http://fivefamiliesnyc.blogspot.com/p/genovese-crime-family.html

They really are way in front of all the other Families.Read how powerfull some of their captains are,these guys would of been bosses if they were in other familes.Which brings me to my question.Would a made Genevese guy get more respect on the street than a colombo or bonanno made guy.And how are they able to recruit only the best guys?If a guys a good earner and has offers from several Families to join i think if he wants to just make money and keep low key he would join the Genevese but if he wants to rise up in rank as quick as possible and be a captain at a young age he would be better of going to the colombos or bonnanos

Generally speaking, a made guy is a made guy, whatever family he's from. But one may effectively have more clout than another if he's a bigger earner, a capable killer, etc. In the past I've read that a guy has to be proposed by 2 members to be initiated into the Genovese family. And even after that, he's on a year's probation before he's formally recognized. I don't know if that's still the case. But looking at the family's track record, including the relatively low number of turncoats, they are very good at selecting recruits. Law enforcement said the Chin had a talent for picking loyal captains. Obviously the family is well known for it's extraordinary secretiveness. And recent murders over the last decade show it's still serious about enforcing discipline.

I've posted this before. It's a list of statements on the Genovese by law enforcement officials, organized crime experts, and ex-mafiosi -



"The Genovese family is now dominant. They remain a very powerful group. In the Genovese family, you really don't have that many defectors. They're still very entrenched in the unions and construction industry."
- Jack Garcia, former FBI agent (2011)

"They're the most efficient family because they're so secretive. People within the family don't even know who each other are. They are very disciplined in their criminal plots and they keep their hit teams small. Infilatration by law enforcement is very difficult. They continue to use violence to ensure compliance. We haven't had widespread disruption of the Genoveses like we had with the other families. Gigante's secrecy permeated the ranks and it still exists. If someone in the Genovese family slips up, they're dead before you know it. - Dave Shafer, Head of FBI Organized Crime Program (2009)

The Genovese family is the most secretive, criminally diverse, and powerful family in the country. Their power stems from control of unions and major industries."
- Michael Campi, FBI Organized Crime Dept. (2006)

"The Genovese crime family is still the best organized and has the deepest bench."
- Daniel Castleman, Chief of Investigations - Manhattan District (2006)

"The Genovese family's members and rackets surpass all others."
- Jerry Capeci, Gangland News columnist (2006)

"The Genovese crime family is the the most organized, most powerful, largest organized-crime family existing today."
- Eric Snyder, Assistant U.S. Attorney (2006)

“The Genovese family is the most prolific and most powerful of New York’s five organized crime families.”
– Mark J. Mershon, Assistant Director FBI’s New York Office (2006)

"The Genovese Crime Family is widely considered by law enforcement as the most powerful of the mob families in the New York Metropolitan area, if not the entire country."
- Jim Kouri, National Association of Chiefs of Police (2005)

"It has the most sophisticated operations. The Genovese family has always been considered the Ivy League of the Mafia."
- Selwyn Raab, New York Times columnist (2005)

"Still the most powerful and influential is the Genovese family."
- Bruce Mouw, Former FBI Supervisor (2005)

"The Genovese family is the Rolls-Royce of organized crime."
- Loretta Lynch, U.S. Attorney-Brooklyn (2003)

"I consider the Genovese family to be the Ivy League of the underworld. They more or less invented labor racketeering."
- Joe Coffey, New York Police Dept. (2003)

"The Genovese family remains the richest, most powerful and least damaged crime group."
– Time Magazine (2001)

"The Genovese family is the most powerful and most secretive crime group."
- Barry W. Mawn, FBI New York Office (2001)

"Despite a two-decade-long crackdown on organized crime that had decimated other Mafia families, the Genovese family has flourished. It is the largest and most financially successful crime family in New York."
- U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White (2001)

"The Genovese crime family is widely known in law enforcement as the Ivy League of the underworld. The family that gets it right."
- John Miller, FBI media spokesman (2001)

"The Genovese family has probably been the most powerful La Cosa Nostra family of the last hundred years."
- Ask Andy, Gangland News (1996)

"The Genovese family has become dominant among New York's Italian Mafia."
- Peter Maas, Author (1995)

"If anybody survives it will be the Genovese."
- Anthony Accetturo, Lucchese LCN family Captain (1994)

"If there is a major trend, it is the consolidation of power by the Genovese family."
- William Y. Doran, Head of the FBI's New York Criminal Division (1994)

"I have always considered the Genovese Family to be the most powerful LCN family in the United States."
- Al D'Arco, Lucchese LCN family Acting Boss (1994)

"The Genovese family is the most stable, the best counseled and the most diversified business-crime group in the country."
- Lee Brown, New York City Police Commissioner (1990)

"You keep hearing all this crap about Gotti being the boss of the bosses, but the Genovese have always been the country's most powerful family."
- Richard Ross, FBI (1990)

"The Genovese family is the most sophisticated, cautious, secretive, and powerful Cosa Nostra family in the United States."
- Phil Leonetti, Philadelphia LCN Underboss (1989)

Lmfao, it looks like all those law enforcement people are giving reviews to crime families like if they are Roger Ebert..

"The best family in the country" - FBI

"Two Thumbs up" - Assistant U.S. Attorney

"This is the family YOU should join" - Chief of Investigations

"If there's one family you'd love to be extorted by, it's the Genovese" - Time Magazine

Tony Mirra, Roy Demeo and Tommy Desimone wouldnt have lasted half as long as they did if they'd been Genovese.

It seems people in law enforcement have always had a certain "grudging respect" for how the Genovese run things. They still see them as the crooks and killers they are but, at least compared to most other families, they have tended to be more successful in how they go about their business.

Yeah, it's hard to read these reviews without chuckling. This is almost as bad as the comments on Uncle Joe's Facebook wall.

If there's one family you'd love to be extorted by, it's the Genovese" - Time Magazine


LOL quote of the century

Also what Joey Merlino did in the early 90s even the colombos wouldnt of allowed it.I use JM because there are a lot of people who rank Philly mob in the same league as New York

i honestly believe philly mob maybe wield power as the colombos

The Colombos, being at least twice the size, dwarf the Philadelphia mob. Philly is basically a street operation at this point. Aside from the standard street rackets, the Colombos are still involved in construction and demolition, unions, stock fraud, etc.

Philly mob is a big fish in a small pond Colombos are a small fish in a big pond.But if u pit them agains each other colombos have more soldiers and associetes and also colombo crime family makes way more money annualy than philly.The only family outside of New york that can even come close to the Colombos would be the outfit but even then the colombos are stronger than them.

Philly and the decavalcantes are in the same league.If NJ had just 1 family instead of branches from the NY families it would be a differant story because than all those crews would belong to the decavalcantes

Yeah I just started really reading about OC but I have always been interested but just the Genovese have 5 crews in NJ!! That is insane!

Continuing with the NJ OC

Genovese Family has 5 crews in NJ
Lucchese Family has 3 crews in NJ
Gambino Family has 2 crews in NJ
Bonanno Family mentions NJ so I am guessing thay have at least 1 crew

And that doesn't even include philly & nj and that is 11 crews.

By comparison the Genovese who are the most powerful have about 14 active crews.

So if all the NJ crews got together ( I know that wouldn't happen) but they would be pretty powerful!!

the Colombos do not make more cash than the outfit, just look at how much cash the govt seized from the family secrets trial off of guys in chicago it was in the tens of millions and they are still looking for buried cash and jewelry!

I assume we're talking about crews based in New Jersey?

If you're referring to the 2004 New Jersey OC report, it did list 5 Genovese crews in the state - the Tino Fiumara crew, the Angelo Prisco crew, the Joseph Gatto crew, the Silvio DeVita crew, and the Ludwig Bruschi crew. Both Fiumara and Gatto died in 2010 but their crews continue to be based in New Jersey. As does the DeVita and Bruschi crews. But I've read that Angelo Prisco's crew was more based in the Bronx and he simply had some operations in New Jersey. Also, the 2004 report didn't list another Genovese captain based in Jersey - Larry Dentico. But that still comes out to 5 crews - the Fiumara crew, Gatto crew, DeVita crew, Bruschi crew, and Dentico crew. Plus other captains, such as Ross Gangi, Matty Ianniello, and Dominick Cirillo, have operations there. This far and away gives the Genovese family the biggest presence in the state. Along with their big presence in Manhattan and the Bronx, it's why they're called "the west side."

I think the only Gambino crew that is based in New Jersey is Nicholas Mitarotonda's crew. But there are other Gambino captains that have some operations there.

Likewise, I believe the only Lucchese crew that is based in New Jersey is Ralph Perna's crew, though there are other Lucchese captains that have operations there.

I think the Bonanno family has one crew based in Jersey, led by Joseph Sammartino. Another captain, Joseph Indelicato, has some operations there.

The Colombos probably still have some limited operations in New Jersey but but apparently no captains that are actually based there.

While mob income isn't something we can really pin down with any exactness, my bet would be that the Colombos bring in more money than the Outfit. The Colombos are twice the size of Chicago. People need to realize that the modern-day Outfit is more comparable to other smaller families remaining in New England, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. It's no longer the Outfit of the 1950's, the 1970's, or even the 1990's - which many seem to still envision.

I assume this guy is a relation of Bruno Indelicato?

I think the Genovese Family are in the south jersey area too. I think i read somewhere there are 2 soldiers living in the Atlantic city area. I think they can be anywhere they want, cause they are so powerful.

I also think Philly does not have much of prescence in North Jersey anymore. Ivy League is correct calling the Philly Mob a street operation.

The 2004 report stated that the Genovese family had been "migrating" down to the southern counties like Monmouth, Ocean, and Atlantic. A year later, in 2005, there was a massive gambling bust of the Bruschi and Dentico crews that involved a gambling operation that stretched from North Jersey all the way down into South Jersey and even into South Philadelphia. They had actually opened a wire room right in town.

South Jersey is still mostly Philadelphia territory but it seems some of the New York families are looking to expand there more and more. I've read one of the reasons Larry Ricci fell out of favor with the Genovese leadership, before he was ultimately killed for refusing to take a plea deal, is that he was talking too much about their plans to expand further south.

And, you're right, I don't think Philly has much of a presence in North Jersey anymore. That same 2004 report cited 1 gambling operation up north but I think there are only a few members left there. Certainly not an entire "North Jersey wing" of the family anymore.

He is his son, I believe.

the outfit is occasionally in the news about rigged construction bids, links to political corruption, robberies, they are the only mob family in chicago, and from the sarno trial we saw they make tons off joker poker machines, also have links to strip clubs, etc while the colombos are busy shaking some stip clubs/bars for weekly payments and also shaking down the coffee boys at construction sites

im a new york guy from the bx, but i just dont see the colombos making more cash than the outfit just for the simple fact about how much we DONT know about chicago, and when there is a big bust and millions are mentioned int he indictment it gives a little glimpse

I'm neither a New York or a Chicago guy. But putting false modesty aside for a moment, you'd be hard pressed to find someone else on these forums who has kept closer attention to mob activity over the past decade, including both the Colombo family and the Chicago Outfit.

The Outfit is mostly a street operation at this point, with most of it's income coming from gambling sports betting, video poker machines, loansharking, burglary rings, etc. The Outfit has very little involvement in the drug trade. And there is not a lot in the way of labor union racketeering left. A lot of the top guys, like DiFronzo and Andriacchi, do have legit interests in things like real estate, restaurants and clubs, construction, etc.

The Colombos are involved in all of these things but on a bigger scale. They are more involved in the drug trade, as well as things like stock fraud. They are still involved in some labor unions, like the Construction Engineers, and shaking down construction companies. The Colombos have at least 100 made members while the Outfit has maybe 50.

A big point of debate over on the other forum is what we know and how we know it. I've always said that we get most of our info from the indictments that come down the pipeline. People make the mistake of thinking that less indictments, like in the case of Chicago, means they are more sneaky. When, in reality, it means less activity. There's a reason we see the most cases involving the New York families, and less so in places like Chicago, New England, New Jersey, and Philly, and even less than that in Detroit, Buffalo, Kansas City, Tampa, etc.

Yes, the Colombos own a hot dog stand in Newark. Tony "Doggyboy" Crappadonna is the owner on record, but everybody knows it's really Carmine's.

Hmmm. You sure about that Vinny? You may be right, but I thought that 'Crappadonna' started out as a pizzboy who eventually opened up a bunch of pizzerias that were really fronts for the mobsters who brought in the sicilian "zips" that would come here to carry out contract hits.


Wow you really have me curious now. I would love to read more about this Crappadonna and his ties to the mob. Can you provide me with a link or something where I can read more about this. You've peaked my curiosity.

this argument always comes up about how 'weak' the Colombos are especially in relation to other families like Chicago, New England, etc... Colombos are and always will be more powerful no matter how you measure it. Through numbers of guys or through quality of rackets. Either way. Colombos still have unions and a lot of shit going on in NY and on Long Island. Yeah we hear about all the hits they take and how dumb some of those guys are, and about all the drama (dols murder, calabro ratting etc...) but what about the remaining 75, possibly more, active members who keep their names out of the papers that are on the street? I'm not a fanboy trying to hype up the power here of Teddy Persico, Criminal Mastermind ... but its obvious after countless busts, rats, etc... they arn't going away and they're still involved with realtively big scams in new york.

also for them to pull off what they were doing at the WTC site as recent as this year, they'd have to be recgonized and respected by the other families.

Yep. The Colombos may be the weakest of the five New York families but they're still above anything left outside the city. Which is really only 4 small families left elsewhere.

LMAO

Dapper Don,

Seeing that you continued this Colombo vs. Chicago thing on the other forum, how familiar are you with the activity of the Colombos over the past decade? Or the Outfit, for that matter?

Also, we need to go by what we DO KNOW about each family, not by what we DON'T KNOW. The "DON'T KNOW" argument is always used by people to make up whatever facts they want.

Most of us only know what we know from reading these articles, indictments, listening to interviews, watching documentaries and reading books. We hear this and that from these forums from people to claim to be in the know. I'm gonna take that last thing with a grain of salt. We certainly know a lot and especially about the past. What we don't know is what's going on right now. Not only that, but we have very little idea of what's going on with the Genovese family. Nobody knows who's boss. We don't even know who's active and who's not.

The Colombos are a fucking joke. Anybody who's followed these past cases knows that. Do I need to count the rats in that family? You got captains, soldiers, the fucking underboss's son testifying in front of a jury. Not too mention all the recorded conversations. You got high ranking members talking about murders that took place twenty years ago. Now, in terms of man power they are probably still more powerful than the Chicago Outfit or any other family outside New York. As far as real power goes, political power, unions, money...We don't know. You got guys like Tocco in Detroit who's got more money than any of these clowns in New York. Not only that, but this fucking guy had judges, politicians, lawyers and even prosecutors coming to support him when he had that little run in a few years back.