Cosa Nostra families hierarchy/top tiers

Many american cities had or have a cosa nostra presence. But some were more powerful than others.
Many families had to kind if ask permission to bigger families to made new guys or even to kill some made guy.

Could we say that at the top, you have the five families of New York and the Chicago outfit that are the only cosa nostra clans that don’t ask permission to nobody?

I also read that the new orleans family doesn’t answer to nobody.
The detroit partnership, sometime i read that they answer to New York, sometime i read that they answer to chicago.

Top tier: New York Families and Chicago outfit. **maybe new orleans
Mid tier: new jersey, detroit, cleveland, philly, buffalo, st-louis
Low tier: all the other cities

Originally, ORIGINALLY, ALL families throughout the United States answered to one of the New York crews, and ultimately - The Commission. And that included Chicago and everywhere else. Smaller families on the west coast or in the midwest generally answered to one of the NY families; Luciano, Profaci, Bonanno, Gagliano, Mangano, etc., who in turn, would report to the overall Commission.

By the 1960s +/- the Chicago family was placed in charge of handling "oversight" affairs for many of the smaller families west of Illinois, with Chicago then reporting whatever needed to be back to NY. And years later, by the late 1970s-early 1980s, as the government eradicated Cosa Nostra from several key international unions and their control over Las Vegas casinos, "The Outfit" was allowed to form their own "mini" Commission to govern the midwest out to the west coast (with few exceptions.)

So could we say that since the 70s you have two power points, the new york 5 families and the chicago outfit ?

Yes, definitely.

Not to mention that there were other crews, such as Detroit, Philadelphia, New England, Tampa, etc., who were also powerhouses in their own right. But as far as "Commissions" go, by that era there were two, led by NYC and Chicago.

So there is not one (1) Commission, but two (2) commissions?

That depends upon what era you are talking about. From its inception through most of it existence, there was only one "Commission" as we know it, and that was commonly referred to as "The New York Commission."

But as I say, at a certain point in time, as the families weakened and started to go extinct, and there was less and less to govern, NY allowed Chicago to takeover control of the few remaining families from the midwest out to California.

But today? Nowadays? There is no "second" Commission. The Chicago Outfit itself hangs by a hairstring and the vast majority of families out that way have hung a sign in the window stating, "Gone Fishin'." They are extinct!

Truth be told, even the traditional "Commission" based in NY is on a respirator and life support..

To think that Cleveland was once a fuckin powerhouse crime family is amazing to think about. How many guys do they have left?

Also you cannot forget Kansas City. At one time, that family was as tough and ruthless as anyone.

Cleveland is gone...KC is gone (or they have 2 toothless guys left on Geritol)...lol.

Like the man said, "It is what it is."

Detroit has always been very Sicilian,with roots in Cinisi and Terrasini. After a 1956 Commission meeting, Detroit, headed by Zerilli, were added to The Commission.

Maranzano gave Capone and Chicago their own seat on the commission with their own vote (aside from the Genoveses) and in fact, younger bosses like Giancana didnt care much about the NY commission. Some sources say that by the 1950's or 60s Chicago allegedly controlled everything west of the Mississippi River, hence their problems with the Bonannos.

You've brought it up before, but the story of Giacana mocking Bonnano while he (Bonnano) spoke Sicilian at meetings still makes me laugh.

Lol same here lol lol we can only imagine the funny faces Giancana made during the convos in Italian lol he simply didnt care lol

The "Partinico faction" was a group of Detroit Mafia leaders that included Raffaele Quasarano and deported Sicilian-American mafiosi, Francesco "Frankie Fingers" Coppola. These men, along with associates in San Diego, California, and Windsor, Ontario, ran the crime family's heroin importation operations. Through their influential underworld connections nationwide they amassed a great deal of wealth and power over the years with the help of their narcotics contacts in Sicily.

Priziola was a traditional, old world mafioso who ran his affairs and those of the crime family from the shadows, so to run the day-to-day operations he officially named Joe Zerilli's nephew and Bill Tocco's son, Giacomo "Jack" Tocco as the acting boss of the crime family. Papa John acted as the crime family's official consigliere, but due to his senior position and the great deal of power and influence Priziola carried throughout the Detroit Partnership his word was final.

Any cities flying under the radar right now that possibly have more active guys than most know about?

The commission didn't exist until after Maranzano's death.

No they're all defunct.

So the Chicago outfit are getting weaker ?
What are the organizations that are a the top of the chicago crime world now ?
I know chicago is a big hub for some mexican cartels

I don't subscribe to the opinion that the Outfit is weak, at least not as weak as people say they are.

They are not weak but are getting weaker ?

Or another way to see it, they are not at the top or they are sharing the top spots with other organizations?

They're definitely not the cream of the crop, but I believe that they're still a force.

There obviously WAS "governo centrale", according to Gentile. Each family controlled its own city but under one boss of bosses. The only thing that later changed was the nixing of the boss of bosses position and also smaller families being represented by bigger ones.

Chicago Outfit was aleays a oc family not a simply gang. Today in Chicsgo there are so many gangs that call the city Ch-iraq.
The Outfit once controlled unions,politicians,casinos and of course street rackets but from 1980s lost almost almost all.
There are gangs that made more money and kill more people but the Outfit exist from more a century and will continue to be active even more small.

I seriously doubt Al Capone reported to, or listened to anyone. If you mean after him Chicago reported to NY I guess it could be. Again, I doubt it. Doesn’t make sense and just out of curiosity, why would they? NY gonna send an army from their five families to put them in line? I would think Chicago simply played nice and told NY stay out of their rackets and they’d stay out of theirs. I don’t buy into they were under anyone. Too many tough real gangsters to acquiesce to NY. History tells us what happened when Bonnano messed with them and the lack of respect the had for him in particular. Happy New Year all.

I get your point and you're right to an extent, but again according to Gentile, Capone kicked up huge percentage to the Masseria clan before he was made. Story goes that D'Aquillas rep Lombardo became mad and told Capone not to pay any cash to the Masserias, obviously because he wasnt a member. So sometime around 1928 Capone was made by Masseria after eliminating Yale, Lombardo and Diamond Joe. In fact Capone became a capo with the power to choose his own ten made guys. By 1931/1932 Chicago received their own seat on the commission with their own vote, aside from the Masseria/Luciano/Genovese family, although the close connection between the two families continued to exist during the next 6 or 7 decades.

Pittsburgh getting no love FOH.
They were definitely not top tier but had to be on that next level with their connections and territory they held in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia , Florida, Cuba, among others.
Heck, in the early 80s Pgh associate Nick the blade Gesuale still had a brothel operating in NYC with Pgh and NY approval.

Pittsburgh was super tight with Detroit, Buffallino, and even California. Laricca was even stopped by the FBI in Cali while with made guys from there. Said he was there in business, Big John gave them nothing.

They always had connections to Chicago also, even under Chucky Porter and Jo Jo Pecora, that all came out in testimony at Porters trial.
Same with Philly.

Anyway, Pittsburgh had as many connections as any of the big families, just many fewer made guys.

Anyway, Pittsburgh had as many connections as any of the big families, just many fewer made guys.
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True story here. Kind of goes back to do you keep a family small, and potentially keep it loyal and manageable, or expand it and be large and potentially have more vulnerable points. For sustaining it over a long period of time it seems the latter

Kansas City boss Nicola Gentile reported Capone did, Bonanno boss Joe Bonanno also reported Capone did, and Milwaukee soldier Augie Maniaci reported Capone reported to Masseria so why do you disagree?

The Govorno Centrale seems to be different than the 1931 commission. so calling the governo centrale the commission just muddles up the already pretty murky time period.

True story here. Kind of goes back to do you keep a family small, and potentially keep it loyal and manageable, or expand it and be large and potentially have more vulnerable points. For sustaining it over a long period of time it seems the latter[/quote]
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Depending upon the size territory you need to control, if you can do it, its better to maintain a smaller "formal inducted"membership and have a much larger network of "associate members" for the simple reason it becomes more lucrative for the core membership, not to mention inner secrets and logistics are able to be kept under wraps more easily.

For instance, a borgata comprised of 50 soldiers, but with 400 to 500 associates of different statures, allows for approximately 8-10 men lined up under each soldier. If there are 4-5 skippers among those members, you have 4-5 solidly built regimes, and essentially 5 sections of the Family.

Thats a real nice ratio. But its not always easily accomplished. lol

Very good points NYM!

Smaller Families who were in many ways more successful and efficient due to their smaller size but refused to recruit and replace outgoing members are no longer around, they're extinct. On the other hand, larger Families who stayed recruiting are still here. Weaker than decades ago, but still here.

Well, thats true Liggio. But it still doesn't change the scenario I described. Thats the fault of the clan's administration. If the old-timers in power are not forward thinking and are more concerned about lining their own pockets, as opposed to the making of new members when needed for the continuation of the borgata and its health, then thats something else altogether, understand?

Unfortunately, out of greed and a misguided sense of direction, most of the smaller borgatas fell by the wayside for the reasons I enumerated.

LOL. What can I say, except, I do what I can pal...I do what I can.

Is there any general thoughts on families in which cities do still exist? I only really follow NY but in general it seems Philly, Chicago, Detroit, Boston/NE, Buffalo still have some form of operating families, are there any others?

Thank you Jimmy.

Like I responded to you in the other thread, "What can I say, except, I do what I can, pal. I do what I can!" Lol

Think to Cleveland.Scalish didnt made new blood for 30 y and after the war with Greene and the flipping of Lonardo the family was basically done.