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What Is John Joseph Gotti Jr. Net Worth’ Net Worth
At the peak of his criminal empire, John Joseph Gotti Jr., the infamous American mobster and crime boss, had a net worth of approximately $30 million after adjusting for inflation. This figure reflects the significant financial gains he accrued through his leadership of the Gambino crime family and their extensive criminal operations.
Early Life and Introduction to Organized Crime
John Joseph Gotti Jr. was born on October 27, 1940, in the Bronx, New York. As the fifth of ten children, Gotti’s early life was marked by poverty. His family’s origins trace back to San Giuseppe Vesuviano, near Naples, Italy, where his grandparents hailed from. His father’s inconsistent employment as a day laborer contributed to the family’s financial struggles, a situation Gotti reportedly resented. By the age of 12, Gotti had already begun engaging in criminal activities and associating with street gangs. At 14, an attempt to steal a cement mixer resulted in a crushed foot, leaving him with a permanent limp. Dropping out of Franklin K. Lane High School at 16, he joined the Fulton-Rockaway Boys, a mafia-affiliated gang that included future Gambino mobsters Angelo Ruggiero and Wilfred “Willie Boy” Johnson.
Early Mobster Days and Criminal Activities
In his teenage years, Gotti ran errands for Gambino Family capo Carmine Fatico and participated in truck hijackings at what is now John F. Kennedy Airport. During this time, he befriended future Bonanno family boss Joseph Massino and met his mentor, Aniello “Neil” Dellacroce. In 1968, Gotti was arrested for stealing trucks at the airport. He made bail but was arrested again after stealing a large quantity of cigarettes. He pled guilty to the charges and was sentenced to three years in the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary along with his friend Ruggiero. The two were released in 1972 and resumed their activities with the Gambino Family. John was named acting capo shortly after he was paroled. When the nephew of boss Carlo Gambino was murdered, Gotti was one of the members of the hit squad that was tasked with killing the primary suspect, James McBratney. Their plans went awry, and they killed McBratney in public, which led to Gotti being identified and then charged with murder. With the help of infamous attorney Roy Cohn, he arranged a plea bargain that resulted in a short four-year sentence.
Rise to Power and Leadership of the Gambino Family
Carlo Gambino’s death in 1976 led to Paul Castellano’s ascension as boss, bypassing underboss Aniello Dellacroce, who was then incarcerated. Upon his release in 1977, Gotti became a made man in the mob and was appointed capo of the Bergin crew, which operated as Dellacroce’s most profitable unit. At the end of 1978, Gotti participated in the Lufthansa Heist, the largest unrecovered cash robbery in history. Gotti’s ambitions and dissatisfaction with Castellano’s leadership grew, especially after Dellacroce’s death from cancer in 1985. Gotti saw an opportunity to seize control. He orchestrated Castellano’s assassination outside Sparks Steak House in Manhattan on December 16, 1985, effectively becoming the new boss of the Gambino family.
John Joseph Gotti Jr. Net Worth Sources and Earnings
The Gambino family’s operations generated substantial revenue, estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars annually, through activities such as loan sharking, construction, gambling, hijacking, and extortion. According to the book “Underboss,” the Gambino crime family’s annual turnover was $500 million. In the same book, Sammy the Bull Gravano claimed that in a typical year, he and Gotti both earned $5 million and that in many years they both earned $10-15 million. Gotti’s lavish lifestyle, characterized by expensive suits and public displays of wealth, contributed to his notoriety and attracted significant media attention.
Legal Troubles and Downfall
Despite his attempts to evade prosecution, Gotti’s reign was marked by increasing legal challenges. In the mid-1980s, he faced RICO charges, which were delayed due to concerns that publicity from bombings carried out by another family would prejudice the jury. During jury selection for his trial in August 1986, the Gambino family reportedly secured an acquittal or hung jury by bribing a juror with $60,000. He was acquitted of all charges the next year. However, Gotti’s insistence on weekly meetings at the Ravenite Social Club proved to be his undoing, as the FBI bugged the location. Although he escaped conviction in a 1989 assault case, he was arrested in 1990 and charged with racketeering, five murders, tax evasion, bribery, and loansharking. The FBI’s tapes created a rift between Gotti and his underboss, Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano, who ultimately agreed to testify against Gotti. In April 1992, Gotti was found guilty on all charges and surrendered to federal authorities in December 1992.
Imprisonment and Death
Following his conviction, Gotti was incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois, a medium-security facility. In July 1996, he was assaulted by a fellow inmate. Subsequently, he allegedly paid two members of the Aryan Brotherhood between $40,000 and $400,000 to kill his attacker, leading to the individual’s transfer to another facility. However, it was speculated that the Aryan Brotherhood never intended to carry out the hit. Gotti’s health deteriorated during his imprisonment, and on June 10, 2002, he died from throat cancer at the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, at the age of 61. He had been at the facility since 2000, following the recurrence of his cancer two years after surgery to remove a tumor.
Personal Life and Family
Gotti married Victoria DiGiorgio in 1958, and they had five children together. Some of their children have since appeared in reality television shows, including “Mob Wives,” “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” and their own family’s reality show, “Growing Up Gotti.” Gotti’s personal life and family were often intertwined with his public image and the notoriety associated with his criminal activities.
