Planning for the End

Gotti may be interred next to his son

By Anthony M. DeStefano | Staff Writer

July 13, 2001

As imprisoned mob boss John Gotti battles terminal cancer, his loved ones are considering laying him to rest inside a Queens mausoleum, next to his beloved son who died in 1980, a source close to the family said.

Frank Gotti, 12, who was accidentally killed while riding a minibike near the family's Howard Beach home, is entombed in a somberly lit public mausoleum at St. John's Cemetery in Middle Village.

"That would be a logical place," the source said of the elder Gotti's choice as a final resting place.

Frank Gotti died after his minibike was struck March 18, 1980, by a car driven by neighbor John Favara. Police ruled the death an accident. Favara disappeared July 28, 1980, and is believed by police to have been murdered by Gotti henchmen.

The boy's body is interred in a quiet spot in the large structure near the center of the sprawling cemetery off Woodhaven Boulevard. Piped-in music plays, and a mosaic of Jesus Christ with children hangs from a wall nearby. A solitary upholstered seat sits opposite the tomb.

If Gotti were to be interred there as well, he would be close by other noted mobsters buried in the cemetery. They include Gotti's mentor, former Gambino underboss Aniello Dellacroce, and Salvatore Profaci [CORRECTION: Reputed Mafia leader Joseph Profaci is buried in a private mausoleum in St. John's Cemetery. His first name was incorrectly given Thursday in a story about possible funeral plans for John Gotti. pg. A02 Q 7/14/01], Lucky Luciano and Vito Genovese.

Mob funerals of the past attracted a great deal of attention - mainly because of the mountains of flowers, the number of mourners and the undercover officers who closely watched the proceedings.

Recent funerals of several notable mob figures, however, have been more subdued.

For example, Gotti's predecessor, Gambino boss Paul Castellano - who was gunned down outside a Manhattan steakhouse in 1985 on Gotti's orders - was quietly buried in the nonsectarian Moravian Cemetery on Staten Island after Cardinal John O'Connor declined to allow him a public funeral Mass because of his notoriety and alleged connection to organized crime.

Castellano's wake - at the same funeral home that held services a decade earlier for his predecessor, Carlo Gambino - was attended by several hundred people, mostly family members, associates and attorneys. Also on hand were federal agents and city police detectives who took pictures and wrote down license plate numbers.

In 1976, only 350 people were admitted to services for Gambino inside Our Lady of Grace Church in Brooklyn. Outside, undercover agents secretly photographed those in attendance and briefed reporters about who they believed the next boss would be.

One possible glitch in any plans to inter Gotti at St. John's Cemetery would be the position of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, which has denied some mobsters funeral Masses and burial at Catholic cemeteries.

"If the family makes an inquiry, the diocese would discuss it," said Frank DeRosa, a diocesan spokesman. He was unaware of any inquiries by the Gotti family.

Gotti, held at the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Mo., has head, neck and throat cancer. He is serving a life sentence in prison for his 1992 racketeering conviction.

A spokeswoman for the Springfield facility would say yesterday only that Gotti was alive.

Staff writer Pete Bowles contributed to this story.