We are talking bottom of the barrel associates here.

From what I see most live week to week and pretty much have to resort to being in a drug dealing or burglary crew to make ends meet and prove themselves. Seems like the burglary thing is pretty much the main way any guy in the mob establishes themselves and this is going back generations.

Your thoughts? Seems like quite the risk for so little chances of being a boss one day. These guys, many of them, live in a shitty little apartment, and dress like shit.

Why not just pick a legit career that pays more? I imagine most of these guys have established criminal records that prevent them from going that route. No wonder guys take advantage of the opportunity to get into College and pick a different career. So many few viable rackets available now to make a living I do not blame them. Who the fuck wants to deal drugs or have to burglarize homes to be a successful mobster? Not very glamorous and extremely stressful. Plus with all the informants out there you can't trust nobody nowadays.

i can agree if you are only talking low level associate. however as is my habit ill try to reframe the question a bit and ask is there different levels to being an associate?

i think so, and as i often have chicago outfit names in my head will use a few as examples. at a point in time in 2013 the outfit would have had as associates; michael davis and maher abuhabash. davis was an associate for cicero crew and a loanshark with alleged ties to both salvatore delaurentis and pete difronzo. abuhabash was an associate connected to the P-K street crew headed by robert panozzo and paul koroluk. maher was tasked with surveillance on drug houses and in placing and tracking gps devices on cars.

there is obviously a difference in these 2 associates in the pecking order of associates. both involved in criminal deeds but at higher levels. davis was caught trying to collect on a $300 000 loan. i would doubt mr. abuhabash made that across entirety of indictment timeline in P-K crew.

also to consider could be guys like michael marcello. the brother of onetime boss james marcello, not considered made by most but also was heavily involved in melrose park crew while marcello was imprisoned and after. as far as associates go one can get no higher than being the bosses brother, putting marcello in an envious spot amongst associates. years later however after family secrets, prison time and release marcello is still considered a associate by many, but any status he once held is gone on the streets of chicago.

A better question would be Why does America always glamorize the Mafia Lifestyle?

They really should put together a documentary that shows a day in the life of an average associate in the mob. I guarantee you it would be sort of depressing and a reality check for many who think all Mobsters are well off and live glamorous lives.

For a guy like Michael Marcello, now that hes not active anymore where does he go? What kind of job does he start doing to make a living? Janitor? Factory worker?

So far removed from what he was doing when his brother was boss. Are there any guys who give af about Mike anymore?

That would make a great Netflix documentary featuring guys like himself and others around the country who were once involved in the Life.

Thats a good observation. At one time it did seem that a lot of guys thought to be connected were burglars or armed robbers, possibly extortionists, some of whom might commit violent acts to climb the ladder of OC

And it seems like the burglary route is probably a less viable option these days due to cameras and other technology
How many burglaries can these guys commit before getting caught these days, and how many keep cash laying around these days for burglars to steal
Even with the drugs,they might get away with it longer,but then do a lot of time when they are caught.
And once they get a record,they are more likely to cooperate the next time they get caught.

Maybe before the 1960s or 1970s there were more lucrative, less risky ways for associates to get by financially.
The days of Prohibition and days before legal gambling for example.
And in those days it might have been easier to corrupt politicians and police to avoid prosecution

Where do you see it glamorized? I see it always portrayed as awful. Goodfellas, Casino, any Mafia documentary shows them in the worst way possible, An occasional movie or music video may go the other way, but the myth of movies and television glamorizing it is a myth that gets repeated. The Sopranos is another example, guys getting killed for no reason, friends betraying friends (Which, despite the whiners who will come and whine) does not happen often. John Pennissi will disagree of course. He double crossed everyone, then cried about treachery.

I think associates are guys who have gotten so close to the mob members that they eventually get proposed for membership. . The past 40 years the majority have businesses or work jobs. That is why so many rat when they get caught doing a crime. Extortion is a tricky thing, I look at all the extortion cases, and 99% involve deadbeats who will not repay money they owe running to the police or FBI and crying extortion.


The 1930's associates all did hard time, and grew up very tough. I think for most prison was not much harsher than how they grew up. Now we have suburban raised fakes who actually go out of the way to get involved, and the worst part is they are the ones who want to do illegal things. Andy Ruggiano Jr. is an example of a coward and idiot, His father was a genuine tough guy who grew up poor, but Andy Jr. chose the life. Now he is a rat on youtube.

I agree with your assessment.

Any of you care to break down a day in the life of the average associate? Do not sugar coat anything and tell it like it is.

I don't judge though I also love the genre, many are rated among the best Films ever. It's just an American view of things It goes back to guys like Dillinger or Billy the Kid. Many of Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney films also.

The mafia life is glamorized x1000.

The average person thinks if someone gets involved they eventually will become Tony Montana.

Nope! Doesn't work that way.

My view of an associate's life is formed by the scene in "Donnie Brasco" where his crew at the Motion Lounge are busting up parking meters for the quarters inside.

Mob Associate Whose 10-Year Sentence Commuted By Trump Jailed For Assault Of Three-Year-Old Boy
Gang Land Exclusive! Jonathan BraunJonathan Braun, a violent drug dealing Gambino associate whose 10 year prison sentence was commuted by Donald Trump on the last day of his first term as POTUS, was arrested and jailed last week following a series of threats and assaults against his wife, her 75-year-old father, a nurse, a nanny, and a three-year-old boy, Gang Land has learned.

The Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's Office moved quickly to jail Braun on federal charges linked to his commuted sentence a few days after his release on $25,000 cash bail on state assault charges against a father and his three-year-old son. "It was alarming that the victim was a three-year-old child," said a knowledgeable source. "Braun's behavior was becoming more violent," the source said.

Since Friday, Braun, who made millions of dollars in the lucrative Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) industry with Gambino mobster Robert Giardina between 2015 and 2020 — much of it illegally, according to the Federal Trade Commission — has been housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn as a danger to the community.