John Gotti
The Dapper Don

By Liz Goff

To the New York City Police Department and the federal government, John Gotti was a thief and a murderer. He had the power to kill people, and like a tyrannous monarch, Gotti periodically saw to the assassination of his rivals.

But to many of his neighbors in Howard Beach, he was a hometown hero who insured the safety of their neighborhood and provided block parties, jobs and a sense of belonging and power.

On Dec. 16, 1985, the sound of rapid gunfire outside the Sparks Steak House spelled the end of an era for the Gambino family, and the beginning of Gotti’s ascent to the top of the “family.” Paul Castellano was dead.

Just one month after Castellano’s blood spilled outside the steak house, Gotti was formally named “Capo di Tutti Capi – Boss of Bosses,” head of the Gambino family. Federal agents immediately began working to prove Gotti’s part in Castellano’s murder. 

The Family Man

Gotti, who listed “plumbing salesman” as his official occupation, lived in a modest, two-story home on 85th Street in Howard Beach. Gotti met Victoria Di Giorgio in 1960 and they were married in March 1962. The Gottis had five children.

But it wasn’t always easy living near the Gottis.

Take John Favara, who lived around the corner from the Gottis until 1980, when he accidently ran over 12-year-old Frank Gotti, killing him instantly. A day after the accident, Victoria Gotti beat him with a baseball bat.

Several months later, witnesses at a Queens diner said they saw two men shove Favara into the back seat of a car in the diner’s parking lot. He was never seen or heard from again.

John and Victoria Gotti were vacationing in West Palm Beach, Florida at the time.

The Man Behind The Legend

Gotti was born on Oct. 27, 1940 and was one of 12 brothers and sisters.

At age 16, Gotti joined the Fulton-Rockaways Boys gang.

The years that followed read like a police blotter: May 1957, Gotti was arrested for the first time after a gang fight; 1958, convicted of burglary, given probation; 1959, first arrest as an adult, charged with unlawful assembly in a gambling raid, got 60 days suspended sentence; 1963, arrested in a car stolen from Avis Rentals, jailed for the first time, served 20 days; 1965, arrested for unlawful entry and possession of bookmaking records. In 1996, he was arrested and jailed for the first time for associating with associates of mob boss Carlo Gambino.

Gotti’s first mob-related prison sentence followed his 1969 guilty plea in a federal hijacking case. He spent three years at Lewisburg Federal Prison in Pennsylvania.

According to the record, the murders started with a 1973 shooting in a Queens bar. He pleaded guilty in 1975 to attempted murder.

On Feb. 28, 1977, Gotti was released as a model prisoner. In November 1977, he was formally “inducted” into the Gambino family.

The list of Gotti’s alleged – and convicted – criminal offenses swelled between 1977 and 1985.

The feds continued to prosecute Gotti on conspiracy, racketeering and attempted murder charges through 1992.

In early 1992, Gotti’s lawyer, Bruce Cutler, was barred from representing him on the grounds that Cutler was acting as “house counsel” for the Gambino crime family. That same year, Sammy (the “Bull” - turned - “Rat”) Gravano, facing life behind bars, switched his loyalties and testified against Gotti. Gravano’s testimony provided the evidence that led to Gotti’s conviction on 13 counts – including conspiracy in the Castellano murder.

On June 23, 1992, Gotti was sentenced to life in prison, without parole.

On June 24, Gotti was delivered to authorities at the Marion Federal Penitentiary in Illinois. All attempted appeals were overturned. 

Civic Pride?

Gotti neighbors were also thrilled each summer when Gotti hosted his July fourth fireworks extravaganza. For 20 years, Gotti and his gang hosted the neighborhood outside and inside the Bergin Hunt & Fish Club on 101st Avenue.

But in 1994, New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani sent in troops of New York’s Finest  and skies were silent, as they have been ever since.

His Final Days

While incarcerated, Gotti developed throat cancer. He succumbed to the disease on June 10, 2002.