There was so little about him throughout the show that it could be anyone's guess. I think the writers just added a boss in prison to give the show authenticity. After all, just before the show premiered, Jersey really did have a boss doing life in prison, and a street boss dying of cancer, similar to Jackie Aprile. Some of the characters and stories in season 1 were based on the real life DeCavs.
"...the successful annihilation of organized crime's subculture in America would rock the 'legitimate' world's foundation, which would ultimately force fundamental social changes and redistributions of wealth and power in this country. Meyer Lansky's dream was to bond the two worlds together so that one could not survive without the other." - Dan E. Moldea
