In the end, John Gotti, rest his soul, got no respect from the mob.

None of the leaders of New York's four other crime families – or even capos for that matter – paid their last respects to the onetime Dapper Don and head of the Gambinos at his wake at the Papavero Funeral Home in Maspeth, Queens.

In fact, only two old soldiers in the Colombo and Genovese families – and a New Jersey wiseguy – were spotted at the two-day wake by teams of local and federal investigators who kept visual and audio tabs on the comings and goings.

And many Gambino members and associates also failed to show up, often sending regrets that bail restrictions, parole or conditions of supervised release prevented a personal appearance.

"We may have missed a guy or two, but there was a deliberate, conscious, decision not to attend," said one law enforcement source.

In other words, the late Gotti was dissed.

"There is no question, that the (mob's) message was one of disdain and disapproval," said another.

Despite the pomp and circumstance of Gotti's sendoff, a 75-car motorcade that included 19 flower cars and four news helicopters, Gotti could not have been happy about the lack of respect he got from his peers.

"He put a lot of stock in these kinds of things so he must have been turning

over in his grave," said one underworld source, an attendee of many wiseguy wakes who skipped Gotti's.

The most obvious snub was by Bonanno boss Joseph Massino, an old friend and Howard Beach neighbor who spent many hours with Gotti at the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club, his Ozone Park headquarters where the funeral procession made a solemn stop en route to St. John's Cemetery.

In 1988, during the height of his power, Gotti supported Massino's eventual ascension to the top of the Bonanno family – he was in prison at the time – and pushed the Genovese and Luchese families to restore the Bonannos to good standing with the Mafia Commission.

Today, Massino, the only New York boss not in federal prison for one thing or another, is very secretive and cautious and often travels abroad to avoid surveillance. With no recent indictments or convictions, he has no restrictions over his movements, or persons with whom he can associate. 

But Massino, who has become the Commission's most influential member since his release from prison in 1992, avoided the wake and ordered his family members to follow suit, according to law enforcement sources.

"There were no ifs, ands or buts about it," said one source, adding that

numerous informants told of similar directives from the leaders of the Colombo, Luchese and Genovese families as well.

In one case, a capo told a social club filled with wiseguys and associates, "Nobody goes," quickly interrupting a query about possible exceptions with: "I said, NOBODY GOES."

Underworld sources also told Gang Land that the troops, for the most part, were happy about being ordered not to attend.

"I hope they don't tell me I've got to represent the skipper," one wiseguy was heard to say.

For the record, Colombo soldier Joseph (Joe Black) Gorgone, Genovese mobster Frank Monti, and DeCavalcante soldier Frank D'Amato (left) were the only non-Gambino family "made men" who paid their respects, according to law enforcement sources.

Law enforcement sources speculate – along with Gang Land's underworld sources, who are not high enough up the food chain to know for sure – that

Mob Star: The Story of John Gotti

Hot off the presses! It's here, the book it took yours truly and Gene Mustain 17 years to do! Although we didn't know it at the time, we began working on Mob Star: The Story of John Gotti in 1985, when we began covering the Gotti story as news reporters.

 The first edition came out in 1988, and we finished this new edition three days before Gotti died in June. Alpha Books is now distributing it to the nation's bookstores

With a 40,000-word update, the new edition contains the entire Gotti saga -- from his treacherous rise to his defiant downfall and right on up to his time in prison and his death from throat cancer.

The 378 page, full-size book uses eight additional chapters, a prologue and an epilogue to complete the story we began telling (better than any other reporters, we might add!) when we covered the Gotti-orchestrated, midtown Manhattan assassination of former Gambino boss Paul Castellano.

For the last and best words on Gotti, this is the book to have. It is specially priced at Amazon.com at $11.87, more than five bucks off the $16.95 suggested list price.

Not Really For Idiots
Whether you're a Gang Land regular or an occasional visitor, you'll enjoy  "The Complete Idiot's Guide to The Mafia," a book I wrote for Alpha Books that was published in December. It's filled with real stuff about real wiseguys and insight about the ways that mobsters make their money. It's 343 pages of true stories of life and death, honor and betrayal. Get it at your local book store, or at Gang Land's favorite, Amazon.com, where the powers that be have knocked the price down to $13.27, so low I am concerned that the Godfather of online booksellers has forgotten about my end.