Frank Matthews Power

I watched this documentary on Frank Matthews again and I wonder why a movie was made about Frank Lucas but never Frank Matthews. Matthews was more powerful than Lucas and Barnes combined(according to the doc). A contributor to the documentary also said “The mob is overrated” when talking about their dealings with the American Mafia. What are your thoughts on this? I’ll link the video below. The mob is overrated comment is at about 44 minutes and 8 seconds if you just want to skip to that part.

https://youtu.be/HUHoKzcyka0

I watched the documentary and also read the book about Frank Matthews a few years back. Definitely an interesting figure.

While he may have had more money than any individual mobster, I wouldn't say he was more powerful than the mob as a whole in its prime. The mob had control over so many businesses, both legal and illegal, and was able to endure for decades, whereas Matthews made heaps of money selling drugs then disappeared. His organization disappeared with him.

Also, this might sound nitpicky, but they claim Tommy Lucchese lived on Todt Hill in Staten Island and was pissed off that Matthews moved in next door to him. From what I've researched, Lucchese lived on Long Island and probably would have been dead by the time Matthews got big.

I didn’t catch that one but I think you’re right about Lucchese. I think on a documentary I saw about him, it said he was living on Long Island. At that time there may have been a few mobsters who individually made money like him(Franzese and Lombardozi could be examples assuming that was their era) but as an organization as a whole there was nothing like the mob at that time I’m sure. I’ve had a similar convo in other threads I’ve made but the top earners in Italy probably blow what Matthews, Lucas and Barnes made combined away. Still would love to see a movie made about him. I wonder if anybody has any idea where he fled to.

Or Matthews was killed and his body was buried.

Also a possibility. Maybe the Mob had a motive to kill him. Or some other drug dealers on the come up.

Matthews seemed like a very calculated guy based on how people talk about him

What top earners in Italy made more than Matthews, Lucas, & Barnes combined in the late 60s- early 70s?

He's still alive , imo.

During that era I’m not sure. I would probably say none. But from the 90s up to present day there have definitely been multiple. Toto Riina being one.

There may have been a handful of American mobsters who could have been out earning him but I’m not sure if the Italian Mafia was the powerhouse at that time that it soon became in the late 80s early 90s.

That's hard to say at the time ( 1968-73) overall. It should be around $100 million earned in that short period overall in Frank Matthews Network. Probably $300 million+ in this this time frame. Hence his status in the heroin trade and only other peer would be Leslie " Ike" Atkinson. Still interesting that their Southern ties is to the same state and influences still there.

Never heard of Atkinson before. But Lucas is also from North Carolina. Funny how the one big drug lord at that time that was actually from Harlem did not run harlem(Barnes). Franzese was actually at his peak after Matthews had left. I’m not sure of a mobster who was profiting from their activities like Matthews was at that time. But I wouldn’t doubt that there was one. It would have to be a top boss I would think.

I’ve seen people talk about Carmine Lombardozzi and his wealth on here but I haven’t really seen too much about actual numbers regarding his wealth online. I don’t think any seizures were done on his assets so it’s hard to say if he was making Frank Matthews money or anything close to it. I read that he had a rolls royce, mansion and yacht but that doesn’t tell me that he was competing with Matthews or Lucas exactly.

i bet there was some under the radar guy in the luchese who made way more money. lucas turned rat like barnes. them guys the prince street crew probaly made way more or pat conte the gambino zip boss in 70tys into 80tys

Almost all of the big time black NY drug dealers snitched.
All the black Chicago crime bosses went down with the ship. People should really look outside of NY when it comes to organized crime

Prince street in Newark?

There’s snitches everywhere. Including Chicago. But I understand what you mean. Sometimes people don’t get recognition because they’re not in a big market. Happens all the time in sports.

The big shots from chicago that were around in barnes/Lucas/mathews era didn't snitch. I'm sure somebody snitched on them but they all took their charges and got sent up the river. Nowadays you can basically count on going to jail from somebody telling on you

When you get into 90s then you have another generation of kingpins to be equally or more lucrative as individual top earners of the LCN.

We cannot compare the Mafia with the black drug lords because first of all the Italians created their organizations centuries ago, while the black criminals began getting big at the start of the 20th century, mainly with the help of their policy racket. Also most of the black drug lords lasted for a decade or two and so you cannot compare their financial income with some Mafioso who was born in 1906 and died in 1992 and on top.of that he left one huge crime legacy behind him which lasts even today. I mean if a Mafioso such as Accardo who started making big income since the late 1920s, then you can imagine how much cash he managed to spent or invest through out his life time. Also you have Mafiosi who completely infiltrated huge legit industries and somehow managed to get "clean"....we are talking about different goals and different types of criminals... two different worlds...and the only thing which used to connect them was obviously gambling...and possibly the dope biz from time to time.

I think that in terms of income, the only Mafioso who can be compared to guys such as Matthews or Lucas is Al Capone....short career followed by a lot of cash...i mean you can calculate 100 mil during the early 1930s in todays cash but dont forget that all of that money didnt went only in Als pockets but instead some went for corruption and the rest went up or down the scale since as I previously said, it was all about maintaining the organization

can anyone verify Frank Matthews d.o.b is feb 13th, 1944.? I've read that knot much is known about his childhood or his parents. where's the birth certificate?

The policy racket was one of the main rackets, the others will be bootlegging & other gambling rackets ( also prostitution). I wouldn't say the criminal types are completely different as those Black drug lords did the same thing getting involved in legit business and some did manage to get clean. In regards to rackets besides drugs & gamble; you also have contract hits, prison smuggling, and a few other rackets that they often cross path.

There's a highly regional interaction as well due to LCN membership being highly concentrated to their metropolitan territories ( Mainly NYC, NJ, Philly, New England, Chicago, & Detroit). While Black racketeers in those areas have been the historical focus, there's more of them in the South that's is just recently getting attention.

Not sure if there were any American drug kingpins during that time who were really seeing the money that the Sicilian mafia, Camorra or ndrangheta were seeing at that time up until now.

I’ve heard $100 mill before. I always found it hard to believe but it made me wonder how much his criminal organization as a whole was making then. He was the boss for a very short amount of time though, you’re right about that. It’s easy to forget sometimes. $100,000 in 1930 is worth around $1.5 million today based on what I just calculated with inflation online(trusting that it’s accurate). So if Capone made $10,000,000 then that’s around $150 million adjusted for inflation. So based on the amount of money he made in that short amount of time, maybe he would be a good comparison.

During that era I’m not sure. I would probably say none. But from the 90s up to present day there have definitely been multiple. Toto Riina being one.
[/quote]

When you get into 90s then you have another generation of kingpins to be equally or more lucrative as individual top earners of the LCN.[/quote]

Not sure if there were any American drug kingpins during that time who were really seeing the money that the Sicilian mafia, Camorra or ndrangheta were seeing at that time up until now. [/quote]

Note: I stated INDIVIDUAL mobsters, not the whole associations.

Matthews escape with 20 milions that are 113,530,630.63 dollars today. So yes he was a boss for a short times but his organization was more large than italians and coresicans because the blacks was more and Matthews sold dope in a 20 and more states.

Had Matthews been able to continue, is it safe to say that he would’ve been the most powerful crime figure in the country or possibly even the world?

In the country maybe,not in the world because few years after the colombians would compare on the crime scene.

When you get into 90s then you have another generation of kingpins to be equally or more lucrative as individual top earners of the LCN.[/quote]

Not sure if there were any American drug kingpins during that time who were really seeing the money that the Sicilian mafia, Camorra or ndrangheta were seeing at that time up until now. [/quote]

Note: I stated INDIVIDUAL mobsters, not the whole associations.[/quote]

I was also referring to individual mobsters within those criminal orgs as well, I did not make that clear in my post though.

Based on the money figures that you provided, Matthews’ wealth was comparable to Capone’s? How would Matthews compare to Franzese who was taking in around 7 figures a week from his gasoline scam or Riina who some say was a billionaire in the 1980s?

Also, do you think the Italians were jealous of Matthews because of the wealth and power that he accumulated in a far shorter span of time than they ever did?

[/quote] I was also referring to individual mobsters within those criminal orgs as well, I did not make that clear in my post though.
[/quote]

It's still hard to say because you have Kingpins of the 90s ( Ex: Flenory Brothers aka BMF , etc) earning sizable income in the multi millions.

I’ll have to look into BMF.

Note: Just based on what I looked up real quick, I don’t think they were on the same level of the kingpins overseas in Italy, Russia or Latin America. Still kingpins. But I’m going based off some of the seizures that law enforcement has reported in the past. There is a lot I don’t know about them though.

Barnes and Lucas snitched. That's two people. Doesn't sound like all the big time dealers to me. Who would be left to snitch on? Guy Fisher, Jazz Hayden, Wallace Rice, and Pewee Kirkland didn't snitch. I can name several others.

1973 NY Magazine STORY on the top drug dealers in the city

Anatomy of a drug war

1975 NY Times Article on the top drug dealers in the city

Top Drug Dealers Named by police

https://themobmuseum.org/blog/did-frank-matthews-get-away-with-it/

In the third paragraph, it says Matthews earned $100 million in 1971. I think that’s why the other kingpins and American Mafia couldn’t touch him. He was just making way more money compared to any individual in the crime world at that time. Unless someone shows me different. He also cut out the American Mafia from his business and proved he did not need them to be the most powerful person in the underworld. And to put this in perspective, Carlo Gambino was the top boss in the mafia during this era. One of the most powerful and richest bosses in American mafia history. Even he had to backoff when Matthews threatened retaliation for tipping the feds off about him. Any other person and it’d be over.

That drug syndicate was pulling in a hundred or millions a year and still is active currently. Alongside those drug syndicates and crews , you'll find a few kingpins from various street gangs/orgs as well.

Wasnt patsy Conte from the Gambinos a major H peddler? Hell, Ang Ruggieros bro was a major dealer worth millions. To say there are no LCN drug king pins is false.

I agree but still there wasnt any independent big time black mobster during the old days. As a matter of fact, first they paid street-tax to the Irish political and street bosses until the Mafia took over the Irish mens rackets and again the whole process lasted until the late 60s. I recently found out that the Jones bros were always paying street tax until someone from the Mob became too greedy.

Interesting to note is that same period, late 60s, was the end of the so-called golden age of the Mob and so thats why many black and hispanic criminals began showing their middle fingers to the Italians and became independent. Same thing happened in Chicago on the North and South sides. On top of that, the dope biz was always a side project for the Mafia, meaning it was never their main income and so thats the point where other criminals from different ethnicities took over the racket. According to one FBI file during the early 70s there was a huge quarrel within the Chi Outfit over this same subject. One side was allegedly saying that they should get in until someone else takes it over but the elders said no touching

You'll have to read Policy Kings , which it mentioned the political aide ( kickbacks/bribery) those Black racketeers used for a support. Al Capone wasn't interested in their racket therefore it gave them autonomous activity. Also Detriot Black racketeers too. Main theme people aren't aware of the history within the Black underworld of that time frame from their perspective per say. It's mainly told from the LCN ( or Irish/Jewish) side.

I must reiterate on the lack of historical research of the Southern Black underworld during that timeframe ( 1920-60s) as well. Not many people are aware of them nor local influence.

The best way to view it is from the fbi's or fbn's perspective who pulled out infos from those same black gangsters regarding the old days.

Now dont get me wrong but what independence during Al's reign? Ever heard of the of the Benvenuti fam, especially Julius? During the 1910s Benvenuti paid for police protection so all black policy operators can handle their business and also conducted the campaigns for many black government officals and he definitely was big deal. You see Benvenuti and the Mob depended on the black vote so in 1916 i think they placed Oscar De Priest as a Second Ward Alderman, who became the first black Alderman. Later Benvenuti became a member of the Capone mob and continued to rule the South Side together with Hunt and Pierce

I’ve heard of Conte but never knew much about him

Conte and Demeos crew were the reason Paul got whacked. He had the no drugs edict yet was taking kick ups from DeMeos coke operation and Contes H operation. Conte was a major H pusher with an international operation from overseas. He was one of the biggest earners not just in the Gambino borgata but in the entire 5 families.

No denying Matthews made hundreds of millions. But he was not able to wash it for his heirs. Hell, he could have been whacked right after going on the lam and his wealth is buried to this day.

Wasnt it Fat Tony who after found guilty at the commission trial said "Maybe I should tell them where the 5 mil is buried". It would not shock me if there was a billion dollars combined hidden/buried by mafiosos still not unearthed.

[/quote]The best way to view it is from the fbi's or fbn's perspective who pulled out infos from those same black gangsters regarding the old days.

Now dont get me wrong but what independence during Al's reign? Ever heard of the of the Benvenuti fam, especially Julius? During the 1910s Benvenuti paid for police protection so all black policy operators can handle their business and also conducted the campaigns for many black government officals and he definitely was big deal. You see Benvenuti and the Mob depended on the black vote so in 1916 i think they placed Oscar De Priest as a Second Ward Alderman, who became the first black Alderman. Later Benvenuti became a member of the Capone mob and continued to rule the South Side together with Hunt and Pierce[/quote]

I can somewhat agree on the perspective of the FBI / FBN but the issue is the biasness as well. During that time frame and even coming into the 60s/70s on Black racketeers organizing into a syndicates. This attitude is coming from professional agents/ law enforcement including criminologist. Therefore you'll have to interview them from there side of the tracks.

"
With the new political regime in place, Ed Jones was the biggest big shot in black cook county, with deep pockets filled with cops, bailiffs, court clerks, judges, and politicians; plus an arm of influence that stretched into the White House. One of the focal points of President Roosevelt's administration was the appointment of his panel of black advisors known as the Black Cabinet. One of the members was Frank Horne, brother of Philly Policy King Teddy Horne.

During this time, it became common for Mayor Kelley to tell anyone to " ask Ed Jones first", for approval of municipal and in some cases state appointments that directly affected the Black community. Bankers, businessmen, and politicians from all walks lined up to do business with the Jones Brothers" - From the Policy Kings book.

I agree with everything you said but also interesting to note are the roots of the whole situation.

For example during the 1880’s Chicago blacks were incorporated into both the First Ward political machine of the Irish or Coughlin and Kenna and the Second Ward organization of Republican Alderman Big Bill Thompson. Also Mushmouth never heard of the policy racket until Patsy King arrived, a white guy. Story goes that King was in fact the one who introduced first Sam Young and then Mushmouth to the policy racket since King already worked the racket on the riverboats while Young worked as a porter and then they met. Theres also another legend which states that a Chinese guy who allegedly went by the name of King Foo was also one of the first guys who brought the game. And so by 1903 Mushmouth, King, Young, Foo, with the help of another Irish gambling operator known as Tom McGinnis, controlled all policy wheels under the watch of Kenna, Coughlin and also King Mike. A lot of "Kings" during those days lol

Also by that same time period larger portion of the prostitution racket was locked down by the Jewish and Italian population (mainly non-Sicilian), and even the counterfeit biz. So I believe that some of the slave owners or racists one day decided to label the policy game as the black mans racket obviously because later they owned it, with the bad word being the original one, and even if the racket was placed mostly among the Chinese population, still it was going to be the same situation but with a different slur

Some mafiosi in the Camorra and La Cosa Nostra were worth hundreds of millions of dollars in the late 70s/early 80s I think. Maybe mid 80s I’m not positive of the time frame.

I meant to answer your question about benvenutis , Yes i heard of them. You must have overlook my few posts about the Chicago Black policy kings back in 2014. Here's another section:

"In the original Policy days, Sam hustled bets from would be gamblers in the neighborhood but more frequently at the downturn corner of State & Madison. When not there, he could be found in a section of State St known as Whiskey Row. Whiskey Row was a two block stretch on the west side of the street from Van Buren on the north to Harrison on the south. He was quite a gambler himself and would often be found at 311 S Clark St. in a gambling house. That house was owned by 3 people: Al Bryant, George Whiting, and John " Mushmouth" Johnson. This is where he mostly met Mushmouth and struck a deal.

In 1890, Johnson sold his interest in 311 and opened the Emporium Saloon at 464 S State St. with Sam's policy game became a featured attraction. The business flourished with political protection from 1st ward bosses Alderman Michael " Hinky Dink" Kenna and Committeeman John " Bathhouse" Coughlin.
By the turn of the century, Policy became good business with everybody playing from poor to wealthy. Policy stirred up gambling fever to a pitch comparable to the frenzy of the gold rush days. People were robbed at gunpoint in the streets. With this and the fire bombing of a church led to the Illinois Senate Bill #30: Anti Policy Law of 1905.

With the passing of the Anti Policy Law, the game went underground and Policy Sam went into the bail bond business. A year later in 1906 Mushmouth shut down the Emporium. But things changed political with William Hale " Big Bill" Thompson becoming Mayor in 1915. One of his quotes: " if you wanna gamble, go ahead and gamble! My police will have better things to do than worry about a little crap game". In that same year Chicago's first black city council member Oscar DePriest was elected Alderman of the 2nd ward. With an alliance between DePriest, Martin Madden, and Thompson the policy racket would flourish free from police interference. Sam got back in the racket and hooked up with Julius Benvenuti to open the first organized game was launched the Blue Racer Policy Wheel. Benvenuti's family store was the front.

But Sam being a generous fellow to a fault often gave away money to anyone with a need, went broke and dropped out the game. This continued for a few more times. He later jump back in the racket in 1923. He would attend the policy kings meeting later down the road in which was the formation of the Policy Syndicate but wasn't a member. Sam Young continued to be involved in the Policy racket until his death on May 18, 1937. He died in his sleep in his at 3155 Rhodes at the age 76. The Benvenuti brothers paid all expenses for the funeral and pick up the tab for shipping Sam's body to Louisville for the burial."

Frank Matthews and the other black gangsters made a ton of money during that period, and mostly likely more than any one mobster. They were basically flashes in the pan though, because they didn't leave that generational wealth that set their families up. Take big Paul Castellano for example, he made a fraction of what Matthews and Barnes made, but he was able to set up his kids in businesses, and all are living comfortably as far as I know. Those Harlem guys never were able to take their drug earnings and turn it into something legit that could be used to make them and their family money in the long run.

I think that general to most criminals in the underworld.

I really would love to see a movie done on Matthews. Hell of a story to put on the big screen. Michele Zaza is someone I found through research who was part of the Camorra. Some people estimate that he was worth around $700 million at the time of his death.

It holds true for a lot of these guys, but there are some who've used their ill-gotten gains to help their families, and creating something "legitimate." I've always said here I'm weary of the amount of money that is tied to individuals and groups, especially when it comes from law enforcement. They are known for exaggerating things, like claiming some gambling book was doing billions in business. I've been watching a lot of videos on black gangsters recently, and read books on BMF and Pistol Pete, both great books. That gets me to Rich Porter, who was a big player in Harlem, and thought to be extremely wealthy, but he didn't have the money to pay the 500K ransom his brother's kidnappers wanted.

Big Meech of BMF tried to wash his money through the music industry, but it wasn't successful. He spent over a million dollars on his only artist, and the guy, Blu Davinci, never even dropped an album. His brother Terry invested in an exotic car dealership that folded fast.

Yeah Young was a legend. Do you know that he was also a member of a syndicate, although it lasted quite short?! One group was represented by Young, John Condon, Tom McGinnis, Patsy King and Jim Colosimo and they were the southsiders, followed by Johnny Rogers, John Gazzola and Michael "The Pike" Heitler on the west side and Mont Tennes on the north, who in turn was in alliance with Jim O'Leary from the southwest. This "commission" was formed during the early 1900s and was possibly chaired by King Mike, Coughlin and Kenna but by 1906 a war broke out between some of the gambling groups and on top of that Mike died of a heart attack the next year i think

Also if im not mistaken Julius Benvenuti died during the 1940s and later his two brothers Caesar and Leo continued his business on the south side for the Outfit

It would seem to be more or less a collective then a syndicate.

You forgot to mentioned the taxi company the Flenory brothers started early on as a front for their drug operation. It's only some that make that transition into legitimate establishment permanently per say. Even then we also have to consider that money is set aside or invested for their family or personal friends to invest and grow their future without being involved in the underworld. Hence these music labels and few other enterprises.

Remember this about the Black underworld, marketplace. There's a variety of rackets being operated independently and drugs is the front page sensation. Other racketeers are focus on other activities and getting into legitimate establishments.

Well they divided Chicago on areas and no one was allowed to cross his own and they also cooperated. Like for example Colosimo, Tennes, Rogers and Gazzola operated a joint prostitution operation on the west side and on top of that when some of the vice lords opened their clubs, Colosimo was the one who collected the protection money for Kenna and Coughlin.

Law enforcement reported earnings could be exaggerated. I think it depends though. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were fairly accurate with individuals and organizations they’ve done seizures on.

@ TooDoped

Fairly interesting. I highly recommend you pick up Policy Kings. Much details are covered in the Chicago's Black underworld.

Believe me ive read a couple of books regarding the subject, although some are at my exs apartment so right now they are still unreachable but the interesting thing are some fbn and fbi files from the late 30s and early 40s which also talk about the subject. That was my previous point

What books would that be? I read much about Black OC ( still presently of course) and wanted to see have I missed any possible gems.

Knights and Thompsons projects and i also have a couple of pdfs which in facts are short projects written by different individuals regarding the same subject. I also have some books regarding the same days but from the other perspective such as some of Lindbergs and Lombardos projects

@ TooDoped

Do you have any links?

What about the Galician Mob? Were they at all ever competing with the top drug lords of their time? It seems that they were making a lot of money.

Elusive drug boss Frank Matthews to hit the big screen: From narco billionaire at 28 to mysterious phantom http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profil...atthews-to-hit-the-big-screen-from-narco

How is it that such a legendary figure has not had more attention in popular culture? “I don't really know,” Chepesiuk says. “I hate to say it, but it could be racism. If Frank was white, I am sure he would get more attention. "

Hence why there is such scant knowledge on the Black underworld back then & beforehand.

Jumping Bail: How legendary drug kingpin Frank “Black Caesar” Matthews disappeared forever
By Ron Chepesiuk
http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profil...y-drug-kingpin-frank-black-caesar-matthe