Ivy, very informative break down. Question for you: Aside from the numerical state of the family, how does the Philly family actually fair? I've seen so many posts about how they are a joke etc.... and it seems they have been plagued by 'bad' bosses i.e. Scarfo, Merlino. So what is really the deal with Philly? Legitimate, or not?
Well they are one of only a few remaining families outside NY. Thats saying something in 2015. You can attribute that to them being in the Northeast as much as anything. In fact, they are probably one of the best examples of how an LCN family can weather repeated indictments, rats, and infighting if it has enough of a recruiting pool to stave off attrition. Anyway, they certainly do meet the criteria for a viable family - they still have a hierarchical structure and ongoing activity, although as I've said, they are basically a street operation at this point.
