I agree that it has been all but decimated. It has been in decline for a long time: 25 plus years. It's dead. Its most notable remnants are a bunch of 80+ year old guys. They own legitimate businesses and maybe they're shady and cut corners, pay off some lowlife city official here and there but that's it. I bet Nick Calabrese could get out of the WPP, and go buy a house next door to John DiFronzo and nothing would happen to him. Whats gonna happen? He's gonna get killed? Yeah right.
For instance: Frank Calabrese Jr. wrote a book and does book signings in Chicago am I correct? These things are announced all over the place; where he'll be at what time, etc. Where's the hitmen at? Oh yeah. There aren't any.
Ehhh I think if that was really the case, the US Marshalls and FBI probably wouldn't waste the money on him. You need to realize that Calabrese Jr. and Nick are different--Frankie only ratted on his father and refused to speak about anyone else. The guy comes back to Chicago all the time to hang out with the Elmwood Park boys and many of them are cousins, sons and relations of active mob soldiers. However, the guy is still weary--I remember seeing a picture of him on Facebook with John Kass and someone mistook Kass for Albie Vena in the comment section. Frankie immediately corrected it and apologized "to his old pal Albie." Shit like that shows you Frankie still knows these guys could hurt him.
In his book, Frankie only discussed the crimes of dead guys. Rumor on the street was that Frankie reached out to Frank Caruso and asked for permission to rat his father out--then the Caruso's split up the old man's rackets.
I doubt the "word on the street" re: Caruso is true. If so, he isn't very bright.
I would have to go back and read the book but I believe the wire Frank Jr. wore on Sr. was instrumental in corroborating certain elements of the prosecutions against everyone else up there.
Remember, they were all tried at once--against their strong, strong objections. And the other guys all blamed Calabrese Sr. more than anyone else for sinking the whole ship.
In any event, when you have a bunch of gangsters on trial together, or anyone on trail together, what happens to one affects all of them.
