John Gotti Jr. - Like Father like Son?
Despite his dad’s nickname the “Teflon Don” it appears that son John A. “Junior” Gotti’s recent fate has not been quite as fortunate. Gotti Jr., who previously served a 77-month sentence for racketeering crimes, including bribery, extortion, gambling and fraud, was released in 2005 – only to be named in another racketeering indictment issued by a federal grand jury on August 5, 2008.
The indictment alleges that Gotti Jr. was involved in a large-scale cocaine trafficking operation in violation federal statute 21 U.S.C. § 841 and there murders of in the late 1980s and early 1990s in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1111. In addition to the aforementioned offenses, the twenty one page indictment also charges Gotti Jr. with criminal involvement associated to the Gambino crime family which operated in Florida, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania as well as a laundry list of crimes including obstruction of justice, kidnapping, witness tampering and money laundering.
Defense Attorneys Claim the Charges are a Joke
With the recent indictment, it makes it actually the fourth time federal prosecutors have tried to convict the one-time reputed head of New York’s Gambino crime family. Three previous attempts in 2005 and 2006 to send Gotti back to jail on more serious charges resulted in hung juries and mistrials.
Gotti’s lawyer, Charles Carnesi is not so enthusiastic of his client’s new charges. “Mr. Gotti absolutely denies any involvement in the three homicides,” said Carnesi. “What you have here is a group of law enforcement people who are disgruntled and willing to do what it is takes to convict Mr. Gotti. This is a 44-year-old, who has been dealing with this prosecution for the last 10 years without incident,” Carnesi said.
Federal prosecutors feel otherwise. United States Attorney Elie Honig stated that the latest indictment “captures a lifetime of crime by John Gotti that has been developing over two decades.”
Both Sides are certain to Clash at Trial
Gotti Jr. was denied bond and will be detained pending trial which is scheduled to later this year. At Gotti’s arraignment, Carpesi said he would file for a change of venue, to get the trial moved to New York, insisting that federal prosecutors filed the charges in Tampa in hopes of finding a jury less “star struck” by the Gotti name.