Mob Witness: John Gotti "Ruined Everything"

Friends of Ours ^ | 05/24/12 | Friends of Ours

[AtlasStalled]

When Gambino boss John Gotti literally rotted to death in prison from throat cancer in 2002 at least one mobster shed no tears.

Former Gotti associate Peter "Bud" Zuccaro testified yesterday at the racketeering trial of John Burke that the Dapper Don's cartoonish swagger violated omerta -- the code of silence -- which turned the Mafia from a secret society into a public circus which "'ruined everything' for wiseguys" as reported by John Marzulli for the Daily News:

"There was no love lost for me," Zuccaro testified in Brooklyn Federal Court. "He publicized everything that was going on," he said of Gotti, who seemed to love the camera as much as it loved him in his heyday. "He brought everything that was supposed to be a secret society right out to the forefront, right into the press," Zuccaro continued. "He let it be a known thing, you know, flash, everybody hanging out together," he told Assistant Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn Kasulis. "Guys reporting to the (Ravenite) club while the FBI is surveilling you. Wednesday night everybody had to report to see the boss."

Zuccaro is not alone in blaming Gotti for the mob's fall as reported by Mitchel Maddux for the New York Post: "ranking mobsters from New York’s four other crime families have often cited Gotti's larger-than-life approach to Mafia life as factors that helped authorities bring down the mob."

Further reading that may be of interest:

FBI: John Gotti Was Public Enemy Number 1

[iowamark]

Why didn’t you rub Gotti out, then? You could have done a public service for the one time in your life.

[Vaduz]

Authorities bring down the NY mob and the rest moved too D.C. to be stronger.

If you can beat the system you own the system.

[Tublecane]

It’s all well and good to go after Gotti’s aplomb and vanity. But it’s hardly accurate to allege he ruined everything by breaking omerta. This was years after “ The Godfather” for pete’s sake. How about blaming the similar excess of Al Capone and Jimmy Hoffa? What about the massive bean-spilling of the Apalachin meeting, Joe Valachi, and Sammy “the Bull”?