To give you another example. Joe Cerrito who became boss of a small family in California originally started out in NYC allied with Joe Profaci and his crew. For that matter Cerrito's brother Salvatore Cerrito remained a soldier in NYC's Profaci family long after his brothers moved west. After Joe Cerrito moved out west and became boss he was no longer "with" Joe Profaci, yet still remained close to him for decades through the original mutual bonds they shared.

The same can be said of the many mafiosi who migrated from NYC's Castellammarese "clan" up to Buffalo, NY. This includes "Buffalo Bill" Palmeri, Steve Magaddino, the DiBenedetto bothers, etc. They may have once been actual "members" under Maranzano/Bonanno clan, but after moving upstate they transferred membership to the Buffalo-Niagara Falls family. Yet, always stayed friendly with the Bonanno family.

Detroit's Gaspare Milazzo and others who moved to Michigan fall into the same category. In the City of Chicago too (think "Buster Domingo from Chicago"). Memberships were either transferred, or they struck out on their own and established a new borgata for themselves. These were the "originals" remember.

Joe Bonanno just capitalized on these connections which made it look to outsiders as though "he" had men all over the country. Which in fact was not true.