'Teflon John'? New York charges don't stick to Gotti

NEW YORK — Will he become known as "Teflon John"?

A judge declared a mistrial Tuesday at the racketeering trial of John "Junior" Gotti — the son of the late Gambino crime family mob boss often called "Teflon Don."

It was the case's fourth hung jury in five years.

The elder Gotti had a knack for evading convictions on a variety of mob indictments brought against him. He finally was convicted in 1992 of murder and racketeering and died in prison.

Junior Gotti says he quit the Mafia in 1999.

His anonymous jurors deliberated 11 days before notifying the judge they were hopelessly deadlocked over racketeering conspiracy and murder charges. Prosecutors accused Gotti of ordering gangland hits to settle scores and of secretly pocketing drug money despite insisting he'd gone straight.

U.S. District Judge Kevin P. Castel freed Gotti — behind bars for more than a year — on $2 million bond while the government decides whether to seek a fifth trial.

About three hours later, a smiling Gotti walked out of Manhattan federal court and told a crush of reporters that he was looking forward to spending time with his children. The family planned to celebrate the outcome with a steak dinner.

"It was difficult for me," he said. "I can only imagine what it was like for them."

He also thanked the jury for keeping an open mind despite mob lore — "a hard thing to do."

Three hours earlier, the jury had sent U.S. District Judge Kevin P. Castle a note that read: "Judge Castel, we cannot reach a unanimous decision on any count."

Castel notified the jury that he was declaring a mistrial, and applause erupted in the courtroom among Gotti supporters. Once the jury left the courtroom, Gotti hugged his attorney. Victoria Gotti, Gotti's sister, tearfully said outside court: "We're ravaged. We're beaten down, but we're not broken."

Asked about a possibility of another trial, she said: "Just let it go. We're no organized crime family. We're a family. That's all we are."

Afterward, some jurors said they were evenly split throughout their deliberations on all counts. But they were unanimous on one point: The government's star cooperator, admitted mob enforcer and former Gotti friend John Alite, bombed on the witness stand.