I tend to believe that more of them are being “successful” today than you’re suggesting and I think the ones sucking wind as you say are more the minority than the majority but I have no issue if i am wrong on that

Talking purely made guys this is. Associates I have no doubt are living off scraps

All people talk about on these forums is basically how much better, more violent, and more powerful other groups are over Italian OC. True or not, I find it funny that virtually no one is even remotely interested in their stories. If not for the mob, you'd be hard pressed to get anyone to even want to read about organized crime lol. Just look all through this blog, most people are discussing LCN and Italy. Weak or not, they definitely garner the most attention and interest and that's a fact.

Case in point, this thread was just started today and it's already 3 pages lol

Jace you're right about Gangland News not having any good Mafia stories over the last several years. That's why I haven't resubscribed, it's not worth the energy. I keep saying that if anything really big happens, I'm talking about a blockbuster story the likes of Richard Martino's $700 million caper or something like that, I'll resubscribe. I'm still waiting....

Most of his stories seem to be more about legendary prosecutors or this judge or that lawyer passed away, fucking boring lol....

Waffling now are we?...

Jace you say that people can't admit that LCN is dead, I beg to differ. Most people I've seen online tend to lean towards that they are dead or barely breathing. Most of the time when we're talking about LCN it's in the past tense, usually decades ago. Which is why I'm wondering what the whole point of this thread is.

Didn't you just make a post a few weeks ago talking about how some Genovese guys walked off laughing to the bank with extremely light sentences? Then you go and make this post with that title. That's a major contradiction if you ask me.

Are you directing this post toward me? Because I'm not sure what you're talking about. If it was me, then I was probably just reporting on a news article.

Your point?

My point is your "reporting on a news article" and the title of this thread don't add up, they don't go together. That's my point.

Maybe in "your" mind they don't add up. But we've already established that your knowledge and understanding about the subject at hand is limited.

Not to mention the fact that after you typically read something, often times, you don't necessarily properly comprehend what you just read correctly. And based on my "original" post in this thread (a thread that I started by the way, thats an obvious fact.)

PS: But like you said to me, "No offense though or anything against you."

The Italians are weak, they are civilized. That is why you don't see shit anymore. That is reality.

You got a bunch of Italian spoiled kids who were born with silver spoons in their mouths and attended private schools who are supposed to take over the mob? That is comical.

The old school guys are fuckin dead or in their 80s. It will never be the same as it was in the 60's and 70's.

That is largely correct, and most (not all,) but most, of the younger fellas around today are not even steeped in the tradition, nor are they knowledgeable enough about the mechanics of "this thing" to comfortably step into the mix and operate safely and efficiently.

They lack the knowhow, savvy, and diplomacy, because they were never "groomed" by their forefathers. Never mind that they were not groomed "properly," they were "never groomed at all" to begin with...And THATS the truth.

See thats the difference that you see when it comes to the LCN here in America compared to Mexico. The Mexicans are still grooming their children to be gangsters.

The Italians want their children to become doctors and lawyers. Living a life in a nice house in the suburbs with legit professions.

It's just stupid and plain silly to compare America to a country like Mexico. I don't know why it's so many people's go-to. They are corrupted from top to bottom, they even execute people publicly and with impunity. I feel like Italy or Canada are better comparisons and more fair, at least they're considered "1st world."

Can you blame them? Lol. They want better for their children. Ideally, each future generation should benefit from the previous generation (from their elders.)...Thats called progress.

Interestingly I read Valachi's full written memoirs and it didn't seem to me that he had particularly any tradition or knowledge of the life too long before he got inducted and that's going back to the 30s. Not saying he is the best example being he was one of the biggest rats and no doubt there were far more guys back then (probably largely Sicilians) who did have that tradition but also interesting that even back then there must've been a ton of guys who were petty street criminals and a bit clueless to "the life", at least initially
.
Similar to Gravano too who didn't have any tradition so to say but was a tough guy and got schooled. But no doubt Italians have overwhelmingly moved up the economic ladder so that pool of street guys is cut way down today. We'll see if the college mobsters are the future

As I’ve said for many years now, the mob is mostly in name only. Once the Italian immigrant communities disappeared, the mob slowly went with it for the most part. Are there still mobsters, yes they’re hanging on by old timers and wanna-bees. That’s why nearly all these posts deal with historic members, dead or old making this a trip down memory site. One I enjoy, I’m not knocking it I’m just stating my opinion. Some of you want to believe otherwise, go ahead I just haven’t seen it and other than opinions no one has been able to prove otherwise. The mob today is even worthy of federal scrutiny, so much so they now go after Catholics and school board members who want to protect their children to stay busy..

Seems to me like everyone here agrees it's over or it's not what it used to be. So maybe OP is just talking to himself? It's okay to talk to yourself, as long as you don't answer yourself.

George Anastasia is another one who rambles on and on about how the mob ain't what it once was, his entire book The Last Gangster repeated it over and over and over, almost every page. At least 3 or 4 times per chapter. I'm like dude just tell the damn story already.

The mobs monopoly control and power days are over

However guys are doing very well financially today as with legal gambling & weed you can do this racket out in the open with minimal threat of arrest. Huge gambling books out there and real estate holdings

Unless there is violence serious prison time days are over, saving guys tons of $ and keeping them
On the streets earning

They have pivoted to quasi legal industries

They are still a local economic force with a lot of valuable real estate & business assets
Still strong in gambling, construction, trucking, port, restaurants, real estate and weed. Big $ being made, especially Westside & Gambinos

The guy Senator Menendez was arrested for is a major NJ water front Contractor and
West side associate. One of the many big $ guys Pennissi said the west side has. WS made major
$ in NJ Gold Coast business,

https://www.thedailybeast.com/fred-...be-has-ties-to-genovese-mob-crime-family

I was just thinking about something yesterday. Why would anyone want to be a gangster when you can get rich pretending to be a gangster? Just look at all the rappers out there today.

or be an fbi identified mafia boss like joey merlino having a podcast...which i still cannot wrap my head around.

Because many rackets they do are legal today, gambling, weed, legit businesses (business racketeering vs labor racketeering) and they have adjusted to not using violence.

The mob doesn’t have anywhere near the monopoly power that they had but they are still making lots of money , especially in legit business and especially Westside. They seem to be paying off local officials to orchestrate $ making schemes, tow trucking and per below NJ Gold Coast redevelopment. Also way less LE after them ( even NJ port being disbanded ). FBI agent Mike Campsi has a good clad interview on this and current mafia


https://www.thedailybeast.com/fred-...be-has-ties-to-genovese-mob-crime-family

I serious believe that Merlino is doing it so he can have a public platform to voice his opinions on rats. It's a motive for sure.

There's a difference, Joey Merlino is a gangster-turned-podcaster, most of those rappers were NEVER gangsters. Merlino actually lived a lot of what they yap about on their records. Plus he knows it's over, he's just having fun now.