I assume the Sopranos were based on the DeCavalcantes, and the Lupertazzis on the Gambinos.
Key points to back up my thinking are the following:
1. John Sacrimoni and John Gotti were both incarcerated in a prison but later transferred to the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. They both died from cancer.
2. Sacrimoni came to Tony Soprano and asked him to murder Lupertazzi capo Rusty Millio in Season Six. John Gotti also requested another family, the DeCavalcante guys, to clip someone. The murder of Fred Weiss wasn’t so different than when Rusty was whacked — Milio was in his car, Weiss was by his car.
3. The shooting of Big Paul Castellano is very similar to when Phil Leotardo’s hitters took out Faustino “Doc” Santoro.
Good point i never thought of Johnny Sac and John Gotti maybe they were based on the Gambinos but i still think the DiMeos were based on the NJ branch of the Luchesse family .
There are many options for who the Sopranos were ideally modelled on. The New York Lupertazzi family on the other hand, are definitely the fictional Gambinos in my opinion. Stepping away from John Sacrimoni; In the Gambino family, John Gotti Sr. wanted his son to take over, Carmine Lupertazzi Sr. wanted the same thing — Carmine Jr. (John Gotti Jr.) taking over. Also, the Gambinos and the Lupertazzis were both based in Brooklyn and Queens.
