Thank you, Oscar.

Were the old timers "cut from a different cloth"? ABSOLUTELY!

But if they had to contend with modern technology, the Witness Protection Program, CSI teams, and the RICO act, someone high up the ladder would have flipped. It's silly to guess who would have been the most likely to do so, but SOMEONE would have. No doubt in my mind.

I'm not taking anything away from Don Carlo's reign but he also was in bed with Tommy Lucchese and worked with that family and their administration very closely. If I'm not mistaken, didn't Gambino's son marry Lucchese's daughter?

Comparing the eras of the American Mafia is impossible to do, it's like trying to determine if Tom Brady is better than Joe Montana. It can't be done because the rules were different, technology was obsolete and the government's closest friend RICO wasn't written until the 1970's and not used until the early 1980's (Jack Licavoli, Angelo Lonardo, Maishe Rockman Cleveland are credited with being the first convicted by the statute) and then the infamous Commission Case.

While Gambino was certainly a power to contend with, I still find it appalling that he married his first cousin. Sicilians were known for that practice and it borders incest to say the least. IMHO, I believe Funzi Tieri was more powerful than Carlo any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

I believe that I had previously posted that while at camp one Sunday morning I went to the store and returned with the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Charlie Murgie read the head line regarding the RICO Act. He put the paper down and told everyone at the table: "Well boys we all better get a job!"

Charlie always had vision while the everyone else wore bifocals ;-)

A very wise man indeed

And Funzi didn't make a bowel movement without diccussing it with Benny Squint first.

FYI: I have to say, you and "Friend of Henry" have it on the ball .

I think he served some time, which in all amounted to about 20 months only (have read it in the New York Times article about Gambino's death I think).
They all have been in jail at least for a short time on a certain points in their careers, even Lucchese served time for auto theft. Tony Accardo is the only exception I think.

I don't have first hand knowledge about NYC, but I've read a ton about NYC through the 90's and kinda stopped keeping up with it after that. However, besides yourself, I have some close friends in Brooklyn and some cousins scattered between Fairfield County and Brooklyn...so some of my info comes from them. IMO, Funzi may have been the top boss in history in terms of wielding influence. Plus, he was connected to "many" of the top bosses from my neck of the woods, especially to Big John LaRocca. Profaci was another one, I had a great uncle who was exceptionally close to Profaci, traveled with him to Italy to help him find wholesale Olive Oil vineyards/suppliers.

He was convicted on a tax evasion rap and spent five years in prison because he lost $100k in a Puerto Rican casino--at a time when he was claiming "legitimate" income of $10k/year. That's not very smart.

I'm not trying to offend any Sicilians here, but that is incest I couldn't imagine marrying my 1st cousins or even messing with them. We are very close yes, but nothing like that. Of course I understand it all, but here in the South we hear the incest line all the time and even that is considered a no no here.

As most here are probably aware (at least the guys with a little gray on their head), it was common practice for our relatives from the "old country" to marry cousins (many were arranged marriages), before they came over...in fact, that was a common practice throughout the entire Mediterranean region.

That's true, and actually the risk of something being wrong with the baby of first cousins is relatively small. It's the same risk as when a 40 year old woman gives birth to a child. It's difficult to imagine it because of cultural things, but it's very common in certain cultures even today.

I understand...my entire family comes from the San Nicola Ardore region of Reggio Calabria...and not one of them married anybody they were related to and there were many arranged marriages in the older generation of my family. It wasn't an "old country" practice, it was a practice prevalent by Sicilians. I'm not saying it didn't happen in other regions, I'm saying it's sick.

If my memory serves me correct, Gambino married his first cousin who was the sister of Big Paul Castellano...which makes Gambino and Castellano first cousins as well as brother in laws.

I'm sorry Oscar (aka JCB, Bugsyvegas)...it was quite a common practice in all of the Mediterranean countries.

No need to apologize to me. Wow, you got me, I am JCB...Holy shit are you good. Point of the matter is that it is known as "incest" and is a disgusting practice no matter if it's Russia or the Mediterranean. It's demented, it isn't right and it's sick.

And the people who actually arranged for their kids to marry their brother's or sister's kids are despicable.

What does any of that have to do with Carlo Gambino's underworld stature, though?

And I don't think Gambino ever served a jail sentence, much like Tony Accardo.

I agree Oscar that is completely disgusting.

Amen to that, this is my first post, but yeah, people outside the life have no real understanding of what Gangster means, hell a lot of people In the life dont get it either...

I hate to go off topic, but am I the only one a little fascinated by this document?

The Mary Ferrell document i mean...

It may be disgusting to us, but it did go on quite a bit...and arranged marriages still exist in the more rural portions of countries throughout the Mediterranean even today.

To me it was very fascinating, and you can see how Carlo was always maneuvering. I especially enjoyed the part where Tommy Ryan gets paranoid about the guy on the street being possibly a hitman sent by Carlo.

For me there's a lot of things that stand out;
1. Carlo wants the Copa; Now Jerry Catena seems to be like, " We care about this?" "Why?". But Eboli sees it as a test, as do I. It seems Carlo was testing to see how easily he would acquiesce to a demand, to see if he would challenge the new order on the commission.
2. I always heard the story of how they sent for Bonnano to appear before the commission, but I never knew Carlo and Luchesse manipulated it so the Commision knew he was summoned, but they made sure that Bonnano wouldn't get the message, talk about cunning lol!

Minimal jail time at best for Accardo with a career that lasted longer than Carlo's. Carlo had a good reign, no doubt, but to say it was the best in mob history is certainly debatable at least.

I would ask you a question on this one PB. Nothing much is know about Phil Lombardo and you are from his heartland of the Bronx/East Harlem. The FBI and cops knew very little about this guy, but did you or any of your family know how powerful this guy was back in the day?

Because, let's face it, this guy made Michael Corleone look like a rookie. Basically ran the Genovese's from 1969 until his death in 1987 without anyone in law enforcement having a clue.

cowards? heaven no i mean come on he made these moves that nobody else had the balls to took out a feared man(alber anastasia)

Last night I had a dream that Carlo Gambino and Joe Ligambi had a cockfight using their noses.