Colombo family question

Why have they always been in the weakest and why they still are?

Who is to blame and what happened?

This matter has been widely discussed here by people much more knowledgeable than me, but I’d say it boils down to two major factors: 1) three murderous power struggles that triggered plenty of trials and made many guys flip; 2) sort of nepotism by the Persico clan.

also some have said they've always been more involved in blue collar crimes than high income schemes.

this said, if my memory doesn’t fool me, the recent Amato bust was the first one in a while. Some sources said they’ve made quite a few guys and rebuilt decently in recent years.

The wars, and I guess people that have been in charge and what was said above, Nepotism by the Persicos

I think that to blame was Profaci that with his greed cause the Gallo revolt and his plot to kill Gambino and Lucchese damaged his family in matter to Inter families rackets but what seriously damaged the family was the fact that Persico after commission trial decided to remain boss and attire more heat on the family with the Aronwald murder and the third colombo war that generate deaths,media attention and the flipping of many importanti members.
Yes the family ranks was rebuilted but without a boss on the streets is hard to complete rebuilt a family.

Wonder whose the official boss noway the other 4 families allow carmine to pass it down to his son who is doing life.

Some people think that Teddy Persico jr would be the street boss.

Starts with Joe Profaci. Guy ruined the family by greed and having Frank Abbatemarco whacked. Don't think the Gallo's would have revolted if Abbatemarco had still been alive. Abbatemarco knew the rules; I don't know why he stopped paying tribute. Profaci ran the family for 30+ years but he was too hard on his troops.

Carmine Persico further ruined the family by nepotism and staying boss after the commission trial. I still want to know what he was doing in 1979-1981 when he out on the streets. No-one has any expansive knowledge. Any survalliance clips??


Anyone know who would have been a good candidate to take over for Persico after he got sent away in 1985/1986?

Joe Gallo wanted the Abbatemarco's loansharking but Profaci took the money for him,that it,the colombos never had good bosses like the other families.

Anyone know who would have been a good candidate to take over for Persico after he got sent away in 1985/1986?

Vic Orena.

Wild Bill also

I heard Vic Orena was not a likable guy in the family. I may be wrong though.

michael franzese just said that about orena to but how come carmine made him the acting boss. i guess there family somehow. greg scarpa felt like he was passed over to. he thought in 87 88 89 he could have some type of leadership role

Vic Orena is related to the Persicos. Carmine was pressured by the other bosses to pick someone to represent him on the commission and felt Orena would be a good dog, how wrong he was as John Gotti was able to manipulate Orena.

Guys who could have led the family if Carmine had stepped down as boss and were good candidates
Vincent Aloi, William Cutolo, Salvatore Profaci. By the time the Commission trial started and ended, a lot of good candidates were locked up, died, were in bad health to where it would only be a few years at the helm. Persico had already killed two members in the 70s who could have posed a threat to him taking over the family. Emanuele Cammarata and Salvatore Albanese who was against Thomas DiBella being boss. The others were demoted.

aloi yes, cutolo no, profaci would never have wanted that spot and not taken it

What about Columbo himself, effective leader or not? Beefing with the FBI probably didn’t help the Colombos or CN, what if he had a puppet doing what he was doing via the Anti Defamation League? Would the Commission seen value in it, propaganda wing of sorts?

Also, it seemed to be a decent flow of cash while it lasted, charging memberships etc...

Also, did Colombo actually advise Ford Coppola on the GF?

Franzese was asked to be acting boss initially but couldn’t fulfill that duty because he was on trial at the time.

I very well could be wrong but I’m not sure if the Colombos were the weakest or most dysfunctional. They were arguably the strongest family in Brooklyn at times and had the 3 best earners in the mafia. Franzese and the car guys(supposedly). I am not certain there were gangsters who were making money like those 3. Unless they were big time drug traffickers.

Geographical confinement.

It's very easy to believe that the family had 3 wars when you consider that almost all of them were based in a few Bklyn neighborhoods. That might be beneficial if you're a crip, but not a mobster.

The Lucchese's, who have maintained roughly the same membership level as the Colombo's, were widely distributed and had several Bklyn crews, a Harlem crew, Bronx, Downtown (Prince St.), and Jersey. It's a wide distribution. In fact, I believe one of the things that saved the Jersey crew from Casso is the fact that they were all the way in Jersey, not Dyker Heights.

Salvatore Profaci did say he didnt want the top spot but was willing to be on a ruling panel before a new boss was picked. He didnt care for Carmine Persico, but he followed the rules to a T. Guglielmo Cutolo was acting for Pasquale Amato by 1985/1986, he didnt become really greedy until he hooked up with DeRoss. I believe he was one of the good candidates to become boss at the time due to his credible earnings for the family. Sonny Franzese was asked to become acting boss but declined due to his own trial.