John Gotti
Charged in 1991 as head of the Gambino family and convicted in 1992, largely on recordings made at the Ravenite Social Club; the Second Circuit affirmed. The FBI's history page says he took over after Castellano's murder and died in prison in June 2002.
- Died
- 2002-06
- Aliases
- John Joseph Gotti, Jr.
- Family
- Gambino family, the enterprise charged in his 1991 indictment (charge, as the Second Circuit summarized it)
- Role
- Charged as "the head of the organization" (charge, 1991); convicted in 1992, affirmed (Second Circuit, 1993)
- Rights
- Biography on this page is limited to what the cited federal records state.
On the record
- 1964 — A 1964 FBI report (Vault, Part 01, p. 2): "Subject, born Bronx, N.Y., reported delinquent by LB 47, Brooklyn, N.Y., for failure to report for induction." FBI report.
- December 1985 — The FBI history page: "Having eliminated the competition, Gotti took over as head of the Gambino family." FBI history page.
- April 1988 — FBI Deputy Assistant Director Anthony Daniels, asked to "identify the person at the top of the Gambino chart in 1987," answered "John Gotti" (S. Hrg. 100-906, printed p. 24). FBI testimony to a Senate subcommittee.
- Late 1989 to early 1990 — United States v. Locascio, 6 F.3d 924: "The most significant evidence consisted of conversations intercepted at 247 Mulberry Street," in the Ravenite Social Club, a hallway behind it, and an apartment above it. Court's account of the evidence.
- 19 July 1991 — United States v. Gotti, 771 F. Supp. 535: the district court denied the motions to suppress the Ravenite recordings. Court opinion.
- 2 April 1992 — The FBI history page: "Gotti was convicted on 13 counts, including for ordering the murders of Castellano and Bilotti." FBI history page.
- 8 October 1993 — United States v. Locascio, 6 F.3d 924: "Gotti was charged as the head of the organization"; FBI agent Schiliro "specifically named John Gotti as the boss of the alleged Gambino Family." The court affirmed. Charge, as the court summarized it; testimony.
- June 2002 — The FBI history page: "He died in prison in June 2002." FBI history page.
The heading follows the 1993 caption; the FBI Vault titles his file “John Joseph Gotti, Jr.” The date of death is the FBI history page’s; no court record opened gives it.
The role line is the indictment’s charge as the Second Circuit summarized it, followed by a conviction that the court affirmed. It stays on this page and is not copied onto the Gambino chart.
Records
itemUnited States v. Locascio, 6 F.3d 924 (2d Cir. 1993)Second Circuit opinion of October 8, 1993 affirming the Eastern District of New York convictions of John Gotti and Frank Locascio. It says the main evidence was conversations recorded at 247 Mulberry Street, in and above the Ravenite Social Club.itemUnited States v. Gotti, 771 F. Supp. 535 (E.D.N.Y. 1991)Judge Glasser's pretrial ruling of July 19, 1991 denying motions to suppress the recordings made under court orders at the Ravenite Social Club, 247 Mulberry Street, and related locations.
itemFBI history: "John Gotti"FBI history page on John Gotti: the December 16, 1985 killing of Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti, Gotti's 1990 arrest, his April 2, 1992 conviction on 13 counts, and his death in prison in June 2002.
itemFBI Vault: John Joseph Gotti, Jr, Part 01The earliest serials in the FBI's Gotti file: a 1964 report on a Selective Service Act delinquency, stating that he was born in the Bronx, and his identification record.itemOrganized Crime: 25 Years After Valachi (S. Hrg. 100-906, 1988)Hearings of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, April 1988, in which FBI officials compared the 1963 Valachi charts with the Bureau's 1987 charts of the families. FBI testimony about its own intelligence, not court findings.
itemFBI history: "John Gotti"FBI history page on John Gotti: the December 16, 1985 killing of Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti, Gotti's 1990 arrest, his April 2, 1992 conviction on 13 counts, and his death in prison in June 2002.itemFBI Vault: John Joseph Gotti, Jr, Part 01The earliest serials in the FBI's Gotti file: a 1964 report on a Selective Service Act delinquency, stating that he was born in the Bronx, and his identification record.itemOrganized Crime: 25 Years After Valachi (S. Hrg. 100-906, 1988)Hearings of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, April 1988, in which FBI officials compared the 1963 Valachi charts with the Bureau's 1987 charts of the families. FBI testimony about its own intelligence, not court findings.