Once a Don dies

Once a Boss dies, what happens with their wives, children and their goods and business? I mean, let`s say their children are not in the Mafia, Do they get some business from their father? Do they still keep the bodyguards from the Mafia? Do they keep connection with the Mafia? Can they give orders? What about the power and influence the now dead boss had once before?

There's no set rule on how the new Don might treat the deceased Don's family. But the outlook isn't good for the family:

Mob bosses are seldom the owners of record of businesses, private property or other tangible assets. If their names were on deeds and records, they'd provide a roadmap for law enforcement to prosecute them for racketeering, tax evasion, RICO, etc. They hide assets, and often, the family doesn't know where the assets are--or the guys fronting for those assets will try to cover up after the Don dies. Smart Dons try to look "poor" on official records. But when they die, the family often is stuck with the reality that they're far from rich.

Mafia finances resemble a "pyramid scheme": money is kicked upstairs from underlings to each level of boss. If there's one thing Dons have in common, it's greed. I wouldn't count on the new Don feeling charitable toward the former Don's family. That's probably why many Dons assure that at least one of their sons is made in the Mafia, or connected to a Mob-run business. Even then, the son probably will be resented or even considered a danger by the new Don and his people.
Great life, the Mafia.

It was, actually. But I'm glad I got out while I could.

Everytime i try to get out they pull me back in.

You come in alive, you go out dead...

By the way, Thank you Turnbull. But, waht happened to the Paul Castellano`s white house when he died? His children kept the house? Did John Gotti get it and sell it? For example, let`s talk about a dead boss, Carlo Gambino, Albert Anastasia or Thomas Lucchese, do their children or grandchildren keep some kind of link to the mafia in case someone may hurt them?

Castellano's son's, Peter and Phillip, run Scara-Mix Concrete, based in Staten Island, which basically dominates the borough's concrete pouring industry. The "White House," as it came to be known, was sold and renovated after Big Paul's demise.

I don't know about Anastasia's family. But Gambino lived in a modest home on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn (much more modest than Castellano's mansion in Staten Island). Gotti, for all his flamboyance, lived in a modest home in Howard Beach, Queens--he never made a move on Castellano's place.
Gambino's son and Lucchese's daughter married, cementing an alliance that led to their sharing a piece of the garment center rackets. Tommy Gambino was a captain in the family, and remained a captain after his father died. He never made a move on the Donship, which is probably why he survived. Presumably the Lucchese connection to the garment center continued for Tommy's heirs. The point is: the original Dons made provisions for their families--they didn't count on generousity from their successors.

I watched a documentary on the Philly mob last night and maybe TB or DC or anybody with mob knowledge can answer this question for me.

They said that when the Philly mob needed a boss the NYC mob had to make the decision who it was going to be. Why is that?

I think that you are reffering to when Philadelphia mob boss Philip Testa was murdered.

When Philip Testa took over the family after having former boss Angelo Bruno killed, Testa believed that a guy named Chickee Narducci was planning to murder him. Testa was right because that same week, Narducci had Testa murdered.

The New York Commission fingered Narducci as the killer, believing that Narducci had committed an unauthorized murder of a family boss. The New York bosses selected Scarfo to murder Narducci.

Scarfo was named the new head of the Bruno Family and was given a seat on the supposed commission, and became an ally of the Genovese Family.

That's how the New York mob was involved in picking a boss to run the Philadelphia mob.

Yes I was reffering to what you said. Did you see the show to? Does the NY mob still pick the Boss for the Philly Mob still?

NY dominates the Philly and NJ mobs.