John Joseph Gotti, Jr. (1940-2002) was a mafioso and crime boss, leading one of the most powerful and pervading crime syndicates in the United States. He was a part of the Gambino crime family, founded by Vincent Mangano and named after Carlo Gambino.
Starting out as just a soldier in the organization, he rose to captain before becoming the boss. As you read about the succession of leadership, it is filled with murder and conspiracy against others. The same was true with the rise of Gotti.
In 1992, Gotti was convicted of several crimes: hijacking (1968), attempted manslaughter (1975),
murder, conspiracy, conspiracy to commit murder, loansharking, racketeering, obstruction of justice, illegal gambling, tax evasion (1992). He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Gotti died while in prison from cancer in 2002.
The Gambino crime family is one of five crime families that run New York City. They are currently led by Domenico Cefalù, a Sicilian-born mobster.
The title for the head of the crime organization is don. It is from the Latin which means lord. They have quite a lofty opinion of themselves and, at times, seemed to live up to the title. John Gotti received the nickname The Dapper Don because he dressed so nicely and Teflon Don because nothing ever seemed to stick to him. That changed in 1992 when “James Fox, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, announced at a press conference, “The Teflon is gone. The don is covered with Velcro, and all the charges stuck.”1
Have you ever known people that seemed to be covered in Teflon and nothing “stuck” to them? They seemed to get away with anything and everything. Your level of disgust grew as did your cynicism. If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re not alone.
Psalms 73:1-15 is a Psalm written by Asaph. The passage is lengthy but well worth the read! “Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. (2) But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. (3) For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (4) For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. (5) They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. (6) Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. (7) Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. (8) They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. (9) They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. (10) Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them. (11) And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High? (12) Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. (13) Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. (14) For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning. (15) If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.”
Asaph’s assessment is the same as many had of Gotti. Teflon! Nothing sticks. Nothing seems to bring them down. They keep advancing, succeeding, and coming up smelling like roses. This was more than Asaph could bear. The cynicism and disillusionment is dripping off his pen as he writes these words. But something turned him around and got him snapped out of his dismal attitude.
Psalms 73:16-17 says, “When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; (17) Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.” THAT’s the key!! We have to get a Godly perspective on what we are seeing around us rather than formulating our feelings and opinions based upon what we see with our eyes.
My brothers and sisters, I struggle just like Asaph some days. Seeing the world like Asaph saw it brings me to the same conclusions and it can get very discouraging. However, I feel the burden lift when I do what Asaph did. I go into the sanctuary of God. I go into His presence through prayer and Scripture and discover the awesomeness of God.
The world is getting away with nothing. While they may think they are the kings and queens of Teflon, Scripture tells us otherwise. Take comfort today in the truth presented in 1 Corinthians 4:5. “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”
1Mafia Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the Gambino Crime Family – An Inside Story of Power, Murder, and Control from Sicily to New York; Davis, John H., 1994, Harper Torch
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