NEW YORK, Apr. 2, 1992 -- The infamous “Teflon Don,” John Gotti, former head of the Gambino family was convicted and sentenced to life in prison today without possibility of parole. He was convicted on 5 counts of murder (Castellano and Bilotti, Robert DiBernardo, Liborio Milito and Louis Dibono), conspiracy to commit murder, illegal gambling, loan sharking, racketeering, extortion, obstruction of justice, bribing a public official and tax evasion (Goodstein, 1992). Acting as boss, John Gotti was believed to have made the Gambino family more than $500 million in revenue from illegal gambling, drug trafficking, extortion, and stock fraud (“John Joseph Gotti Jr”, 2014). During the trial, the judge ordered that the jurors stay anonymous, identified only by number, in order to avert a repeat of the jury tampering that occurred involving previous trials with Mr. Gotti (FBI, 2007). Gotti is recorded as keeping the same half smile he wore the entire trial, even as he was informed that the rest of his life would be spent in a cell block (Lubasch, 1992). Born on the 27th of October, 1940, to a blue collar family in the South Bronx, John Gotti was the fifth of 13 children born to Fannie and J. Joseph Gotti. The family’s income was less than consistent because of John’s father’s unpredictable work as a day laborer. After moving constantly, the family finally settled in East New York: an area notorious for its youth gang activity (“John Joseph Gotti Jr”, 2014). During his teenage years, Gotti became affiliated with the Gambino family, one of the “Five Families” that control most organized crime in New York (Jenkins). He started out as an errand boy for an underground club, where he met Aniello Dellacroce, who would eventually become his men... ... middle of paper ... ...lon Don,” because the charges just wouldn’t stick. Gotti used his newfound status as boss to move the Gambino family headquarters to Manhattan at the Ravenite social club. The move made him a target for further surveillance from law enforcement, and by 1989 no less than nine men were informing on him. Conversations recorded by bugs were enough to indict him on RICO charges once again; however, the final decision to prosecute came when Sammy Gravanno, Gotti’s consigliore, struck a deal and agreed to testify against him. With Gravanno’s testimony and the taped evidence, the prosecution’s case was irrefutable. After deliberating for only 14 hours, the jury found Gotti guilty on all counts (Mustain & Capeci, 1988). Assistant director of the FBI’s New York branch, James M. Fox, is documented in saying, “The don is covered with Velcro and every charge stuck” (FBI, 2007).
Let me tell you about the “Gabardine Gang”. My father was the leader of an organized crime gang in the city of Hartford Connecticut. Far enough away from New York, New Jersey and Boston crime circuits. Yet, we lived close enough to know what the big guys were doing.. These small gangsters are nothing like you would see on TV or in the movies. My father ran his operation that worked in gambling, burglary, prostitution and bribery. You will never see films or books on these types of gangsters. They are not the glamorous expensive suit wearing types. They don't live in mansions, have maids or servants. These are the ‘blue’ collar types, or as I call them the 'lower-level' gangster. While you may not hear much about these types of gangsters,
Thomas Reppetto’s book is a solid account of the events that took place between 1880 and 1995. The events are detailed and contain fact and evidence, he uses first hand knowledge, being a former chicago commander of detectives, Reppetto was well equipped to write this book. In American Mafia, and its rise to power, Reppetto shows the different parts of the mafia and their communication with the police and italian civilians. The book starts off showing the worst part of the mob, or mafia, and how bad they truly are. Using examples like how many people they’ve taken out and how they’d be one of the richest fortune 500 companies, ift was legal. The book also has how the police reacted to the crimes, in chapter one, they take you into the lives
John Gotti John Gotti: The American Mobster This is a story about a New York mobster, who was the Godfather of the Gambino Family. Today he is serving a life sentence in Marion Federal Penitentiary on 43 counts of racketeering, multiple murders, loan sharking, gambling, and even jury tampering. John Gotti was born October 27, 1940 in the Bronx. John Gotti had 12 other brothers and sisters.
The gangsters we know and love today are much different from what they were 40 years ago. From the way they talked, dressed, and went about their business, the idea of a gangster has changed a lot. But they have one thing in common and this is the fact that they both had and have a huge impact on our society. One gangster in particular, Henry Hill, contributed to a huge turning point in the methods of American criminals. Henry Hill’s accomplishments as a mobster and an FBI informant helped change the ways of organized crime and how the government tried to stop them.
Al Capone Thesis: From racketeering, bootlegging, and brotheling, Alphonse Capone is one of the most well known and influential gangsters in history. Al Capone, born to Gabriele and Teresina Capone, was born in Brooklyn, New York. At age 5 he starrted school at Public School no.7 on Adams street. Al’s school had outbreaks of violence. Male Students engaged in fist fights with female teachers.
May, Allen.(2004). John Gotti: The Last Mafia Icon. Retrieved November 10, 2004, from Court TVs Crime Library. Web Site: http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/gotti/index_1.html
"Breaking News, notorious crime mobster Lucky Luciano strikes again on the busy streets of New York city. Police intel spoke earlier today and said Luciano fled the scene and could not be found," said the panicking news reporter.
South, David. The History of Organized Crime: Secrets of The World’s Most Notorious Gangs. New York: Metro Books, 2013. Print.
Al Capone, America’s most prominent Mafia figure in the 1920’s, also known as “Scarface” for a scar running down his left cheek. Capone didn’t hide in the shadows like most figures in such a shady occupation. He didn’t shy away from the camera, more like he welcomed it, and aimed to be seen by the public as a respectable businessman and a pillar of the community. Surprisingly, Capone wasn’t from a distinctly poor community, his father earned a living as a barber. Capone was introduced to the gang life by a friend and from there it all went downhill and into the life of a gangster.
Al Capone was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 17,1899. He was the fourth of seven sons and two daughters. His parents, Gabriel and Theresa, were one of thousands of Italians who arrived in New York in 1894 for a better living. The early Capone was slashed with a knife across his left cheek by a young hoodlum in a restaurant , For harassing a woman, prompting the later nickname ‘’Scarface.’’Then Capone met a gangster named Johnny Torrio, who taught Capone how to build a corporate empire. Torrio moved from New York to Chicago in 1909 to help run a giant brothel business. In 1919 Capone joined Torrio’s James Street Boys gang in Chicago, Where he had become an Influential Lieutenant in the Colosimo mob. In 1925, Al Capone became boss when Torrio was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt, surrendered control and retired to Brooklyn. As Prohibition began, New bootlegging operations opened up and drew in immense wealth. Capone started running gambling, prostitution, and gunning down rival gangs. Capone kidnapped opponents, election workers and threatened voters with violence. Later he eventually won office in Cairo but then his brother frank had been killed in a shootout with the Police of Chicago. Capone left for Miami with his wife and children and bought Palm Island estate,...
Considered the most notorious gangster in history, Alphonse Capone, otherwise known as Scarface Al, was born in New York, 1899, in a small apartment in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Having many run-ins with the police growing up, he was always around the local street gang led my Johnny Torrio. After beating one of his sixth grade teachers, he quit school, and quickly learned the way of the streets, joining the Torrio gang, call the James Street Gang. James Street also included Lucky Luciano, one of Capone’s best friends, who would later also become a notorious gangster (Internet 1, 1).
...rtunately, it was to no avail. The most infamous names in organized crime such as the American Mafia and Al Capone went on to set the precedence for how organized crime was run. Never before had American gangs operated on a national level, never before had crime been thought of as glamorous, and never before had average citizens broken the law daily. The nature of crime is still changing today. Recently, a new type of crime has been flourishing. Cybercrime is silently terrorizing America and has become almost unstoppable. The FBI has been tracking the amount of internet crime in America since 2001. In total , 289,874 internet crime complaints were reported to the FBI in 2012 alone (Annual Reports). The total loss from money from victims is estimated to be $525,441,110.00. $4,672,985.06 of which came from victims of FBI impersonation emails. (Annual Reports)
“I don’t trust society to protect us, I have no intention of placing my fate in the hands of men whose only qualification is that they managed to con a block of people to vote for them.” This quote from The Godfather, which is famous for glorifying the Mafia, reflects the concerns of criminology within organized crime. Using ideas from Sutherland, Rawls and Nussbaum, one might argue that the relationship between organized crime and the governance relating to it plays a significant role and influence on society.
This case illustrated that there were real consequences to white collar crime. In addition to paying the fifty million dollar fine, he relinquished another fifty million dollars of his illegal trading profits. (He still had millions remaining, however, from his illegal gains.) His actual prison sentence was three years, yet he served only twenty-two months in the federal prison at Lompoc, California, which was known to have a “country-club” atmosphere.
Reppetto, Thomas. American Mafia A history of Its Rise to Power. Edited by John Macrae. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2004.