Netflix’s latest three-part documentary series, Get Gotti, revisits the life, career, and crimes of notorious mobster John Gotti. Directed by Sebastian Smith, the docuseries premiered on Netflix on October 24, 2023.
Gotti, or New York’s ‘Teflon Don,’ went to prison multiple times. The FBI first arrested and sent him to prison in 1968, but he was released after four years. He was given jail time once again in 1974 and walked out a couple of years later. Then, in late 1985, the mobster finally took over the Gambino crime family, committed a string of crimes, and saw highly publicized acquittals.
However, the FBI and the NYPD built an iron-clad case against him, filing multiple charges that included counts of racketeering, extortion, jury tampering, and other crimes in December 1990. A jury eventually convicted Gotti on several charges, including murder, in April 1992. He received life in prison and died of cancer in June 2002 while serving the lengthy sentence.
How was John Gotti caught and convicted?
According to Grunge, the FBI had been targeting mobster John Gotti for a long time. They believed he was involved in the murders of 70-year-old mafioso Paul Castellano and his number two in command, Thomas Bilotti. Both victims were shot to death in front of Sparks’ Steak House, where many popular criminals used to hang out back then.
The outlet reported that Castellano was the apparent successor of the Gambino crime family. With him gone, Gotti took over the Gambino crime family and soon came to be known as the ‘The Dapper Don.’ He was dubbed the ‘Teflon Don’ after his lawyer got him acquitted three times. Their tricks to garner acquittals included witness intimidation and jury tampering.
An official FBI report confirmed that they joined forces with the NYPD to bring the mobster down for good. Together, they utilized extensive surveillance to catch him and also got his associate Salvatore ‘Sammy the Bull’ Gravano. They recorded Gravano talking about his boss and used the tapes to get him to agree to a deal. Reportedly, in December 1990, FBI and NYPD detectives finally arrested Gotti on multiple counts of racketeering, extortion, and jury tampering, among other crimes.
The Grunge report stated that Gravano’s testimony proved crucial to the case. He confessed to committing 19 murders and claimed that Gotti had ordered ten of those killings. Ultimately, on April 2, 1993, a jury convicted him of murder, among other charges.
In 1998, John Gotti was diagnosed with cancer. He even had surgery to have the tumor removed but died in prison in 2002.
