article on detriot family? how true is it?

I'm posting this from a phone so its easier for me to just post the link to the article.. Anyways I always heard the Detroit family was one of the more "defunct" families in the united states. On par with the los Angeles family, new Orleans ect.. Yet this article was written in 2011 and its stating that they have around 35 made members and in the last 8 years have held 2 induction ceremonies. I would like to hear some ones input with real knowledge on the Detroit family enlighten me because I don't know hardly anything about them. This article just seems really far fetched that the family is alive and well and " has a group of young members ready to take the reigns" sounds like a lot of bullshit? Info please?

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/06/24/organized-crime-in-detroit-forgotten-but-not-gone/

One of the co-writers of the article, Scott Burnstein, posts regularly over on the RD. Other than Chicago, Detroit has probably caused the most debates because it's right on the border, so to speak. Some reports list it as still being viable while others don't. That alone would allow one to go one way or the other but there's also the subject of indictments, which there hasn't been many of in recent years. In the debates I mentioned, some will argue that Detroit is unique for one reason or another, and the lack of indictments doesn't matter, but I don't agree. I personally use the same RICO standard to all the families and, even if one can argue the Detroit family is still around, it's hard to argue they're as big or as active as some make them out to be. It's telling that half the article is either about other families or about the history of the Detroit family itself.

If you look closer, the article actually claims there were 30-35 members back in 1996, during the GameTax case, and is now at 40-50 members. This is strange because I can look up articles from that time that cited 30 members at most. And it would be rather surprising if a family, especially one outside New York, could completely go against the trend and increase in size over the last 15+ years. Scott's own 2006 book, Motor City Mafia, cited 25 members. But he explains the 40-50 figure with the two recent ceremonies. I don't know how concrete that info is, if it's just rumor it's been established as fact, but I also find it hard to believe Detroit would have that many guys available to make in recent years.

In my opinion, while there may still be some semblance of an organized family there, they're small - probably no more than 25 members or so - and their activity doesn't extend much beyond bookmaking, loansharking, and whatever legitimate businesses remaining members and associates are into. I would bet anyone good money that, while we may see another gambling case like the one in 2006, we won't see another case in Detroit like the big one in 1996 again. If it already hasn't crossed the "viable" line, Detroit is certainly the next one to do so.

That's my 2 cents.

How do people get these numbers, very interesting if true. Hard yo be a defunct family if they have a process to make new members.

twenty five guys,and with at least twenty five brothers,brother in laws, sons,nephews,friends,could easily find eight guys in my opinion.who says they have to be decent crooks anyways.lol. or crooks at all.lol. guys are getting made just for 'being around' long enough. it turned from 'tony bats' or 'tony guns' to 'tony the baker' or 'tony the truck driver'.lol. 'sam the plumber'lol. bad example.haha.

but just my input.i dont give half a flying turd about a family in detroit. and to be honest,until a month ago i didnt know there was guys in detroit any more.or san jose...lol.but you learn things every day.lol.

Thanks for the response ivy..

And yeah I didn't think there was anything going on in detroit either.. Place is such a run down shithole I can't imagine there being any money there besides maybe the crack trade.

Spot on, Ivy.

ah, casino's and the border is right there and people are always looking to smuggle, plus the regular shake down of strip clubs, bars, etc..

when i think of detroit. lions, tigers, cars, music, pimps, furs, kid rock eminem, black people, and the greatest show this year hardcore pawn. i want to know how much for one of them minks hanging up. i'd be scared walking in the parking lot thou crazy black chicks, you hear alot of horror stories in detroit. im guessing the mob would be more in the suburbs out there. and im guessing they had a hand in the auto industry so all the grand kids of that family are probaly super rich.

Agreed Ivy. The weird thing I can't figure out is how they went from 25 made guys to 40 with only two ceremonies, very strange. They would have had to make at least 7-8 members at one ceremony.

i think thats about average.

detroit seems to be about where buffalo was 15-20 years ago, and coincidentally i think 15-20 years from now, detroit will be like buffalo today.

Does anyone know where they even operate? Detroit is like 80% black and I don't think Detroit has many Italian neighborhoods.

the surrounding suburbs. what's left of the inner city that hasn't crumbled is not an area where there is alot of money to be made.

Probably less time than that. Buffalo still has about 20 members so it's similar in size to Detroit. And the mob activity, or lack thereof, is similar in both cities too.

I think buffalo is virtually extinct at this point. I gotta put detriot above them but that's just my opinion. Other than the suburbs which are basically all white their cant be much money to be made. Whatever operations they do is more than likely bookmaking, loansharking, gambling, and legit businesses. No unions to infiltrate, prob no garbage, construction or anything new York is involved in. But lack of indictments proves whatever they do is small.

Think it's traditionally been more of an East Side thing. Although I can say for an absolute fact they were still around about 15 years ago. I knew a family. All dead or in jail now.

Detroit definitely doesn't have any Italian neighborhoods; it only has a handful of Caucasian neighborhoods (if that any more) but there are some east side suburbs that have heavier Italian populations.

Detroit proper is such a circus and so corrupt politically, though, it actually would probably be one of the easiest cities in the country to do business in for the mob in terms of buying contracts etcetra. I'm not saying they ARE, just that even the least competent mobsters on average are more competent than, say, the Detroit City Council.

sports and shy are nothing to sneeze at. guys have made millions a year just shy.and sports is big every where white people live. look at all the guys that watch sportcenter every day.lol. think of all those potential degenerate gamblers.lol. makes my mouth water...lol.

Yeah the more I know about it the more I see how sports its a fucking endless stack of money, everyone wagers on sports. Everyone. No matter where you live.. I know guys make an insane living off their shys but fuck.. You gotta have some much scratch on the street it seems like.. How does it usually work? Do some people borrow money from bigger shys at lower points then turn around and loan it out for more and keep the difference in profit when they collect? Cause if not I can't imagine that many people who just have a couple hundred grand of their own to toss in the streets in hope they gey their weekly payments. Just wondering... And figured you would know gamms

What you said about the Buffalo family is largely true. I'm saying the Detroit family isn't that much better off.

shylocking is a good way to make money but theres a lot of heat that goes with it.theres a lot of angles,a lot of complications.etcetera...

this is how it has always worked where i come from.theoretically of coarse.lol.

say you [dsbaloo] want to borrow ten grand from me.typical vig on ten is three. the 'rule of thumb' i go by is under a grand is five to ten points.one or two is four or five...depending on how much of a sucker you are..lol. connected guys,family,friends, always get a discount.but dont give them a loan unless you have to...fucks up relationships. five grand and up i wouldnt charge more than three points to any body. above twenty if you agree to three points,your a fucking moron. the best customers are books and biz men.hands down. it sounds cruel,but they have some collateral if they cant pay. its a good idea to have a 'arrangment' with a book.this way he refers all his 'losers' to your business. for the actual money?its easy. in brooklyn,if you put moneys on the street without being 'on the record' your asking to get beaten,robbed, and shook down.lol. if you do have a crew behind you you go to your 'guy'.if he doesnt have it he goes to the 'skip'. the money is 'passed down' and the loan itself is put 'on the record'. this serves two purposes.one,you cant get fucked over at a sit down,because your skipper can say the loan is 'legitimate'. and two your 'guy' is getting an envelope every week from you. back to the example...say you borrowed a ten from me,and i dont have it[even if i did i would rather go to the 'guy'] i get it at one and a half from my 'friend' while i give it to you at three.just vig [pure profit] im keeping one fifty a week from one customer. if my guy got it from his 'skip' hes paying a point while im paying two.but this isnt bad from your stand point,because the skipper is seeing an envelope every week that he associates with you. your skipper is supposed to be the 'bank'.some times it doesnt work that way and you have to ask a different guy for the loan. guys like tommy karate always was being 'chased' by some one..and he had his 'fair share' of juice loans him self,but thats just a notable example...i could go on for ever.lol.

guys like oneil,the pope,wild bill,...etc... these guys had huge shy businesses.and when i say huge,remember that i have seen some my share of shylocks.lol. the big guys,are more 'banks' than anything.

Not that much better but enough. I think several things work in their favor. It's a pretty well known fact that detroits crime is centered around black gangs. Which means tocco can go largely ignored while law enforcement concentrates on the drugs and crap being distributed in the inner city. And when is Michigan known for its large organized crime presence? Corruption works for them too. But as I said earlier whatever they do has to be small.

Thanks for breaking that down for me. You explained it well.. I guess I never looked at any of the "positives" of the shy business. For some reason to me I've always thought of all the bad shit.. I guess its cause I only know deadbeats.. But let's say you get money passed down from a skip and its on record.. Say you loan it to some dipshit and he doesn't come up with any of the points he owes, just excuses.. What the hell do you tell your guy and the skip when you can't pay them their points? Or you can but they're coming out of your pocket?

thats what they are for. you say 'hey i need help collecting from this guy'.and they help you out. because,after all its there money. [which you make sure the borrower knows first hand]

How about that border through Windsor-Detroit? The busiest crossing along the Canadian border and with the Montreal mob known to be actively involved in distribution along the border shouldn't the Detroit guys be making the most of this action too. That's where the cabbage is, right?

It was a very busy border dating back to prohibition and the Detroit family made use of it then why not now? there's any number of things going through this border that could bring packages with good tidings for the few wise men of Detroit or whatever it is that is left in the city these days.

The Canadian guys are allegedly involved with the port there.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2012/09/28/wdr-mafia-drugs-windsor-montreal.html

Apparently not. I can't even remember the last time somebody in the Detroit mob was busted for drugs.

Here's MY two cents. I'm actually from Detroit's suburbs. Suburbs like, Ypsilanti, Garden City, Westland, Wayne, Troy, Inkster, Redford, Taylor, etc are always in the news. Every now and then you hear about a truck getting hijacked, 9 times out of 10 the hijackers aren't found. But when they are found they're usually black, or it's not released. Also, a fun fact; a person in my area shares the same last name as the mobster from Detroit, Paul Vitale. I'm pretty sure it's a common Italian last name, but here's a picture of Vitale too.

An excellent explanation.