A funny thing happened to The Outfit in Chicago over the last 20 years...guys with legitimate businesses suddenly saw the economic benefits of a booming economy. And a prosperous business in a booming economy isn't just a source of legitimate wealth, it can be a great place to launder money, especially if you have interests in more than one business in a vertical industry. And it's my understanding that the guys on the north side are heavily invested in legit businesses (on top of their daily mob activities) while the guys on the south side rely more heavily on traditional mob activities.

Regardless of the number of members in Chicago, you have a number of Outfit members in their 50's and 60's enjoying a very comfortable lifestyle and I really don't think they want their applecart upset.

In the words of Stringer Bell, "We're the bank..."

Yes they are...but they still claim their corners, albeit quietly.

The IPSN web site and the laborers union web site were real eye-openers when I stumbled on those a couple of years ago. Excellent resources for information on Chicago.

Hy Larner. No reason for mentioning his name other than to make a gratuitous reference to one of the more enigmatic people in Outfit history...

tony b.