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A judge allowed John Jr. and Frankie Gotti to plead down from assault and obstruction misdemeanor raps to a disorderly conduct violation. 

By: Nicolae Butler and M.L. Nestel 

KEW GARDENS, N.Y. — The long-running assault case involving the descendants of the late mob boss John Gotti ended Tuesday morning in a crowded Queens courtroom. 

Both brothers took guilty plea deals amid heightened security and an unusually charged atmosphere.

Frankie Gotti, 27, and John Gotti, 31, appeared later than the 9 a.m. start time in Appellate Court 2. They trickled a couple minutes after 10 a.m. — a noticeable shift from their earlier, more punctual arrival times court dates peppered throughout the past months. 

Outside, a gaggle of press cameras lined the front of the Kew Gardens  courthouse for the high-profile cop killer trial. 

The courtroom was sardine-packed. Even bulletproof glass framed the security area, and a three-page docket of defendants created a restless, tightly wound environment. Conversations were hushed, with spectators whispering as they waited.

John Jr.’s attorney, Jake LaSala, appeared for both Gotti bros. His disarming demeanor mellowed the mood of the court with him trading jokes with the brothers’ father, Peter. 

“They’re like their lawyer now — they don’t come at 9:30 anymore,” he quipped, drawing chuckles.

When the Gotti brothers entered, they looked composed and deliberate. Both were sharply dressed — John clad in a white polo shirt, while Frankie wore a dark one — their hair freshly trimmed and slicked back. Their expressions they wore were serious and restrained; a contrast to the past hearings that The Blotter attended where they were wearing their nerves and fatigue on their iron pumped sleeves.

Roughly 30 minutes later, John Gotti Jr.’s case was called. 

Standing before the judge’s bench with his hands placed behind his back, the young man listened as the judge read aloud his rights. 

He then pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct charge, a violation. 

In exchange, the more serious charges of assault, harassment and obstruction levied against him were tossed under specific conditions: 15 days of community service — a detail the judge mentioned with a light chuckle toward defense counsel.

And also a completion of an anger management program, plus a $120 penalty fee. 

The court also ordered that the remaining charges would be fully dismissed if he maintains good behavior for one year. He is scheduled to return on June 15 to provide proof of compliance.

“Please be advised that my client John Gotti pled guilty to a disorderly conduct charge which is a violation not a crime,” John Jr.’s attorney LaSala explained to The Blotter. 

After taking his seat, it was Frankie Gotti’s turn. 

He stepped forward and proceeded in similar fashion. 

Frankie pleaded guilty to lesser charges, with the court agreeing to dismiss the more serious allegations contingent upon 10 days of community service and a fine of approximately $200 for disorderly conduct. 

Like his older brother, he must demonstrate compliance and avoid further legal trouble for one year.

Frankie’s attorney, Gerard Marrone, who didn’t appear at Tuesday’s hearing was ecstatic about the outcome. 

“We did phenomenal,” he told The Blotter on Tuesday. “I mean, we're gonna walk away in June with a non-crime.”

The brothers’ legal woes stemmed from a June 2 afternoon altercation outside a Howard Beach home. 

The 84th Street abode (one bloc away from another Gotti home) was where John Jr.’s brother-in-law pulled into the driveway. 

The double-teaming descendants of the notorious late “Teflon Don” John Gotti, Frankie and John Jr. could be seen on the footage recorded nearby landing a flurry of punches to Gabrielli’s face. 

Their beef was fueled by a home burglary involving cash allegedly owed Gino’s grandfather back rent on the Jamaica apartment he charged John Jr. and Eleanor (Gino’s sister) $1,500 per month.

“The whole 106 Precinct was there,” Gino Gabrielli exaggerated in an exclusive interview after the June 2 showdown in broad daylight.

The tall and stacked young man said he pulled up in a white Mercedes and after striking up some small talk with the officers —John Jr. and his brother Frankie — launched toward him with a barrage of punishing blows.

One wild haymaker struck Gabrielli’s mom, Cathy, in the arm. “She tried to push John off, and then he hit her — and then that's when the police ran it like ran in and broke it up.”

A volley of insults were lobbed.

John Jr. called Gino a “rat” and Gino returned verbal fire.

“Fuck you, you piece of shit cocksucker,” he retorted. “Your uncle's a rat! Your whole family's [are] fucking rats. And your fucking white trash!”

The cops cuffed the Gottis and then asked Gino if he wanted to press charges. 

“I said, ‘Yes.’”

Months later when Gino saw his burglary rap tossed (so long as he keeps his nose clean) — he changed his tune.

He told The Blotter that he decided to not press charges against the Gottis.

However, John’s attorney Marrone was bewildered by any suggestion that Gino backed off.

“That’s 100% not accurate,” Marrone explained. “If anything, he’s lucky we didn’t move forward against him.”

The Blotter’s attempts to reach Gabrielli after the community service and anger management adjudications on Tuesday were not immediately returned. 

In one last note, Gabrielli explained that he was looking ahead and not backward. “I’ve made my decision that I’m just going to leave this in my past and move one,” he wrote.

Both Gottis had initially pleaded not guilty once charged.

And previous court appearances were marked by delays, deposition extensions, and even discussion of possible dismissal… in Frankie’s case.

When the proceedings concluded, LaSala approached John Jr. and shook his hand in congratulations. 

“Okay, you're done now,” he was overheard telling him.

John Jr., however, showed little outward satisfaction.

Remaining seated, the legally exhausted young man, leaned back with his hands spread along the bench, his expression suggesting a mix of relief and lingering irritation.

After all, John Jr. had more at stake with the case.

For he was on parole after serving federal prison time after pleading guilty in 2017 to peddling Oxycodone pills. (Prison records show he was freed in 2024.)

He almost appeared to tune out the activity around him as the courtroom continued to move through its lengthy docket.

Outside the courtroom, Frankie chatted up LaSala before the esquire ventured back into the crowded courtroom to tend to other clients — a significant number of whom appeared to be on the same day’s calendar. 

Their father, Peter, was visibly vexed. 

The patriarch having to bear the overwhelming weight of the family’s surname – stepped aside to make a phone call.

Frankie lingered nearby, scrolling on his phone as the business of the courthouse and its endless stacks of other cases carried on around him.

-30-

*When perusing The Blotter, know that arrests do not constitute guilt, and all suspects are innocent until proven guilty. Moreover, the reported items are merely a snapshot of a criminal matter – what is known at the time of publishing. In most cases, the persons arrested for breaking the law haven’t been convicted (yet). It’s also possible that the charges brought against them may be reduced or even withdrawn.

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