NEW YORK – After six years behind bars, the son of late mob boss John Gotti (search) left his prison cell Wednesday and arrived at his mansion on Long Island's Gold Coast, where he'll remain under house arrest pending a retrial in a racketeering case.
John A. "Junior" Gotti (search), 41, was released from a federal lockup in Manhattan on $7 million bond and then went to his estate in Oyster Bay Cove, said his lawyer, Jeffrey Litchman.
While under house arrest, Gotti will be subject to such restrictions as electronic monitoring and random searches.
A huge arch of yellow balloons was installed at his two-acre property to mark Gotti's homecoming, and a cardboard sign at the entrance to the house said: "Welcome Home Dad."
It took two days to finalize the paperwork to spring Gotti, who claims he has renounced his mob ties after serving as boss of the Gambino (search) crime family. A judge declared a mistrial on most charges in his racketeering case last week, clearing the way for his release pending the retrial next year.
Gotti was indicted last year stemming from a botched 1992 plot to kidnap a radio show host in retaliation for his on-air rants against Gotti's father. The indictment came only two months before he was to finish a prison term for an earlier racketeering (search) conviction.
"I am thankful to finally be reunited with my wife and five children," Gotti said in a statement. "I did my time in prison and moved on with my life. I hope and pray that everyone will try to understand that my past is behind me and to please focus on my future and what I do from here on out."
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