The Chin

I'd have to say Sammy the Bull intrigues me the most. He's one guy that I'd never in a million years expect to turn rat. He was "family man" and swore up and down his kids would never be involved in the life yet years later, it's a family/group arrest. I'm even more surprised he was so incredibly stupid with his new Arizona crew and that he'd make so many mistakes.

Others that intrigue me are as follows:

Paul Castellano: Should have been a business man instead of a mafia Don.

Junior Gotti: Cause he's just plain stupid!

Henry Hill: I dunno, cause he's a weasel.

Roy DeMeo: He's a true psychopath

Tony Spilotro: God what an ego

Carlo Gambino - The epitome of a Mafia figure

There's been alot of people mentioning the likes of DeMeo and Gaspipe. Two stone cold killers who were ruthless yet excellent earners, they are fascinating characters and probably the two stand out figures I enjoyed learning about the most also.

Like I said, 'if that would happen in the first place'.

Definitely. I forgot to mention him. He was there in the 1950s, being the hitman to pull the trigger against Costello.

In the 1990s he was still there, being the most powerful boss in New York and therefore in the country.

He went from a boxer to a really fat guy, lost tremendous weight in only a few months so the prosecutors couldn't recognize him anymore.

In the 1970s he went to a psychiatric institute and behaved like he was retarted an schizofrenic, all part of an act to fool the authorities once again. Maintainted this act with success till the late 1990s.

It's an outrage that there's still NO movie made about him, while we've seen John Gotti in numerous films.

The thread is entitled the most "intriguing" mafia figure and why. The word intriguing is defined as an interest in something that is almost fantasy or fantasied about, something in which you could not see yourself doing.

That is why alot of "normal people" per say are intrigued by Casso. We just think its intriguing that he actually was a homicidal maniac and a sociopath. Why? Because it is something we would never do.

Most people like reading true accounts of events in which well....we dont have the balls to do.

without a doubt....he was respected and feared like no one else. The Genovese family's unparalleled success was due to his leadership

True, but the Genovese Family was very successful way before Gigante took over. They had the best succession of leaders in mob family history (Luciano, Costello, et al.)

I think there are probably no books or movies about the Chin because of his secretive nature. He wasn't the kind of guy who dealt with a lot of different people, just a very small and trustworthy inner circle. None of those people have ever flipped either, so there is no reason for them to write a book or talk, because they would incriminate themselves. Being so secretive there can't be books or movies made about you is a good sign for a mafia boss if you ask me.

Excellent post, I couldn't have said it better. It is their nature that makes them most intriguing to normal people like us. It takes a certain breed to do what they do. Not anyone can just kill a person and not give it a second thought, and at the same time they are always a target to be killed. On top of that they are a huge target for law enforcement, so much so they are being routinely watched. I think most people would be a nervous wreck under those circumstance, I know I would.

These are all good arguments. It is just more fascinating to me when a Mafia figure contains his murderous tendencies and/or has a conscience like "normal" people. A figure like Gambino shows that certain figures may not really be all that different.

Insofar as the RICO argument, I think that was very insightful. I have written extensively on RICO and believe that it did serve as a massive deterrent leading to the need to quiet witnesses far more often then when Gambino was in his heydey. Still, perhaps if Casso were more careful and resolved his disputes in a different manner, murdering those who carried out the initial orders would not have been as necessary.

Tommy "Karate" Pitera- obviously the intriguing part is his martial arts skills. he probably didn't even need to used a gun since his hands and lefs were weapons. Also was similar to roy demeo on how he got rid of people

Ceasere Bonventre- Was one of the Zips in the Bonanno Family. Stood six feet nine inches tall.

Lefty Ruggiero- old school mobster. he wasn't a great earner and he gambled the money he did have away but was respected for his silence and not breaking omerta

Gene Gotti- the younger Gotti brother. was actually the first gotti to get made. he also was a much better earner than his brother and gambler.

Mike Franzese- was made at 24. One of the biggest earners. Is now a born again christian who gives lectures around the country.

Danny Greene- Tough Irish mobster who took down the Cleveland mob

Thanks Dapper Don.
I wrongly thought Fat Petes sister died.

There is no Vinnie the Chin movie because he isnt nearly as glamourous or as famous as John Gotti (even though Gotti wasnt fit to be in charge on his local Burger King joint).
The Chin was a proper mob boss

I dont know where i read it but, the feds ask to Chin what use did he get by being a godfather. And living a decade pretending to be insane, and i remember the Chin saying its the feeling of power. Correct me if i am wrong

That statement didn't come from Chin directly, obviously. It was an FBI agent simply surmising what Chin got out of being boss. Chin never flaunted a lot of money. He never went anywhere further than Jersey. He put in a lot of time and effort over years with his crazy act. The feds always wondered what he felt he got out of all it. The only thing they could think of was the "pure power" he had.

General attrition and the FBI took down the Cleveland mob. Greene simply put up a good fight before they blew him up.

Ahh oke i see, thanks for sharing. Any other words or statements you can share about mobsters?

But the war with Greene created a lot of heat, which was the reason why they were brought down by the feds in the first place.

So indirectly, I think Greene did took down the Cleveland mob.

Wasnt the feds behind Greene? He was supplying the FBI with information about the Italian mafia. Wasnt that a normal business in those days for FBI to hire Irish mobsters who were considered as "good" guys when compared to Italians?

Gaetano Gagliano - He was the boss of the Lucchese family for 20 years and nobody knows when he actually died. Great article on him: http://www.americanmafia.com/Allan_May_6-19-00.html

All of the upper echelon Genovese guys seem to interest me. It's weird to think but a lot of them share similar traits; grew up in the city or uptown, former boxers, pegged for a leadership role at young ages, and are quiet as hell. It seems like their upper ranks are filled with guys who are not only rarities in o.c. but also in life in general.

I'd like to know more about the newcomers on the upper echelon of the Genovese too. People like Danny Leo, Barney Bellomo, etc... besides what's on Wiki and some news articles about past arrests not much is REALLY known about those guys...

The Chin is the most intriguing mafia figure in my mind and I'll tell you why. First of all he was able to fool the federal government for 30 years. If that isn't an achievement, then I don't know what is. Everybody thought he was crazy. We're talking respected psychiatrists, doctors, lawyers, FBI guys, NYPD guys, even the informants on the street thought he was really crazy. Here's a guy who lived almost his entire life with his mother in an apartment that wasn't much bigger than a shoebox. He's never clean shaven, looks like he doesn't shower, mumbles a lot to himself, seems lost and always has on a bathrobe. And while all this was going on, he was the biggest gangster in all of New York. Sitting on top of millions of dollars and controlling several major industries. This is also the same guy who shot Frank Costello. The same guy who went to trial with Vito Genovese.

Thank you for the dinner and a very pleasant evening. If your car could take me to the airport; Mr. Corleone is a man who insists on hearing bad news immediately.



The FBI knew he was acting, but they couldn't make a case against him for many years.

For a long time, they actually weren't sure. The man used to check himself into mental institutions on a regular basis. Of course it became clear later on, he was only acting.

Yeah PC is definitely one of the most intriguing ones. He had such an impressive personality that when the FBI agents that had been investigating him visited his grave site they started crying.

Paul Castellano was a very greedy boss, while the Chin was a more honorable boss. He has remarks about not to steal from widows and orphans, he was also more strict to the rules.

The Chin was a true gangster who got to the top on his own merit.
Castellano got to the top because he was Carlo Gambino's brother in law.

Actually the FBI never really believed his act. From day one they knew he was a powerful man in the mafia. As many Federal agents have said about the Chin: There was not a single person involved in the investigation that believed this guy was crazy. We knew for a fact he was a powerful man in the American Mafia and if the Mafia allowed certifiably insane leaders then we would have never arrested anyone because they would have to be certifiably insane to take orders from him.

After reading Murder Machine I found DeMeo pretty intriguing. Its one thing to read about a nutter like him but when you think about the nasty things he did, it makes you wonder what was going through his mind at times.

Apart from some of the other names mentioned here I also think Sam Giancana is a pretty intresting character. His supposed links to the CIA, Cuba and the JFK Assassination make for a good read.