Peter Gotti

Gotti was born to John and Fannie Gotti. Gotti's brothers included John J. Gotti, capo Gene Gotti, capo Richard V. Gotti, and soldier Vincent Gotti. The brothers grew up in East New York, Brooklyn.[2] Gotti married Catherine in 1960 and fathered one child, Peter Gotti Jr. Gotti's nickname "One Eye" derives from blindness from glaucoma in one eye.[3]

Around 1960, at age 21, Gotti started working as an associate for the Gambino family. In 1988, at age 49, the family inducted Gotti as a made man.[4] John J. Gotti did not believe his brother Peter had the ability to belong to the Mafia, which may have led to Peter's reputation as "the Dumbest Don." John J. Gotti designated Peter as caretaker of the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club, and as a driver for John and Gene. By 1989, Peter was promoted to capo.[5]

Like his father, Gotti had a legitimate job as a sanitation worker for the New York City Department of Sanitation. Gotti eventually retired from the Sanitation Department with a disability pension after injuring his head against the back end of a garbage truck.[1]

In April 1992, his brother, John J. Gotti, received a life sentence for racketeering and related offenses.[6][7] His brother asserted his prerogative to retain his title as boss until his death or retirement, with his son John A. Gotti and Peter relaying orders on his behalf.[8] Federal prosecutors say Peter became head of the Gambino organization after Gotti Jr. was sent to prison in 1999,[9][1] and is believed to have formally succeeded his brother shortly before Gotti Sr.'s death in June 2002.[10]

In June 2002, a few days before his brother John's death, Gotti was indicted on federal racketeering charges. During Gotti's trial, federal prosecutors released information revealing that Gotti was having an affair with Marjorie Alexander, a longtime girlfriend. Alexander then publicly acknowledged the liaison and declared her love for Gotti. In response, Gotti berated Alexander for causing the publicity and broke off all contact with her.[1] Alexander later committed suicide in 2004.[11] During this time, his wife Catherine filed for divorce, which was finalized in 2006.[11]

In March 2003, Gotti was convicted of extortion, money laundering and racketeering activities centered on the Brooklyn and Staten Island waterfronts, and for the attempted extortion of film actor Steven Seagal.[12] On April 15, 2004, Judge Frederic Block of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York also sentenced Gotti to nine years and four months in prison for the charges.[12] During the trial, Gotti's lawyers stated that he was blind in one eye and suffered from thyroid goiter, sciatica, emphysema, rheumatoid arthritis, postconcussion syndrome, and depression.[12] On December 22, 2004, Gotti was convicted in a separate trial of racketeering charges related to extortion in the construction industry and conspiring to murder government informant and former Gambino underboss Sammy Gravano.[13] On July 27, 2005, Judge Richard C. Casey sentenced Gotti to 25 years in prison for the charges.[14]

Gotti is imprisoned at the Federal Correctional Complex, Butner. His projected release date is May 5, 2032.[15]

In July 2011, Gangland writer Jerry Capeci reported that Domenico Cefalù had formally replaced Gotti as official Gambino boss.[16]

In July 2019, Gotti requested compassionate release under the First Step Act, citing failing health, but was denied in September, and later requested it again in December,[17][18] being again denied in January 2020.[19]

• Mob Star: The Story of John Gotti by Gene Mustain & Jerry Capeci in 2002, ISBN 0-02-864416-6.
• Gotti: The Rise & Fall by Jerry Capeci in 1996, ISBN 0-451-40681-8.
• Mafia Dynasty: The Rise & Fall of the Gambino Crime Family by John H. Davis in 1994, ISBN 0-06-109184-7.