Again, not true at all. Inendino & DeLaurentis are legit millionaires as well. Difronzo is a bitter, miserable old man that doesn't have the strength/wind to run street rackets anymore, it's got nothing to do with wealth. His son's overdose completely destroyed his will. There also isn't much action to be had within north side street rackets anymore. Cicero & Chinatown have always been considered the grimy/grittier crews.
You’re on another planet if you think Cicero pulls in the kind of money that approaches anywhere near what they used to make. I know there are guys in Cicero who have money, and that fact doesn’t contradict the larger point I was making.
“Jonnynonos” made a very good but not perfect comparison that I basically agree with. He was thinking about the Outfit in terms of lineage.
Whatever you think of Accardo, he was one of Capone’s guys without a doubt. In turn, Jack Cerone was Accardo’s guy, and DiFronzo was Cerone’s guy. Accardo loved DiFronzo. In fact, DiFronzo and Carlisi were the last two Outfit guys Accardo trusted and were among the very few people who could actually put cash in his hands. I realize that you might not think much of Accardo, but here is my point. Accardo was the Outfit’s last link to Capone, and DiFronzo is the Outfit’s last link to Accardo. Whether or not you think that is significant is up to you. Sure, guys like Toots, Solly, and Jimmy I knew Accardo, but Accardo “blessed” DiFronzo, personally. In this sense, “Jonnynonos” was accurate when he referred to Elmwood Park as the “descendant” of the Outfit.
If someone wants to claim that Aiuppa was Capone’s guy, too, that’s fine except that his guys Joe Nick and Black Sam are long gone. Joe Nick’s guy, Rocky, is long gone, as is Black Sam’s guy Jimmy Marcello who is in prison for life. Cicero is catch-all for old-timers from long-defunct crews and youngsters who were (un)lucky enough to get made by Mike.
Nothing I said contradicts the idea that “Cicero & Chinatown have always been considered the grimy/grittier crews.” That point is irrelevant to the discussion anyway.
