Eugene Gotti (born 1946) is an American mobster and a former captain in the Gambino crime family of New York City. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison in 1989 for racketeering and drug trafficking charges; he was released in 2018.
Early life
Gotti was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1946. He was one of 13 children (two had died at birth) of John Joseph Gotti Sr. and Philomena "Fannie" DeCarlo. Gotti's brothers included John Gotti, Peter Gotti and Richard V. Gotti. All the brothers grew up in East New York, Brooklyn, and became involved with organized crime.
thumb|right|200px|Gene Gotti December 1973 mugshot
Criminal life
Gene became a made man in 1976, working with his brother, John, in his South Ozone Park crew.
Gotti carried out truck hijackings at Idlewild Airport (subsequently renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport) together with his brother John and friend Angelo Ruggiero. In August 1983, Ruggiero and Gotti were arrested for dealing heroin, based primarily on recordings from a bug in Ruggiero's house. Boss Paul Castellano, who had banned made men from his family from dealing drugs under threat of death, demanded transcripts of the tapes, and, when Ruggiero refused, threatened to demote his brother John.
In late 1986 Gotti took over the crew, when Ruggiero was demoted.
On March 13, 1987, Gene Gotti, his brother John and others, were acquitted on federal charges of loansharking, illegal gambling, murder, and armed hijackings.
Prison and release
Later in 1987, Gotti and John Carneglia went to trial on the 1983 federal charges of narcotics trafficking, obstruction of justice, racketeering, and operating a continuing criminal narcotics enterprise. In January 1988, the judge declared a mistrial on this second case due to government charges of jury tampering. On July 27, 1988, in a retrial, the judge again declared a mistrial because jurors failed to reach a verdict. On May 23, 1989, in his third trial on the 1983 charges, Gotti and Carneglia were convicted of running a heroin distribution ring. On July 7, 1989, Gotti was sentenced to 50 years in prison and fined $75,000, the same penalty given to Carneglia. After his sentencing, the Gambino family demoted Gotti from capo to soldier because he was in prison. His elder brother Peter became new leader of the crew.
Gotti was imprisoned at the Federal Correctional Institution, Pollock, in Pollock, Louisiana, from 1989 to 2018. He was released on September 14, 2018, when he was 71 years old, after serving 29 years of his sentence.
Further reading
- Mob Star: The Story of John Gotti by Gene Mustain & Jerry Capeci in 2002,
- Gotti: The Rise & Fall by Jerry Capeci in 1996,
- Mafia Dynasty: The Rise & Fall of the Gambino Crime Family by John H. Davis in 1994,
- Goombata: The Improbable Rise and Fall of John Gotti and His Gang by John Cummings and Ernest Volkman