti as head of the Gambino family. Under his command, mafiosi received wages for ghost positions in civil construction. The family’s annual income reached US$ 500 million – Gotti pocketed US$ 10 million.
5) Gotti forbade his mobsters to make deals with the Justice, admitting the existence of the Gambino family. Thus, he was legally isolated from involvement with the mafia. Bribery of judges and juries it was common during his leadership. Death threats to witnesses also saved the boss’s face.
6) TV trials showed the kingpin getting away with crimes where his guilt was obvious. the sarcasm and the sympathy of Gotti in interviews made him famous and, as no charges were brought against him, he ended up being dubbed the Teflon Don by the press.
7) The big blow to his immunity came from Salvatore Gravano, who was accused, along with Gotti, of multiple murders, extortion and other crimes, entering into an agreement with the prosecution not to pay alone for the crimes. In 1992, after 14 hours of trial, Gotti got life imprisonment.
WHAT END DID IT TAKE?
In 1998, with throat cancer, Gotti was transferred to a medical prison. There, he died in June 2002, aged 61, from the disease.
SOURCES site TRUtv and books The Gotti Tapesby Salvatore Gravano, and Ralph Blumenthal, and Mafia Diansty: The Rise and Fall of the Gambino Crime Familyby John H. Davis