My personal experience with guys that have done real time mostly if they are smart they come home with a different state of mind.

You take Amato for example he was shooter in the war did his 15+ Years, he is a BIG-SHOT now making money hand over fist and simply does NOT want to go back to jail.

He is NOT looking to commit violence unless he has to.

The second thing is not every associate or made man is a tough guy they just are not.

So the fact that this guy " THE PLUMBER" got abused by someone who is not affiliated with LCN, is a testament to how tough he really is not.

Yes 30 years ago the LION would have been laying in the street already.

It looks like the Lions days were numbered.

Lets say that confrontation happened in the diner of Staten Island and the Lion bested the muscle the "Plumber" brought, next time around he brings two tough guys and than three tough guys etc, etc.

Eventually the Lion would run across an associate or a member or a crew that would have TAMED HIM.

Either that or he would have been forced to reach out to someone in LCN, to stand up for him.

Look at what happened with the other family that tried to collect money from Amato Jr's friend they eventually went to a sit down and were told you have nothing coming and that is that.

What I can tell you is that there are more independents now than ever and they are mostly getting away with what they are doing.

Until they get big enough to be on the radar.

There has always been independents some guys that I know that are fringe players and even some associates that know the way the game is played, their thought process is, I will lend out money on my own and when the day comes I get "Called to the Carpet" I will then reach out to someone I know.

They do that because they know once someone steps up for them they have to start paying them, so they figure they will get someone involved hopefully never however, as late as possible.

Not because they do not fear LCN, simply because they know the way things operate and just would rather not pay at least until they have to.

Every time you get you get someone to sit down for you that person gets paid, and if the sit down cannot be resolved at that lower level and the made guy has to get their captain involved that captain now eats as well, and if the captain is unable to resolve issue and the admin gets involved they get a piece too.

With that chain of events it is possible you walk away with next to nothing or nothing and there is NOTHING you can do about it.

Let that happen a few times and the last your looking to do is get someone to SIT for you.