I'm reading the Valachi Papers at the moment and he was making several thousand a week from numbers and shylocking. That was big money back in the 30s. He was just a soldier. I know it goes without saying but the bosses back then must have been rolling in dough.
A big In = big bucks.
He was promised into marriage to a very well connected guys daughter named Petrelli. A soilder of Messaria, who eventually became a Capo for Luciano. After the war many huge earners were reassigned and kept on.
It’s who ya Know.
