Originally Posted By: FireHawk
I do have a question

was there ever time in the past where the Five Families combined could rival the Sicilian Mafia in power, influence, money etc.?


Absolutely. I think that the Five Families at their peak from the 1930s to the 1960s were bigger than the Sicilian clans in terms of power and influence. In the 1950s, Joe Bonanno and others were asked to help the Sicillians set up their own Commission. And when Luciano was sent back to Italy, he was hailed as a celebrity. Back then I think that the Italians looked up to the Americans and that alone says enough. That being said, I think that starting in the late 1970s the Sicillians surpassed the Americans on a global scale.


"It was between the brothers Kay -- I had nothing to do with it."