here is a question i have always wondered mayb some1 could help me out. When a mafia capo returns to the streets after a length jail sentence ( lets say 5 yrs or more) does he automatically become a capo agin and if so which crew does he manage?? I wud think his orginial soldiers must have been sent to another crew at some point. Thanks

No, I believe either he or his higher ups would appoint a guy to act as "acting capo" of his crew in his absence.

that makes senses for short term but long time i dont know. Say a guy gets a 15 year sentence and u appoint a guy acting capo > In 15 yrs when the original capo gets released u going to demote the acting capo back to soldier ?? i think this wud create alot of problems

Depends on the situation. 5 years is actually not that long. A captain will often retain his rank doing only that amount of time while someone else is acting captain. But 10, 15, 20 years, especially if they are fairly old, there is more of a chance they will step down and someone else will take over. But there are some guys who carry enough clout that it doesn't matter how long they've been behind bars. Tino Fiumara was a good example. He was in and out of prison for years and years and he was always recognized as the official captain of his crew, while Michael "Cigars" Coppola was acting captain/co-captain.

ivy thanks for the input. The reason i ask is i am from boston amd about 3-4 years ago 2 major capos in the new england family hit the steets again after being locked up since 1990 . when i research the new england family they r always listed as soldiers but not capos which i found very odd

I assume you're talking about Vincent Ferrara and one other guy?

yes i am. I dont really know what was going on in the 1980's and how powerful these guys were cause i was only a kid but from everything i read they were the top tier guys which is y i find it hard 2 believe they wud b demoted when returning home and they ud b okay with that

gene gotti a powerful gambino capo,was convicted of drug trafficking in 1989, and will be released in September 2018, when he was arrested was the brother of the boss when it comes out, will have 72 years, even as a soldier will not be able to do much

that makes sense but the guys i am refering to are prob only in there high 50's mayb early 60's so i have a hard time believing they r just gonna go back 2 being a soldier without a problem. At that age i wud think they still need to earn $ and i doubt they r gonna take a job at the local pizzeria

Ferrara was involved in a gambling bust a year or two ago.

been researching this topic alot and i have found that often when a capo returns from a long sentence say 10 yrs or more he will b acknowledged as a capo but he may have to build his own crew 2 skipper. He wont necessarily get back the crew he use 2 run ( that crew may not even exist anymore ). Sometimes he may b given a couple soldiers who belong to other crews if he was the 1 to originally bring them into the family. He must also depend on associates 2 help him earn and sometimes this can b a good way for associates to move up in rank. Often if there is operation he started still running ( example a gambling operation or a underground casino) he will be given back the rights to that business but as far as new business go he has 2 go out there and earn just like every1 else