Your numbers about the amount of made guys in Chicago are about right, on the street that is. I'd peg the total counting those in prison somewhere between 50-75. The one thing I completely disagree with is the amount of associates. That's sort of the lifeline right now, many "associates". Its like the Genoveses where nobody actually knows who runs what, and for good reason. We all saw what 1 made guy can do, ala nick calabrese. Safer to have a core group you trust rather than a million stunads running around with buttons ratting on each other like in NY. That's why overall I'd rank the outfit up there with the Genoveses/Gambinos in terms of strength. Having a lot of "made" guys doesn't mean you're strong...quality over quantity.
You can disagree all you want but they are not
my numbers. They are the FBI's numbers. And nobody is going to know more than the FBI. At least not any of us posting on an internet forum.
Second, the 28 member figure was total made guys. Adding in the associates, which were said to amount to a "little over 100," the total manpower of the Outfit - according to the feds - is about 150.
Third, there's certainly something to be said for keeping a smaller core, which the Outfit seems to have done. But part of their smaller size has also been due to general attrition. They don't have the recruiting pool the New York families do. A more cohesive, secretive approach will help things in the short run. But it won't help things in the long run as more guys die off.
Fourth, there really is no comparison between the Outfit and the two largest families in the country - the Genovese and Gambinos. Going by the official estimates again, either one of those two New York families are eight times the size of the Outfit. They are also far more diversified in their operations and operate far more widely. Using the same criteria you do in saying the Outfit compares to these families, one could also argue the Detroit family is as powerful as the Genovese or Gambinos.
Fifth, it's generally fairly well known who runs what in the Outfit. The exact titles for some of the guys may not be totally clear, at least to us, but it's usually the same names who are said to be in the upper and mid-levels of the hierarchy. It's not like every Outfit guy is a master criminal , easily evading the feds, while NY guys are all a bunch of morons.
