Not-guilty plea in Gotti mob trial

Looking upbeat and waving confidently to his family in a Tampa federal courtroom, John A. “Junior” Gotti entered a not-guilty plea to federal racketeering charges that link him to three mob slayings, cocaine distribution and other crimes.

Prosecutors contend the 44-year-old son of the former Gambino family crime boss was a member and, at times, de facto boss of the criminal organization that engaged in crimes including murder, kidnapping, witness tampering and money laundering.

The three murders Gotti is allegedly tied to took place in New York, but he is being tried in Tampa, where prosecutors have said the criminal enterprise was “trying to gain a foothold.”