Frank Matthews and the other black gangsters made a ton of money during that period, and mostly likely more than any one mobster. They were basically flashes in the pan though, because they didn't leave that generational wealth that set their families up. Take big Paul Castellano for example, he made a fraction of what Matthews and Barnes made, but he was able to set up his kids in businesses, and all are living comfortably as far as I know. Those Harlem guys never were able to take their drug earnings and turn it into something legit that could be used to make them and their family money in the long run.
I think that general to most criminals in the underworld.
It holds true for a lot of these guys, but there are some who've used their ill-gotten gains to help their families, and creating something "legitimate." I've always said here I'm weary of the amount of money that is tied to individuals and groups, especially when it comes from law enforcement. They are known for exaggerating things, like claiming some gambling book was doing billions in business. I've been watching a lot of videos on black gangsters recently, and read books on BMF and Pistol Pete, both great books. That gets me to Rich Porter, who was a big player in Harlem, and thought to be extremely wealthy, but he didn't have the money to pay the 500K ransom his brother's kidnappers wanted.
Big Meech of BMF tried to wash his money through the music industry, but it wasn't successful. He spent over a million dollars on his only artist, and the guy, Blu Davinci, never even dropped an album. His brother Terry invested in an exotic car dealership that folded fast.
