Did Mob Boss John Gotti Detest A Fellow Inmate From Idaho?

When you hear the name John Gotti, you probably think of expensive suits, slicked-back hair, and organized crime. Those would all be appropriate. What you probably don't think about is the state of Idaho. As it turns out, he didn't think much of Idaho either.

If you don't know much about John Gotti, here's a quick history lesson. The Gambino Crime Family was one of the "Five Families" that ran organized crime in New York beginning in the early 1900s. John Gotti assumed control of the family when then-leader Paul Castellano was killed at the end of 1985.

Gotti was unlike any other mob boss before. They would lay low and run things from their house in the past, but Gotti loved the spotlight. He enjoyed being a celebrity. He was a good-looking guy who loved wearing expensive suits and being seen. He was even given the nickname the "Dapper Don."

He was put on trial numerous times, but no one could ever get charges to stick, so he had another nickname: "Teflon Don." That changed in 1992, when his lieutenant, Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, switched sides and testified against Gotti. Gotti was convicted of racketeering, five murders, including the murder of former boss Paul Castellano, conspiracy to murder, illegal gambling, loan sharking, bribery, obstruction of justice, and tax evasion. He was sentenced to life in prison, where he died of cancer in 2002.

John Gotti is back in the news because of the Nextflix docuseries, "Get Gotti," about how law enforcement eventually got their man. You'll hear a lot about John Gotti in the docuseries, but you won't hear what he said about a fellow Marion inmate from Idaho while he was locked up.

According to the New York Times, The Daily News visited Gotti in prison in Marion, Illinois. When it was opened, this maximum security person was supposed to house the worst of the worst prisoners. It was built to replace Alcatraz. That is where John Gotti complained about the food in prison.

He implied that most of the prisoners didn't care about how bad the food was. He wanted the food that you could find in less secure prisons. He said that in those prisons, "They have lasagna once a week, linguine with clam sauce.'' Then he pointed to another inmate and said, "To him, the greatest meal in the world is hamburger."

Who was that other inmate? Gotti referred to him as one of the terrorist "idiots from Idaho." That could only be one man. The only terrorist prisoner from Idaho who would have been locked up in Marion at the same time was David Eden Lane. Lane was a leader in the Aryan Nations and was part of a 1984 Boise synagogue bombing.