That line about "tracing your roots to the old country" from Goodfellas is probably just that - a line. It's true that prospective candidates have to be well known for years. Including their history and their immediate family, where they grew up, and so on. But it's not like the mob is getting on a genealogy website and tracing it all back to Sicily or Italy.
No doubt but look at Pistone they knew nothing about him and were ready to open the books for him. They just were going to take his word that he was italian? I think in the end it all depends on how much you can earn.
