30 years ago
The gambino family was the largest family.
The gambinos were stronger in garbage due to Bernie Adelstein, and local 813 and there control in queens, manhattan, Bronx and long island through jimmy brown.
They were number 1 in concrete through halloran, Sasso and 282.
The gambinos were stronger in porn through DB.
The gambinos were stronger in the garment center.
They were stronger in illegal narcotics
The Genovese were stronger in the laborers.
The Genovese were stronger in the carpenters.
The Genovese were strongest in the iron workers.
They were stronger in the roofers.
They were stronger in new jersey.
They were stronger in Connecticut and Springfield.
They Were stronger in the javits center.
They were stronger at the Fulton fish market.
They were stronger in the longshoremen and on the piers.
They were stronger in Florida through the ILA.
They were stronger in the mason tenders through jimmy messera.
They were stronger in gasoline.
They were stronger in the windows replacement scheme.
They were the stronger nationally.
They were the only family to have a messagario in they're administration to be the liaison to Chicago.
You do the math
I think the Gambino and Genovese families were pretty equal in garbage. They split the 5 NYC boroughs. The Gambinos had a presence on Long Island, though that was mainly the Luccheses turf. The Genovese had more of a presence in Westchester, Southwest Connecticut, and New Jersey. True, the Gambinos had IBT Local 813 but the Genovese family had 2 of the garbage associations like the Gambinos did.
The Gambinos certainly were always deeper into the drug and sex trade rackets. The Gambinos also had a piece of JFK. The Genovese always specialized more in labor rackets, which is one reason they've always been considered more sophisticated.
Didn't part of the Gambino's power in the garment sector and elsewhere during Carlo's reign come from an alliance with the Lucchese family that started when his and Lucchese's kids got married?
Yes.
Also, didn't the Genovese family have to approve the heads of some smaller families like the Patriarca family? Did the Gambino's have any such influence? I know that Gambino and Angelo Bruno were supposed to be close, but did they have the same kind of arrangement? And how much influence did the Gambino's have in Philadelphia before and after Bruno and Gambino were around? Wasn't Scarfo favored by the Genovese, or is that an oversimplification promoted by some mob documentaries?
The Genovese family traditionally represented the Buffalo, New England, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Detroit families on the Commission. They backed Todaro for boss in Buffalo, Bianco for boss in Boston, and Scarfo for boss in Philadelphia (due much to his ties to Bobby Manna). The Gambinos did also have strong ties to the New England, New Jersey, and Philadelphia families though.
