Amazing how different the landscape could be.

Luongo head of the Lukes and Donnie Brasco stays on record with Jilly and Sonny Black takes the reigns of the Bonanno's. Not fat rat joe.

Both small things at the time. But changed LCN irreparably.

Amen to that PB.

Luck is the residue of design.

Yup. There's an American saying (and I know that English is your first language, I'm not an idiot ). And you've probably heard it anyway.

Here it is: "Nothing succeeds like success." Meaning that when you're that far out front, you tend to get breaks that the perennial loser doesn't get. Or, as you said, luck is the residue of design.

Are they really that far in front?

I was speaking in general terms, Tommy. Not necessarily germane to the Mafia. But if you're asking me if there's a somewhat sizeable gap between the Genovese and Gambino families today, I would have to say yes because of the Carpenters, The ILA, and the Waterfront.

Plus, the Genoveses been able to able to make some inroads into some old locals that were so so off limits ten years ago that it was unthinkable. I wouldn't have taken 100 to 1 odds on such things happening (not that it will ever be what it once was).

The Gambinos have regrouped, they have a great guy at the helm, and they're in the best shape they've been in since the '80s. But they're always at risk of being one International drug bust away from dropping a notch.

In short, they're not #1 and #1A. They're definitely #1 and #2.

BIZ BOOMS FOR GAMBINOS’ NEW GODBROTHERS
By Murray WeissSeptember 29, 2005

The Gambino crime family didn’t go away when John “Junior” Gotti was put away – they lowered their profile, then regrouped and re-energized under the iron-fisted leadership of a pair of no-nonsense brothers from Howard Beach, Nicholas and Anthony Corozzo.

Returning to their hardcore roots, the 200-member Gambino mob has been stuffing its pockets from a trifecta of time-honored rackets – gambling, extortion and labor corruption – that once made them a billion-dollar-a-year powerhouse before Dapper Don John Gotti’s lust for the media glare brought so much FBI heat, the crime family nearly had a meltdown.

“They were shaken and wounded . . . but the Gambinos still remain a very, very active family, neck-and-neck with the Genoveses,” a top mob-hunter said yesterday.

During the past 15 years, a celebrated parade of Gambino bosses – most notably John the elder, his three brothers, Gene, Peter, Richard V., and Gotti’s son John “Junior” – have been sent to prison by local, state and federal authorities, especially the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“That was John – he put everyone in the spotlight,” another mob expert said.

The heat resulted in the convictions of a laundry list of capos and top lieutenants – men such as Frank Locascio, his son, Salvatore, Richard Martino, Primo Casserino, Andrew Campos, Thomas “Huck” Carbonaro, Anthony “Sonny” Ciccone and even the Corozzos themselves. The crackdown helped the feds remove the Gambinos’ lucrative stranglehold on a number of businesses such as construction industries, labor unions and the waterfront, along with various devious scams on Wall Street and the Internet.

One expert, the renowned ex-NYPD Detective Sgt. Joseph Coffey, said the Gambinos were thrown into “chaos” by law enforcement – but now they’re back.

“They were a viable criminal enterprise before John Gotti and they are a viable criminal enterprise now,” said James Margolin, the FBI’s spokesman in New York.

Along with the Corozzos, who came out of prison in the past year, several other Gambino powers have re-emerged, including Danny Marino and Anthony “The Genius” Megale, federal officials say.

The Gambinos’ long-established moneymaking rackets include rake-offs from nightclubs and strip joints, prostitution, pornography and gambling all along the East Coast from Miami to Montreal. “That’s where they’re making their money,” one source said.

“It’s all about making money,” a federal official said. “That’s what La Cosa Nostra families do.”

And what are the prospects that another Gotti can take control of the Gambinos?

“Fuhgeddaboutit,” one source said.

The Corozzos do not like the Gottis.
http://nypost.com/2005/09/29/biz-booms-for-gambinos-new-godbrothers/

as far as them being a distant number 3 the Lucchese it depends on geography, I don't know much about OC outside of the Bronx but what i know is in the Bronx they are very close to the Genovese, where the other two small comparably to the others get the crums , but im sure its much different in Brooklyn and other palces in the city

Nothing succeeds like success. Meaning that when you're that far out front, you tend to get breaks that the perennial loser doesn't get.

as far as them being a distant number 3 the Lucchese it depends on geography, I don't know much about OC outside of the Bronx but what i know is in the Bronx they are very close to the Genovese

True but I'm speaking in general. The Gambinos have a bigger presence in Queens and Staten Island than the Genovese but that doesn't make them stronger overall.

I kind of agree but keep this in mind; That cuban guy, Garcia, said that the Gambinos had like 5 whole crews that the feds knew nothing about, Also, the Gambinos might have been weaker in the late 90s, but if u have ONE crew like Locasios that steals over 800 million,how down were they really? And u got Cali with deep connects to both sicily And ndrangeta apparently, So it seems the Genovese and Luchesse are more semi-legit hence more stable, I think the Gambinos may have bigger earning potential, like liquid, I dont know; After that bust with the Bonnanos, it had me thinking Cali was taking the position that Rizzuto had, but with the Calabrians instead of the sicilians... thoughts?

Could it be there was a rift in the bronx faction? Was that it?

mainly it was the associates that got popped

When guys they knew got hit and the order came from the top, they took it because they were CN through and through (unlike Amuso and Casso who broke virtually every rule in the book).

In NNJ and im sure anywhere in NYC , areas PB calls home and BK and I'm sure countless areas , if u want 10 books , u can have 10 books , it's almost comical now w the Internet .

But isn't it a little contradictory? I mean, if they were Cosa Nostra through and through by following its rules while Amuso and Casso broke every rule, shouldn't they have whacked Amuso and Casso following this code and rules? Standing aside and watching makes it seem like they either had something to gain or were afraid. Or did Tony Ducks put a lifelong veto against any decision that wasn't favorable to Amuso and Casso?