John Gotti is one of the most well known names associated with organized crime in the United States. Gotti was a top figure in the infamous Gambino crime family in New York.

Gotti was born and raised in a poor neighborhood in the South Bronx area of New York City. The disenfranchised Gotti dropped out of high school to join the Gambino crime family, the start of a long career in organized crime.

Sutherland’s Theory of Differential Association might be an explanation as to how Gotti got his start in crime. Differential Association is the belief that all behavior is learned, as is all criminal behavior. (Abadinsky, 2004) Gotti did grow up in an environment in the South Bronx that was the territory of criminal gangs. Gotti was in fact a member of a neighborhood gang. (Abadinsky, 2004)

The fact that Gotti grew up in an environment that was saturated with gangs and organized crime also lends to the theories of Shaw and McKay, who held the belief that neighborhoods which hold attitudes and values that are conductive to delinquency will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the youth who live there. (Abadinsky, 2004)

In his adult life, Gotti soon rose to commit criminal acts worthy of a made member of the Italian Mafia. This included a hijacking conviction, and a conviction for his role in a murder in 1973. Gotti was released from prison only four years later and gained great respect from Gambino family underboss, Aniello Dellacroce.
After Dellacroce died of natural causes in 1985, Thomas Bilotti was named the new boss. Mysteriously two weeks later, Bilotti was murdered and Gotti became the new boss.

Gotti lead the Gambino crime family into a new era. The primary activities of the crime family now focused on the distribution and selling of illegal narcotics.
During his tenure as crime boss, Gotti faced three seperate trials in a matter of five years. In each of those trials a conviction was never secured, which earned Gotti the sobriquet “the Teflon Don” (Abadinsky, 2004). Gotti was finally convicted for Racketeering and Murder in 1990.

References:
Abadinsky, Howard. (2004). Organized Crime. Belmont, California: Thomson Wadsworth.

APA Citation:
Smith, Nathan. M. (2006). The Rise and Fall of John Gotti.
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