The Teflon Don - A 90s Crime Boss
Thirty years ago the swaggering, tough-talking leader of the Gambino crime family was found guilty of murder and racketeering after eluding prosecutors at three previous high-profile trials.
John Gotti’s ability to avoid the long arm of the law earned him the nickname the Teflon Don. But his luck finally ran out on April 3, 1992 when a jury found Gotti guilty of arranging the assassination of mob boss Paul Castellano and his bodyguard outside a Manhattan steakhouse in December 1985.
The murder was believed to be a power grab by Gotti who became the leader of the Gambino crime family after Castellano was gunned down.
Between 1985 and 1990 Gotti rapidly expanded the Gambino criminal empire and it grew into the nation’s most powerful Mafia family. The family was especially known for drugs, gambling and car theft and had links to New York City construction, labour unions and the garment industry.
Gotti who was known for his ruthlessness and furious temper, was also known for his colorful way of dressing which earned him a second nickname, the “Dapper Don.” And unlike other mob bosses who shunned the spotlight as much as possible, Gotti courted publicity.
Despite wide publicity of his criminal activities, Gotti managed to avoid jail several times, usually through witness intimidation. But then the FBI bugged his social club and other places where mob leaders held private meetings and got enough evidence on tape to indict Gotti in the murder of Castellano.
At the trial, Gotti’s close colleague Sammy “the Bull” Gravano testified against him in exchange for a reduced sentenced.
On June 23, 1992, Gotti was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. In a bizarre incident after the sentence was announced, about 800 Gotti supporters who had gathered in a park across the street from the Brooklyn courthouse stormed the building. Chanting, “set Gotti free” they smashed and overturned cars and pelted police with wood ripped from barricades.
Many of the protestors arrived on seven chartered buses from New Jersey, Queens and the Bronx. It’s believed that Gotti’s son, John Gotti Jr. organized the protest.
With his Dad behind bars, Gotti Jr. took over until he too was sent to prison in 1999 and then quit the mob altogether. After that Gotti Sr. reportedly ran the crime family from prison until he died from throat cancer in 2004.
Following Gotti’s death his daughter Victoria and her family starred in a reality show called “Growing up Gotti” which ran from 2004 to 2007. She also competed on “Celebrity Apprentice” and made appearances on Bravo’s ”Housewives of New Jersey” and VH1’s “Mob Wives.” In a weird twist of fate, Karen Gravano, the daughter of Sammy Gravano who helped convict John Gotti also appeared on “Mob Wives.”
Other than these reality shows, the Gambino family has mostly kept a low profile since the 1990’s and its power has also declined. They were, however, back in the news in 2019, when the family’s reputed boss Francesco Cali was shot and killed outside his home in Staten Island.
It's believed that longtime member Lorenzo Mannino stepped into the shoes of boss following Cali’s death and holds the position today but unlike the Teflon Don he keeps a very low profile.