Editing John Gotti (section)

== Gambino crime family ==
=== Associate ===
As early as his teens, Gotti was running errands for [[Carmine Fatico]], a ''[[Soldato|soldier]]'' in the Gambino family, then known as the Anastasia family under the leadership of [[crime boss|boss]] [[Albert Anastasia]].<ref>Raab, p. 352</ref> Gotti carried out [[truck hijacking]]s at Idlewild Airport (now [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]]) together with his brother Gene and friend Ruggiero.<ref name="Raab, p. 354">Raab, p. 354</ref> During this time, he befriended fellow mob hijacker and future [[Bonanno crime family|Bonanno family]] boss [[Joseph Massino]], and was given the nicknames "'''Black John'''" and "'''Crazy Horse'''."<ref name="Raab, p. 354"/><ref>Raab, p. 606</ref> It was around this time that Gotti met his [[mentorship|mentor]], Gambino [[underboss]] [[Aniello Dellacroce|Aniello "Neil" Dellacroce]].<ref>Raab, p. 354.</ref>

In February 1968, [[United Airlines]] employees identified Gotti as the man who had signed for stolen merchandise; the FBI arrested him for that hijacking soon after. Gotti was arrested a third time for hijacking while out on [[bail]] two months later, this time for stealing a load of cigarettes worth $50,000 on the [[New Jersey Turnpike]]. Later that year, Gotti pleaded guilty to the hijacking of [[Northwest Airlines]] cargo trucks and was sentenced to three years at [[Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary]].<ref name="Raab, p. 354"/>

Gotti and Ruggiero were [[parole]]d in 1972 and returned to their old crew at the [[Bergin Hunt and Fish Club]], still working under Fatico. Gotti took responsibility for managing the Bergin crew's [[illegal gambling]] operation, where he proved himself to be an effective [[mob enforcer|enforcer]].<ref>Davis, pp. 155–157</ref> Fatico was [[indictment|indicted]] on [[loansharking]] charges in 1972; as a condition of his release, he could not associate with known felons. Gotti was not yet a made man due to the membership books' having been closed following the 1957 [[Apalachin meeting]], but Fatico named him acting ''capo'' of the Bergin crew soon after he was paroled.<ref>Davis, p. 158</ref> In this new role, Gotti frequently traveled to Dellacroce's headquarters at the [[Ravenite Social Club]] to brief the underboss on the crew's activities. Dellacroce had already taken a liking to Gotti, and the two became even closer during this time. The two were very similar — both had strong violent streaks, cursed frequently, and were heavy gamblers.<ref>Raab, p. 356.</ref>

After Emanuel Gambino, nephew to boss [[Carlo Gambino]], was kidnapped and murdered in 1973, Gotti was assigned to the [[Contract killing|hit]] team alongside Ruggiero and fellow enforcer Ralph Galione to search for the main suspect, gangster [[James McBratney]].<ref name="USATODAY timeline"/> The three men botched their attempt to abduct McBratney at a [[Staten Island]] bar when they attempted to arrest him while posing as police detectives,<ref name=ruthless/> and Galione shot McBratney dead when his accomplices managed to restrain him. Gotti was identified by eyewitnesses and by a police insider, and was arrested for the killing in June 1974.<ref>Davis, pp. 159–160</ref> He was able to strike a [[plea bargain]], however, with the help of attorney [[Roy Cohn]], and was sentenced to four years' imprisonment for attempted [[manslaughter]] for his part in the hit.<ref name="Davis185"/> Following Gotti's death, he was also identified by Massino as the killer of Vito Borelli, a Gambino associate murdered in 1975.<ref>Raab, p. 608</ref>

Remo Franceschini, a member of the [[New York City Police Department]] (NYPD) from 1957 to 1991 who specialized in [[organized crime]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Matter of Honor: One Cop's Lifelong Pursuit of John Gotti and the Mob by Remo Franceschini |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780671739478 |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=www.publishersweekly.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Buder |first=Leonard |date=1986-05-21 |title=GOTTI IS EXPECTED TO RUN MOB GROUP FROM FEDERAL JAIL |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/21/nyregion/gotti-is-expected-to-run-mob-group-from-federal-jail.html |access-date=2022-07-05 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> was asked in 1993 how he knew at an early stage that Gotti would become a major figure in the Mafia; he said, “He was charismatic and a leader. He wasn't a womanizer. He spent all his time with his men. He also had a very sharp mind and total recall. And he exuded toughness. There were few men who would go against him."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lavin |first=Cheryl |date=29 August 1993 |title=Remo Franceschini spent many of his 35... |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1993-08-29-9308290112-story.html |access-date=5 July 2022}}</ref>

=== Captain ===
On October 15, 1976, Carlo Gambino died at his home of [[natural causes]].<ref name="gambino dies">{{cite news|last=Gage|first=Nicholas|title=Carlo Gambino, a Mafia Leader, Dies in His Long Island Home at 74|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/10/16/archives/carlo-gambino-a-mafia-leader-dies-in-his-long-island-home-at-74.html?sq=%2522Paul%2520Castellano%2522&scp=9&st=cse|access-date=January 7, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 16, 1976|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722213722/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/10/16/archives/carlo-gambino-a-mafia-leader-dies-in-his-long-island-home-at-74.html?sq=%2522Paul%2520Castellano%2522&scp=9&st=cse|archive-date=July 22, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Against expectations, he had appointed [[Paul Castellano]] to succeed him over his underboss Dellacroce. Gambino appeared to believe that his crime family would benefit from Castellano's focus on [[white-collar worker|white-collar]] businesses.<ref>O'Brien, Kurins, pp. 104–105</ref> Dellacroce was in prison for [[tax evasion]] at the time and was therefore unable to contest the succession.<ref>Davis, p. 176</ref> Castellano's position as boss was confirmed at a meeting on November 24, with Dellacroce present. Castellano arranged for Dellacroce to remain as underboss while directly running the family's affairs.<ref name="bob 106">O'Brien, Kurins, pp. 106–108</ref> While Dellacroce accepted Castellano's succession, the deal effectively split the Gambino family into two rival factions.<ref name="bob 106"/>

In 1976, the Gambino family's membership books were reportedly reopened.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/03/21/archives/five-mafia-families-open-rosters-to-new-members-five-mafia-families.html|title=Five Mafia Families Open Rosters to New Members|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 21, 1976|access-date=April 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406205556/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/03/21/archives/five-mafia-families-open-rosters-to-new-members-five-mafia-families.html|archive-date=April 6, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Gotti was released in July 1977, after two years' imprisonment; he was subsequently initiated into the family, now under the command of Castellano, and immediately promoted to replace Fatico as ''capo'' of the Bergin crew.<ref name="Davis185"/> Gotti's crew reported directly to Dellacroce as part of the concessions given by Castellano to keep Dellacroce as underboss,<ref>Davis, pp. 176–177</ref> and Gotti was regarded as Dellacroce's protégé.<ref name="Davis 188-189">Davis, pp. 188–189</ref> Under Gotti, the crew were Dellacroce's biggest earners.<ref name="Davis185"/> Besides his cut of his subordinates' earnings, Gotti ran his own loansharking operation, and held a [[no-show job]] as a plumbing supply salesman.<ref>Capeci, Mustain (1996), p. 62</ref> Unconfirmed allegations by FBI [[informant]]s claimed that Gotti also financed [[drug deal]]s.<ref name="Davis 188-189"/><ref>Capeci, Mustain (1996), pp. 69–70</ref>

In December 1978, Gotti assisted in the [[Lufthansa heist]] at Kennedy Airport, the largest unrecovered cash robbery in history. He had made arrangements for the [[getaway car|getaway van]] to be crushed and baled at a [[scrapyard]] in Brooklyn. However, the driver of the van, Parnell "Stacks" Edwards, failed to follow orders; rather than driving the vehicle to the scrapyard, he parked it near a fire hydrant, and went to sleep at his girlfriend's apartment.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Volkman |first1=Ernest |last2=Cummings |first2=John |title=The Heist |date=January 1, 1988 |publisher=Random House Publishing Group |isbn=9780440200291 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YcDp8MGPJlgC&q=desimone++dipalermo |access-date=29 July 2015}}</ref>

Gotti mostly tried to distance his personal family from his life of crime, with the exception of his son John Jr., who was a mob associate by 1982.<ref name="Jr60"/> However, on March 18, 1980, Gotti's youngest son, 12-year-old Frank, was run over and killed on a family friend's [[minibike]] by a neighbor named [[John Favara]].<ref name="FavaraFox">{{cite news|url= https://www.foxnews.com/story/john-gotti-neighbor-was-dissolved-in-acid-court-papers-reveal|title= John Gotti Neighbor Was Dissolved in Acid, Court Papers Reveal|date= January 9, 2009|publisher= Fox News|agency= Associated Press|access-date= February 25, 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110127201647/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,478124,00.html|archive-date= January 27, 2011|url-status= live}}</ref> Frank's death was ruled an accident, but Favara subsequently received death threats and was attacked by Gotti's wife with a baseball bat when he visited their home to apologize.<ref name="Davis 190-191">Davis, pp. 190–191</ref><ref name="RnF 66-67">Capeci, Mustain (1996), pp. 66–67</ref> Four months later, Favara disappeared, and was presumed murdered.<ref name="FavaraFox"/> Accounts have differed on what was done with his body. One account said that Favara was [[Dismemberment|dismembered]] alive with a chainsaw, and that his remains were stuffed into a barrel filled with concrete and dumped in the ocean, or buried somewhere on the lot of a [[chop shop]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Don Is Done - New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E5DB1239F932A05752C0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=6 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20081220182150/http://query.nytimes.com:80/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E5DB1239F932A05752C0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=6 |archive-date=2008-12-20 |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=query.nytimes.com| date=January 31, 1999 | last1=Goldberg | first1=Jeffrey }}</ref> In January 2009, court papers filed by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn contained allegations that mob [[Contract killing|hitman]] [[Charles Carneglia]] killed Favara and disposed of his body in acid.<ref name="FavaraFox2">{{cite news |date=January 9, 2009 |title=John Gotti Neighbor Was Dissolved in Acid, Court Papers Reveal |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/john-gotti-neighbor-was-dissolved-in-acid-court-papers-reveal |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111143425/https://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,478124,00.html |archive-date=2009-01-11 |access-date=December 19, 2024 |publisher=Fox News |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> Gotti is widely assumed to have ordered Favara's murder despite him and his family leaving on vacation for [[Florida]] three days prior.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/favara-son-dad-accidentally-killed-gotti-boy-no-grave-visit-father-day-article-1.127324|title=Favara son whose dad accidentally killed Gotti boy has no grave to visit this Father's Day|work=New York Daily News|date=June 19, 2011|access-date=February 26, 2021|archive-date=October 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019020108/https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/favara-son-dad-accidentally-killed-gotti-boy-no-grave-visit-father-day-article-1.127324|url-status=live}}</ref>

Gotti was indicted on two occasions in his last two years as the Bergin ''capo'', with both cases coming to trial after his ascension to boss of the Gambino family. In September 1984, he had an altercation with a refrigerator mechanic named Romual Piecyk and was subsequently charged with [[assault]] and [[robbery]].<ref>Davis, p. 286</ref><ref name="TimeAssaultOne">{{cite magazine |year=1986 |title=Trial and Terror: A victim's memory is mugged |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |volume=127 |issue=14 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,961056,00.html |access-date=February 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110124072903/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,961056,00.html |archive-date=January 24, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1985, he was indicted alongside Dellacroce and several Bergin crew members in a [[racketeering]] case by [[United States Attorney|Assistant U.S. Attorney]] Diane Giacalone.<ref name="Gotti running"/><ref name="RnF 88-89">Capeci, Mustain (1996), pp. 88–89</ref> The indictment revealed that Gotti's friend and co-defendant, Wilfred "Willie Boy" Johnson, had been an FBI informant.<ref name="RnF 88-89"/>

=== Taking over the Gambino family ===
Gotti quickly became dissatisfied with Castellano's leadership of the Gambino family, regarding the new boss as being too isolated and greedy.<ref name="Davis, p 187">Davis, p. 187</ref><ref name="Capeci, Mustain (1996)">Capeci, Mustain (1996), p. 61</ref> Like other members of the family, he also personally disliked Castellano. The boss lacked [[street credibility]], and those who had paid their dues running street-level jobs did not respect him. Gotti had an economic interest as well; he had a running dispute with Castellano on the split Gotti took from truck hijackings at Kennedy Airport. 

Gotti was also rumored to be expanding into drug dealing, a lucrative trade Castellano had banned under threat of death.<ref name="Davis, p 187"/><ref name="Capeci, Mustain (1996)"/> In August 1983, Ruggiero and Gotti's brother Gene were arrested for dealing [[heroin]], based primarily on recordings from a [[Covert listening device|bug]] in Ruggiero's house.<ref name="Davis, p 216">Davis, p. 216</ref><ref>Capeci, Mustain (1996), p. 77</ref> Castellano demanded transcripts of the tapes;<ref name="Davis, p 216"/><ref>Capeci, Mustain (1996), pp. 79–80</ref> when Ruggiero refused, he threatened to demote Gotti.<ref name="Davis, p 238">Davis, p 238</ref>

In 1984, Castellano was arrested and indicted in a [[RICO]] case for the crimes of Gambino hitman [[Roy DeMeo]] and his crew.<ref>Davis, p 204</ref><ref>Capeci, Mustain (1996), pp. 82–83</ref> The following year, he received a [[Mafia Commission Trial|second indictment]] for his role on [[The Commission (mafia)|the Commission]], the Mafia's governing body.<ref name="Davis, p 238"/> Facing [[life imprisonment]] for either case, Castellano arranged for Gotti to serve as acting boss alongside [[Thomas Bilotti]], Castellano's favorite ''capo'', and [[Thomas Gambino]] in his absence.<ref>Davis, pp. 254–255</ref><ref>Capeci, Mustain (1996), p. 91</ref> Gotti, meanwhile, began conspiring with fellow disgruntled ''capos'' [[Frank DeCicco]] and [[Joseph Armone|Joseph "Joe Piney" Armone]] and [[soldato|soldier]]s [[Sammy Gravano|Sammy "the Bull" Gravano]] and [[Robert DiBernardo|Robert "DiB" DiBernardo]] (collectively dubbed "The Fist") to overthrow Castellano, insisting, despite the boss' inaction, that Castellano would eventually try to kill him.<ref name="RnF 92">Capeci, Mustain (1996), pp. 92–96</ref> Armone's support was critical; as a respected old-timer who dated back to the family's founder, [[Vincent Mangano]], he would lend needed credibility to the conspirators' cause.<ref name="Raab, p. 375">Raab, p. 375.</ref>

It had long been a rule in the Mafia that a boss could only be killed with the approval of a majority of the Commission. Indeed, Gotti's planned hit would have been the first unsanctioned hit on a boss of the [[Five Families]] since [[Frank Costello]] was nearly killed in 1957, and would have been the first on any boss since [[Angelo Bruno]] in 1980. Gotti knew that it would be too risky to solicit support from the other four bosses, since they had longstanding ties to Castellano. To get around this, he got the support of several important figures of his generation in the [[Lucchese crime family|Lucchese]], [[Colombo crime family|Colombo]] and [[Bonanno crime family|Bonanno]] families. He did not consider approaching the [[Genovese crime family|Genovese family]]; Castellano's ties with Genovese boss [[Vincent Gigante|Vincent "The Chin" Gigante]] were so close that any overture to a Genovese soldier would have been a tipoff.<ref name="Raab, p. 375"/> However, Gotti could also count on the complicity of Gambino ''[[consigliere]]'' [[Joseph N. Gallo]].<ref name="RnF 92"/><ref>Maas, p. 315</ref>

After Dellacroce died of [[cancer]] on December 2, 1985, Castellano revised his succession plan, appointing Bilotti as underboss to Thomas Gambino as the sole acting boss, while making plans to break up Gotti's crew.<ref name="Davis 263">Davis, pp. 263–266</ref><ref name="RnF 97">Capeci, Mustain (1996), p. 97</ref> Infuriated by this, and by Castellano's refusal to attend Dellacroce's [[wake (ceremony)|wake]],<ref name="Davis 263"/><ref name="RnF 97"/> Gotti resolved to kill his boss. When DeCicco tipped off Gotti that he would be having a meeting with Castellano and several other Gambino mobsters at [[Sparks Steak House]] on December 16, Gotti chose to take the opportunity.<ref>Maas, pp. 321–322</ref> Both Castellano and Bilotti were ambushed and shot dead by assassins under Gotti's command when they arrived that evening.<ref>Davis, pp. 272–273</ref> Gotti watched the hit from his car alongside Gravano.<ref>Capeci, Mustain (1996), pp. 102–104</ref>

Several days after the murder, Gotti was named to a three-man committee, along with Gallo and DeCicco, to temporarily run the Gambino family pending the election of a new boss. It was also announced that an internal investigation into Castellano's murder was underway. However, it was an open secret that Gotti was acting boss in all but name, and nearly all of the family's ''capos'' knew he had been the one behind the hit. Gotti was formally named the new boss of the family at a meeting of twenty ''capos'' held on January 15, 1986.<ref>Raab, p. 377–378.</ref> He appointed DeCicco as the new underboss while retaining Gallo as ''consigliere''.<ref>Davis, p. 282</ref><ref>Capeci, Mustain (1996), p. 115</ref>