The Gotti Wars: Taking Down America's Most Notorious Mobster
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- Create Date：2022-05-01 17:21:39
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：John Gleeson
- ISBN：1982186925
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Summary
A riveting， decades-in-the-writing memoir from the determined young prosecutor who， in two of America’s most celebrated trials， managed to convict famed mob boss John Gotti—and subsequently took down the Mafia altogether。
John Gotti was without a doubt the flashiest and most feared Mafioso in American history。 He became the boss of the Gambino Crime Family in spectacular fashion—with the brazen and very public murder of Paul Castellano in front of Sparks Steakhouse in midtown Manhattan in 1985。 Not one to stay below law enforcement’s radar， Gotti instead became the first celebrity crime boss。 His penchant for eye-catching apparel earned him the nickname “The Dapper Don;” his ability to beat criminal charges led to another: “The Teflon Don。”
This is the captivating story of Gotti’s meteoric rise to power and his equally dramatic downfall。 Every step of the way， Gotti’s legal adversary—John Gleeson， an Assistant US Attorney in Brooklyn—was watching。 When Gotti finally faced two federal racketeering prosecutions， Gleeson prosecuted both。 As the junior lawyer in the first case—a bitter seven-month battle that ended in Gotti’s acquittal—Gleeson found himself in Gotti’s crosshairs， falsely accused of serious crimes by a defense witness Gotti intimidated into committing perjury。
Five years later， Gleeson was in charge of the second racketeering investigation and trial。 Armed with the FBI’s secret recordings of Gotti’s conversations with his underboss and consigliere in the apartment above Gotti’s Little Italy hangout， Gleeson indicted all three。 He “flipped” underboss Sammy the Bull Gravano， killer of nineteen men， who became history’s highest-ranking mob turncoat—resulting in Gotti’s murder conviction。 Gleeson ended not just Gotti’s reign， but eventually that of the entire mob。
An epic， page-turning courtroom drama， The Gotti Wars is a brilliantly told crime story that illuminates a time in our nation’s history when lawyers and mobsters dominated the news， but it’s also the story of a tenacious young man， in the glare of the media spotlight， who mastered the art of becoming a great attorney。
John Gotti was without a doubt the flashiest and most feared Mafioso in American history。 He became the boss of the Gambino Crime Family in spectacular fashion—with the brazen and very public murder of Paul Castellano in front of Sparks Steakhouse in midtown Manhattan in 1985。 Not one to stay below law enforcement’s radar， Gotti instead became the first celebrity crime boss。 His penchant for eye-catching apparel earned him the nickname “The Dapper Don;” his ability to beat criminal charges led to another: “The Teflon Don。”
This is the captivating story of Gotti’s meteoric rise to power and his equally dramatic downfall。 Every step of the way， Gotti’s legal adversary—John Gleeson， an Assistant US Attorney in Brooklyn—was watching。 When Gotti finally faced two federal racketeering prosecutions， Gleeson prosecuted both。 As the junior lawyer in the first case—a bitter seven-month battle that ended in Gotti’s acquittal—Gleeson found himself in Gotti’s crosshairs， falsely accused of serious crimes by a defense witness Gotti intimidated into committing perjury。
Five years later， Gleeson was in charge of the second racketeering investigation and trial。 Armed with the FBI’s secret recordings of Gotti’s conversations with his underboss and consigliere in the apartment above Gotti’s Little Italy hangout， Gleeson indicted all three。 He “flipped” underboss Sammy the Bull Gravano， killer of nineteen men， who became history’s highest-ranking mob turncoat—resulting in Gotti’s murder conviction。 Gleeson ended not just Gotti’s reign， but eventually that of the entire mob。
An epic， page-turning courtroom drama， The Gotti Wars is a brilliantly told crime story that illuminates a time in our nation’s history when lawyers and mobsters dominated the news， but it’s also the story of a tenacious young man， in the glare of the media spotlight， who mastered the art of becoming a great attorney。
Reviews
Karen
，
THE GOTTI WARSBY: JOHN GLEESONJohn Gleeson， who is the author of this outstanding account in his own words tells all about the two cases he worked on in sending John Gotti， then known as "the Teflon Don，" to serving life in prison。 John Gleeson tells it all and doesn't leave out any detail starting with his education at the University of Virginia to then clerking for a judge， next getting hired in a prestigious law firm to leave that promising lucrative career to go to work for the other side--a THE GOTTI WARSBY: JOHN GLEESONJohn Gleeson， who is the author of this outstanding account in his own words tells all about the two cases he worked on in sending John Gotti， then known as "the Teflon Don，" to serving life in prison。 John Gleeson tells it all and doesn't leave out any detail starting with his education at the University of Virginia to then clerking for a judge， next getting hired in a prestigious law firm to leave that promising lucrative career to go to work for the other side--a big step down in pay to become an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York to become a prosecutor。 Who in his second bite at the apple， this time as lead prosecutor won the conviction of getting a guilty conviction of famous and ruthless crime boss of the Gambino Family， John Gotti。 This was the fifth attempt by prosecuting attorneys to bring John Gotti， who managed to evade law enforcement for the first time to be convicted by a jury and sent to prison for a life sentence for RICO charges and participating and ordering a vast multitude of murders and racketeering。 Most big cases in New York were prosecuted by the United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York。 The Southern District was known as the Flagship which meant its existence was supreme。 John Gleeson went to work for the Eastern District as an Assistant United States Attorney and with him in second chair with Diane Giacalone being lead prosecutor on their first attempt to prosecute John Gotti and several other criminals led to an embarrassing acquittal。 John Gleeson learned from their mistakes but it was later brought to light that there was jury tampering with one alcoholic jury member who was later brought to justice for it after John Gleeson's win in his second trial prosecuting John Gotti。 This time the jury returned with a guilty verdict。He wrote a very detailed account of the Five Organized Crime Families and the one in New Jersey。 This is by far the most illuminating book about La Cosa Nostra and its structure and in John Gleeson's account of how step by step he managed to not only to be able to dismantle the Gambino organized crime family but he also dismantled the other four La Cosa Nostra organized crime families who had ruled New York for most of the Twentieth Century。 John Gotti was known nationwide for wearing thousand dollar suits and having his hair coiffed every day professionally who brought unwanted attention by flaunting over confidence and believing that he would never be brought to justice。I remember where I was and what I was doing when I read in Newsweek Magazine that Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti were brazenly gunned down in Midtown Manhattan at a red light in front of Spark's Steakhouse on December 16， 1985。 John Gotti and Sammy Gravano were sitting in a nearby car watching it unfold。 John Gotti planned Castellano's death and took his place as the leader of the Gambino family。 This was not included in the first trial that John Gleeson and Diane Giacalone's first attempt of trying to convict John Gotti and several other's that they lost。 Carlo Gambino was head of one of the five New York Organized Crime families in New York and through nepotism made Paul Castellano the new head of the Gambino family instead of underboss Aniello Dellacroce who while he was alive kept John Gotti in line。 John Gotti hated Paul Castellano who was more businessman than tough guy and one reason， among many others， was because Castellano didn't attend Aniello Dellacroce's funeral which infuriated Gotti。 Also Castellano had forbid drug dealing and drug traficking and Gotti was dealing heroin。 In March 1984 wiretaps heard loudmouthed Angelo Ruggerio and John Gotti complaining about how much they hated Paul Castellano。 This could be very dangerous for Gotti as it could likely become a death sentence for the "Dapper Don" John Gotti。 Paul Castellano wanted the transcripts from the wiretaps by this time having been released to defense attorney's but Dellacroce stalled giving them to Castellano until his death from natural causes in December， 1985。This author had help in also having a wiretap placed inside an old ladies apartment where John Gotti met the men that reported to him which was a goldmine for his case against John Gotti which clearly outlined how a soldier became a made man。 What happened at the ceremonies that took place for a soldier to become a made man， and how made men put the crime family before their own families of origin， among many other incriminating evidence that Gotti was running a criminal enterprise。 He also tells the story how Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano reached out through his wife Deborah that Sammy wanted to cooperate with John Gleeson in helping to convict John Gotti。 I had already read Peter Maas's book during the 1990's when all of this was going on called Underboss about Sammy the Bull's involvement by which he acted as a turncoat against John Gotti。 That book is not mentioned in this book。 What is disclosed by this AUSA， John Gleeson is that Salvatore Gravano had 19 murders he admitted to and he made a very credible witness who turned out to be much more intelligent than was previously assumed by law enforcement。 His deal for testifying at John Gotti's trial was that his sentence have a twenty year cap and for him to disclose all of the crimes he committed so there would be no surprises when Gravano was cross examined during the trial。 If it came out that Gravano held back on his agreement to disclose every crime he committed then the deal was off the table。This was extremely informative and I already knew some of what was in this book， but what I thought I knew only scratched the surface。 John Gleeson lays out every detail from explaining his experience with graduating from Law School to the dynamics of what the legal jargon that makes up RICO statute in such an accessible way that kept my attention。 He writes a blow by blow account of both what led up to John Gotti's arrest and the evidence for both trials of John Gotti that he took part in。 I think that anybody who is remotely interested in how the five New York Organized Crime families that dominated and terrorized New York and how they were disbanded should read this book。 I couldn't put it down and finished it in a day and a half。 Anyone who is interested in true crime would be very interested in reading how this ethical and humble Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York with his trusted few associates that assisted him that helped him accomplish what the FBI and nobody else was able to do before for decades will find this truly mesmerizing。 This author leaves nothing out while educating the reader to understand the legal jargon involved。 I was so grateful to read an early copy of this and I learned so much。 It was not at all dry and I found it to be a page turner。Publication Date: May 3， 2022A Huge debt of gratitude and Thank you to Net Galley， John Gleeson and Scribner for providing me with my Arc in exchange for a fair and honest review。 All opinions are my own。#TheGottiWars #JohnGleeson #ScribnerPublishing #NetGalley 。。。more
Mary
，
The prosecutor of the John Gotti Trials， gives a fascinating look at what goes on when you're the prosecutor of a well known crime family。 He pieces together a story that captures and keeps your interest in the story。 The prosecutor of the John Gotti Trials， gives a fascinating look at what goes on when you're the prosecutor of a well known crime family。 He pieces together a story that captures and keeps your interest in the story。 。。。more
Heather-le Byrd
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One of the most fascinating true crime books I've ever read。 One of the most fascinating true crime books I've ever read。 。。。more
Melissa
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I would recommend this book to anyone who likes true crime， especially mob stories or courtroom drama。 John Gleeson had to weave a lot of characters and events into a coherent narrative， and he did a great job。 It’s interesting to learn not just about John Gotti but the inner workings of the US court system。 If there was one thing I could change about this book， it would be the pacing: the first half of the book took more than half to read， but the last third flew by。 I can’t tell you my favorit I would recommend this book to anyone who likes true crime， especially mob stories or courtroom drama。 John Gleeson had to weave a lot of characters and events into a coherent narrative， and he did a great job。 It’s interesting to learn not just about John Gotti but the inner workings of the US court system。 If there was one thing I could change about this book， it would be the pacing: the first half of the book took more than half to read， but the last third flew by。 I can’t tell you my favorite part because it’s a major spoiler， so you’ll just have to read it for yourself！ 。。。more
Bobbi Wagner
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I loved this crime thrilling story。 This is a new author for me which I can't wait to see what more this author has for us。 This is a well written story about a time in history with the mob and gangsters。 It is a nonfiction story that brings this time period to life on each page。 Gotti was one of the most feared and the boss of a big crime family。 I enjoyed the author's attention to details that made the story fun and entertaining to read。 This is a story that was hard to put down and engaging。 I loved this crime thrilling story。 This is a new author for me which I can't wait to see what more this author has for us。 This is a well written story about a time in history with the mob and gangsters。 It is a nonfiction story that brings this time period to life on each page。 Gotti was one of the most feared and the boss of a big crime family。 I enjoyed the author's attention to details that made the story fun and entertaining to read。 This is a story that was hard to put down and engaging。 This is a story that will show you a time in history where mobsters dominated and a man who becomes a great attorney。 I really enjoyed this mobster story and I highy recommend it。 A great story that depics a great time in history。 。。。more
Katherine
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Walk in the shoes of John Gleeson as he learns the ropes of the law system and works with Diane Giacalone to take down mafia don John Gotti。 Follow all the twists and turns in this page-turner to find out how Gleeson finally pinned charges that stuck to this late 20th century crime boss。 A great read for anyone interested in criminal law or true crime。
Valerity （Val）
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An excellent look behind the scenes by the prosecutor of John Gotti， the Teflon Don from the late 1980s and 1990s。 One of Gleeson’s early trials as an Assistant US attorney was as second chair in the trial of John Gotti。 When Gotti was acquitted， it left a mark， but Gleeson went on to prove himself in other trails as he gained experience。 Then the chance to go after Gotti again presented itself， and the prosecutor set out to make things right this time， and get a conviction。 Lots of La Cosa Notr An excellent look behind the scenes by the prosecutor of John Gotti， the Teflon Don from the late 1980s and 1990s。 One of Gleeson’s early trials as an Assistant US attorney was as second chair in the trial of John Gotti。 When Gotti was acquitted， it left a mark， but Gleeson went on to prove himself in other trails as he gained experience。 Then the chance to go after Gotti again presented itself， and the prosecutor set out to make things right this time， and get a conviction。 Lots of La Cosa Notra lore， and trial details from the man who was there battling the mob families。 I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 。。。more
Cynthia Guerra
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Thank you NetGalley for the eARC。 This book wasnt diction but it reads like a novel！ So interesting！ I love behind the scenes scenarios！
Randal White
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An excellent book。 I have read many books about Gotti and the Gambino Family before， some good， some excellent， some not so good。 This one ranks up towards the top。 The book is written by the prosecuting attorney。 Told through his eyes， the book offers a look into areas not revealed before。 From the highs to the lows， he pulls no punches。 The machinations behind the scenes are insightful。 The courtroom drama is fascinating。 The interactions with Gotti during breaks in the trial are great。 And th An excellent book。 I have read many books about Gotti and the Gambino Family before， some good， some excellent， some not so good。 This one ranks up towards the top。 The book is written by the prosecuting attorney。 Told through his eyes， the book offers a look into areas not revealed before。 From the highs to the lows， he pulls no punches。 The machinations behind the scenes are insightful。 The courtroom drama is fascinating。 The interactions with Gotti during breaks in the trial are great。 And the story of the "flipping" of Sammy Gravano is amazing。 I read this book in just two days， as I just could not put it down。 If you're a fan of Mafia stories， courtroom drama， or fascinating personalities， you can't go wrong with this book！ 。。。more
Jeff
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