Believe me Nickle, my comment was specifically directed at the people who claimed the bust was a legitimate Mafia bust.
And you’ve explained the situation incredibly well Nickle. Better than I could. And there’s no doubt the Ciminelli family has connections to the mob as do most construction bigwigs from the 1990s. But I think that what some posters (not you) do not understand is that the mob does not define corruption nor is it solely responsible for corruption. Even as the mob dies, corruption continues. I think it should surprise nobody that contractors with ties to the mob are still committing the same type of crimes in the 21st century, in the absence of the mob. In fact, without the mob taking a tribute, they can make far more money than before.
I don’t think Ciminelli is the only formerly mobbed-up contractor still doing dodgy deals. Upstate NY is one of the most corrupt regions of America in terms of construction. But I simply don’t think it even POINTS to the idea that the mafia is still active. If anything, I think it HURTS the notion the mafia is still active because there was a lengthy investigation with a cooperating witness that still didn’t uncover any Mafia ties, and we’ve seen in the past that prosecutors love to bring up the Mafia at any chance they get.