RICO was around, but it wasn't used widely until Reagan took office in 1980. And it wasn't used effectively until the Commission trial in 1986 (when Giuliani and Blakey showed prosecutors how to effectively use it).
Yes, but if Gambino and Lombardo were still active as Commission members in the 80s, would the Commission trial ever be allowed to take place, or if it did, would it have had the same conclusion?
Because almost everybody I talked to and every writer whose books I ever read seem to more or less agree that guys like Fat Tony or Castellano weren't on the same level in terms of ability or influence compared to Gambino/Lucchese/Lombardo/Accardo etc.
On the other hand, whether Fat Tony was the real boss or front boss seems to be still debated.
