Get Gotti" on Netflix has reignited public curiosity about John Gotti's final moments. So, what led to the demise of this notorious mafia boss?
John Gotti passed away on June 10, 2002, at 61 years old. His death came while he was imprisoned, grappling with throat cancer.
After a 1992 conviction led to a life sentence, Gotti's years were largely confined behind bars. When diagnosed with throat cancer in 1998, he was relocated to the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. Though his initial surgery successfully excised the tumor, cancer made a comeback within two years. Gotti's health took a sharp downturn, culminating in his death in 2002.
John Gotti's brushes with the law began in 1968, resulting in a 3-year term following a guilty plea for hijacking Northwest Airlines. In 1973, Gotti, in collaboration with Ruggiero and Ralph Galione, played a part in gangster James McBratney's death. For his involvement in McBratney's killing, Gotti was apprehended in 1974 and handed a 4-year sentence, although he was released after serving only half of it.
Handling the helm of the Gambino family, Gotti was officially recognized as its leader in 1986. However, his cat-and-mouse chase with the FBI was far from over. The climax came on December 11, 1990, when Gotti, alongside Gravano and Locascio, was apprehended during a raid on the Ravenite. This arrest was based on a slew of charges ranging from racketeering, murder conspiracies, tax evasion, to bribery. His involvement in multiple murders added to his infamy. Ultimately, on April 2, 1992, the courts handed him a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Who is John Gotti?
John Gotti (1940-2002)