The old ways.

1) What features of the "old ways" exist now in the Mafia? The Mafia seemed to have changed so much, it's now all about drugs, cash, and whacking, as a pose to it once being about honour and omerta and all that.
What titles still exist? I'm guessing 'soldier' and 'caporegime' still exist, but what about the others? Are there consiglieres? Are people still referred to as 'Dons' or are they simply bosses?
The old ways seemed to have shattered like frail mirrors, there seems to be no respect; I'm sure any gangster would piss himself laughing if you asked him about "Omerta". I mean, I'm not sticking up for gangsters here, but they were a whole lot better in the old days! They seem so degenerate now.

2) Henry Hill: What's with him now? Is he rich, poor? Is there any information on his life in the WPP? What about the mafia, are they still after him, or have the old vendettas been forgotten by honourless gangsters out to rip off the world? How in danger would you say his; what are his odds of getting killed were he to leave the WPP?

3)Many rich gangsters have huge estates, and are filthy rich. How do they avoid questioning on how they earned their living? What excuses do they come up with? Surely the FBI must query into how they've earned so much.

Thanks to anyone who answers the questions, over the months you people have almost fulfilled all my queries!

1) I don't think there's a way of knowing if the induction or " making of " still abides today unchanged in the world of LCN, the tittles are still the same at least to law enforcement. One shrewd Don: Vincent " The Chin " Gigante who was boss of the Genovese family would never be referred to by his name but by: " that guy " or by a rubbing or scrapping of a family member's chin to avoid wiretap evidence.

2) Henry Hill is still trying to make money from his gangster era. I think the modern Mafia families today have too much to worry about, with their own inner problems, and modern technology to go after Henry Hill who's after the witness protection program; specially when it would not be hard to know who killed him, LCN does not need any more hard-on's from the American government. He wrote a cook book not too long ago. A man like him could never be rich off of anything else other then exploiting his past.

3)Rich modern gangsters oft-own legitimate fronts, in many fields. Many of their possessions are not under their name but under family members', as long as they pay their taxes they should be fine. Surely the F.B.I already do know how they earned their money, the problem is linking them to money coming off of their criminal enterprizes.

Henry Hill is no longer in the WPP. It only lasted for a limited amount of time. Now, he has a different identity for legal bills and liscenses and what not, and is hiding somewhere in his house where nobody knows where he is at.

1. Most of us (including me) tend to romanticize the "old" Mafia. But there's never been honor among thieves, never will be. Plenty of wiseguys broke omerta long ago, to buy favor with cops and to derail other Mob guys who were in their way. Charlie Luciano supposedly ratted out a partner in a drug deal when he was young, to avoid jail. Joe Valachi wasn't the first guy to break omerta--he was the first to do it on TV. The difference now is that with better surveillance, plus stiffer penalties for drugs and RICO offenses, there's more incentive for Mob guys to rat out others. But it's hardly new. As for titles: who knows? Mobs today operate with fewer "made" guys, because being "made" is an invitation to get new, close "friends" in law enforcement.
2. Henry Hill isn't in the Witness Protection Program anymore. He's all over like dog s**t. He's been on radio and TV; any minute I expect to hear that he's going to replace Jay Leno or host Saturday Night Live. He has his own website, http://www.goodfellahenry.com/home.html,
where one can show adoration for him by buying his merchandise. He visited the UK recently; I expect he stood for Parliament from Winston Churchill's old district. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that he's listed on NASDAQ. Once a con man, always a con man.
3. Very few gangsters have big estates in their own names. Some of them have learned that having such gaudy property makes them sitting ducks for income tax evasion charges. This is a slam-dunk conviction in the US--the government doesn't have to prove that you committed any crimes to make your money, all they have to show is that you're living beyond your means. The famous Aniello (Mr. Neil) Dellacroce, underboss to Carlo Gambino and Paul Castellano, and John Gotti's patron, went to the can for five years because he lost $30k gambling in Puerto Rico after declaring only $10k in income. So the mobsters put their property into others' names and hope for the best.

Hope for the best? Didn't know they did that, but thinking about it, it is the only way in which they could continue to work. How do they go about not getting caught with this scam? Whose name do they own property in? I do realise though that a lot of gangsters have went down due their utter stupidity with regard to income tax evasion.

Mick

Hope for the best? Didn't know they did that, but thinking about it, it is the only way in which they could continue to work. How do they go about not getting caught with this scam? Whose name do they own property in? I do realise though that a lot of gangsters have went down due their utter stupidity with regard to income tax evasion.

Mick [/b][/quote]Mick, there are plenty of tax dodges in this country that rich, supposedly legitimate people use--and that Mob guys follow. Sometimes a corporation or a foundation owns real estate, and the CEO lives there, rent-free. Or, they take advantage of various state laws that make one's primary residence untouchable by any legal process, or that permit spouses to own your property without you being accountable for it.

"...their utter stupidity with regard to income tax evasion." Oho, you said it! Possibly the understatement of the year! Income tax evasion has put away more gangsters for more years than drugs and RICO combined. The irony is that it's easy--very easy--for them to avoid falling into that trap, but they're too stupid and greedy to do the smart thing.