Convicted mobster Vincent "Chin" Gigante , famed for wandering the streets of New York in a tattered bathrobe in a show of insanity , died on Monday in federal prison , officials said .
Vincent "Chin" Gigante
convict mobster vincent "chin" gigante fame wander street new york tattered bathrobe insanity die monday federal prison official say
Convicted mobster <m> Vincent "Chin" Gigante </m> , famed for wandering the streets of New York in a tattered bathrobe in a show of insanity , died on Monday in federal prison , officials said .
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NY mob don Vincent 'Chin' Gigante dies in prison
December 19 , 2005
Convicted mobster <m> Vincent "Chin" Gigante </m> , famed for wandering the streets of New York in a tattered bathrobe in a show of insanity , died on Monday in federal prison , officials said .
Considered one of the last of New York's old - time Mafia dons , the reputed head of the Genovese family was serving a 12 - year sentence at the U . S . Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield , Missouri .
He was 77 .
Gigante was also nicknamed "The Oddfather" and "The Pajama King" - references to his habit of shuffling along the sidewalk in Manhattan's Greenwich Village muttering to himself , looking disheveled and unshaven in a robe and slippers .
His attorneys argued that Gigante was mentally ill and incapable of running a crime family ; prosecutors argued he was feigning illness to avoid prosecution .
Eventually , a jury found Gigante guilty in 1997 of conspiracy to murder other organized crime figures , racketeering , extortion and other charges .
The case relied heavily on the testimony of six former mobsters who became government informants , including Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano , whose testimony was critical in the 1992 conviction of the late mobster John Gotti .
Following Gigante's conviction , prosecutors said he continued to run the crime family from prison .
In 2003 , he pleaded guilty to obstructing justice by misleading doctors about his mental state .
The cause of death was unknown , but Gigante had been suffering from heart disease , said prison spokesman Al Quintero .