The Gotti Wars: Taking Down America's Most Notorious Mobster

(Paperback)

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Rivetingan electrifying true crime story of the Mafia-smitten eighties and nineties. Suspenseful and multifaceted, The Gotti Wars cant be missed. Esquire, The Best Nonfiction Books of the Year

A meticulous chronicle of good triumphing over evil (The Washington Post) from the determined young prosecutor who, in two of Americas most celebrated trials, managed to convict famed mob boss John Gottiand ultimately took down the Mafia altogether.

John Gotti was without a doubt the flashiest and most feared Mafioso in American history. He became the boss of the Gambino Crime Family in spectacular fashionwith the brazen and very public murder of Paul Castellano in front of Sparks Steakhouse in midtown Manhattan in 1985. Not one to stay below law enforcements radar, Gotti instead became the first celebrity crime boss. His penchant for eye-catching apparel earned him the nickname The Dapper Don; his ability to beat criminal charges led to another: The Teflon Don.

This is the captivating story of Gottis meteoric rise to power and his equally dramatic downfall. Every step of the way, Gottis legal adversaryJohn Gleeson, an Assistant US Attorney in Brooklynwas watching. When Gotti finally faced two federal racketeering prosecutions, Gleeson prosecuted both. As the junior lawyer in the first casea bitter seven-month battle that ended in Gottis acquittalGleeson found himself in Gottis crosshairs, falsely accused of serious crimes by a defense witness Gotti intimidated into committing perjury.

Five years later, Gleeson was in charge of the second racketeering investigation and trial. Armed with the FBIs secret recordings of Gottis conversations with his underboss and consigliere in the apartment above Gottis Little Italy hangout, Gleeson indicted all three. He flipped underboss Sammy the Bull Gravano, killer of nineteen men, who became historys highest-ranking mob turncoatresulting in Gottis murder conviction. Gleeson ended not just Gottis reign, but eventually that of the entire mob.

A spellbinding, page-turning courtroom drama, The Gotti Wars tells us in electrifying detail how the good guys finally won, how justice triumphed over evil, and how Gleeson himself was transformed by his long war (Nelson DeMille).

Reviews

A useful reminder, especially for Mafia romanticizers, that were dealing with sociopathic knuckle scrapers who settle scores with casual brutalityGleeson, a lawyer in private practice these days, is an able storyteller [and his book displays] keen insights and neat turns of phrase.
New York Times
The Gotti Warsis the riveting story of Gleesons fight to bring Gotti to justice, which spanned years, brought him into the crosshairs of organized crime, and ultimately took down five major mob families. Its an electrifying true crime story of the Mafia-smitten 80s and 90s, to be certain, but also a vivid memoir of Gleesons development as a lawyer, and an excavation of the celebrity culture that turned a murderer into a superstar. Suspenseful and multifaceted,The Gotti Warscant be missed.
Esquire, "The Best Nonfiction Books of 2022 (So Far)"
In this exceptional debut, former federal prosecutor Gleeson chronicles his efforts to bring Gambino family crime boss John Gotti to justiceA must-read for anyone interested in organized crime.
Publishers Weekly(Starred Review)
CompellingGleeson has crafted this retelling as carefully as he prepped the two cases [against the mobster]. His description of the politics behind the scenes and his interactions with the likes of U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General Bill Barr are icing on the cake.Do we need yet another book on Gotti Gleeson answers the question with a resounding yes.
Library Journal (starred review)
"A memoir from the federal prosecutor who took down the Teflon Don 30 years agoGleeson is a thorough writer[The Gotti Wars] offers a realistic portrait of how big cases are pieced together."
Kirkus Reviews
Spellbinding...tells us in electrifying detail how the good guys finally won, how justice triumphed over evil, and how Gleeson himself was transformed by his long war.
Nelson DeMille, New York Times bestselling author of The Gold Coast and Wild Fire
Vivid, evocative, and genuinely suspensefulAn impressively detailed account of what it was like in the late 80s and early 90s to be chasing a flashy, dangerous mobster who had morphed into a pop culture icon. John Gleeson is one of the most gifted prosecutors ever to match up against the Mafia. As I should have guessed, he is also an immensely gifted storyteller.
Mary Jo White, former Chair of the SEC, former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and former Acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York
Unflinchingly honestcontains moments that are both frightening and funny. I covered the rise and fall of John Gotti for seven yearsthrough three trials and a dozen murders. I thought I knew this story inside and out, but this book shows I was mistaken. As John Gleeson tells the full story of how he built his ironclad case, youll feel like youre sitting in the room where it happenedwith the same nerve-jangling anticipation of how it will all turn out.
John Miller, former co-anchor of20/20and, currently, Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism for the NYPD
A unique unveiling of the prosecutorial strategy that vanquishedthe American Mafia's most exalted late 20th century gangster. As a bonus, Gleeson offers candid views of the skills and shortcomings ofhis main opponents: the Teflon Don's battery of mob lawyers. Perhaps from his former perch on the bench his next book should pinpoint the frailties of our creaky criminal-justice system.
Selwyn Raab,New York Timesbestselling author ofThe Five Families
John Gotti flashed an arrogance and audacity that became a gauntlet thrown down to law enforcement. To his credit, Gleeson shows, in this absolutely riveting memoir, that Hollywoods image of a prosecutor who does it all by himself is pure fantasy. Ultimately, The Gotti Wars is a testament to the camaraderie that forms around any consequential prosecution. In these pages, you get to experience how touch and go it actually was.
Eric Holder, 82nd Attorney General of the United States
"Well-writtenJohn Gleeson, who took the swagger away from John Gotti, shares his up-close and personal view of Gotti, his cronies, and the Mafia world he observed before, during, and after his two knock-down, drag-out trials against the late Dapper Don."
Jerry Capeci, reporter-columnist at ganglandnews.com and coauthor ofMob Star: The Story of John Gotti and Murder Machine

Absorbing, even inspiringEpicenters of media attention, the courtrooms in which the fates of John Gotti and his co-defendants were decided becameover a period of months and ultimately yearsscenes of magnificent legal combat. Second chair in the first case and lead prosecutor in the second, John Gleeson had to continually improvise to thwart defendants who would resort to any ploy, legal or otherwise, to gain their freedom.
David N. Kelley, former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York

Author Bio

John Gleeson, currently a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton, has had distinguished careers as a federal prosecutor, federal judge, and practicing defense attorney. He was lead counsel in the successful racketeering-murder trials of John Gotti and Vic Orena, respectively the bosses of the Gambino and Colombo crime families, for which he received the Attorney Generals Distinguished Service Award. As a United States District Judge in Brooklyn, he presided over more than 200 civil and criminal jury trials. Gleeson currently teaches at New York University School of Law, Harvard Law School, and Yale Law School. He lives in New York City with his family.