One of the co-writers of the article, Scott Burnstein, posts regularly over on the RD. Other than Chicago, Detroit has probably caused the most debates because it's right on the border, so to speak. Some reports list it as still being viable while others don't. That alone would allow one to go one way or the other but there's also the subject of indictments, which there hasn't been many of in recent years. In the debates I mentioned, some will argue that Detroit is unique for one reason or another, and the lack of indictments doesn't matter, but I don't agree. I personally use the same RICO standard to all the families and, even if one can argue the Detroit family is still around, it's hard to argue they're as big or as active as some make them out to be. It's telling that half the article is either about other families or about the history of the Detroit family itself.

If you look closer, the article actually claims there were 30-35 members back in 1996, during the GameTax case, and is now at 40-50 members. This is strange because I can look up articles from that time that cited 30 members at most. And it would be rather surprising if a family, especially one outside New York, could completely go against the trend and increase in size over the last 15+ years. Scott's own 2006 book, Motor City Mafia, cited 25 members. But he explains the 40-50 figure with the two recent ceremonies. I don't know how concrete that info is, if it's just rumor it's been established as fact, but I also find it hard to believe Detroit would have that many guys available to make in recent years.

In my opinion, while there may still be some semblance of an organized family there, they're small - probably no more than 25 members or so - and their activity doesn't extend much beyond bookmaking, loansharking, and whatever legitimate businesses remaining members and associates are into. I would bet anyone good money that, while we may see another gambling case like the one in 2006, we won't see another case in Detroit like the big one in 1996 again. If it already hasn't crossed the "viable" line, Detroit is certainly the next one to do so.

That's my 2 cents.