Opening Day Auction Closing May 9th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/10/2015
A very personal letter from the “Dapper” if not completely “Teflon Don,” mob boss John Gotti sent this handwritten two page letter on lined 8.5” x 11” notebook paper to Barbara DeCicco, daughter of longtime Gambino family Capo George DeCicco, mailed from the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield Missouri while he was recovering from radiation treatments for the throat cancer that would eventually lead to his death three years later. Despite an opening line reading: “Once again please excuse my handwriting,” Gotti’s penmanship is neat and perfectly legible. He also seemed to have been in fine spirits despite his situation: “I feel great! I had my final radiation treatment Thursday. The Doctor said I made a very hard thing look easy. I told him it’s the Brooklyn in me…” He also mentions how the radiation treatments have given him a “permanent tan” and goes on to thank Barbara for sending him a Christmas card. Gotti closes this very personal piece of correspondence by asking Barbara to “Give Georgie, Bobby, Gina and Reynold my love and thank them for their wonderful wishes. Take care – Love Johnny.” A post script reads: “P.S. I almost forgot you, your dad and brother having lunch and a martini sounds great-thanks for the toast-and we will someday all have a cold martini together-Ask Georgie if he knows who got me started on Matinis.” The two-page letter is also accompanied by its original 9.5” x 4” envelope post marked Springfield, Missouri, January 15, 1999, opened along the top and has “Gotti, #18261-053” written above the return address: “P.O. Box 4000/Springfield, Missouri 65801-4000” and was addressed by Gotti to “Barbara DeCicco 152 Gateway Drive Staten Island, NY 10304-4441. The letter and envelope are in fine condition and come with PSA/LOAs for the letter and envelope #X03936 and #X03923.