John Gotti, reputed head
of one of the nation's most powerful organized crime families
was arraigned today.
Gotti is accused of ordering the 1986 shooting of John O'Connor,
a carpenters' union official.
Unlike past Gotti cases,
this time the Organized Crime Task Force believe John Gotti will have to deal with
the strongest case yet.
How do you plead to these charges? Guilty or not guilty?
Not guilty.
After his arraignment, Gotti was released on $100,000 bail.
So, the Manhattan DA will try to do what the Brooklyn Feds could not,
put John Gotti away.
As a repeat offender, if Gotti is found guilty,
he could be sentenced to life in prison.
Okay, we're rolling.
A lot of wise guys, but not John.
Fuck.
It was here that the most powerful crime figure in America
was gunned down four years ago.
Who really killed Paul Castellano?
The cops and the FBI say that John Gotti orchestrated the killing.
After a year out on bail,
the alleged Godfather arrives for his first day in state court.
Gotti made the trip to the court
through the logjam of cameras and hangers-on.
Prosecutors are aware of Gotti's celebrity, his folk hero status.
I'm Eric Shawn, Fox News New York.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the jury.
All right, be seated, please.
From day one, the proceedings were spiked with bitter salvos.
They never once, and I'll prove that to you,
ever saw him commit a crime.
We had one president that was taped for about a week. He got fired.
The star was unquestionably John Gotti himself,
sitting smugly in his silk suits.
Alongside alleged Gambino soldier, Tony Lee Guerrieri.
Today, the prosecution will lead with its strongest evidence.
Secretly recorded tapes,
supposedly connecting Gotti to the O'Connor hit.
Now please play the tape.
Channel 2's Mary Murphy is covering the trial
and joins us now live with an update.
How come you don't listen to the tapes?
- How come you don't put the earphones on? - I like Julio Iglesias.
John Gotti has a way of walking into a courthouse like he owns the place.
A man whose suits are made of silk, but whose legal armor is made of Teflon.
Both sides argued over the meaning of words
caught by a government bug.
They were the three words prosecutors thought
would bring down John Gotti.
I'll bust him up.
Do different people hear different things when they listen to this tape?
Yes.
Bust him up.
Their so-called bust…
"Bust him up" phrase,
do you know what was meant by that?
Do you know what was in Mr. Gotti's mind when he said that?
Yes, sir.
You read his mind?
- I think it's fairly obvious from his- - Do you know what's in his mind, now?
I wish I knew.
A New York City jury is expected to begin deliberations today
in the trial of John Gotti.
Jurors asked to have one tape replayed nine times.
For the first time, the ever-confident Gotti looked somewhat concerned.
As to the defendant John Gotti, do you find the defendant
guilty or not guilty of the first count of the indictment,
charging him with the crime of conspiracy in the fourth degree?
We find him…
not guilty.
John Gotti is home free once more.
On the night of his acquittal, our city's reputed Godfather
stepped out of his lair to savor a celebration.
Mr. Gotti.
- How do you feel? - You happy?
- Are you happy? - We're happy if you're happy.
We're all happy!
- What do you think? - A good decision.
- Do you want to come inside? - Yes. Oh, just me?
Okay.
Barbara, ask them about the…
Good evening. His name is John Gotti,
and tonight he's becoming known as the Teflon Don.
Twenty-eight, you see a vehicle?
The reputed head of the nation's most powerful mafia family
is behind bars this morning.
Gotti is accused of several acts of racketeering, including
the 1985 rub out of Gambino family boss, Paul Castellano.
Similar charges were brought against Frank LoCascio
and the underboss of the Gambino clan, Sal "Sammy Bull" Gravano.
Gotti faces multiple life sentences,
and up to 105 years in prison, if convicted on all charges.
But if he's not convicted,
this will be Gotti's fourth victory over the government.
In this trial, for the first time,
the Organized Crime Task Force and the FBI
have declared a truce on fighting over who gets the glory.
The stage is set for an epic showdown
between the Teflon Don and the U.S. government.
A convoy of vans, driven by heavily armed federal marshals
had John Gotti moved out towards Brooklyn Federal Court.
In the opposite corner, some members of the FBI's Gambino Squad.
Many of whom have spent a career dogging Gotti
and the largest of New York's five organized crime families.
The Gotti trial is the hottest show off-Broadway,
with spectators lining up as early as two in the morning
for a chance to get inside the courtroom.
I think he's a fascinating man.
- What is it about him that strikes you? - Why so?
I just like the way he carries himself.
Unprecedented, the highest ranking admitted member
of the Gambino Crime Family to turn state's evidence
ever in the history of New York State.
Stand back!
You've seen it in the movies, but this is real life.
In a Brooklyn courtroom, Sammy "The Bull" Gravano is violating the blood oath
he took when he joined the mob, testifying against his boss,
the so-called Teflon Don, John Gotti.
In a flat chilling tone, Gravano detailed seven murders
he either took part in directly or helped set up.
All with the assistance or approval, he said, of John Gotti.
At that moment, if the courtroom could've been cleared,
Gotti and Gravano might have gone right at each other.
The jury saw FBI surveillance video tapes,
taken outside Gotti's Ravenite Social Club in Little Italy,
which showed Sammy "The Bull" Gravano they saw on the witness stand
in scene after scene as a close associate of John Gotti.
The Gotti trial is drawing to a dramatic close.
The jury begins deliberations tomorrow and the outcome is anyone's guess.
At 1:19 p.m., the jury forewoman stood
and read the verdict.
Gotti sat there smirking in his impeccably tailored black suit.
Tonight, the Dapper Don trades his pinstripes for prison stripes.
John Gotti is convicted of all charges and faces life behind bars.
The Teflon is gone.
The Don is covered with Velcro and every charge in the indictment stuck.
The mob as we have known it
in New York City and in the United States is on the way out.
Flip it over!
The voices of triumph and of defeat reverberated in the air.
John Gotti's supporters were left with a bitter taste.
The judge, the jury, they're all feds, every one of them. They're rats.
John Gotti was whisked to federal prison
just over the Brooklyn Bridge next to City Hall,
that's been his home since his arrest.
Now that Gotti's gone, it's clear
the infrastructure of the mob here in New York is weakening.
John Gotti.