When Peter Gotti assumed the role of Gambino family boss around 1999, his fellow mobsters had so little faith in him that he came to be known as "The Dumbest Don."
Wikimedia CommonsThe brother of John Gotti, Peter Gotti was known as “The Dumbest Don” and briefly served as boss of the Gambino crime family before being arrested.
One of history’s most notorious gangsters, Gambino family boss John Gotti was known as “The Dapper Don” because of his expensive clothes and ability to eloquently handle himself on camera. His lesser-known older brother, Peter Gotti, had a nickname, too — though his was far less flattering: “The Dumbest Don.”
Peter Gotti served as a capo for his brother’s crime family for a number of years, proving himself to be a faithful and reliable mobster. However, his brother felt that Peter was incapable of actually leading the family. Even when John Gotti found himself behind bars in 1992, he maintained control over the family, relaying orders through Peter and his own son, John Gotti Jr.
Peter finally got his chance at being the head of the family around 1999, when both his brother and nephew were in prison. His fellow mobsters considered him too “dumb” to be a capable leader, however — and fortunately for them, his tenure was short-lived.
In June 2002, Peter Gotti was indicted on federal racketeering and extortion charges. His trial brought to light some interpersonal drama that had been brewing in Peter’s life, turning the whole matter into something of a public spectacle — one that makes for a far more interesting story than Peter Gotti’s life of crime.
Peter Gotti’s Early Years Before Becoming Boss Of The Gambino Family
Born in October 1939, Peter Gotti was one of 13 siblings — and like each of his four brothers, he would one day join the Gambino crime family. For Peter, that moment came when he was 21 years old.
In 1960, he joined the gang as an associate. It quickly became clear that Peter lacked his younger brother’s ambition, however. As John Gotti quickly rose through the family’s ranks, Peter mostly performed low-level mob jobs while simultaneously holding a legitimate position with the New York City Department of Sanitation — at least until 1979, when he fell off a dump truck and hit his head.
From then on, he collected a disability pension for his injury while devoting himself to the mob. Meanwhile, his younger brother continued to outshine him; John had already taken over as boss of the Gambino family by the time Peter finally become a “made man” in 1988 at the age of 49.
Wikimedia CommonsPeter Gotti was never able to fill his younger brother’s shoes in the mob.
In 1989, John promoted Peter to capo. But it was no secret that John didn’t exactly believe in Peter’s capabilities. As Peter’s own lawyer, Joe Bondy, would later say, “My client was considered a dope by his own brother!”
Still, despite this apparent lack of faith, Peter Gotti would eventually take the reins from his brother and lead the Gambino family.
Peter Gotti’s Brief Tenure As Don After John Gotti’s Arrest
When John Gotti was sentenced to life in prison for murder, racketeering, and various other charges in June 1992, he remained adamant that he would maintain control over the Gambino family — even from behind the cold metal of prison bars. To do so, John relayed orders through his son, acting boss John “Junior” Gotti, and his brother Peter. And for nearly a decade, it seemed as if John Gotti’s plan would work.
But in 1999, Junior also found himself behind bars. Left with limited options, John reluctantly appointed his older brother acting boss.
Susan Watts/NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesJohn A. Gotti, John Gotti’s son who briefly led the Gambino family.
Unfortunately, the other Gambino family members had about as much faith in Peter Gotti’s abilities as a mob boss as his brother did. Many of them viewed their new boss with contempt, often cracking jokes at his expense. Some even outright ignored him, withholding payments and neglecting to invite him to important meetings or sit-downs with other families.
Then, in 2002, the same year John Gotti died, Peter Gotti was hit with his own racketeering charges, along with charges for extortion and money laundering. During this time, the Gambino family seemingly abandoned him, offering him little help in the way of legal or financial support.
And at his trial, things would only get worse for the “Dumbest Don.”
The Trial Of “The Dumbest Don” And The Media Spectacle That Ensued
During Peter Gotti’s trial, his own lawyer used Peter’s supposed incompetence as a defense tactic, arguing that he wasn’t smart enough to be a mob boss capable of the crimes he was accused of. And as some of Peter’s mob associates took the stand, it became clear just how little respect they had for him.
“When Pete offered me the consigliere job in 1998, I turned him down,” fellow mobster Mikey Scars said. “I didn’t think he had the qualifications. Good skipper, but the management skills weren’t there.”
The case quickly became a media circus. One of the prosecution’s key witnesses was action movie star Steven Seagal, who claimed he was extorted by Peter Gotti’s co-defendants and associates for up to $3 million.
However, Seagal was reportedly so terrified to testify against the mobsters that he took a security blanket with him to the witness stand. According to Judge Frederic Block in his book A Second Chance: A Federal Judge Decides Who Deserves It, “When he came back to the courtroom for continued cross-examination, his tough-guy image was totally shattered. He brought two red shawls with him and asked me if he could place them over his lap.”
Amid his trial, Peter Gotti also landed himself in hot water with his wife Catherine when it was revealed that, for about a decade, he had been having an affair with a younger woman named Margie Alexander. At that point, Peter had been married to Catherine for about 40 years. When she found out about the affair, she filed for divorce.
For her part, Margie Alexander seemed to have real, deep feelings for the mobster. She publicly confessed to the affair, proudly declaring her love for Peter Gotti. She even wrote letters to the judge in his case, asking for leniency in Peter’s sentence due to his age, poor eyesight, and high blood pressure.
Wikimedia CommonsPeter Gotti was ultimately sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Peter Gotti’s response to Alexander’s displays of love? He flew into a rage, reportedly screaming at her for flaunting their affair.
In 2004, Alexander tragically died by suicide in a Long Island hotel room. She was just 43 years old.
Peter Gotti’s Final Years In Prison
Peter Gotti was ultimately found guilty of racketeering, extortion, money laundering, and murder conspiracy. In 2005, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Given his age and poor health, it was effectively a life sentence.
As his health declined, the mobster made several requests for compassionate release, all of which were denied. Finally, on Feb. 25, 2021, Peter Gotti died of natural causes at the age of 81.
After his death, Lewis Kasman, a former mobster close to John Gotti, told NBC News that Peter was just a “regular knockaround guy who didn’t let his title go to his head.”
But like everyone else, Kasman admitted that Peter Gotti was a weak leader who let people walk all over him. And unfortunately, that was the legacy he left behind.
After reading about Peter Gotti, read about Frank DeCicco, the gangster who conspired with John Gotti. Then, read about John Gotti’s legendary assassination of Paul Castellano.
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or use their 24/7 Lifeline Crisis Chat.
