Jimmy was involved in the murder of Billy Butts, a friend of John Gotti, he also killed one or two Gambino made man after the Lufthansa heist, didnt the gambinos find what he had done?

Jimmy was in too good with many higher ups in several families to be touched, not to mentioned feared and hard to get to. He earned great money with Gambino guys as well.

While he may have been indicated in the Batts murder, Gotti and the Gambino's ultimately put that on Tommy D along with the Foxy Jerothe murder and seemed satisfied letting Gotti and Tommy Agro get revenge on Tommy D.

Jimmy's association with Pauly and the Queens Luchese crew kept him safe within that family.

And to answer your question Jimmy earned with Gotti directly and indirectly through truck hijacking and swag so from a purely business standpoint even if Gotti knew Jimmy killed Billy Batts with Tommy D, it was more cost effective to kill Tommy, an unmade hijacker who could be replaced. Rather than attempt to kill Jimmy, a high level associate (the closest guy to made on the street that wasn't made IMO) who posed as a high level fence for the goods Gotti made his early living hijacking. Burke had warehouses bigger than most and fenced more stolen goods than Fatico. Gotti was often diverted to Burke warehouses by Fatico as Burke had more room.

so if you made crazy cash you could kill a made man? wow no wonder guys flipped

It's all politics-

Black Pete took part in the murders of several Columbo guys but Chin gave him a pass despite the bodies turning up at that building he owned

All he did was plead ignorance and Chin loved him (most likely due to the amount of money he bought in) and Pappa instead was collateral damage/ who took the fall

As for Jimmy Burke, whilst he was never made, he was almost like a captain himself. The same way Angelo Quack Quack got a pass when he done the attempted hit on Casso. Casso instead went after all the lower level guys involved (granted Angie was dying anyway)

Usually if a guy is too valuable to be killed, a big fine can sort out any grievances

Great explanation Tony, I co-sign that statement 100%

I agree, Vario knew Burke was a cash cow. There was no way he was going to let anyone touch Burke without a war.

There might be rules to how the mafia operates, but ultimately, an individual is on their own, and will be considered on the merits of their strength or weakness. The weak get killed off simply because they can be. Excuses are made after the fact. Fake charges. Those perceived as strong are basically avoided and given leeway.

Even in an organization, where a higher up can summon an underling at any moment to dispose of them, the fearsomeness of that underling is considered before taking that risk.

In plain English, gangsters like Burke tended not to get whacked because it was too dangerous to try.

That's only my opinion.

What is most important in any organized crime group? Money.

He apparently had Queens about as wired as anyone could have an area. Had cops on payroll, friends in the courthouse, tipsters and debtors in dozens of local businesses, the biggest warehouses of any major hijacker. He was quite the asset available to all families as well as an inviting host to amateur criminals and made crime in Queens run vary efficiently for a long time, considering.

He also managed many of what could be considered Vario's "young turk" faction. While members of the Vario Crew like Bruno Facciolo and Steve DePasquale were direct with Paul for certain rackets, between Hill, Tommy D, Angelo Sepe, etc.. Pauly seemed to be ultimately less direct with all of these men although they belonged to him than Burke was. Pauly seemed completely direct with few people from what I've read and Burke was on of them who by extension spoke and listened to Pauly for several lower tier members.

I think this added as well, as @alfa_romeo stated, to the difficulty to actually even attempt to kill Burke. He socially surrounded himself with somewhat rouge soldiers many of whom weren't made or even !00% Italian and killed at will and and blindly followed Jimmy. It would have been risky to attempt to say the least and you have to consider during the timeframe who would even dare take on the contract?

Not to mention as I stated in my above post, I think realistically the Gambino Family was more than satisfied killing Tommy DeSimone for the Batts and Fox Jerothe murders and having Tommy Agro kill him and not really keeping that much of a secret was clearly the message to be taken as retaliation for Batts. Too many Gambino men earned with Burke to honestly have cared. You have to safely assume the loansharking/bookmaking operation in question that Burke took from Batts profited more with Burke operating it at his height as a criminal than it did with Batts operating it before he went to jail. Given that, whatever Gambino tribute that needed paying would have been a regularly larger tribute from Burke so, that kind of answers the question.

burke was a great earner no doubt, and he knew a lot of made guys, and a lot of capos, but, if he once would not have kicked up to vario he would have been warned, and then eventually clipped, no capo like vario was afraid to kill burke, vario had carloads of shooters, and burke if he ever went to war with a family would never have had a chance, like everyone on this thread agrees, the reason he wasn't hit was he was an exceptional earner.

I gotta at least partially disagree. Jimmy had plenty Paulie didn't know about. Narcotics for prime example. Selective hits for another. A business several of Paulie's of carloads of shooters had interests in, with Jimmy.

you make a very good point, did vario know of the narco involvement, or did he turn his back, take the money..... like bonanno.

Tommy DeSimone could have been killed by a Gambino crew like Gotti or Agro, but I don't think so. Seeing as how he was last seen by Al D'Arco in the company of Peter "Rugsy" Vario and Bruno Facciola at Bruno's pizzeria all dressed up I am quite certain it was done by the Lucchese Family by guys in the Vario crew.I mean, Tommy thought he was being made. Easiest way is to get Lucchese made guys to lure him somewhere and shoot him in the back of the head. Tommy sees Gambino guys he would know something was up. IMO Lucchese members Peter Rugsy Vario and Bruno Facciolo did the hit. Take into account who says Gotti did the hit, Henry Hill. He doesn't know shit to that level. The other account that Tommy Agro did it, Joe Dogs who says he was told by Agro himself. This was after Agro had 2 goons almost beat him to death. Sorry, but I will go with what Al D'Arco says which is Tommy was in Vario HQ Geffkens Bar with Rugsy, Paul Jr., Pete the Killer, Bruno etc dressed to the nines with diamond cufflinks and everyone(even the barmaid) congratulating Tommy on his making which was about to take place. Al later saw Tommy, Rugsy, and Bruno at Bruno's pizzeria (all dressed to the nines and waiting on someone). D'Arco says Rugsy and Bruno took him to his "Making Ceremony" pushed him in and whacked him.

@carlitosway

D'Arco's book was so ridiculous I couldn't get through it, I shelved it after about 120 pages. I've read many of the books we regularly discuss and I must say that D'Arco's book was wildly inaccurate and exaggerated even in the context that most if not all of these books are exaggerated recounting of criminal careers.


Sal Polisi also makes detailed claims in his book Sinatra Club that Gotti killed Tommy D and it was more about Foxy Jerothe than Billy Batts. Another consider the source situation as Sal was a rat writing a tell-all, however, I personally find this book to be a fairly honest telling of crime in the 70s-80s, especially in comparison to Al D'Arco's book.

I don't know if you're being serious or not but Sal Polisi is a joke. nothing but a flunkie, and his book and farcical film the Sinatra Club is even worse. The 5 families were at war and he and gotti and others had a plan to rob silver bullion to reunite the families? Get outta here. Al D'Arco was an associate in Vario's crew until 1982 when he was made a soldier in that crew, rose to Capo status and actually succeeded Vario and took over the Vario crew. His book is very credible. Especially when Vario told D'Arco to mediate a dispute between Jimmy Burke and 2 low level guys over a hijacked load of goods. D'Arco said he ruled in Burke's favor, but Burke killed the 2 guys anyways.