The Everything Mafia Book (15 page)

Before he became mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani made a name for himself as the U.S. attorney general for southern New York. In 1986 he succeeded in getting convictions against the five New York mafia heads in the “Commission Case.”

Corporate America

The Commission was one of the most successful and long-running “corporate” entities in the history of American “business.” For the most part it ran smoothly. Decisions were made and disputes were settled with a minimum of hard feelings. And when it came time to whack someone, a vote was taken. Hotheads who took it upon themselves to kill someone were often killed, especially if their target was someone outside the Mafia. The Commission met many times over the years in Chicago, Havana, and New York City. Police started getting a handle on the meetings and actually survalenced one in New York City. It is believed by law enforcement that the Commission is now a shadow of its former self; the last known meeting was in New York City at the turn of the new century.

The Administration

At the head of every Mafia family, there is one man who calls the shots. He is called the boss, the don, or sometimes the godfather. As the boss, he has the ultimate say in how the family operates, what rackets it gets into, and settles disputes not only among its members but with other criminal organizations. As a result, the boss has a target on his back from both upstarts in the mob and law enforcement. It’s a stress-filled job, but there always seems to be candidates willing to fill it. Directly below the boss is the aptly named underboss. He is the second most powerful member of the crime family. He deals with the day-to-day operations of the family and has a more hands-on approach than the don. There are occasions when the boss and/or the underboss are in prison and they may assign an acting boss or acting under-boss to take their place. Usually the acting boss or underboss serves as a conduit, relaying messages from prison.

Sometimes families have a
consigliere
, or counselor. This person is the chief adviser to the don in all matters of policy. In many cases the consi-gliere is an older member of the mob family, usually semiretired. He’s used to give advice on all family matters and is relied on as an objective voice. In some cases, like Tampa, there is an advisory council, or group of consi-glieres who advise the boss on mob matters.

Middle Management

At the middle-management levels of the Mafia, there is the
caporegime
. He is the equivalent of a lieutenant in the crime family. Usually called
capo
for short, he controls a crew of about ten or so underlings. Capo is also sometimes the diminutive of
capodecina
, which literally means “captain of ten.” These crews commit the crimes and report the results and surrender the lion’s share of the loot to the capo. He sees that it flows upward to the boss.

Button Men

Below the capos are the soldiers. These are the grunts who get their hands dirty. The crews carry out the heists, hijackings, and hits that make up the day-to-day workings of a typical Mafia family. The soldiers are all “made” men, meaning they have been officially indoctrinated into the family, taken the vow of Omerta, and have committed at least one murder, though the last requirement seems to be more folklore than fact.

There have been relatively few father-to-son transfers of power in the Mafia. One of the earliest was the ascension of Santo Trafficante Jr., who took over for his father in 1954. Some transfers were not so successful. John Gotti Jr. was appointed to run the Gambino family by his imprisoned father, but he was arrested only a few years later.

Rising Through the Ranks

Unlike in legitimate businesses, men often rise in the Mafia through murderous means. Albert Anastasia killed his don to become the boss. So did John Gotti. This is why a don can never truly be at peace. The vice president of sales may be concerned about an aggressive young salesman who is out to get his job, but it is unlikely that he will be whacked by the junior man. The mob is full of stories off bosses being whacked, especially during the ’20s and ’30s, when the mob was in its infancy.

People often run into difficulty when they hire friends and relatives. But some Mafia families, like the Detroit family, are a collection of intertwining relationships, both through blood and through marriage. There are also cross-family marriages that link together powerful Mafia families.

On the lower rungs of the Mafia ladder, promotions can come more peacefully. A soldier can make capo without necessarily having to whack his superior; though, this does happen. Transfers of power naturally happen based on merit, but just like any other business, it is not always what you know but who you know. A favored underling can rise within the ranks and surpass more deserving mobsters.

Associates—The Vital Link

Next down on the Mafia food chain are the associates. They are not made guys, but they are the most important part of a successful Mafia family. They work with the crews, some with hopes of one day being made, others knowing they can’t because of their ethnic background. Some associates, like Chicago gangsters Murray “the Camel” Humphries and Gus Alex, were probably more powerful and influential than many of the made guys in the Mafia.

Associates are usually the closest to the street and are the bookmakers, loan sharks, drug runners, as well as the errand boys and messengers for the made mobsters. Some associates are corrupt cops, accountants, politicians, business partners, and financial consultants who help the mobsters in a variety of ways—all illegal.

Associates are the main group of criminals in a mobster’s crew. They are often used for the dirty work, and that includes murder and beatings. If a leg needs to be broken, a made guy will often send an associate. They report directly to their soldier or in some cases, the capo. They are ambitious young hoods who desperately want to be made. Though valuable (they are more than willing to hit, whack, ice, or burn any target, since this is a prerequisite to being made), they are also regarded with a wary eye by the elder gangsters, since they may be a threat sometime down the line.

For a look at street-level gangster life, a great movie to see is the criminally underrated Friends of Eddie Coyle about low-level Irish gangsters in the Boston underworld. It gives an overview off the less-than-glamorous aspect of mob life.

What It Means to Be Made

As important as an associate may be, he is still thought of as a simple errand boy or enforcer. He may run a huge, sophisticated betting operation, or he may visit regular customers, take the bets, and collect the money and return it to the “office.” Either way, he is still not a made guy and does not get to enjoy some of the privileges of being an official member of the Mafia.

To be made, a prospect must be sponsored by a made guy. The gangster vouches for the prospect (which can cause a problem if the prospect is an undercover cop). Then a ceremony is held to officially induct the prospect into the Mafia. From then on they are considered made guys, or “friends of ours.” To be made means they can control and demand money from associates, they cannot sleep with the girlfriend or wife of another made guy, and cannot hit another made guy. Being made also means a bigger set of responsibilities and respect from others in the underworld. Of course, being a made guy puts you out in front as a target for the law.

CHAPTER 9
The Five Families of New York

The Mafia gained its greatest presence in New York City. From the turn of the twentieth century, the organized crime outfits that have become known as “the five families” of New York have had their share of family ties, family feuds, and family affairs. Together they carved up the biggest city in the nation into their own personal fiefdoms. A slogan that appeared on T-shirts a few years ago in Greenwich Village summed it up best: “New York City, Family Owned and Operated Since 1920.” This chapter will look at the history and the cast of characters of these infamous crime families.

Epicenter of the Mafia

New York gained a lot from the immigrants that streamed into the country at the turn of the twentieth century—future business leaders, politicians, doctors, and so on. As discussed in previous chapters, there was also the dark underside of the Mafia. New York was the breeding ground for thousands of mobsters over the years. It was a natural place for the mob to work their trade. As an economic powerhouse, New York also had a strong union presence, easy pickings for the mob. With two of the busiest airports in America, coupled with an extensive port facility, the mob had a ready supply of goods to hijack and sell. And with various ethnic neighborhoods spread across all five boroughs, it was easy for the gangsters to recruit young talent.

Manhattan

The heart of New York City was the first major home of organized crime. Along Mulberry Street in Little Italy, among the street vendors and restaurants, were social clubs where mobsters gathered to discuss schemes over drinks and cards. Just across Canal the Asian gangs ruled, but the two groups didn’t intermingle often. Just east from Little Italy was the Lower East Side, the once predominantly Jewish neighborhood that gave rise to some of the infamous early Jewish gangsters. The last place where the gangsters grew up was East Harlem. Now dominated by Latinos, it was once a large, thriving Italian neighborhood and home to large-scale narcotics dealers. It was also the headquarters of Genovese boss Fat Tony Salerno, the stereotypical gangster with a permanent scowl and a half-lit cheap cigar hanging from his mouth.

The Outer Boroughs

Brooklyn was home to some of the largest mobbed-up neighborhoods in New York. The Brooklyn accent is the one most people associate with the stereotypical mobster. The necklace of neighborhoods of South Brooklyn, including Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge, Gravesend, and Canarsie, were fertile grounds for the mob. Not only did they recruit from there and run their rackets, but they also lived in the neighborhoods.

Queens was home to mob boss John Gotti, who lived in the close-knit neighborhood of Howard Beach, located near Kennedy Airport. Queens was also the home to influential members of the Lucchese families. Continuing eastward, out into suburban Long Island, all five families had representatives who chose the life of middle-class suburbia over the crowded rat race of “the Volcano,” a term Joe Bonanno used to describe New York City.

The Bronx, traditionally a symbol of urban decay, actually had a significant mob population. The area around Arthur Avenue was a mobbed-up neighborhood. And currently there is a significant mob presence in the Pel-ham Bay/Throgg’s Neck section of the borough.

Staten Island has always been the forgotten borough, but some wise guys chose to live there. It was an easy commute into the city. Mob boss Paul Castellano lived in a garish white mansion on the Island. Staten Island also had a lot of young wise guys operating there over the years.