At the age of 45 John Gotti had achieved his dream of becoming head of the most powerful crime family in New York. His first action was to fit the part. Carefully groomed hair and $1,800 hand-tailored suits became trademarks for the new Don. His lifestyle also changed as his Mercedes-Benz took him around town to the trendiest Manhattan nightspots. An attempt was made to change his image leaving his violent past behind and presenting himself as a self-made man and elder statesman in organized crime. He smiled for the cameras and joked with the newsmen. He made the cover of Time and was recognized by almost everyone.
In private, however, Gotti still maintained the coarse and foulmouthed with references to the use of violence to hold his organization together. Keep in mind that his early hero was Albert Anastasia, a man who was noted more for his violent nature than stylish dressing. His high level of gambling continued and he was noted for dropping a huge amount of money during weekend sports betting. It was not uncommon for Gotti to drop $50,000 or more over a short period of time. And his losses were not taken like a gentleman, in some cases he became so upset over losses that in the Bergin's Social Club the TV would often be turned off so that incoming scores from games would not cause Gotti to fly into a fury. It also did not go unnoticed that in some cases when money needed to be borrowed to pay of gambling debts the borrowing debt went unpaid. Gotti was also noted for allowing any action or inaction that he viewed as a slight toward his position to set him off into a tirade. He was not above threatening death to those that dare carry out such a slight. In short he made it clear that he was a man to be feared if not respected. An example of his ability to fly off the handle was seen in the confrontation he had with a truck driver over double-parking. Gotti's car had blocked in the truck driver and the truck driver began to blow the horn of Gotti's car. A man came out and punched the truck driver, the driver responded by finding a police officer and pointing out the man that had hit him. Gotti was pointed out as the man that had hit him. When the truck driver realized who had pointed out, he began to have second thoughts about pursuing the case in court. The driver did not want to go to court but was forced to and when asked for his testimony explained that he could remember nothing. The Press had a field day with the case and headlines dealing with the case cried out "I FORGOTTI".
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