I've read on somewhere on one of the fan sites for this show where they had a family tree of the crime family. Who was capo, boss, soldier, etc. It stated that Tony was acting Boss and before him Jackie Sr was acting Boss and the actual boss nicknamed 'Eckley' was in Jail. If so, isn't it pretty much the norm for the boss to run the show from jail (i.e. Gotti, the Chin, etc). Why isn't this discussed? Or was the family tree I saw simply wrong?

The "Eckley" you refer to was Tony's uncle, and brother to Uncle Junior and Johnny Boy (Tony's father). Blood relations do not guarantee your place in the hierarchy.

Also, many mob leaders have given up their leadership roles while imprisoned.

[ July 21, 2001: Message edited by: SC ]

Check out this link for the Sopranos Family Tree:

CLICK HERE for link to the Sopranos Family Tree BY BLOOD


CLICK HERE for link to the Sopranos Family tree BY ASSOCIATION

[ July 21, 2001: Message edited by: SC ]

Yes but that same site, lists a 'Professional Association' Family tree and a guy name Eckley Di Mao (spellng) is listed as the boss?
I agree that many jailed bosses give up their rule of the family but that's not been the case lately. The majority of the commission (at least 3 that I can think of:Gambinos, Geneovesse and Columbos) run it from jail. So can anyone tell me anything about this 'Eckley' Di Mao guy?
http://www.the-sopranos.com/db/ftprofessional.htm

I never noticed that before...I can only suggest that the "Professional Association" tree is wrong, and that Eckley's (real name Ercoli) last name
should be Soprano, and not DiMao. Eckley Soprano was Junior's and Johnny Boy's older brother.

Domenico Ercoli "Eckley" DiMeo and Ercoli "Eckley" Soprano are two different people, SC. Eckley DiMeo was the founder of the DiMeo Crime Family (which is the "Soprano Crime Family's" official name) and Eckley Soprano was never involved with the Family.

If you would like to learn more about the DiMeo Crime Family's roster, you should read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DiMeo_Crime_Family

I thought that was the "retarded" brother who Junior and Johnny never mentioned.

Right, that was Ercoly Soprano.


Ercoly DiMeo is the jailed-for-life mobster.

The DiMeo character was separate and only referenced in several early episodes IIRC.

Didn't Junior make a reference to "the Sopranos finally getting a shot?"

Imprisoned bosses can only be bosses from prison if they have loyalists on the outside. Genovese was able to do it. But after a few years, doing business that way starts to wear thin on the capos. Besides, there's always someone who's trying to unseat a boss whether he is in or out of prison.

Was that from the flashback episode where Junior is upset that Jackie was named acting boss over him?

It is pretty clear that DiMeo had little or no power from his jail cell. We never saw anything in the series to suggest that, although the soldiers never speak badly of him. I suppose as long as he is alive he holds the title though.

Junior Soprano says "Sopranos have been waiting a long time to take the reins," to Tony Soprano inside the Sit Tite Luncheonette.

DiMeo's sentences was probably long enough where they knew he would never be out of prison again, therefore he losses title of boss, like John Stanfa.

But isn't it up to the boss if he gives up the role of boss. Was John Gotti still the "official boss" when he was sentenced to life in 92.

If you're going away for 50 years, how much authority do you still have. Sure you will still have the title of Boss, but that's all it is a title.

If the Boss has many loyal Capos, he could run the family, but it never really works out.

Sure

A person who is stuck in the supermax in Illinois or wherever it is is largely limited in the visitors that they can have. Be had to run the family from there via courier. Besides the fact they probably closely monitor visitor conversations with an inmate.

Exactly, look at Johnny Sack in Season 6. In the beginning he tried running the family through Phil, it worked...for a bit. It never truley works, once your in for life, just kiss it goodbye.

It seemed to be working, but Sack dug his own grave with the plea bargain he struck.