John A. Gotti

Thomas Cacciopoli (left), Gotti (center) and John Cavallo

John Angelo Gotti III (born February 14, 1964 ), also known as Junior Gotti , is / was an Italian-American mobster of the American Cosa Nostra . He was considered the underboss and acting boss of the Gambino family during the 1990s after his father John "Teflon-Don" Gotti was imprisoned in 1992.

Junior Gotti stated several times that he was no longer a member of the Mafia and that he was only concentrating on not disappointing his family and being a father to his children.

Life

Early years

John Angelo "Junior" Gotti III was on February 14, 1964 in Queens ( New York City born), the son of John J. Gotti and Victoria DiGiorgio.

Police photo of Junior Gotti's father, John Gotti, taken by the FBI on December 11, 1990 in New York

He grew up in the Italian-American neighborhood of Howard Beach , a section of Queens. He attended the New York Military Academy as a member of the 1983 class. After leaving school, his father helped him start a trucking business called the Samson Trucking Company . After the business failed, his father got him a position in the United Brotherhood of Carpenters .

According to federal prosecutors, Gotti was accepted into the Gambino family in 1988 and became a so-called Made Man . Michael "Mickey Scars" DiLeonardo is said to have been recorded at the ceremony, alongside him and three others . In 1990 Junior Gotti was appointed Capo and was probably the youngest Capo in the history of the Gambino family.

In 1990 Gotti married Kimberly Albanese, daughter of Gambino mobster Phillip Albanese, with whom he had six children over time.

At the top

In April 1992, his father received a life sentence with no prospect of parole for extortion and related crimes. Prosecutors alleged that he had appointed his son acting boss at the time and set up a committee to assist him. As a family member, John Angelo was one of the few people allowed to visit his father. It was believed that he relayed his father's orders from prison to the organization.

Many of his supporters, however, did not consider him competent enough as a boss and not nearly as good as his father as a negotiator. As a result, the Gambinos are said to have lost several disputes with the other families. Under the leadership of Vincent "the Chin" Gigante at the time , Junior Gotti's Genovese family is said to have been so unfazed that they refused to work with him.

In a 1997 investigation, the FBI found, among other things, a list of the names of his organization's members, as well as $ 348,700 in cash and two pistols in a basement owned by John Angelo. A list of the names of several men who had been accepted into other families in 1991 and 1992 was also found. This discovery enraged Gotti's father, as did the other bosses, as it put dozens of other mafiosi at risk of government investigation. This fact brought Junior Gotti in the New York media the nickname 'dumbfella' (English; about: 'stupid buddy', 'stupid guy').

Convictions

In 1998, Gotti was faced with a large-scale RICO charge. In addition to the lists confiscated during the 1997 raid, prosecutors were able to base the charges against Gotti on transcripts of prison interviews where his father advised him on how to run the family. In the face of overwhelming evidence, Gotti pleaded guilty to reducing the sentence to one for usury, bookmaking and extortion. John Angelo was sentenced to 77 months in prison in 1999 and released in early 2001, but found guilty on further charges and sent back to prison in 2002.

During his first imprisonment, his uncle Peter Gotti took over the office of incumbent boss. When Junior Gotti's father John Gotti died in prison on June 10, 2002, Peter Gotti completely took over the reins as the new head. However, he as well as his brother Richard V. Gotti and his son Richard G. Gotti had to serve a 16-year prison sentence in March 2003.

In 2005, Junior Gotti was released from prison.

Last years

After the prosecution had tried four times since 2004 to jail John A. Gotti for securities fraud, extortion , usury of credit and conspiracy to murder, the US Attorney for the southern borough of New York announced in January 2010 that the government had decided not to bring any further charges in these cases. This fact earned him the nickname "Teflon-Don Jr.".

In November 2013, while trying to prevent two strangers from fighting in a parking lot, Gotti was stabbed in the stomach area, but was not seriously injured. He did not provide any information about the incident to the police.

Law enforcement officers say they believed Gotti was no longer involved in criminal matters today. His attorney said his client now manages properties that he owns on Long Island .

On January 21, 2015, John A. Gotti published his own book called Shadow of My Father .

Films and documentaries

• Gotti is a 2018 film about the life of John "Teflon-Don" Gotti during his rise and fall in the ranks of the Gambino family. John A. Gotti is played by Spencer Lofranco .
• In 2018, the 4-part documentary series of the private broadcaster A&E Network called John Gotti: Das Erbe eines Mafioso (OT: Gotti: Godfather and Son ), about the life and environment of John Gotti. John A. Gotti is also a big part of the documentary series.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Spiegel - Broken Mafia Trial: The Godfather in the Minivan
2. ↑ ^{a b c} NY Daily News - Gambino scion John Gotti Jr. stabbed while stopping LI fight
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Biography.com - Junior Gotti
4. ↑ Classfinders - High School Alumni in Cornwall On Hudson, New York (NY)
5. ^ All High Schools - New York Military Academy Alumni from Cornwall On Hudson, NY
6. ↑ ^{a b} NY Daily News - John (Junior) Gotti on growing up son of mob boss John Gotti
7. ^ CBS News - Gotti Jr. on Living and Leaving a Life of Crime
8. ^ The New York Times - Gotti Is Still Crime Boss, US Asserts
9. ^ The New York Times - US Charges John Gotti Jr. With Extortion
10. ^ The New York Times - Gotti Pleads Guilty To Rackets Charges On Eve of His Trial
11. ^ The New York Times - Younger Gotti Is Sentenced To Six Years
12. ^ The New York Times - Younger Gotti Is Sentenced To Six Years
13. ^ The New York Times - John Gotti dies with his legacy in ruins
14. ↑ USA Today - Government Ends Case Against Gotti