Gotti was born in
the Bronx, New York, in 1942. He was one of 13 children (two had died at birth) of John Joseph Gotti Sr. and Philomena "Fannie" DeCarlo. Gotti's brothers included former Gambino boss
John, capo
Gene, former boss
Peter, and Vincent Gotti. They grew up in
East New York, Brooklyn.[1][2] Gotti fathered a son,
Richard G. Gotti, who followed him into organized crime.[1]
On June 4, 2002, Gotti was indicted on racketeering and extortion charges, mainly involving Gambino crimes at an
International Longshoremen's Association local and the attempted extortion of actor
Steven Seagal.[3] On March 17, 2003, Gotti was convicted of extortion and
money laundering.[4] Gotti was later sentenced to 16 years in federal prison. He was released from prison on August 12, 2005.[5]