Considering how bad Tony Bananas got hit, imagine what the Westside and Luccheses would have done to Gotti if they got a chance.

The had their chance. They only time they tried, they ended up accidentally killing his underboss instead.

I don't believe Funzi tricked anyone in the Genovese family. The Genovese's top guys are a cohesive unit that didn't backstab each other. I think Caponigro's last conversation with them was just cruel killer humor on their part. It was them letting him know they played him and how it played out with the Commission.

Funzi was every bit as powerful as the Chin, whether he was top boss, front boss, under boss, whatever, he was one of the biggest guys in the country. Come on, no one in Philly was ever going to get Funzi killed, I can't believe that anyone could think otherwise. Tony Bananas was lucky to live as long as he did, Ray DeCarlo wanted him dead back in the 60's. If it weren't for Bruno's relationship with Gerry Catena and his buying Gerry's machines, as Ray said in the Jersey Mafia, he would have been dead fifteen or twenty years earlier. No one in Philly was ever going to get anyone in the Genovese top echelon killed, that was never going to happen.

With all due respect...who is Ray De Carlo?..it's late @ night and I dont feel like looking it up..

A former Genovese soldier under Boiardo who was a big time loanshark. I believe it is on the 1960s white taps, where he said that Bruno and Gerry had a good relationship in that Angelo bought gambling machines from Catena.

Why did he want Bruno dead?

Angelo "Gyp" DeCarlo, referred to by his friends as Ray. Genovese captain in New Jersey. His office was bugged in the 60s and on Mary Farrel and other places you can read the transcripts. Great stuff. Anyway, he didn't want Bruno dead, he wanted Tony Bananas dead, because Bananas was making inroads on his territory if I remember correctly.

Yeah, it would later come to Tieri having a sit down with Tony and Bruno, with Angelo siding with Tony. Thus was after Ray passed away in the early 1970's. The sit down happened in either 1974 or 1975, talk about patience.

For all the shit we give jimmy the weasel frant......... how the hell did he doup all the east coast bosses in 1976 that he was boss of LA. He said in his book and tesified he met the genovese at some nyc club. Funzi t fat tony chin benny squint had a vote on weather to kill some big union guy out west and they gave a thumbs up all 4 there might have bben 5 i forgot weasels book. But he was there to meet with the genovese around same time he was taken the famous photo with carlo gambino frank Sinatra and a few others. Weasel comes across as such a bullshiter in his old tv interviews. Still was kinda interesting guy just moving around the usa doing all types of mafia shit.

Benny squint funzi fat tony and i think chin being groomed who knows i think he was consig aroung 76 77 fat tony underboss funzi acting boss and squint offical need to know only boss. They worked well together. They all pulled the wool over tony bananas eyes for the good of there family.

That makes sense.

It was Funzi, Carmine Zeccardi, Fat Tony and Chin. No Lombardo. That sitdown is interesting. Funzi was supposed to be the boss, Zeccardi was introduced as underboss, Salerno as consigliere and Chin was just there for some reason. Maybe he was the guy they were voting to kill's captain. Odd that they all took a vote on whether or not the guy should be killed instead of the boss just deciding.

Chin also lent out the springfield crew to the boston guys to kill wild bill grasso in a van owned by genovese guys on the way to meet a genovese soldier over a vending machine dispute. The shooter was milano who was grasso guy in springfield. He made him to incroach into western ma an ct. Boston guys wouldnt make that move with chin at the height of his power in 1989.

Just shows the genovese bosses didnt give afuck about other family bosses beisdes probaly the 5 familys.

Everyone involved that day were all in the Patriarca family. Billy Grasso, Gaetano Milano and the brothers Frank and Louis Pugliano

Chin was voting to hit Joe (Spencer) Ullo because Ullo had stuck Chin for $200,000 in shylock money and skipped to California. Ullo was beaten over this debt inside Joes Restaurant in Greenwich Village. Ullo then left for the west coast and Chin sent Gazut to locate him, Gazut met with Ullo for a cup of coffee and Ullo shot Gazut in the head and buried him in the desert. Only Gazut's jaw bone came back to NYC.

The pug brothers were genovess guys. They were driving grasso to worcester to sitdown with carlo m. They were indicted with the patriarca guys in hartford cause it was a mob hit. When they got out of jail i think frank is ones name went right pack to work according to that reporter lady steph barry for masslive. He also stated bringing carlo back in worcester 500 a week from that strip club owner who was a state police informant. Anthony a put him in charge off the shake downs when he went to jail. In 2005. 1 brother died. Im pretty sure the brother was a inducted member. Hes still alive 90ish.

Dont they own a nice restaurant out there

The more I think about it I feel that Funzi and Chin used Pete Casella ( via Bobby Manna ) to kill Testa That's the reason Casella was given the pass and sent to Florida. Bobby Manna's de facto headquarters in Hoboken was " Casella's Restaurant , and Martin (Motts) Casella was part of Bobby Manna's crew. The goal was to put Nicky Scarfo in the Boss position due to Manna's personal relationship with Nicky.

Didn't Scarfo supposedly turn down the position and let Testa take it?

That was all part of the plot , NS refuse's # 1 slot knowing that Testa will be hit and he (NS) will get the Boss slot soon. NS after becoming Boss now is concerned that Salvy will find out about this. Nicky does two year's in Texas prison and upon coming home starts the plot to kill Salvy ! Using the excuse of Salvy jilting Merlino's Daughter to conceal the hit of Phil Testa.

Why didn't he just take the spot? Chicken man would've been jealous and NS would've had to whack him anyways? I always wondered wtf was be doing with a derringer anyways. If he was to get caught with a gun I could see him having a Tommy gun in a violin case. Lol

Blue you just answered ur own question. Let Phil be the Boss ( temporary ) let him feel comfortable and relaxed. If NS did not defer to Phil in the beginning and claimed the Boss slot , Testa as u stated might have been jealous and made the first strike against Nicky.

As far as the Derringer , Nicky was a little guy , maybe the derringer just worked for him.

That's why I said what I said. You never know with those guys. I'd like to hear more about Testa. We always hear the same shit. Bruno's underboss, boss, blown up, his kids avenged his death, his kid was murdered.