Whether we agree with it or not, life is defined by winners and losers. Life in the mob and the underworld is no different.

Let's take a look at what it takes to be defined as a 'winner' or a 'loser' in "The Life"

https://thenewyorkmafia.com/2021/06/06/underworld-winners-and-losers/

As usual if you weren't a big city Boss then how could you possibly be considered for anything, good or bad.
Only because I'm a small city guy and don't know any better, I'll take Michael Genovese, Pittsburgh Boss for a couple of decades.
Michael lived a long, healthy and very prosperous life and never did a day in the can.
Maybe the icing on the cake, Michael was a great looking man with his choice of women.
As the Great One would say: "How sweet it is":-)

Henry Tameleo
Pet Limone
Louis Greco
Ron Cassesso
Will French
Joe Salvati.
These guys (New England Patriarca Family men) were all convicted of the murder of Teddy Deegan,a bookie.
Some got the death penalty and some life,but subsequently, all were reduced to life.
in 2000 all convictions were overturned based on the fact that FBI agents John Connally,John Morris,Dennis Condon,and Paul Rico knowingly withheld evidence of their innocence to protect Joe Barboza and another rat who testified as to their guilt.
The court awarded 100 million to the defendants with 13 million going to Tameleos estate,since he died in prison.
I think that doing time, and even dying in prison for a crime you didn't commit counts as losing.

No doubt! Mr Genovese lived like a King. Power ,money,women,respect. Pretty much everything "the life" has to offer.

Speaking of Salvati, was he even a mafioso at all? I thought Barboza involved him only because he couldn't repay a loan or something like that, was he involved in the underworld apart from that?

If you died in prison for a crime you didn't commit because you refuse to snitch and sell out your brothers in crime then morally and principally you're a winner in my book.

Much is made about RICO bringing down the Mafia, but I believe it gets just a little too much credit. Perhaps today a boss is destined to go down sooner or later with tighter laws and tighter surveillance and rats and whatnot, but guys like Scarfo, Gotti, Amuso, and Casso would've went down even without RICO. They were complete imbeciles, and did everything short of walking directly into FBI headquarters and saying, "Take me to prison." These are guys who only lasted 5, maybe 8 years at the most. Then you had Persico who just wouldn't let go from behind bars, causing a conflict that his borgata never recovered from. I mean you can see a lot of these guys' mistakes as an observer and see where they went wrong. A lot of them were victims of their own doing.

I also don't believe that RICO and stiffer sentences are the main reason for so many guys flipping. A lot of these guys are simply pussies these days, you even have guys turning rat over 5 years! Back then guys would do decades and get out and right back into the game with 2 fucks given. People just aren't built like that these days.

Carlo Gambino, Joe Bonanno, and Frank Costello

Winners:
Magaddino
Marcello
Bonanno
Luciano
Costello
Lansky
Gagliano
Lucchese
Gambino
Trafficante
DeCavalcante
LaRocca
Accardo
Profaci
Magliocco

What about Albert Marco? He did less then five years in prison and got a nice retirement party back to Italy.

Who is Albert Marco?

Real winners are in Italy , ex members of P2 and other masonic lodges , people you never heard about. Made millions in both legal & illegal way, 90% of them never did any prison time.

Russia too , some of them even becoming high level politicians.

You are correct Dwalin2011. Salvati was a fringe player and a Barboza "juice" victim. Nice catch.

Agree!

Which Sicilian clans or Calabrian ndrina are associated with these people?

If we wanna go there we can count in every Illuminati scumbag out there, every Freemason or Skull & Bones member, but we're talking about the Mafia, so stay relevant.

Not true. Regardless of the city or locale, winners are winners. losers are losers. I spoke of NYC cause there's 10 zillions guys as examples, and I happen to hail from there. But Genovese, LaRocca, and others can fall in the category. Why, only Pittsburgh? For that matter, Chicago, Jersey, Cali, Florida, etc., don't matter where you hail from.

Smart is smart. and dumb is dumb. Am I correct here?

Okay I figured out who Albert Marco is now.

Thats what its about! Otherwise, why the fuck would a guy subject himself to as possible life in jail. For shit? Many do. But those are the idiots or the very unlucky. Or both.

If you're gonna be a wiseguy, then be wise about it and be a wiseguy, not a jerk off.

It's a combination of things.

See what you wrote? All old-timers. There's a very good reason for that. Different era, morals, mores, laws, sophistication, and culture.

And didn't rat, you can't be a winner if your a rat

You're right, Salvati was not even an associate of anyone, he was the biggest victim of all.

There are a lot of mafia bosses from Sicily/Calabria who were/are part of masonic lodges. Mariano Agate a boss of Mazara del Vallo was member of "Iside" , one of most powerful masonic lodges in Sicily. Today we have "iside 2"

It's not just Sicilians/Calabrians , Gambinos were connected to Michele Sindona , who was managing their heroin profits , he also bought Franklin National Bank in 1972 and was named "Man of the year" in 1974 by US ambassador in Italy. He was member of P2 , when he made shit ton of mistakes , he got arrested and eventually poisoned in prison with cyanide when he drank coffee.

Giuseppe Calò was connected to Roberto "God's Banker" Calvi , he was also member of P2 and chairman of "Banco Ambrosiano". He was laundering money for Sicilians , Calvi's power came from his connection to Paul Marcinkus who was president of Vatican Bank and also member of P2 and Ambrosiano Overseas manager.

Pantaleone Mancuso a 'Ndrangheta boss was recored few years ago on tape saying "It's not about 'Ndrangheta anymore, its about P3,P4 and others". So we know those connections are still present to this day. Powerful mafia members who are known masonic members are Guttadauro's , they are extremely powerful.

Giuseppe 'The Doctor' Guttadauro boss of Roccella family, he was primary of Palermo hospital , he is surgeon., Carlo Guttadauro a capodecina of Bagheria family and Filippo Guttadauro member of castelvetrano family. I read somewhere Guttadauros have huge control over fish market in Italy.

I don't believe he was

I think a case could be made for Raymond Patriarca Jr. He literally got pushed out of the life in a way. Couldn't fill the shoes of his father and immediately had internal turmoil since his first day in the chair

How is Joe Magliocco a winner? His plot against Gambino and Lucchese failed, the Commission forced hiim to step down in favor of Joe Colombo, and he died soon after.

Magliocco is a winner because he died free and wealthy, and he didn't get killed.

Vincent Basciano, Arthur Nigro, Louis Daidone, Steve Crea......all losers. All doing life.