Jon Gravelli

"Everyone wants to pay homage to a dying legend, everyone wants the glamour of a bygone age."

- Jon Gravelli

Jon Gravelli (1923 - 2008) was a character in Grand Theft Auto series that appears as a main character in Grand Theft Auto IV. He was the Don of the Gambetti crime family in Liberty City from 1978 until 2008. He was hospitalized for three years due to a serious illness.

Life up to 2008
Jon Gravelli was born in Meadow Hills, Dukes, Liberty City in 1923. His criminal record dates back to 1940, when he was first arrested for possesion of gambling records at only 17 years old. Rigorous criminal activity continued through his twenties, including car theft, attempted murder and bribery, though his LCPD record states that he had never been in prison.

Gravelli started a Mob-war against the Ancelotti crime family in 1972, after almost killing Giovanni Ancelotti's uncle.

Gravelli took charge as the Don of the Gambetti Family in 1978 after the death of Sonny Cangelosi, when Gravelli was 55. The Gambetti Family became the most powerful of Liberty City's Mafia families under Gravelli's leadership. He had a son, Jon Gravelli, Jr., who was an associate of the Gambetti's but was disowned after he developed a cocaine addiction.

In his late sixties, during the early 1990s, he was arrested twice again and beat both cases. Since 2005, he was a patient in Schottler Medical Center. He was charged with racketeering in 2006 and was awaiting trial - as many other organized crime figures had done, people believed Gravelli was faking his illnesses to avoid trial, but were proven wrong when he stayed hospitalized for his remaining years.

Sometime in the late 1990s to the early 2000s Garvelli start to work with United Liberty Paper company, and became a good friend with one of the company's senior agent.

Events of GTA IV
In 2008, Gravelli was introduced to Niko Bellic via cellphone through his contact at United Liberty Paper who is referred to as a "mutual friend". Jon Gravelli first hired Niko to provide security for a politician from Russian gangsters who wanted to whack him. Niko and the convoy are ambushed on a back street they survive the ambush. Next, Jon ordered Niko to whack Korean Mob connected Kim Young-Guk for running a counterfeiting operation. In Liquidize the Assets, he hired Niko to destroy the Ancelottis' drug vans in a warehouse. It was through his and U.L Paper's assistance that Niko is able to have Darko Brevic delivered to him from Bucharest.

Death
A news report on the radio and internet (after the completion of GTA IV's storyline) states that Gravelli passed away peacefully in his sleep, prior to standing trial. It also appears after the completion of The Ballad of Gay Tony's storyline.

It's unknown who became the Don of Gambetti crime family after Gravelli's death, although Roy Zito, as Consigliere, is most-likely to have.

LCPD Database record
Surname: Gravelli

First Name: Jon

Age: 85

Place of Birth: Meadow Hills, Liberty City

Affiliations: Gambetti Crime Syndicate

Criminal Record:
 * 1940 - Possession Gambling Records
 * 1942 - Promoting Gambling
 * 1942 - Assault
 * 1944 - Grand theft Auto
 * 1946 - Attempted Murder
 * 1949 - Bribery
 * 1990 - Racketeering and Murder
 * 1992 - Obstruction of Justice
 * 2006 - Racketeering

Notes:
 * Head of the Gambetti Crime Syndicate since the death of Sonny Cangelosi in 1978.
 * Indicted several times but never convicted of a serious crime.
 * Resident of the Schottler Medical Center for the last 3 years due to an allegedly serious illness.

Mission appearances

 * GTA IV
 * Entourage (Boss)
 * Dining Out (Boss)
 * Liquidize the Assets (Boss)

Trivia

 * He is most likely based on Carlo Gambino, former boss of the Gambino crime family, on which the Gambettis are based, although his name shares similarities with John Gotti. His name is also similar to Gotti informant Sammy "The Bull" Gravano.
 * Upon completion of the main storyline in Grand Theft Auto IV (and The Ballad of Gay Tony, the player can read about Gravelli's death on the Liberty Tree website, under the article "Mob Boss Dies Before Trial".
 * If you call Jon Gravelli, it will say that his number is not recognized. Despite this, he can be called after his missions.
 * Gravelli is one of the few characters in the GTA series to die of natural causes. Others include Johnny Sindacco.
 * It is implied several times that Gravelli brought his illness upon himself to prevent, or at least delay, prosecution.
 * Gravelli, Gerald McReary, Elizabeta Torres and the United Liberty Paper Contact are the only major characters in GTA IV who don't appear outside of cutscenes.
 * In his artwork, Gravelli wears a blue business suit, but he does not wear it in GTA IV. This is due to the fact that he is hospitalized and wears the hospital issued gowns.
 * At 85 years old, Gravelli is the oldest character in the GTA series to give the protagonist missions.
 * Appearing in only three missions, Gravelli is the boss with the least appearences in the whole Grand Theft Auto IV trinity.
 * Gravelli states that he has known the Ancelottis for 73 years, suggesting that he could've been involved with the mafia since the age of 12.

Gallery
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