There are far more people that say the family is dead, than people that say the family is alive. Why would 3 people lie? Good question. Maybe they're not lying, but they've received bad info. But here are your options Bensonhurst:

FIRST OPTION:
Buffalo federal prosecutors Lee Coppola and Frank Clark, due to their long careers in LE and knowledge, know that the family is defunct now.
Buffalo FBI agents, like longtime organized crime agent Andrew Goralski, due to working full-time on investigating the Buffalo mob, know that the family is no longer active and, despite efforts to get more funding, have had to declare the family is dead.
High profile Buffalo and Niagara Falls journalists like Mike Hudson and Dan Herbeck, despite the fact that a mob story would be a great read and good for their careers, have had to concede the family is dead because it would be too much of a stretch to try and claim it is still active.

These 3 internet "nobodies" (I don't mean offense when I say nobodies, but that's what all of us on the forums are, pretty much) are telling lies, or have received bad information. People have told lies on mob forums for years, I guess because they like to pretend they are in the know and pretend they are street guys. Bear in mind that, whilst Giacomo has been nice and respectful this whole time to me, he admitted to lying about stuff on the Black Hand forum.

SECOND OPTION:
These 3 internet posters are actually far more in the know then I think. Bear in mind that all three of these guys have different stories, so actually only one of these guys could potentially be telling the truth.

This means that federal prosecutors are lying about the existence of the Buffalo mob. This is despite the fact that (according to Rooster) they are actively investigating the Buffalo mob. So, whilst they are making a case against Buffalo mobsters, they are simultaneously disputing its existence. This can only hurt their case and affect their prosecution. But hey, maybe they're just really, really, really bad prosecutors and that's the explanation for their lying.
This also means that FBI agents are lying about the existence of the Mafia, despite the fact that for the FBI to continue maintaining/increasing funding for a designated organized crime squad, they would need to describe the Mafia's threat to the community. But hey, maybe all these FBI agents really hate their job as organized crime fighters and want to get laid off by Washington and that's the explanation for their lying...
This also means that the Buffalo News' top mob reporter, Dan Herbeck, and the Niagara Falls Reporter's top mob reporter, Mike Hudson, are also lying about the existence of the Mafia, despite the fact that their mafia stories have always been very successful and everybody loves a good mafia story.
This also means that top mob expert Scott Deitche, who has a tried-and-true track record, is also lying about the existence of the Buffalo mob for some reason.
This also means that Ron Fino is lying about the Buffalo mob's existence for some reason.

So Bensonhurst, at a first glance it might seem hard to believe that 3 guys on a mob forum could be lying (remember that these 3 guys are all telling different stories...). But your choice of who to trust is between 3 internet forum posters who can't agree on the truth between themselves VS. an FBI organized crime squad, federal and district prosecutors, a proven mob expert, news reporters, and a Buffalo mob informer.


I have at least called Rooster out on it, and he still hasn't replied to all of my questions. However he says he will answer the questions, so I'm waiting on him.


Possible, but extremely, extremely, unlikely. That's why I am asking the questions I am asking. I don't claim to have street knowledge of Buffalo.


Revive was maybe an overstatement. The family was weakened, sure, but wasn't quite dead. Marotta tried to bring it back and make it more powerful, which is what every boss tries to do. But it failed for reasons far beyond his control. By 2002 the family was "kind of" active, according to that same article, and it has since died.


All it takes is one loanshark client pushed too far, one indebted bookmaker, one extorted victim, one drug dealer facing life, one lead in a murder, one member to flip, for a family to come onto the radar for the cops. It is damn near impossible for an organized group of criminals to, in the 21st century, not come onto law enforcement's radar for over 15 years. It is possible for a family to avoid a high number of convictions, and avoid a high number of arrests, but it is very unlikely that a family with an organized crime FBI squad on their backs to be able to convince everyone they are defunct.


True. But the existance of an entire mob family controlling gambling, loansharking, and unions is something that is far too difficult to keep a secret for 15 years, especially when (as Rooster has claimed), the family doesn't try to lay too low (Rooster says many in the community know about OC ties).



Maybe. But I am asking questions to assess the validity of these guys' statements. Can you fault me for that? Isn't that what the forums are for?