Summary of John Gleeson's The Gotti Wars

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 Gotti and Castellano had been itching to kill each other for years, but underboss Aniello Dellacroce had kept them from doing so. Gotti and the other captains loyal to Dellacroce deeply resented Castellano, who they felt was sharing in the union income.

#2 The mob had a rule against drug trafficking, and it was widely known that Castellano had dealers around him. He tried to get the incriminating Ruggiero tapes from Ruggiero’s attorney, but Ruggiero ordered his lawyer not to give them up.

#3 In 1985, Castellano sent a message to Dellacroce: Ruggiero had broken a different rule, which stated that every Mafia member must obey his boss. Dellacroce summoned Gotti and Ruggiero to his home on West Fingerboard Road in Staten Island, down the hill from Castellano’s mansion on Todt Hill.

#4 I had decided I wanted to be a federal prosecutor five years earlier, during the first couple of months of my clerkship. The civil side of the job was interesting enough, but the criminal cases were on a different plane altogether.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jun 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822542853

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Insights on John Gleeson's The Gotti Wars

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Gotti and Castellano had been itching to kill each other for years, but underboss Aniello Dellacroce had kept them from doing so. Gotti and the other captains loyal to Dellacroce deeply resented Castellano, who they felt was sharing in the union income.

#2

The mob had a rule against drug trafficking, and it was widely known that Castellano had dealers around him. He tried to get the incriminating Ruggiero tapes from Ruggiero’s attorney, but Ruggiero ordered his lawyer not to give them up.

#3

In 1985, Castellano sent a message to Dellacroce: Ruggiero had broken a different rule, which stated that every Mafia member must obey his boss. Dellacroce summoned Gotti and Ruggiero to his home on West Fingerboard Road in Staten Island, down the hill from Castellano’s mansion on Todt Hill.

#4

I had decided I wanted to be a federal prosecutor five years earlier, during the first couple of months of my clerkship. The civil side of the job was interesting enough, but the criminal cases were on a different plane altogether.

#5

The conventional wisdom is that you should choose a law firm based on how you would fit there. I didn’t care about that at all. I was only interested in having the best possible résumé when I applied for a job as an AUSA.

#6

I had to move to New York City to take a clerkship with Judge Martin. I was terrified of getting mugged, so I ran as fast as I could down DeGraw to Court Street, where all the shops were. I was only there to report how the day had gone to my mother.

#7

I had to draft the opinion for Judge Martin, and I found a law library to work in. I had six weeks to finish the draft, and looked around for a comfortable place to work.

#8

I was a law clerk for a federal circuit judge, and I used the federal courthouse in Brooklyn Heights to research the opinion I was writing. I was able to spread out the briefs and the extensive trial records on one-half of a table and use the other half to take notes.

#9

At Cravath, I was assigned to work with the oldest active partner in the firm, Ralph McAfee. He was a recovering alcoholic, but he treated me as if he actually liked me. He called me shithead often enough to keep up appearances, but I knew better.

#10

I was ready to move on after two and a half years at Cravath, and I was offered a position with the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York. I was called back for the final interview with U. S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani, who quickly moved the conversation to the death penalty.

#11

I wanted to be the prosecuting attorney, but Giuliani wanted to test my commitment to principle. I told him I was