So, I know a man can get his button without clipping anyone. But are there any examples of anyone rising all the way to the top without murder? I would imagine it would be easier to find examples more recently than in the past when mafia murders were more common.

I always thought you had to clip somebody to get in, it was a way of them having trust in you. when joe pistone [Donnie brasco ] was undercover. the fbi had to pull him out, because they wanted him to whack a guy, and then they were going to make him.

being an fbi agent he could not murder anyone, so, in the bonnanos he had to hit a guy before he was made. it seems like you had to "make your bones" in the old days. now, who knows.

That's the biggest myth of all: That you have to kill someone to get made. Even in the "old days," there were plenty of made guys who never pulled the trigger. The rule is that you have to be WILLING to kill for the family. Nothing more, nothing less.

Besides, even if you are in on a hit, it doesn't necessarily mean that you pulled the trigger yourself. You may have been in on the planning, or driven the crash car, or functioned as a lookout. But this is a topic that's been discussed here ad nauseam. Try the search feature. It's a great tool.

As far as the original question, has anyone become boss without hitting someone? It's possible. Especially today.

Peter Gotti

I nominate Frank Costello for that position. I mean, is there any factoid anywhere, even one single rumor, that the Prime Minister ever killed anyone?

I also hear no story that Paul Castellano was a Trigger-Man?

its the obvious choice. as far as i recall it, there is a statement by costello himself what said something like hitting someone on a occasion in new orleans infront of 50 or so people was the one and only violent act ever committed in his life.

Believe it or not.

Depends on the "organisations" values and image. Many other factors, but these basically are one of the most important in this type of question.

But does it mean that he was never involved in a murder in ANY way or just never pulled the trigger? Did he ever give orders to kill without physically taking part in it?

seriously? he was still the boss of a family, whaddya think? of course he ordered hits. thats nearly undeniable.

he just was never seen or even suspected! of pulling a trigger

but on the other hand, why should he? he was always very high ranking, he never actually needed to do the hits.

Yeah, the were very image conscious over at Murder Incorporated. I understand that Albert Anastasia had a top notch public relations firm in Manhattan doing his bidding. In an ironic twist, they missed the story about the Albert and the barbershop.

Some rats have said you don't actually need to be a trigger man. It doesn't matter if your standing watching or the getaway driver, simply because if the cops get u, everyone goes down for murder. So in that sense everyone involved is committing murder.

Well, that's all I was trying to say. But not every made guy even goes that far. There are plenty of White Collar earners who got their buttons without having taken part in a conspiracy, let alone having pulled the trigger.

Dwalin, I think mickey2 is saying that Frank Costello admitted to actually blasting someone in New Orleans. I would love to find that quote and would also like to know...what was he doing down in New Orleans.

oh **** he didn't "hit" the guy lol he kinda slapped him with a book or smth, nothing serious! i apologize

the guy he slapped was taking money from costellos slot machine organization that was based in new orleans and frank wanted to make it all clear that that was unacceptable. So he let the guy speak infront of all employees and then slapped him.

LOL!

"a mob boss said "lol" - i've seen everything on reddit"

he murdered the english language daily

Technically frank still "hit" him

I think what some of the others here are trying to say is that, even if Costello never personally killed anyone, as boss of that family he was culpable in every murder that took place during his reign. That's how the law would see it, anyway.

As far as how God sees it, or the moralists, or whatever, that's above my pay grade

Joey Merlino
Ray Patriarca jr
Junior Gotti
Little Allie Boy Persico

I don't think Ralph Natale ever pulled the trigger. If you consindet him a real boss.

I don't consider Ralph a boss but he's definately a killer, before he was a fake mobster he did kill a couple people.

Besides the Sodano murder, Natale admitted killing George Feeney in 1970, Joseph McGreal in 1973, conspiring to kill Louis "Louie Irish" DeLuca in 1990; Felix Bocchino and James "Jimmy Brooms" DiAddorio, in 1992, William Veasey in 1995 and Anthony Turra in 1998.

He admitted ordering the murder contract of Anthony Milicia, who was wounded, in 1996; conspiring to kill rival mob boss John Stanfa and his faction, which resulted in the 1993 wounding of his son, Joseph; the 1993 wounding of his underboss, Joseph Ciancaglini and of Leon "Yonnie" Lanzilotti.

I think that both Gotti jr and Patriarca jr never killed and they were made only because their fathers were the bosses same thing for
Allie Boy Persico.
I don't know if Joey Merlino never whacked personally a men,he looks like a bully not like a stone cold killer.
Someone knows if made his bones and who killed if ever killed someone ?

Well, at the very least, he tried. He shot the shit out of Scarfo Jr.

Any details on the events or who? I thought he was just an errand boy for Bruno/Union Leader/Drug Dealer.

What about the current bosses of the fie families? have they all killed someone?

There's bosses who haven't pulled the trigger and then there's bosses who have pulled it more than the guys who work for them. Most of those who haven't committed murder were named as successors by the former boss, usually out of nepotism or trust.

I dont think u can.Yes you dont have to to become made but to reach that high you have to be an earner and a feared guy.People talk about castelano but this guy came up during the prohibition and just say he didnt (which i personally think he has) the guy was a rare case where he was related to the boss.