Peter Gotti, the mafia boss who succeeded his infamous brother as the don of the Gambino crime family, died while serving a federal prison sentence, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.
Gotti, 81, was a former sanitation worker who rose to power in the New York mob and was convicted in 2004 of racketeering and conspiracy charges, including a bounty he placed on the Gambino family turncoat Sammy (The Bull) Gravano.
His younger brother, John “Dapper Don” Gotti, also died in prison in 2002
“I had a call [Thursday] morning that he died,” said attorney James Craven III. “That’s all I know. I liked him. … May he rest in peace.”
Gotti’s final two months were spent in the FMC-Butner in North Carolina. His attempt to win early release last year was rejected by a Manhattan federal judge.
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In December, Federal Judge Colleen McMahon stated the reasoning for denying Gotti compassionate release was because he “headed one of the most vicious and violent organized crime organizations in New York for a number of years.”
The Gambino family is considered one of the “Five Families” who run and operate organized crime around New York.
In his waning years, Gotti suffered from heart issues, dementia, blindness, and cancer, court documents show.
Craven said the elderly Gotti was “as dangerous as he looked” during his final days alive. The gangster’s prison release on convictions in Manhattan and Brooklyn were slated for 2032.
Authorities described Gotti as an almost accidental mobster, living as a retired sanitation worker and collecting a disability pension until taking over as acting Gambino boss in 1997 and as the boss in 2001.
Peter Gotti did not have the same style or ambition as his late brother John Gotti, who was known for his material possessions and flashy persona.
His nephew John (Junior) Gotti pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in 1999, which led to Peter Gotti rising up the ranks in the family.
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Peter Gotti’s 2004 Manhattan conviction occurred as he was already doing time on a separate Brooklyn federal conviction.
