Netflix’s latest hit docuseries, Get Gotti, charts the wild, violent downfall of infamous mob boss John Gotti.
The New York kingpin rose through the ranks in the ’60s, serving as a member of truck-robbing street gangs before helping to orchestrate a hit on the head of the Gambino crime family, Paul Castellano. As Gotti replaced Castellano, he gained more power and attracted more scrutiny from federal investigators — which is what Netflix’s doc covers across three episodes. In the ’80s, Gotti was the most powerful mafia don in New York. Netflix’s series covers that, but the show also breaks down how his hubris helped cause the collapse of the Gambino crime syndicate.
Here’s what happened to John Gotti after his life of crime ended.
What Happened To John Gotti?
Once Gotti usurped the Gambino throne, he became practically invincible, despite authorities constantly surveilling him and slapping him with charges that ranged from assault to racketeering. Most of those didn’t stick, which is how he earned the nickname, “The Teflon Don,” but in the early ’90s, Gotti was betrayed by his underboss Salvatore ‘Sammy the Bull’ Gravano. After learning that Gotti incriminated him in a murder case, Gravano worked with the FBI, providing them with evidence and even testifying against his former boss in court. Gotti received a life sentence for a host of charges that included racketeering, tax evasion, extortion, illegal gambling, and multiple murders.
Gotti spent roughly eight years behind bars, still running the Gambino empire with the help of his son who investigators believed was carrying out orders on his behalf. In 1998, Gotti was diagnosed with throat cancer. He initially had a tumor removed, but when the cancer returned, he was sent to a medical facility in Missouri to serve out the remainder of his sentence. Gotti died two years later.
What Happened To The Gambino Crime Family?
Gotti’s son, John Gotti Jr., and his brother, Peter, ran the Gambino crime family in Gotti’s absence. John was charged with racketeering in the late ’90s and, against his father’s wishes, he pled guilty before serving six years behind bars. The Gambino crime family is still believed to be active in New York, though no one with the name Gotti is now running the operation.
(Via Digital Spy)
