Greatest Italian-American Mobster in history.

My topstop for the greatest mobster in history goes to Tony Accardo

Reason - He experienced and ruled the golden age, holds a record of controling a family / 1947(?)-1992 and he died right before, as most people would say 'it all went to shit''

He only experienced the good years and not the shitty FBI trials etc that came a couple years after.
Luciano is on my second place.

Agree?

Carlo gambino?

The Arm.

Nick calabrese

by the by, You're thinking of Paul Ricca, not Tony Accardo

Accardo lasted much longer and never spent a night in jail or prison. Ricca did almost 4 years. Accardo lasted through the 1980's when all of the other major Mafia bosses in the country were sent to prison on RICO charges. He was one of the top guys in one of the top crime organizations in the country for almost 5 decades with the FBI bullseye on his back and made it through unscathed.

Benny Squint Lombardo , Carlo Gambino or Tommy Luchese

Trafficante had a decent run.

Carlo Marcello, Tony Accardo, James Lanza, Vicent Alo, and many more, even those we never heard about. Overall I have to say that Tony Accardo had the greatest run in LCN history.

"Greatest" isn't a term I'd use to describe any gangster.

The most influential, IMO, was Charlie Luciano. He ended the regime of the Moustache Petes by arranging the assassinations of Joe the Boss Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano. He brought Cosa Nostra into the modern, business-oriented era by accepting help from non-Sicilians and even non-Italians. And, he formed the Commission, which introduced an element of cooperation among the families.

I would say giacomo tocco had the best run

Ricca was the undisputed #1 for way, way longer than Tony Accardo was.

It wasn't really hard runnin a mob family in the 50s and 60s . The Feds didn't even pursue the mob like they do today or from the 80s on . There was no Rico , wiretaps and stiff sentences for drug dealing so that meant fewer rats . To me it's 50 times harder running a mob family from the 80s to the present , u can't possibly compare gambino and accardo to bosses like massino , gotti and gigante , they had it a lot tougher. Wen the Feds made a concerted effort to target the mob they were successful . Guys like persico, rastelli, corallo and Salerno were sent to prison straight away . No doubt if the Feds made the same effort in the 50s bonanno , lucchese gambino and accardo would have gone the same way

Accardo isn't comparable to someone like carmine gambino at all anyways. If there's anyone from the Outfit that compares to a Gambino/Jack tocco, it's Paul Ricca. He had the final say from the moment he took the throne until his dying breath.

I think nobody had power and influence like carlo gambino..they were about to deport him but they never did,imagine the power he accumulated over the years..capo di tutti capi

The chin. His way of rule and front bosses is now the staple for any smart family.

Excellent point But Im sure it was still difficult to be the boss w people wanting to take your spot at the top but great analogies there!

Bosses who did it the right way, low profile, minimal or no time in prison include:

James Lanza- San Francisco over 30 years
Frank Amato Sr- Pittsburgh 20 years
John LaRocca- Pittsburgh 28 years
Anthony Milano- Cleveland 40+ yearsm
John Scalish- Cleveland 32 years
Russell Bufalino- Northeastern PA 40+ years
Michael Genovese- Pittsburgh 22 years
Jack Tocco- Detroit 35 years
Luigi Manocchio- New England 13 years
Stefano Maggadino- Buffalo 52 years
Joe Ligambi- Philadelphia 13+ years
Joe Todaro- Buffalo 28 years
Joe Zerilli- Detroit 40+ years
Nick Civella- Kansas City 30 years
Joe Civello- Dallas 15 years
Joe Cerrito- San Jose 19 years


I don't know why everybody only mentions NY & Chicago bosses, there are plenty more who had major influence and were able to escape law enforcement with minimal or no time in prison.

took the words right out my mouth.

Funny how all of these families you mention are today extinct, except from Detroit and Philly..

Funny? They were powerful for decades and exuded major influence! They didn't make a lot of guys, who cares? They did it right, escaped the law and ran their cities with an iron fist. That's success regardless if they no longer exist in the traditional sense.

Bufalino did almost 10 years in prison in the 80s, not really a minimal time. Civello and Ligambi too, although they weren't bosses at the time.

Funny? Not really. There aren't any Italians emigrating to those areas anymore. How exactly were they supposed to survive?

Also, the Patriarcas aren't extinct. Neither are the Maggadinos, although they're probably on their way out.

Yeah .. San Jose, Texas and those areas were never too powerful...Iron fists? gimme'a'break!

Obviously you don't know much about San Jose or Dallas in their heyday...and yes, while they were boss, they ruled with an iron fist in their respected territory.

Tony Accardo has dry snitch written all over him. They get everyone else on something but him??? Dry snitch..

The reason people mainly mention NY and Chicago is because they are bigger and it is assumed that it is harder to run a big family than a small family.

How many of the crime families above were as big as the smallest NY family at the time? Were some of them only as big as a NY crew? Did the small families have only a fraction of the law enforcement surveillance compared to what the bigger families had. How about competition, etc...?

Exactly, when some of the aforementioned areas are part of the Midwest rust belt and steel manufacturing, the citizens and new immigrants are going to larger cities where there is more work.

Another beliver.Hallelujah

I laugh when some people say that the FBI respected Accardo...ok than..why's that?Because of the so called "family pact"?!Gimmie a break...that was invented by Roemer just to protect Accardo.Tony made thouse connections while he was getting Ricca out of jail.If he didnt suceeded he would've ended up dead.But to tell you the truth i dont blame him,its a backstabbing game and its survival of the fittest.

And Huron is right,Ricca first,Accardo second.

It's all relevant regarding law enforcement and the bottom line is for guys like Maggadino and LaRocca and Scalish, they were surveilled daily with phones tapped like any other bosses. The smaller families had less stool pigeons because most of the members were blood relatives. Cleveland had more influence in the Teamsters than a majority of large families through the Presser family and owned almost all locals in their area...the heart and soul of America with labor, trucking, manufacturing, the docks and the auto industry.

The point is that the guys I mentioned have to be considered as top bosses as they did indeed run their cities and expansive geographic areas with an iron fist. Pittsburgh for example had all of Western PA, Northeast Ohio, the panhandle of West Virginia and Jamestown, NY. That's four states.

They were all targets of the McClellan Committee, the Kefauver hearings etc. the local media in the smaller cities wrote as many if not more articles on OC since there wasn't a whole lot to write about. These guys died multi millionaires and for many of them that I mentioned, they were reclusive and quiet and didn't need to act like a whack job wearing a bathrobe and hiding in the shower with an umbrella. I'm a fan of NY and Chicago, but my point is that there were as many other bosses who lived by the rules and made boatloads of money running their families. For all intensive purposes, all of these guys were part of the same organization, the American LCN.

Exactly, it is "assumed" that it is harder to run a bigger city...not altogether true if you have trustworthy Capos and territory bosses that run a tight ship in their respected territories.

Pittsburgh and Cleveland had over 65 members and over 750 associates, Buffalo & Detroit were bigger than that and SF, San Jose and Dallas were smaller...but still relevant in a big way.

Doesn't matter who was first or second. Accardo was in the top 3 in a major family for 50 years. Do you really think the feds weren't after him because he was two instead of one? He made it through the 80's when all the other bosses went to prison on RICO.

That's fine & dandy. Your initial argument was that he was the undisputed #1 for longer than anyone. He wasn't. Seriously, the sole reason anyone thinks that guy was some type of end all be all final boss overlord was because of those moronic Bill roemer books, a guy that Accardo had a seriously, seriously shady butt buddy relationship with.

Also, he was not active for the 80s, nor for the majority of the 70s. The guy gave up his Elmwood Park street rackets to Cerone & retired in the mid-70s. By the mid 80s, he was a geriatric living full time in SoCal.

He wasn't indicted in straw man because he wasn't involved in it.

EXCATLY!!! He was either feeding the government the people under him or his importance is over inflated. Really convenient that it seemed like the just happen to stop there. From the forties on. That is the one constant in Chicago.

Thats true that the feds were after Accardo and no one said that Accardo wasnt a powerful boss.The thing is there were other more powerful bosses like Ricca,for example.When Ricca went to jail,Tony busted his ass off to get him out.Even bosses like Costello and Owney Madden helped in getting Ricca out.So what does that tell you?

And many people say that Accardo stepped down because he was smart...thats not true.He stepped down because Ricca said so.Tony brought a lot of heat with his big ass house and the screw up with the horse meat business.Also one day some1 took a shot at Accardo...maybe it was an warning shot or maybe not..who knows?!

Accardo was a force to be reckoned with in all of OC history, active or not active, his advice was sought after and more importantly...valued by other major players in OC.

DRY SNITCH

I'm very interested in your theory...but without concrete proof, there isn't a leg to stand on.

What proof do have that that is advice was "sought after & more importantly valued"? Roemer's love note of a book to him??? That fact that he was willing to take a midnight meeting with an FBI agent not really fully knowing the agenda of the agent or the meeting speaks volumes.

To be honest,the only theory is that fake agent Roemer loved Accardo and said that all of the FBi respected Tony.Why's that?Because of the "Family Pact"?!You belive that?

Roemer despised Giancana.Can you tell me difference between Mooney and Tony?Both were flamboyant and both were big shots in the Outfit.Accardo maybe killed more people than Mooney.

On 27 March 1952 Accardo was wanted for questioning by the special Cook county grand jury that was investigating the horse meat racket and was never convicted.Bodies started to show up and he was never questioned about it.Can you tell me why?

Also if you follow history,most of the Taylor street guys were under big pressure during the late 50's and mid 60's.When Ricca died,most of the crew went to jail and Accardo ordered the murders of some the Taylor Street members and took over Ricca's crew.He placed his own men(Aiuppa and Cerone).Now he was the Outfits one and only elder statesman.That sounds suspicious to me and its something to think about.Im not sayin that he was a dry snitch but theres really somethin suspicious about the whole situation...its all about the cash remember?

The sole proof his "supporters" have is that Tony Spilotro allegedly sought his advice because of his close vicinity to Palm springs Where accardo resided during the late 70s/early 80s, and that Accardo allegedly recommended Ferriola to be promoted to #1 once Aiuppa got sent away. Spilotro ended up getting killed and Ferriola was never promoted to boss. Carlisi was. So There ya go.

Through reports with many other high ranking crime figures as well as federal law enforcement, it has been widely understood that the Big Tuna's decisions and advice was widely respected. I'm not saying he wasn't an FBI source of information, and it wouldn't surprise me, but it is mere speculation that he was in fact a dry snitch. I never in a million years would have thought that Jackie Presser was a dry snitch...but he was. While Accardo's house was certainly flamboyant, he was vastly different from Momo as Momo chased Hollywood celebrity types and was out on the scene and more visible than Accardo ever was. Phyllis MaGuire, Angie Dickinson and whoever else. If you're judging his flamboyance over his house, guys like Castellano, Salerno, Frank Balistrieri, Junior Gotti, Santo Traficante etc have to be included in that discussion. Also, keep in mind that many other mobsters have taken meetings with agents...maybe he wanted to know what the agents knew, maybe he wanted to feel the agent out to see if there were pending indictments, maybe he wanted to see if any of his men were compromised...that's actually not that unordinary for a respected mafioso to sit down and hear what an agent is pitching.

This topic has turned into Accardo being an informer, maybe the topic should be another thread.

Nicely said

Just a different opinion that you have, your "evidence" is shaky at best that his opinion was widely valued.

Where did I ever claim he was number one? The post is about the greatest Italian American gangster, not mafia boss.

He must have been active for the 70's if the burglars who broke into his house all ended up dead. A retired gangster wouldn't have that kind of pull. Why was he tried in the 1982 labor racketeering trial?

How about the wiretap of Accardo telling Momo to tone it down?

When Momo kept up the flashy lifestyle, he was run out of town then came back to get whacked. That was Ricca's boy.

Accardo was barely active, they had no reason to whack him. He didn't whack anyone who robbed his house, the Outfit had those guys whacked because he was Tony fckin Accardo & an elder statesman.

Giancana got whacked because he'd have rather died than take orders from Jackie the lackey cerone lol.

"Shaky at best?" I would be willing to bet my home that the Justice Department knows more than you do my friend. If you are seriously stating that Tony Accardo was not a force in Chicago, then most of the true followers of organized crime and historians are full of shit or just plain crazy. Maybe you should request under FOIPA FBI reports on the major Chicago players as well as the file on Fat Tony Salerno, as the FBI traced many calls to the Palma Boys Social Club from Tony Accardo. Accardo being a snitch is almost unheard of and you are offering no concrete evidence such as a 302 or witness testimony in front of a grand jury that supports your theory. I really don't want to argue with you, but facts are facts and we need to stick to them in order to pass accurate judgement.

YOU are offering no concrete evidence that his advice was widely valued by anyone. Since you want to reference FBI reports, you will know then that sources are black out and redacted in reports. Facts are facts, what FACTS do YOU have that is advice was widely valued??? What I was stating was that if Accardo was so active and widely sought out for counsel it seems like he would have been implicated in some type of conspiracy charge. Seems like over and over again people were indicted right up to him. So he either wasn't that active or protected by some one. I never said he wasn't a force or that I know more than the FBI, I just don't believe he was a super criminal mastermind.

There was this nice thread about bosses snitching on their underlings....again im off topic but thats a fact and reality!

I don't believe he was a mastermind either, but reports from other high ranking mafioso "suggest" that he was in deed widely respected and was considered a voice of reason within the Commission. When FBI spokespeople call him a powerhouse in OC, then it appears that he certainly was high on their radar. I'm not a Chicago fanboy, but I do pay attention to detail and to how other men from around the country viewed him. Very much like Russell Bufalino, Tony Accardo was an elder statesman and according to FBI personnel and other guys like Salerno and Gambino, they looked at him as an equal.

And as long as you submit a list of deceased individuals whose names will appear in his FBI reports, the redactions are "minimal." You could appeal the report that is released, which I have done on 19 occasions regarding individuals that myself and my team were interested in.

giancana got himself killed, his close friends killed, and his crew dismantled

No one is saying Accardo wasn't a powerful & influential gangster. The guy practically built the Elmwood Park Crime Family with the help of a few other fellas.

His power is just greatly overstated. Especially on website like these, chock full of fanboys who Have watched YouTube documentaries on the guy ad nauseum.

Sam Giancana got killed because he refused to take orders from a bunch of do gooder yes men.

sam giancana got killed because he thought he was bigger than life

weren't accardo, cerone, lombardo, spilotro directly linked through elmwood/grand ave

that's a lot of responsibilty and money from one crew

Agreed

In many ways Mooney was bigger than life. Gotti, casso, basciano, all those guys were trying to replicate Mooney. He embodied the American mafioso. He just wasn't on board with where the Outfit was going so They killed him because they knew it would only be a matter of time before he assembled a small army & waged war on their operation. Can You imagine someone like Sam giancana taking orders from a miserable troll like Jackie cerone? No way no how.

According to Chuck G. Mooneys greatest "idols" were Luciano and Costello...so what do you expect?!

To get back on topic, I don't understand why most posters do not consider the longtime bosses of smaller families to be as influential or powerful. Many of them wielded quite a bit of power not just in their local area, but throughout the states and in some cases, their power went beyond the state government. Food for thought.

I dont know whats whit you and all these small fimilies?!What you wanna talk about Dallas?Ok than...theres only Carlos Mracello,yes he was big and that was that.You wanna talk about Tampa?Santo Trafficante and thats it.IN Chicago you have many bosses more powerful than thouse two,not to mention NY.Also the population in thouse two cities is bigger than Dallas or Tampa for example.The NY italian mob together with jewish mobsters like Lansky had connections worldwide.The Chi mob during Giancanas reign had also connections world wide.Ever heard of Hy Larner?Yes the the smaller families were also very powerful but they all answered to the big ones.They all had their own DIFFERENT shares.I laught at the people who belive that TRafficante was involved in Giancanas or Rosellis murder.LOL Santo couldnt even get in Chicago with out ttheir approval.Some1 also once said the Bufalino was the top mob boss in the country...i mean common.lol

Again yes they were powerful but not as the powerful as the big families.Thats why we use the word "BIG".IF you wanna make them more powerful than the allegedly big ones,than you cannot convince me buddy...dunno about the rest of the posters

"but reports from other high ranking mafioso "suggest" that he was in deed widely respected and was considered a voice of reason within the Commission." This is your evidence? I didn't realize that quarterly reports were filed. What evidence do you have stating that Gambino & Salerno considered him a voice of reason? Again sounds like a lot of conjecture, I was stating my opinion. But you want to say YOUR opinion is fact without concrete facts to back it up.

Again shakey at best.

"Not as powerful as the big familes?" Smaller families didn't "answer" to anybody. They were represented on the commission by the large families in NY and Chicago, but the bosses of these smaller families ran their own family how they wanted to. They didn't ask permission to do anything in their respected territories. Explain to me why Cleveland had more of the skimming of the Vegas casino's than most families? It's because they owned the Teamsters and Jackie Presser through Bill Presser (Jackie' Father) and one of the most powerful Teamster board members in history. Philly, New England and most of the NY families didn't have nearly what Cleveland had in Vegas. Explain why Pittsburgh had the casino's in Havana, Cuba through Gabriel "Kelly" Mannarino while Chicago, NY, Philly, New England, Detroit, Buffalo etc didn't have any of it. The point I have been trying to make is that smaller families had just as much power in their respected geographic territories as Chicago, Philly, New England, etc had in their area. Unions, truck hijacking, gambling, extortion, loansharking, prostitution, drugs, white collar crime, legitimate businesses etc.

I agree that Chicago had many "infamous" bosses and so did NY, but that doesn't mean that those infamous bosses were any better at their jobs than the bosses of smaller families. Cleveland through Bill Presser, Jackie Presser, Tony Milano, Moe Dalitz and Angelo Lonardo and John Scalish were nationally respected and in Milano's case, feared. The same with Frank Balistrieri in Milwaukee and Nick Civella in KC. Milano in Cleveland had rackets from Cleveland to Vegas to Los Angeles to Reggio Calabria, Italy and into Canada. Pittsburgh's John LaRocca ran four states and had significant pull in West Coast Operations in San Jose and San Francisco through Salvatore and Angelo Marino, both from the Pittsburgh area. Jack Tocco in Detroit "owned" Jimmy Hoffa and Frank Fitzsimmons, more so than Chicago. Further, my point is that the American La Cosa Nostra was made up of "mostly" smaller crime families with Chicago and NY the largest out of all of them. Outside of those two cities, most of the other small crime families prospered financially and without the headlines and headaches that both Chicago and NY had to endure. Elliot Ness came to Cleveland for a reason.

How do you define more powerful? By the size of the city? I'm not trying to argue with you Toodoped, but the American Mafia was made up of "mostly" smaller cities which is why I feel it is important to include them in the discussion because they ruled their cities for very long periods of time with minimal prison time because they owned everybody in the local and state sector of government.

Russell Bufalino was as powerful a mob boss as one could get. For you to minimize his wealth and influence is irresponsible. Where is your proof that Santo Traficante was not allowed to travel to Chicago without permission? That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Could you validate that statement or is that your opinion?

Let's agree to disagree. The FACT of the matter is that Accardo was a high profile target for the Feds for a very long time. That in and of itself is reason to believe he was a force and an influential mafioso.

It is just amusing you want facts from other people in regards to their opinions but you offer absolutely none of your own. That is a fact. Also a fact, you have NONE to support your claims. Conjecture, look it up.

Everything I wrote above regarding small families is fact. Are you just looking to argue? Okay you are 100% right and I am 100% wrong. Accardo was a bum and had no power at all. I'm so sorry that you're out of tampons.

Not at all, just seems like you get a little prickly when people disagree with you and your opinions.

Not in the least bit Facchia. I respect other opinions. My original statement in the thread spoke about other bosses from smaller families that had alot of power. I think it is relevant in the organized crime universe to mention that because most people only talk about Chicago and NY. Recognizing and learning about the power that lesser publicized crime figures had is significant.

Ofcourse we r not arguing,wer just discussing this and we have different opnions,and thats that.

Look it like this...Chicago had its own representative in KC for example(i really dont remember his name right now)so when Binaggio screw things up who do you think gave the order for his death sentance?!

Chicago didnt have a casino's in Cuba?Really?What about Sevilla Biltmore?Their frontman was Amletto Battisti.During the late 1920s and 30s, the Hotel Sevilla Biltmore, close to Cuba's presidential palace, was a home away from home for Chicago mob boss Al Capone, whose pictures still adorn the lobby and who to this day has a suite named for him tucked away at the end of a 6th floor labyrinth. It is marked by a plaque citing Capone as an "Italian American famous gangster.

Also the Sans Souci Casino.In 1938 Roselli was the Chicago representative and they owned that casino.

In Florida,Miami(and some in Tampa) all of the race tracks were owned by the Outfit.For example...

The Tropical Park-Race Track

Frontmen: William H. Johnston
Chicago Mob Connection:John Patton,Jake Guzik,Frank Nitti,Joe Fusco,Tony Accardo
Story:John Patton was one of the biggest share holders in this race track.


Beach Kennel Club-Race Track

Frontmen: William H. Johnston
Chicago Mob Connection: Patton,Jake Guzik,Frank Nitti,Joe Fusco,Tony Accardo
Story:Frank Nitti and Joe Fusco,together with John Patton,were the main stockholders in this track.


Jacksonville Kennel Club, Inc-Race Track

Frontmen: William H. Johnston,James Patton
Chicago Mob Connection:John Patton,Jake Guzik,Frank Nitti,Joe Fusco,Tony Accardo, Robert Larry McCullough
Story:James Patton is the son of John Patton and was the vice president of many dog tracks.

Miami Beach Kennel Club-Race Track

Frontmen: William H. Johnston,James Patton
Chicago Mob Connection:John Patton,Jake Guzik,Frank Nitti,Joe Fusco,Tony Accardo, Robert Larry McCullough
Story:John Patton was THE owner of this track.


Orange Park Kennel Club-Race Track

Frontmen: William H. Johnston,James Patton
Chicago Mob Connection:John Patton,Jake Guzik,Frank Nitti,Joe Fusco,Tony Accardo
Story:James Patton was the assistant treasurer of the Orange Park Kennel Club, Inc., Jacksonville, Fla.


Outdoor Clubs, Inc-Race Track

Frontmen: William H. Johnston
Chicago Mob Connection:John Patton,Jake Guzik,Frank Nitti,Joe Fusco,Tony Accardo
Story:Located in Tampa, Fla,John Patton was the man from the shadows and William H. Johnston was the president.

This is just a small part of Chicagos gambling empire and this is how the fuck i define powerful.....

Reno,Nevada

The Wilows

Frontmen: James McKay,Tex Hall
Chicago Mob Connection:Al Capone,Ralph Capone
Story:The Willows offered some of the finest liquor available in the nation. Graham and McKay could always get liquor from their suppliers in San Francisco, or their friend, bootlegger Cal Custer and ofcourse Al Capone from Chicago.James McKay took 20 percent of everything.

The Bank Club

Frontmen: George Wingfield,Bil Graham,William Harrah
Chicago Mob Connection:Ralph Capone, John Drew
Story:The Bank Club was Reno's largest casino in the 1930's and 1940's. Opened in 1931, it merged with the Golden Hotel and became the Golden Bank Club in 1952. John Drew, a familiar face in Chicago, represented the Chicago syndicate and came from the Bank Club casino in Reno, which the Chicago mob took over in the early 30’s.


Hurley,Wisonsin

The Rex(red?) Hotel-Gambling Joint

Mob Connection:Ralph Capone
Story: In the 1930s,Ralph Capone purchased a home and later was a silent partner in a hotel/tavern in Mercer, Wisconsin. The hotel was named "The Rex Hotel" and the tavern was named, "Billy's Bar." The hotel also served as a place for members of the Outfit to hide out.


Miami,Florida

The Saxony Hotel-Gambling joint

Frontmen:Mike Glitta, Joe Epstein
Chicago Mob Connection:James Allegretti,Tony Accardo,Sam Giancana
Story:At the Saxony Hotel,Allegretti operated the punch boards and some of the prostitution rackets.Joe Epstein was Allegretti's connection in Miami.


Des Moines, Iowa

The Club Belveder-Gambling Joint

Forntmen: Hymie Wiseman
Chicago Mob Connection:Louis Fratto,Sam Giancana,Tony Accardo
Story: Chicago-mob controlled Club Belvedere at a time when, according to a Chicago law enforcement official, Chicago underworld figures operating in Iowa "had a special interest in college athletes and sports writers." Club Belvedere hosted an illegal casino.

Lake Tahoe,Sierra Nevada


The Cal-Neva Lodge

Frontmen:Frank Sinatra
Chicago Mob Connection:Sam Giancana,Johnny Roselli,Chuckie English
Story:On opening night at the Cal-Neva Lodge, Sinatra's guests included Marilyn Monroe, Joe Kennedy and his son, John F. Kennedy.Giancana’s ownership of the Cal-Neva was confirmed by the FBI, which recorded a conversation between Giancana and Johnny Rosselli in which Giancana said, "I am going to get my money out of that joint (Cal-Neva).”Skinny D'Amato, was running a state wide prostitution ring out of this place.

San Diego

Rincon Indian Reservation-Bingo and card games

Frontmen: Chris Petti
Mob Connection: Samuel Carlisi and John “No Nose” DiFronzo, Donald Angelini, Michael Caracci
Story: Chicago mob leaders became interested in the Rincon gambling operations in the mid 1980s.

Is this enough for you?

Accardo has an FBI file of over 100,000 pages. For a federal law enforcement agency to spend that kind of time on one person, my educated hypothesis is that Accardo was a prime target and somebody of significance...at least to the FBI and other Federal agencies.

Also Lou Lederer,represented Paul Ricca and Sam Giancana and was the man sent to scout out the Dominican Republic for the Outfit.

THey had casinos in the Middle East and also in Mexico.

And ill say it again....the small families had different share but smaller than the big fams.THE END

I never said he wasn't of significance. Just over blown.

Glad we are not arguing. The four main investors for the San Souci were Gabriel Mannarino (Pittsburgh), Santo Traficane, Russell Bufalino and "allegedly" Meyer Lansky.

http://triblive.com/news/westmoreland/4488473-74/castro-mannarino-cuba#axzz39Wy0zv8J

http://books.google.com/books?id=xzwPsdg...uci&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=IKVWTsi...uci&f=false

As far as the Rincon Indian Casino, Chicago infiltrated it first, then in the 1990's, Pittsburgh infiltrated the casino:

http://articles.latimes.com/1997-04-19/news/mn-50405_1_organized-crime

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/930823/archive_015665.htm

On top of that, Pittsburgh also had the largest illegal casino in the United States with the All American Club in Campbell, OH near Youngstown as well as many other illegal casinos in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and Jamestown, NY:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19870406&id=C7UqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NWMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3986,4378429

THats cool.I told you they all had shares,but some had bigger than others.Do you know what im sayin.

I also remember the story about the Flamingo.THis is a part from an article that i completed...

One day Chicago's chief fixer, Murray Humpreys,visited and told Siegel to fold up Trans-America wire service.They didn't need it anymore. Because by now the Outfit owned the Continental Press.But Siegel sent Humpreys home with a message for Ricca and Accardo that if Chicago wanted Siegel to fold up Trans-America in Nevada, Arizona and Southern California, it would cost them $2,000,000 in cash.Even though Ricca didn't want Siegel working for him, at the same time,he didn't want Siegel working for New York either. Crazy or not, Siegel was smart, ambitious and ruthless. They had to watch him, so Paul Ricca told Charlie Fischetti to send out a spy.Fischetti found a woman spy,with the help of Jake Guzik,and the woman they chose was the same woman Bugsy came to call his Flamingo,Virginia Hill.Virginia reported every conversation she had with Siegel back to the Fischetti’s .Still, the boys back in Chicago never trusted Hill, or anyone else for that matter, and when Paul Ricca told Johnny Roselli to start an affair with Hill so he could keep tabs on her,Roselli did it.The Flamingo opened on December 26, 1946 and after two weeks the Flamingo's gaming tables were $275,000 in the red and the entire operation shut down in late January 1947. Virginia Hill had already reported Siegel's plans to Paul Ricca in Chicago, and even though the Chicago mob was skimming Siegel in the Flamingo by sending in professional gamblers to break the bank.

Siegel had a second chance,he cracked down and did everything possible to turn the Flamingo into a success.The hotel reopened on March 1, 1947 and began turning a profit.However, by the time profits began improving the mob bosses above Siegel were tired of waiting.So on the night of June 20, 1947, as Siegel sat with his associate Allen Smiley in Virginia Hill's Beverly Hills home and while reading the paper,a hitman fired at him through the window with a .30-caliber military M1 carbine, hitting him many times, including twice in the head. No one was charged with the murder, and the crime remains officially unsolved.One theory posits that Siegel's death was the result of his excessive spending and possible theft of money from the mob.Also some sources say that the hitman was a member of the Chicago Outfit,but other sources say that it was from L.A.crime family. Virginia Hill continued working for the Chicago outfit as a courier for several more years before they replaced her in 1950. She married a guy who wasn't involved with the Outfit and had a child, but that ended in divorce.

After Siegel's murder in June 1947, Gus Greenbaum brought the struggling casino out of debt within several months, controlling several other Outfit casinos and bookmaking operations in Arizona within several years. Greenbaum planned to retire to Arizona and rejected offers to run the Riviera for Ricca and Accardo.So after Greenbaum's sister-in-law was murdered, he accepted the job.By now Las Vegas became the prime cash resort for the mob.Vegas and Reno were open cities,but it was clearly understood in the National Mob that Chicago controlled everything west of the Mississippi.

Also Ricca’s old pal,Gus Greenbaum,Gus was known for gambling, womanizing, and doing narcotics which eventually caused him to begin skimming from casino operations. On December 3, 1958, Greenbaum and his wife Bess were found dead in their Phoenix home. Their throats had been cut with a butcher knife.The story goes that Paul Ricca found out about Greenbaum stealing from the scheme at the Riviera in Vegas.Gus stealed from the scheme that was the split between Chicago Outfit and the five New York Families.Later Ricca sent word down to Gus Greenbaum,that he expected a cut from the steal.So Greenbaum paid Ricca and than,for unknown reasons,got stupid and stopped sending in his payment.That's when Marshal Caifano went to Vegas and orchastrated the murder of Greenbaum.

Thats the way of how the Outfit controlled(or in some cases skimmed) other families...

Toodoped,

I agree that Chicago was a "very powerful" family. I've never said anything to the contrary. In fact, I love reading about Chicago and their history of OC. I have decided to work with several authors on a project that explores some of the more influential smaller families to see how far their power really extended and I am blown away by how smaller crime families were connected to larger ones through blood relatives and how they got into business with each other and so forth.

THats nice to hear and belive me i cant wait to read some of your stuff.Good luck with your projects.Btw check your pm

Smaller families do deserve stories to be published. The "Quiet Don" book is horrible though.

Thats true.For example i used to be very interested in the KC family.There was this very very very good detailed documentary called Black Hand Strawmen about the KC mob from their beggining untill the end.I have it in some stupid format and i dont know how to post it...

Just no more Gotti books.

[/quot How come?...I never read it so i just want to ask what you didn't like about it?

Wasn't well written, attention to detail wasn't the best. When it dealt with Bufalino it was so/so. The D'Elia portions were the better parts of the book.

Thanks for the feedback Facchia....Guess i'll cross that off my list.

hallelujah

Well if you can get it at a library get it, I wouldn't waste $$$ on it.

I give Matt Birbeck credit for being published but I found at least a dozen inaccuracies while reading it. IMO, if somebody is going to do a project on Russell Bufalino, do it right. Plus, the book was more or less a story about Big Billy D'Elia and Louis DeNaples and corruption in Scranton.

Agreed 100%

Wasn't D'Elia big into the garbage in the Penn area?

Agreed Bufalino was a fascinating character with material out there if the research was done outside of newspaper clippings and rehashing of stories & tall tales.

Big Billy was close to the Youngstown, OH faction of the Pittsburgh Family. Russell Buffalino and Gabriel Mannarino were "exceptionally close" friends and D'Elia's friendship with Pittsburgh through Henry Zottola and Mike Genovese led him to an opportunity for garbage hauling with Joey Naples and Lenny Strollo of Youngstown. Also, a guy by the name of Vic Calautti, Youngstown businessman and owner of National Builders Corp handled all the money laundering through Swiss banks as well as other countries for guys like Angelo Bruno, John Stanfa, Billy D"Elia, Russell Bufalino, Mike Genovese etc. Check out these articles:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=32RcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3FYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1195,3669965&dq=victor+calautti+and+money+laundering&hl=en (copy and paste into browser)

http://letsrollforums.com/did-250-tons-world-t25295.html?s=f01ab74dcde19f9411ff15fc2d645657&

It's a matter of time before somebody does a big project on Bufalino. There is alot out there on him and his FBI file is a fascinating read.

Thanks Bugsy for the links and the info....I think that picture of D'Elia with the big afro is hilarious.

Here are the links to the Bufalino FBI File from an article in Citizens Voice in the Scranton area. There are 10 parts. Enjoy Facchia:

http://citizensvoice.com/news/bufalino

I always thought Angelo Bruno was a good Boss. Low profile, very little violence but made the fatal mistake of under estimating the other guys greed!

A fatal mistake that bosses like Castellano and Galante paid for with their lives. None of them are businessmen, they're killers.

Galante was nothing more than a drug dealer , castellano was more of a businessman than a gangster , hence the trouble he had with the blue collar wing of the family

I am aware of that, my point was that these guys forget who they are and what they do and more importantly, who they do business with.

They don't give a shit aslong as they r making money

Lucky Luciano..

Michael Franzese. He was educated both school wise and street. He rose very quickly though of course partially based on his father but also on his abilities. He ended up creating one of the biggest if not the biggest mob scams with the oil tax and he made a fortune for his family and himself. He did his time and got out and made a successful entry to legit business's. I can't see how that is less impressive than any other mobster

He's a Rat!

who did he rat on? And idk guy was a young player in his family and made more money than most guys who spend their lives in the business. He did his time and if he is such a rat then his own dad must be ok with it cause he has visited him recently in jail. So if Sonny Franzese a stone cold dinosaur of a gangster is willing to meet him then how much of a rat can he be?

There is already a recent thread on him Primo.

sorry for going off topic if I did. I assumed based of this title the thread was about who each of us considered the "Greatest Italian American gangster" hence why I replied with Michael Franzese. You then replied by calling him a rat and in response I countered with my reply and question. So I think that totally fits the thread????

Hence debating the greatest Italian Americn gangster?

Ok, you're enttiled to that. But, do check the other thread with newspaper articles and videos of Franzese as a rat.

Unfortunately I cannot watch the video you linked in the other thread because of my countries location. I will still try and watch it if I can through another source. I still don't quite get what or who he informed on if he did and what sentences were given to those people.

But if he is as big a rat as you claim then why would SONNY FRANZESE all 90 fucking plus years of him living and breathing LCN to the core agree to meet with him. Son or no son. I cannot see Sonny sitting down with a rat unless he was senial. So if it is true he is mentally competent and he has recently met in a friendly manner with Michael then how much of a rat if he is at can Michael be?

Hence why I still argue he is the greatest LCN or Italian American gangster ever.

A son is a son always Primo. Sonny Franzese also didn't know his other son was taping him? After all he put him behind bars. Sonny is a stone cold gangster but he must have a soft spot for his adopted son Michael.

well then why the fuck is he sitting in a cell based on his LCN loyalty to the core which if I am correct states a rat must be killed. Now I know there are exceptions but still if a man is in his 90's and still a feared mafia member and currently sitting in prison on mob charges, then do you really think he is going to sitdown in prison with a RAT?

T.G Graziano got shelved cause his daughter was on that show. Now it is a different family but don't you think Franzese might be shelved for speaking to a his son if his son was a RAT even if they were just chatting?

Beans, he was going to let his son get whacked, he turned his back on him at the meeting...Hence the reason why michael wanted to get away from the life.

I did hear Michael say that on one of his Documentaries. I just don't buy his act. Maye its sincere but he did cooperate and even if he didn't testify against mobsters, how do we know he didn't in private? He did testify on others, that is well known. His last video about the Mob, the Prosecutor of his case, who was the same guy for Henry Hill and who appeared in Goodfellas, said he cooperated. And as we all know a rat is a rat. I still compare him to Wayne Grande in Philadelphia.

I agree with you 100%

Ok so let me just be clear. please inform on who he ratted on / which organizations. And what were the sentences or info he gave. What info did he give them that was useful to the feds and brought down other criminals?

Who did he put in jail to save his own skin.

Michael Franzese was adopted?

I could be wrong but isn't it something like his mom is Sonn'ys wife and he is actual blood son of another mobster and Sonny raised him as his own? I could be wrong. I have been before.

I don't know, calling on Pizzaboy!

Here is a "Vanity Fair" article noting his adoption and informant status.
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/1991/02/john-gotti-joe-columbo-fbi-investigation-witness

I know his biological fathers name was Louis Grillo, he might have been connected, not sure....BTW...I think Michael's wife Cammy is a hot piece of tail tho, i'm sure of that, especially when she was younger...She still held up pretty good to this day.

Ok sure it says he "co operated" against a black janitor and a jewish bookie. And it does not say anything about the sentences they may or may not have got. Some rat. who the fuck knows if he even told them anything true.

If you read the article further a top official luaghs at the idea he "co operated" and claims anything Michael did would be on his terms and he would play it.

So according to one article that does not even discuss what he told the feds or if he even was a help that he ratted on 2 nobodies. and he still was allowed to keep his money and doesn't live in witness protection.

If you talk to any LE authorities whether you dry snitch or plain ol' snitch your considered a rat...There is no two way street with that, point blank period..A rat is a rat

That article was in 1991. Here is another:

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/25/nyregi...o-the-past.html

Archives
A 19-Year-Old F.B.I. Videotape Keeps Pulling Sharpton Back to the Past
By RALPH BLUMENTHAL and SUSAN SAULNY
Published: July 25, 2002
EMAIL
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The Rev. Al Sharpton once said he was created with no reverse in his transmission, but if so, he has shown he can brake suddenly and make U-turns.
In the latest test of his adroitness, Mr. Sharpton has been responding to a secretly recorded 1983 F.B.I. videotape, included in an HBO report this week, that depicts him mostly listening but sometimes responding without commitment to an undercover agent masquerading as a Latin American drug lord offering to sell him kilos of cocaine.
Yesterday, Mr. Sharpton, 46, announced at State Supreme Court in Manhattan that he had filed a $1 billion lawsuit against HBO and its parent company, AOL Time Warner, contending that he had been smeared by ''dirty tricks'' intended to derail his campaign for the presidency. Also named as defendants were the HBO show, ''Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel;'' the reporter, Bernard Goldberg; and Michael Franzese, a former Colombo family Mafia captain who became a government informant.
''They may think they have given me a stumbling block,'' Mr. Sharpton said on the courthouse steps, entering the building and then returning. ''They will see it turned into a steppingstone.''

He contended that the segment of three and a half minutes shown nationally Tuesday night distorted the encounter and omitted material, including a second tape, that made it clear he would have nothing to do with drugs.
He also questioned why the 19-year-old tape, written about in the 1980's, had now reappeared. ''For whom and for what?'' he demanded.
A spokesman for HBO, Ray Stallone, called the lawsuit ''so silly that it is unworthy of comment.''
He called the tape ''an integral part of the story we presented'' and said Mr. Sharpton's response was included in its report. As for his statement that there was a second and exculpatory videotape, Mr. Stallone said, ''We indicated to him that we would welcome the chance to see it.''
It was hardly the first time that the tape and others have made trouble for Mr. Sharpton.
Just 10 years ago this summer, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, looking into reports of corruption in boxing, played audio and videotapes growing out of a 1980 F.B.I. investigation called Crown Royal.
On one of the tapes, presented by a former F.B.I. agent, Joseph A. Spinelli, who was then the New York State inspector general under Gov. Mario Cuomo, Mr. Sharpton is shown meeting with the undercover agent -- a supposed drug kingpin named Victor Quintana -- and a reputed mobster, Danny Pagano, discussing ways of approaching the boxing promoter Don King to arrange bouts and launder money.
On the tape, Mr. Sharpton tells the agent that he would get a ''fair deal'' from Mr. King because of Mr. Pagano's underworld connections.
At the same Senate hearing, Mr. Franzese, who had been caught in an F.B.I. sting and ended up cooperating with the government, testified that he had used Mr. Sharpton to get close to Mr. King and he added: ''I knew Sharpton and was aware that he was associated with people in the Genovese family, in particular with family soldier Danny Pagano.''
Mr. Franzese also testified that Mr. Sharpton had arranged a meeting with him on Jan. 12, 1983, in Mr. King's Manhattan office where Mr. Franzese reported that his efforts had been blessed by mob bosses in Cleveland.
At the time, Mr. Sharpton denied that he consorted with mobsters, saying he knew nothing of the backgrounds of those he met with. He said he had not been charged with any crime and called allegations from people like Mr. Franzese ''fabrications.''
Over the years, Mr. Spinelli has often cited Mr. Sharpton's involvement in his boxing investigation and in 1991, as inspector general, wrote an article in Sports Illustrated recounting it in detail. He said the F.B.I. case was dropped after a Korean boxer died in a title bout and the bureau feared that it was too risky for the F.B.I. to appear to be involved in promoting fights.
Mr. Spinelli, who now works at the accounting firm KPMG, did not return calls yesterday.
The existence of the other 1983 videotape showing Mr. Sharpton listening to the undercover agent offering cocaine and saying at one point ''I hear you'' was disclosed in articles in Newsday several years later. Law enforcement officials later told The New York Times that while Mr. Sharpton could not be prosecuted for what he said on the tape, they had bluffed him shortly after the tape was made into believing that he faced charges and so persuaded him to become a federal informant. They said he provided information about meetings held in the basement of Danny Pagano's father, Joseph, also reputed to be a mobster, information that led to the planting of a court-authorized listening device there. Joseph Pagano died before any charges were filed.
At the time of the Newsday article, Mr. Sharpton denied as ''ludicrous'' any statement that he had become an F.B.I. informant, but said that he had tapped his own phone to gather information on neighborhood drug dealers.
Andrew J. Maloney, who was serving as the United States attorney in Brooklyn, recalled yesterday that after that episode, Mr. Sharpton, facing state charges of tax evasion -- he was acquitted -- had visited Mr. Maloney's office to offer to provide certain information that Mr. Maloney yesterday declined to detail.
Newsday reported Mr. Sharpton's offer at the time. Mr. Sharpton said it concerned efforts to curb crack trafficking. Prosecutors, however, disagreed and said the information involved activities of an unidentified black leader.
At the time, The Times asked Mr. Sharpton whether he would instruct Mr. Maloney to disclose his conversations with the office. Mr. Sharpton said he would. Then he sent a note voiding his authorization.
Photos: At left, the Rev. Al Sharpton was greeted by a supporter after suing HBO and AOL Time Warner over HBO's broadcast of a 1983 F.B.I. tape in which an undercover agent offered Mr. Sharpton a drug deal. Above, Mr. Sharpton with the boxing promoter Don King, right, in 1997. The F.B.I. had taped him in an investigation of boxing. (Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times); (Michael E. Palmer for The New York Times)

Amen, NJ. Look at Wayne Grande in Philadelphia. His whole family pronounced him dead. He testified against drug dealers in prison and could have walked if he testified against Scarfo and company. His own son. Dominic and brother Joseph don't even recognize him, When one of their parents died they didn't even listed Wayne as a relative in the obit!

Joseph Massino was also a great gangster even though he turned into the WPP but he had a lot of power and was one of the most influental and powerful guys in NY. It was even said that the commission planned to hatch the Colombo family up and let Lucchese absorb them, but Bonanno got the Colombos out of it. They also wanted to rename the famiy 'Massino Crime Family'

Now i'm not judging the path that people choose to walk in life, i'm just saying that's the way it goes in that lifestyle...You talk your considered a rat.

You also don't know hnow what information and inteligence he gave the Feds. Franzese could have provied them with names and ranks of crews, family structure, rackets, bookmakers, loansharks, businesses and contruction companies on record, corrupt cops, Labor unions, judges, politicians. and other valuable intelligence information that he as a skipper and adopted son of Sonny had access to . That info is very damaging. That is what I think was Franzese worth.

Ironic, because I believe John Gotti had a goomah with the last name Grillo.

Yeah Bugsy...Her name was Shannon Grillo daughter of Neil Dellacroce....Here's the link to the story:

http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/family-victoria-speaks-love-child-article-1.555838

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/john-gottis-love-child

Ok I see your point. Now answer me this, if Wayne Grande and Michael Franzese are on in the same then why did Wayn'e family disown him for being a rat and he is out hiding in wherever and Michael's family which includes his dad who is arguably one of the most hardcore LCN figures left and he will still see him?

Now back to your other point of Michael being a rat snitch against a jewish bookie and a black janitor. Am I correct that Michael Franzese made a shit ton of cash as a mobster? And last I checed Janitors do not make very much. Using that reason and the reasoning that also includes the fact his own LCN father will still sit and face him to this day, then wouldn't it be safe to assume that in a way to avoid worse punishment Michael Franzese used some of his many ill gotten gains and convinced a low level ookie and a janitor to possily do 1 or 2 years in exchange for a amount of $ that neither would of earned on the outside in return for helping him? And who knows maye he brokered the whole deal with the help and approval of his LCN family in a way to protect himself and others and maybe keep more of his earnings instead of losing more to seizure. He might of even given the right people a nice compensation package for his leaving and "ratting"

Who is to say they were not well compensated for their troule and not only that Michael Franzese too was able to walk away a lot easier in exchnge for "helping" the government with info.

You discredit his intellegience I think. Just because the governemnt says someone informed does it really mean he did anything?

What is better? Sending your best earning soldier to prison for a long time or 2 nobodies if you are in charge of a family?

All I am saying is is Michael Franzese is a America of Italian descent who became a gangster and did much better in the end than 99% of gangsters. And if you can find me any LCN figure who never bent or broke a ciminal rule such as ratting or one who did not ever fuck someone over in an attempt to help themselves than by all means I will say that that Italian American gangster is the best lol

Yea so damaging that with all that info it took the drug addict son to help put the dad away more than a decade later? Yea that info Michael gave them really sealed the deal.

Now take someone like Leonetti. He ratted and became an informant. He still lives in hiding and even takes protective measures to physically alter his appearance. He lives in hiding because he is considered a RAT and could be killed.

Michael Franzese on the other hand appears on television under his name and goes all over the world talking to people. He does not hide who he knows or what he does. And guess what? He is not in witness protection or claiming to have a hit out on him for being a rat.


Yet he is this huge rat that helped feed tons of information and yada yada yada

Primo, we are all entitled to our opinion. So lets leave it at, that we will agree to disagree.

Personally, I feel that the most successful gangsters are the ones who avoid the can and get rich after investing their illegal money into legitimate businesses. There is a guy by the name of Antonio Ripepi, died in 2000 at the age of 98. He was one of the most feared and respected Capo's in Pittsburgh and was still getting envelopes through his son in law, John Bazzano Jr. up until the day he died. On top of that, he owned the largest vending machine company in Western Pennsylvania that did over $6 million per year and owned a cement block company that did over $12 million per year. His other son in law was Costenze "Stan" Valenti, former boss of the Rochester family. Ripepi helped the Valenti brothers break off from Pittsburgh to start their own family in Rochester, NY and brokered the deal with Buffalo to allow Rochester to be independent of Buffalo. He was also tied to the Corbi brothers in Baltimore, both guys being made into the Gambino's. Most people have never heard of him, but he amassed a fortune between his legitimate businesses and his illegal gambling and loansharking rackets.

I'm certainly not saying that Ripepi is the "most successful" as I am just providing an example of a gangster who did it the right way, accumulating a net worth of well over $40 million dollars, both his sons are medical doctors, two of his daughters married high ranking mob members and he never went to prison after 78 years in the rackets.

None of them are "great". The most well known ones are Al Capone, and John Gotti.

yes

I agree with your assessment of Ripepi. But I sometimes wonder if a part of his success can be attributed to his association with his son-in-law Bazzano's mother's family. They certainly are wealthy and quite politically powerful here in PA.

Paul Vario was a mafioso, a capo, and later the consigliere of the Lucchese crime family. He also has the distinction of being Henry Hill’s teacher/father figure on the mobster way of life. A fictional character played by actor Paul Sorvino based on Vario was featured in the film Goodfellas.

http://youtu.be/JcFpQ6Ryaq0?list=PLQhDH_WZbs1N0jqZ9y9naMtgUfZ3VoVbo

Remember when Paul Sorvino was struggling with the Vario role in Goodfellas and doubting his ability to play the character until he looked at his reflection in the mirror and scared himself?

These method actors....

Paul Sorvino ain't even a good looking guy. But next to the real Paul Vario he looked like a runway model in Milan. Same goes for Ray Liotta and Henry Hill. And I've only seen a photo of the real Karen, but she was no Lorraine Bracco.

But if you make a film with all ugly people, I guess no one would go see it.

Mike Franzese was adopted by sonny but he always and still believes that he is his blood son. Kinda like the scarpa schiro arrangment. He does look like him. Franzese never ratted on cosa nostra and obviously isnt scared of retribution. IMHO Gerardo Catena is by far the most successful american gangster of all time. the guy was worth a hundred million, set generations of his family up for life. Spent only a few years in jail for failing to testify in front of the nj commision on organized crime. He retired in 1975 and lived to be 98, playing golf in boca raton for the last 25 years of his life. Also, Caponigro was a monster earner and if he wasnt a power hungry psycopath could have retired, supposedly was worth well over 20 million and threw it all away to be a godfather of a half ass outfit like philly. Catena is the model for what a gangster should have been. Take your illegal earnings parlay them into legal ventures, insulate yourself and live out your glory years in the lap of luxury

I have to disagree.

If by greatest Italian American mobster you mean both the most significant and the strongest, I gotta go with Salvatore Lucania. In second place is Meyer Lansky, but he wasn't Italian, so that skips us down to the number three most important and powerful mobster, which would make him the 2nd most powerful and significant Italian American mafioso and that is none other than Frank Costello himself.

Lucania was the change agent without which there would have been no Commission. After that he demonstrates that he is head and shoulders in influence above any other living mafiosi by springing himself from prison(!). Then from his base of operations in Italy he helps forge the link between the Sicilian Mafia, the Union Corse, and the American Cosa Nostra, not to mention the OSS. He actually transcended the mafia. He was more than mafia.

Meyer. Without Meyer, there would be no Luciano. It was his and Lucky's brain power added together that made him and Lucky twice as smart as everyone else, cause two heads are often smarter than one. Meyer was also Lucky's muscle, the power behind the throne. Without Meyer, you don't have the successful elimination of Masseria and Maranzano to be replaced by the Commission. You don't have the reformation and modernization of the mafia. So Meyer was of the utmost significance as a boss and he was as untouchable as Luciano himself which meant he was powerful. Forget about it.

Frank Costello was the connecting link between the upper world and the Underworld. Frank gave the mob all the power it needed that a gun could not give, which was the majority of it's power. And whoever heard of a non violent Godfather of a mafia family? You have to be mighty powerful to not even need a gun or demonstrate violent tendencies. In Luciano's parlance, "you gotta be pretty tough".

Real power is not needing to use it. And that's what Frank was.

good choice alfa, frank Costello for sure, now there is someone in Chicago that was comparable to new yorks lansky. namely murray
Humphries, he was the power behind many rackets in Chicago.

he was the one who showed all the families how to use the 5th amendment, but, frank Costello was shrewd, and a top earner, he gets my vote.

Gambino has to be close to #1. It's one thing to run a family for 19 years. But it's another to run the best family in the history of American OC for that time period. And never seeing the inside of a jail cell. He had to make so much money.

He had somewhere around 30 crews total across the country. I wonder what happened with all the money that was kicked up to him.

You could throw Jack Tocco's name into the ring.

Only reason why these families are extinct is not because of the FEDS but because they didn't make guys, they could have made everyone that walked through the door of their Social if they wanted to. The East Coast is seriously a breeding ground for this type of shit. The NY families are influential sure, but no where near as influential or powerful as they used to be just like this family. The Colombo's are a dying family and at this rate, they're all going to fall one after another. However they'll return under a different name, it's bound to happen. But the NY families have the ability to make all of these guys, otherwise they'd be dead right now. The FBI really has nothing to shut down a family, it's all numbers. The Boss gets locked up, they move the next guy in. It's a system that the FBI can't stop... a system that'll burn itself out in due time.

But that is because of the Feds. They probably didn't want to make any new guys because they were afraid of being infiltrated. They were aware of the heat, so they closed the books and rode it out while laying low, enjoying a long successful run safe from the prying eyes of the law. But no new recruits to carry on the That Thing of Theirs.

Salvatore Maranzano (July 31, 1886 – September 10, 1931) was an organized crime figure from the town of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily. He is accused of instigating the Castellammarese War to seize control of the American Mafia operations, and briefly became the Mafia's "Boss of Bosses". He was assassinated by a younger faction led by Charles "Lucky" Luciano, who established a power-sharing arrangement rather than a "boss of bosses" in the hopes of preventing future wars.

http://youtu.be/WACvACqlGtk?list=PLQhDH_WZbs1N0jqZ9y9naMtgUfZ3VoVbo

There can only be one answer, hands down: Salvatore Lucania a.k.a. Charles 'Lucky' Luciano..