Gotti's Boys: The Mafia Crew That Killed for John Gotti

by Anthony M. DeStefano

Overview

Meet the men who murdered for the mob—and made John Gotti the most powerful and deadly crime boss in America . . .
 
They called him the “Teflon Don.” But in his short reign as the head of the Gambino crime family, John Gotti wracked up a lifetime of charges from gambling, extortion, and tax evasion to racketeering, conspiracy, and five convictions of murder. He didn’t do it alone. Surrounding himself with a rogues gallery of contract killers, fixers, and enforcers, he built one of the richest, most powerful crime empires in modern history. Who were these men? Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anthony M. DeStefano takes you inside Gotti’s inner circle to reveal the dark hearts and violent deeds of the most remorseless and cold-blooded characters in organized crime. Men so vicious even the other Mafia families were terrified of them. Meet Gotti’s Boys . . .
 
* Charles Carneglia: the ruthless junkyard dog who allegedly disposed of bodies for the mob—by dissolving them in acid then displaying their jewels.
 
* Gene Gotti: the younger Gotti brother who ran a multimillion-dollar drug smuggling ring—enraging his bosses in the Gambino family.
 
* Angelo “Quack-Quack” Ruggiero: the loose-lipped contract killer who was wire-tapped by the FBI—and dared to insult Gotti behind his back.
 
* Tony “Roach” Rampino: the hardcore stoner who looked like a cockroach—and used his gangly arms and horror-mask face to frighten his enemies.
 
* “Sammy the Bull” Gravano: the Gambino underboss who helped John Gotti execute Gambino mob boss Paul Castellano—then sang like a canary to take Gotti down.
 
Rounding out this nefarious group were the likes of Frank DeCicco, Vincent Artuso, and Joe “The German” Watts, a man who wasn’t a Mafiosi but had all of the power and prestige of one in John Gotti’s slaughterhouse crew. Gotti’s Boys is a killer line-up of the crime-hardened mob soldiers who killed at their ruthless leader’s merciless bidding—brought to vivid life by the prize-winning chronicler of the American mob.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780806539133
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	07/30/2019
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	513,581
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.70(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anthony M. DeStefano has covered organized crime for over three decades, including the crime beat for New York Newsday for the past twenty years. His books on organized crime include Gangland New York, King of the Godfathers, Mob Killer, The Big Heist, and Top Hoodlum: Frank Costello, Prime Minister of the Mafia.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 "Any Survivors?" 13

2 The Fulton-Rockaway Crowd 22

3 "Never Mention Drugs" 31

4 "Angelo, Keep Your Mouth Shut" 41

5 "Take Care of Him, Nino" 55

6 "I Could Give You Information" 67

7 "You Are Pissing Some Big People Off" 76

8 The Junk Crowd 88

9 "I Ain't Givin' Them Tapes Up" 98

10 "I'm Going to Blow This Motherfucker Away" 108

11 "Fuckin' John's Crazy" 115

12 "He's Gone" 120

13 "Shame on Them!" 129

14 Tales of the Tapes, Part 1 150

15 Tales of the Tapes, Part 2 162

16 "Gentlemen, It's Been a Pleasure" 174

17 Deaths in Harlem 184

18 The Last Hurrah 195

19 "Number One Is In" 206

20 "Cosa Nostra Needs John Gotti" 216

21 "The Teflon Is Gone" 221

Epilogue 231

Notes 243

Bibliography 255

Acknowledgments 261

Index 265

Editorial Reviews

05/27/2019

In this solid true crime account, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist DeStefano (Top Hoodlum: Frank Costello, Prime Minister of the Mafia) explores the inner machinations of the New York Mob and John Gotti’s rise to the head of the Gambino family. Relying on eyewitness accounts, conversations recorded on FBI tapped phones, court transcripts, interrogations, and interviews, DeStefano introduces the individuals at the mercy, and easy disposal of, the Teflon Don. Other prominent crime families—the Bonannos, Luchesses, Colombos—play a significant role in the narrative, as long-held resentments, new beefs, and power disputes lead to retribution, culminating with the assassination of crime boss Paul Castellano in 1985. With abundant references to the underbellies of Brooklyn and swanky locales of Manhattan, DeStefano does a fine job capturing the essence of New York in the recent past. Readers primarily intrigued by the mystique of the topic may wish for more narrative probing into the interpersonal relationships at the heart of the mob, but aficionados are sure to relish the finer, exhaustively researched details. Agent, Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (July)

Publishers Weekly

In this solid true crime account, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist DeStefano explores the inner machinations of the New York Mob and John Gotti’s rise to the head of the Gambino family…DeStefano does a fine job capturing the essence of New York…Aficionados are sure to relish the finer, exhaustively researched details.” 
—Publishers Weekly 

From the Publisher