Is there anything to support an estimate of 30 made guys in Detroit other than the estimate itself?
i.e., are there any signs of activity--busts, murders, etc.?
At the risk of starting another never-ending mudslinging contest, the Feds estimate Chicago has less than 30 made guys right now.
While I suppose the idea of Detroit having more guys than Chicago is not impossible, I can't think of any reason, from documented history to population demographics, that it would be so.
All indicators in fact would point to Detroit having a mere fraction of what Chicago has.
Chicago and the "made" status is different than Detroit (and all other traditional Cosa Nostra families). I'm quite positive you already know this.
If anyone took a look at that list and based it off previous FBI statements, you'd come up with about 20 made men, and most of them are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s. Since they haven't released ANY kind of chart in 30+ years, the other 10 or so is purely from research. And my estimate of 31 is a far cry from Scott's estimate of 45-60, which is a bit insane.
A few people believe it is closer to 20 members, but that'd be assuming that Detroit hasn't had a ceremony since the early 90s, which would be a ridiculous assumption.
