In the trial's opening statements on September 25, Gotti's defense attorney Bruce Cutler denied the existence of the Gambino Crime Family and framed the government's entire effort as a personal vendetta.

Gravano claimed Gotti's defense to consist of Gotti's lawyers portraying Gotti as a peace-loving boss falling all over himself to restrain the kill-crazy Gravano, resulting in a conviction for Gravano and an acquittal for Gotti.

Citing evidence from wiretaps at Gotti's Ravenite club, prosecutors contended that Cutler and his colleagues may have known about criminal activity and thus were liable to be called as witnesses.

Gravano had been consulting a hypnotist named Halpern to deal with fears he had, and Gotti's lawyers wanted to call Halpern as a witness, but the judge refused.

After the FBI indicted members of Gotti's crew for selling narcotics, Gotti took advantage of growing dissent over the leadership of the crime family.

Jury selection began in January 1992, with the empaneled jury being kept anonymous and, for the first time in a Brooklyn Federal case, fully sequestered during the trial due to Gotti's reputation for jury tampering.

During this time, the FBI had intensified its efforts against the Gambino family, and in August 1983, three members of Gotti's crew – Angelo Ruggiero, John Carneglia, and Gene Gotti – were indicted for heroin trafficking.

Eventually, one of the reasons for Gotti's killing Castellano was to save his brother and Ruggiero.

In June, Gravano was approached by Ruggiero and, supposedly at Gotti's behest, given orders to murder capo Robert DiBernardo for making negative remarks about Gotti's leadership.

However, at Gotti's RICO trial, Diane Giacalone, the head prosecutor, revealed that Johnson had been an informant for the FBI for years.

Eventually, Gravano and several other members of the Gambino family became disenchanted with Gotti's lust for the media and high profile antics, feeling they brought too much heat.

Several members of the family informed Gravano that Gotti's high profile and large gatherings of mob members at the Ravenite Social Club were constant targets for the FBI and that the media attention put a large spotlight on the Gambinos.

At the same time, Sammy Gravano, Gotti's former Underboss, had evaded the program in 1995 and was arrested and jailed for operating an Ecstasy-ring that stretched from Arizona to New York City in 2003.

It is believed that DeSimone was murdered as a reprisal for having killed two of John Gotti's close friends, specifically William " Billy Batts " DeVino and Foxy Jerothe.

The hit was in retaliation for the 1985 murder of Gotti's former boss and Gigante's ally, Paul Castellano, who was murdered on the orders of Gotti to protect himself from Castellano and become boss.

FBI mugshot of Gene Gotti's August 1983 arrest for dealing heroin.

The actor interpreted the testimony of Sammy (" The Bull ") Gravano, Gotti's underboss, against Gotti as " a friend who betrays a friend.

Gotti's newfound fame had at least one positive effect ; upon the revelation of his attacker's occupation, and amid reports of intimidation by the Gambinos, Romual Piecyk decided not to testify against Gotti, and when the trial commenced in March 1986 he testified he was unable to remember who attacked him.

They also hoped to find the body of John Favara, who accidentally killed Gotti's son, and the body of Tommy DeSimone.

Polisi testified in John Gotti's 1986 trial.

Following the bombing Judge Eugene Nickerson, presiding over Gotti's racketeering trial, rescheduled to avoid a jury tainted by the resulting publicity while Giacalone had Gotti's bail revoked due to evidence of intimidation in the Piecyk case.

Dellacroce, however, was rising star John Gotti's mentor, and when word got back to him that Dellacroce had supported Gravano, Gotti was impressed.

DeCicco argued that Gotti's boldness, intelligence, and charisma made him well-suited to be " a good boss " and he convinced Gravano to give Gotti a chance.

Many members of the family, according to Gravano, complained to him about Gotti's use of Gravano in murders despite Gravano's position as underboss of the family.

Gravano had paid a juror in Gotti's second trial to vote in favor of an acquittal allowing Gotti to beat the RICO charges lodged against him.

After leaving the school, Gotti's father helped him start a trucking business, Samson Trucking Company and after the business failed, helped him get a position in the Carpenters Union.

From jail, Gotti ordered the murder of Robert DiBernardo by Sammy Gravano ; both DiBernardo and Ruggiero had been vying to succeed Frank DeCicco until Ruggiero accused DiBernardo of challenging Gotti's leadership.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn announced that Gotti's family would not be permitted to have a Mass of Christian Burial but allowed it after the burial.

With the tapes providing proof of Gotti's involvement in narcotics trafficking, Castellano would have enough proof to murder Gotti.

As former rivals of John Gotti took completely over the Gambino family, mostly because the rest of Gotti's loyalists were either jailed or under indictments, and because Gotti, Sr died in prison in 2002, then-current head of white collar crimes and caporegime, Michael " Mikey Scars " DiLeonardo turned state's evidence, due to increased law enforcement and credible evidence to be presented in his racketeering trial, and chose to testify against mobsters from all of the Five Families.

On March 18, 1980, Gotti's youngest son, 12-year-old Frank Gotti, was run over and killed on a family friend's minibike by John Favara, a neighbor.

The evening of the meeting, when the boss and underboss arrived, they were ambushed and shot dead by assassins under Gotti's command.

During the trial, Gotti's lawyer claimed that the money came from the preschool run by Gotti and his wife.

This later came under the scrutiny of federal authorities when Murder Inc. Records at Island Def Jam was raided by a joint task force of the NYPD and the FBI as part of a federal probe of label founder Irv Gotti's ties to drug lord Kenneth " Supreme " McGriff, alleged drug trafficking, money laundering, and gang activities.

Gotti's criminal career began when he became an associate of Carmine Fatico, a capo in what became the Gambino family after the murder of Albert Anastasia.

Gravano's second choice to become boss after Castellano's murder was Frank DeCicco, but DeCicco felt John Gotti's ego was too big to take a subservient role.

DeCicco and Gravano, however, also made a secret pact to kill Gotti and take over the family as boss and underboss, respectively, if they were unhappy with Gotti's leadership after one year.

In 1992, Joseph became consigliere after Gotti's imprisonment.

John Gotti's crew expected $ 250, 000 from the proceeds of the robbery and Paolo LiCastri, a soldier under John Gotti in the Gambino Family, became the sixth gunman to ensure the Gambinos ' interests were looked after.

In the face of previous Mafia convictions, particularly the success of the Commission trial, Gotti's acquittal was a major upset that further added to his reputation.

The heroin trial of Gotti's former fellow Bergin crewmembers Ruggiero and Gene Gotti also commenced in June of that year.

Gotti's trial ultimately ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury and the boss was freed from jail.

Gotti's third trial on state assault charges ended the same way.

Gotti's famous personality, trial acquittals and media attention are all dramatized.

During Peter Gotti's trial, federal prosecutors released information revealing that Peter was having an affair with Marjorie Alexander, a longtime girlfriend.

Gotti's trial was later moved to New York, where he pleaded not guilty, and began in September 2009.