In your opinion, which one of these five old-time Lucchese Family "capos" was the most successful during his lifetime, in terms of power, wealth, longevity, respect, and the overall quality of the life he had? Was it;

A) Paul Vario Sr.
B) Joseph (Joe Brown) Lucchese
C) Anthony (Tony Higgins) Castaldi
D) Joseph (Joey Narrow) Laratro
E) Ettore (Little Eddie) Coco

I don't know the answer to this, but I'm going to go with Laratro or Lucchese.

It appears you've been paying very close attention to your "studies" MS. Lol. These two are very good choices.

@NYMafia

Im going with Ettore Coco; His longevity was unmatched in the family; Guy was a captain; part of the administration (I believe) in the 60’s…

He was a candidate for boss of the family after Carmine Tramunti got “busted”

He operated in the family in the 1970’s as a old-man; Didn’t he have operations in Florida???

He served as “Acting Consigliere” when Corallo; Santoro and Chris Furnari was on trial in the 1980’s….

Guy made a lot of money… and have seen a lot in his long tenure in the family…

Didn’t Amuso and Casso make him retire right before he died in the early 90’s??

Big John lol

Vario- had a HUGE CREW that still exists today.

The “Tick” is confirmed dead?
They let him out in 2014 and he died 2014.

On a different note I wonder how Scarpa Jr is doing?
Interesting no book from him? No podcast or anything?

I think he's a very respectable choice ZV....Lets see who else has an opinion on this question, and then I'll throw my two-cents in for what its worth, ok? lol.

And yes, Vario did have a huge crew. But that doesn't necessarily make him the "best" capo as defined in the question. He may, or may not, have been...but we'll see.

Agrees he was the only one I knew of from that list.

No harm, no foul. Vario is a def choice. And I agree that during his time he was definitely a force to be reckoned with. So we'll see how it shakes out.

I think Coco isn't really the best choice here, since he spent too much time in jail, of which 10 years were for a rather stupid murder which wasn't even mafia-related (argument over the payment for a car wash or something like that). I agree he was powerful, but if we consider avoiding prison as an important factor for a successful mafioso, then imo Coco doesn't competely qualify...

You make an extremely valid point Dwalin, and I tend to agree with you on that. Its NOT only wealth and power, but also your freedom and quality of life that counts. To be the most powerful and wealthy guy in the cemetery or behind bars, doesn't quite cut it for me.

Are there any other posters on here who wanna cast a vote?

Before I throw my two-cents into the mix?

I could be wrong on this, and maybe you or NYMafia could confirm, but I believe he was also indicted (maybe convicted?) with Donald Angelini and someone else from Chicago for some kind of bingo hall/gambling thing? I just recognize the name, but I don't know too much about him, so i will recuse myself of choosing someone as Vario and Joe Lucchese are the only ones from that list that I really have any real knowledge of.

IMO, there is definitely a very cognizant and logical answer to this question. But as I said earlier, I'll wait until the last members, who care to do so, post up their particular choice. Then I'll submit who I believe best fits this.

I'd go with Vario. He had a big crew and the other guys , I don't know much about. But they were operating when Rico wasn't a thing. And the boss of the FBI said there was no mafia.
What about Ormento? wasn't he in charge of the Lukes many,many H dealers?
Paulie ham was well respected as well.

Considering the criteria listed to determine the “best” overall capo, I believe the most logical answer would have to be Joseph Laratro.
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Because, although all five men were capos in their own right, with varying degrees of power in their chosen “fields” of criminal endeavor, not all meet the benchmarks in the other categories considered. For instance;

A) Paul Vario Sr. was a very powerful capo. He ran a huge crew. Yet, he had over 35 arrests on his record and served many many years in prison. He died in jail. And during his years outside of prison he didn’t exactly live a wealthy lifestyle of comfort and luxury.

B) Joseph (Joe Brown) Lucchese was the boss’ brother. So he had it very cushy to say the least. With the exception of a few minor gambling arrests on his record, he basically flew under the radar his entire career. He also never served a day in jail. He supervised Queens County gambling rackets (along with Laratro) for his brother Tommy. He lived in wealthy Malba, Queens (a prestigious neighborhood), and was partners in several legitimate businesses. But after his brother’s death in 1967, he was quickly sidelined by the administration, demoted to a soldier post, and lost his influence.

C) Anthony (Tony Higgins) Castaldi was an East Harlem-Bronx guy and well respected. But he was mostly known as a heavy narcotics trafficker. He also had a lengthy arrest record and served several prison terms during his career. He was mostly a street racket guy who was never into legitimate business, per se. He is not known to have ever accumulated any major major assets or wealth to speak of, and was not considered one of the most important capos of that family.

D) Joseph (Joe Narrow) Laratro was from Queens. For decades he was considered the gambling “specialist” and general overseer of the Family’s gambling rackets, especially in the Queens County areas of Corona, Rego Park, Jackson Heights, Flushing, Bayside, and many other county neighborhoods. He lived in a sprawling 2-acre estate in prestigious Lloyd Harbor, L.I. (valued today at over $3.5-million dollars). He had a string of arrests (but only for gambling) and never served one day behind bars. He held partnership in a multimillion-dollar scrap metal company based in Queens, and later, after he semi-retired to South Florida, bought into a major private garbage-carting company that held lucrative hauling contracts with Broward County. He retained his “capo” position well into his senior years. His Florida residence was another expensive home in one of the area’s most prestigious communities. He lived a good life.

E) Ettore (Little Eddie) Coco was another Harlem guy. And quite possible the most respected and powerful, overall, among the five candidates listed. But he served multiple jail stints during his lifetime (included “life” for murder). Essentially he was a gritty street guy, active primarily in rough rackets such as narcotics, robbery, strong-arm, etc. He controlled the fight game in conjunction with Frankie Carbo and others. But again, he had a lengthy record, served many years in prison, and was never known to have accumulated the wealth and assets of Laratro and others in the Family.
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So there ya have it folks! My breakdown and statistics for these five men, and why I chose Laratro over the other four.

FYI, for those of you interested in learning more about the life and underworld career of Joseph Laratro, please visit our website and click the "Five Families" link, then click the "Lucchese Family" and scroll down our A-Z bios until you reach Joseph Laratro's biography.

You won't be disappointed! That I can assure you.

No opinions fellas? I'm surprised.