The new OMERTA-

At one point in time if a made member admitted to being a part of LCN or even the existence of LCN, that was considered "BREAKING THE CODE"

The list of wiseguys that broke the code is HUGE, just about every single wiseguy that plead out had to admit to one or the other.

At some point all the Bosses/Commission must have re-evaluated this rule and came to the conclusion that OMERTA in its original form did not make sense.

I believe this happened around the early 90's and what was once punishable by death was now accepted and in some cases insisted upon.

In the 1990's Lawrence Ricci was whacked by the Genovese family for refusing to take a pleas deal.

I believe the newer generation who had at the time taken over for the previous heads of the families just witnessed their predecessor's get sentenced to in some cases to 50-100+ years.
This was also after Gene Gotti and guys in his crew got hit with 50 years after turning down please for about 10 years.

Based on original Omerta all of these guys broke the code and could have been killed for it:

1) Carmine Persico.
2) Joseph Bonanno.
3) Vincent the Chin.

Every boss of the five families today at one point took a plea and they too would be part of that list.

They are criminals but are not stupid. Everyone today know what is the mob or La Cosa Nostra and have any sense to refuse a plea and made more time in prison.
Now the code of silence is admit to be a mobster but don't betray your fellows.

The bosses would rather have guys plead out than risk long sentences. They know long sentences make some men flip.

Exactly that’s one of my points.

That in the 90’s it was more or less established that members were allowed to break their vow of Omertà.

The truth is when it comes to this topic it’s really as black and white as many make it out to be.

So made men can admit to the existence of and being a part of a secret organization known as LCN.

The question is where exactly is that lined crossed from breaking omertà to being a rat?

Admit to be part of LCN is ok but not testify on another member.

Is it when you officially take the stand?
Is it when you sign a cooperation agreement.
Is it when an agent drafts a 302


Are the rules the same VS made memebers
Are the different when it comes to associates
Are they different when they come to an average Joe Schmoe on the street?

I remember reading somewhere thy Philadelphia LCN members were allowed to sit down with L.E.
As long as they didn’t give info against another made member.

That’s all it said…

I remember thinking does that mean it was ok for made members to give on anyone except for made members?

That what I said,admit to be a made man but don't rat on the other made men.

John Gotti would not let his guys take pleas, some of them are still in prison I believe. I think some of them would have been out many years already.

LoCascio died so the others apart Gene Gotti.

I think the big difference is that to tell of the Mafia in the 1950's would have been a way bigger offense. No one knew of the families and structures, but by the 1970's there were many news reports on it. Different eras and circumstances.

Before Valachi in 1963 nobody apart LCN and after the mob remained secret but after the dead of Hoover (that always said that the mob dont exist) the FBI declared war and in 1980s the secret society wasnt secret anymore.

There are many SHADES OF GREY.

Lets say Santo Trafficante had the local LE in his pocket
Lets say he was pissed at another LCN crew for whatever

If he called on his contacts in L.E. to raid the place, bust it up and arrest everyone inside.

Is Santo Trafficante a RAT?

How could he NOT be?

Long sentences also result in less personnel on the streets for longer lengths of time. Can't really have a mob family if everyone's in prison.

Chin broke the code ??

Only on this site would you hear that

I like the line from the Eddie The Eagle movie when he said ski jumpers have a saying: “ NO ONE is bigger than the hill”

In the same sense, the strict structure in the beginning is what kept it working smoothly. Not only was the public afraid of LCN members but, the LCN member were afraid of breaking any rules.
Now it seems like fear exists most in the upper echelon. It reversed somehow.

The inception of a higher up breaking a rule or give a pass for a broken rule just trickled on down to its demise.

I think it is ludicrous was Quiet Dom did but, an old schooler was set in his ways. Probably wanted to keep the structure of it all but failed to realize how saturated the code became by many.

At one point in time according the "ORIGINAL RULES OF OMERTA" any member admitting to being a apart of LCN in general And/Or part of a crew of LCN And/Or a leader of LCN would be considered "BREAKING THE CODE"

Gigante plead guilty to running the Genovese Crime Family from behind bars and Faking his sickness for years.

Hence you have the reason Gotti as boss forbid his guys to take plea deals.

Chin was as guilty as everyone else that did it.

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If you read from the beginning of the thread

I stated that according to the "OLD RULES"

I also stated that at some point that all changed and it became perfectly acceptable to take plea deals and it NOT to be considered "BREAKING THE CODE"

I am speculating that was right after the "COMMISSION TRIAL", "THE WINDOWS CASE" and the "GENE GOTTI" case.

After those trials the guys all got "HAMMERED" with long sentences.

Somewhere in the 90's this shift occurred

This was really right after "RICO" was successfully used for the first few times.

.

The Dom situation is a real SAD story
We probably will never know the truth because the Westside still runs a tight ship with no informants or rats for a very long time it seems.

He isnt the only LCn, member to kill their own son
Bommerito from Detroit supposedly gave his son a "HOT-DOSE" of heroin so that he would O.D.

Not sure how these guys live after that.

They are not men like us! They have their feelings anesthetized, must have used the excuse that their sons, having broken the rules, deserved what happened to them.

Plus if key guys are serving long sentences, they are not our making the family money. And when certain guys get locked up for extended periods of time, they could lose control of their rackets or turf to other gangs or Families, or even other guys inside their own Family.

And like Furio said, everyone today knows who the Mob and LCN is, and the case evidence is typically pretty strong for guilty, so what are the defendants really saving by not taking the plea and admitting their involvement?

I am all for these guys pleading out and getting back on the street asap. hell, do a group plea and get even shorter sentences yet.

In my city of Pittsburgh, when Chucky Porter, Louis Raucci, and Geno Chiarelli were sentenced to 28,27 and 22 years, if they all pled out together, they could have probably cut those in half. There were 12 other defendants in the case, all with different charges, some much less serious, and only 1 pled guilty I believe. Imagine if they worked a group plea deal? Raucci died in prison, Chiarelli got out with 5 years left to live, and Porter had to become an informant in prison to get out after 10 years served.

As forum readers like all of us, the more guys on the streets, the more we have to talk about.

I don’t think the cases brought by the feds are all that good.
What they do is a practice called “STACKING” which is basically over charging.

So today if you go to trial and lose you can face 20 years.

If you take a plea they are offering you 3
You will be in a 1/2 house after 2.

So most times it’s just not worth the risk.