You know yourself that the Outfit had at least 150 made members in the mid 1970s. So for 100 guys to die within 15 years still seems a bit odd to me. Maybe many of them retired somewhere in the 1980s and the FBI only recognised the remaining active members? If not, either the FBI's estimates were wrong or something really strange happened. I do not question that the Outfit had 150-200 full fledged members until the 1980s.
Because the Outfit didn't start using the blood and fire ceremony until later, and the feds didn't find about it until even later than that, the membership estimates of the Outfit back then are not as solid as they are for other families. So I'm not totally sure about that 150-200 figure.
But, in any event, we've definitely seen a downward trend in the estimates. The CCC estimated about 70 in the late 1990's. Eventually the FBI starting quoting anywhere from 25 to 50 made guys. And most recently, during the "Family Secrets" case, 28 made guys was the number cited. I tend to go with the latest figures because they're going to be more accurate and based on the most intel.
Some may be surprised to know that over 60 Genovese members have died in the last 15 years.
