I would think you would love the discussion to be over when your argument was home prices and not mob history. Joe Brocchini, in your opinion, is a much bigger mobster because his house was so expensive. What was Neil Dellacroce's house worth in Staten Island? By your reasoning Brocchini was more important than a Gambino Underboss. When was Joseph Brocchini made? Do you have any idea or are your just copy/pasting newspaper articles and passing them off on your website?
Brocchini was made in February 1976 and Dellacroce was a old school guy and the mafiosi like him would live in a modest home even if earn milions.
DeMeo was a huge earner also because he sell drug even if was banished and Castellano dont wanted to made him even if he taken a share of his drug ring money.
If castellano was so worried about Drugs why did he take money from Patsy Conte and the Cherry Hill Gambino's who were heavily involved in Heroin?
In all fairness I think that it was more than the drugs per se. Although Castellano earned off the cars, etc., I think he didn't really go for Demeo for other reasons. I believe I read that somewhere. Now this may or may not be true, but that what I read. He was also never near Castellano. Demeo worked through Gaggi, Big Paul kept his distance the best he could from Demeo.
Also remember that you are trying to compare "apples and oranges". Conte and the Gambino brothers were at a tremendously higher level with the narcotics dealing than Demeo. You are talking about guys who never even "touched" the stuff yet moved hundreds, if not thousands of kilos at a time.
Demeo may have been involved with drugs, more street level or wholesale, but no where near the level of the others who were "international smugglers". Plus they ostensibly were "legit" businessmen until it came out. VERY low key, quiet, reserved, almost beyond reproach. So accepting a fat envelope from them was a bit different. Safer so to speak. Hypocritical maybe, but different.
