John used to known as the Teflon Don, due to his ability to allow nothing to stick. That is no longer the case.

John Gotti is by far the best known boss of the mafia in recent history. Known to the public as the "Teflon Don" for his ability to dodge convictions and the "Dapper Don" for his ability to dress nicely, Gotti has gained fame beyond any mafia boss in the 80's or 90's. He continues to be the most popular boss around today, even though he is locked away in the Marion penitentiary. Gotti's popularity really astounds most people who know anything about the man. Gotti really has never been successful, but the guy has personality and that can take you a long way.

Gotti's career began whilst  growing up in east New York, and began early. He always caused trouble in school despite being described as a very bright individual by his teachers. Soon he dropped out and joined the  local gang. They began shaking down people and running gambling operations. Soon he was noticed by Angelo Bruno a member of the Gambino Crime family. After a while Gotti began hanging around Bruno and absorbing the life. Soon he was taken to meet Bruno's capo, "Charlie Wagons" Fatico. Soon Gotti, already known for his temper, was dispatched on heavy assignments. He was known to have muscle, but soon would be known to have the brains also. 

 In the late 50's he was arrested twice for messing up burglaries. However, there was one thing Gotti was good at. He liked to kill. He was one of Charlie Wagon's top hit men. Soon Gotti was busted for hijacking and was sent to prison at the behest of Charlie Wagons. Here he was counseled by the likes of Carmine Galante, a future Bonanno Family boss.

After he was released from prison he went back to work for Charlie Wagons and soon became "made" when he took on the task of killing James McBratney, a man who kidnapped and killed Carlo Gambino's son. This brought him to the attention of Gambino himself and when the books were opened John was "made". Gotti took over some gambling operations and eventually became close to the Underboss, Aniello Dellacroce. Around the beginning of the 80's Gotti was promoted to acting capo for Charlie Wagons. He worked hard to earn for the heads of the family, and did well in the gambling business. However, he also decided to make some money in the drugs business. This was strictly prohibited in the Gambino family and throughtout the Cosa Nostra. Soon Gotti got into trouble with this, when some of his associates were busted for involvement in drugs. The mob bosses, especially Paul Castellano, were suspicious as to  whether Gotti was involved. This brought a great confrontation between Castellano and Gotti. It also increased tension between Dellacroce and Castellano who were not close friends.As legal pressures began mounting on everyone in the organization, Dellacroce died of cancer. Now it was Gotti vs. Castellano (the old boss facing legal problems, a man past his prime). The family sided with Gotti and Castellano was murdered in front of Sparks Steak House in 1985. Gotti then assumed the throne as the boss of the Gambino family.

After, Gotti became the head of the family though, he also became the focus of the attacks lead by the FBI and other organizations based in New York City. Gotti loved every moment of it. He would go out in public and instead of listening to the advice of the older members, he would dress up. He craved the attention.  Perhaps now he doesn't feel this was the best course of action, but at the time he was invincible. Especially after escaping two convictions which seemed to be air tight cases. This is how he became known as the "Teflon Don". His court cases are perhaps one of the best documented in recent years. They were definitely the most publicized, as they were attended by movie stars and scores of people. Nobody thought Gotti would get beat, and they loved to see him shine in the lime light. However, in 1992, John Gotti was convicted and sentenced to 100 years in prison. He was sent to Marion, IL to serve his sentence and that is where Gotti was supposed to run the family until the Commission forced him to retire in 1996.