I have come to the conclusion that whatever is left its more than likely a few guys here and there working together.

I'd say there are probably 5-10 serious guys that have any significant activity going on right now.

Other than that there is nobody interested in being involved. I think most are scared of going to prison in 2025 for the most part and anyone else who was involved in the past has pretty much moved onto legit careers due to circumstances out of their control that has been created by the federal government. These laws and advances in technology make it almost impossible for them to be successful as a mob guy, so may as well invest the $$$ they did make as a mobster by retiring or just focusing on business interests that are legitimate.

Care to disagree? Leave your opinions here.

Tell the truth, Rush. What have I been saying around here for years already? That everybody wanted to argue with me about? Lol.

I've been saying that for all intents and purposes, the Chicago Outfit is a dead duck (and has been for many years already).

The same goes for Detroit, and most of the other borgatas around the country. About the only "real" families that remain at the Five Families of NYC.

At least Detroit is a close-knit group and always thrived to go fully legitimate. Education was also key and many moved to places like Florida.

I'm happy to see you finally agree with me on this, Rush.

Would you say that they followed the path that the Jews took years took decades before them,instead of hanging around in the street type rackets until they finally fell to RICO convictions and long prison terms ?

I simply think the bosses got soft and sick of dealing with bullshit. So they invested their money into legitimate businesses and decided to pick a different path in life leaving the Outfit behind and not really doing anything illegal anymore. There are some younger guys now trying to bring it back so we'll see what happens. Im not getting my hopes up anymore as my expectations are low as they have ever been.

What once was a national power, the Outfit has really turned into just a regional crime syndicate that makes money in an around Chicago and a couple other locations in the Midwest. Rackets are limited to prostitution, drugs, some gambling and white collar scams. You do have some loan sharking also as that will always be a $$$ maker with the right individuals.

another good question/statement rush. i think for the more successful mobsters having their children and grandchildren NOT involved in the life was the whole point. i have used this example before but will again, would accardo rather see his grankids in nfl or in 2025 grinding out sweepstakes machine rackets across chicago? its a no brainer.

but really this has been the case across all families active or defunct for some time. in chicago amongst the unions (IBT, LIUNA etc.) the whole point was to use influence and at times illegal means to place close family in good paying jobs with health benefits and a pension, especially after major busts and clamp downs in mid 80s into 90s, 2000s. many of those family members still have those jobs having acquired them by legit ways. same can be said across all depts in the city of chicago, including police and into state politics as well.

so if yer lucky enough to have a well paying job with benefits and a pension why indeed mess that up by involving yourself in say a gambling network as an agent or video gaming machines? those that continue to grind it out on the street are the ones who never had the influence to obtain a good job because of association, past convictions etc.

Well said. State jobs with pensions were also set up for the sons of Outfit bosses.

Havana, What we are witnessing here, and have been witnessing, is a fading of the mob. But one not of their choosing.

After a few generations, most Irish and Jewish gangsters, and by extension, subsequently, the mobs they headed assimilated into legitimate society by choice. Whereas, although many Italian mobsters didn't want that same life for their children and decedents, the Italian mob as a whole -- Cosa Nostra -- continued to maintain and even increase their stranglehold over the American underworld and upper-world alike because of their structure, abilities, and their long history.

And as I've stated here on numerous occasions, and have provided the proof time after time to back up those statements, is that what's happening now is because the U.S. has taken the ball away from the underworld by legalizing so many of the former income-producing rackets the mob once controlled. That, coupled with the modernization of technology, the sophisticated penal laws on the books as never before, such as RICO, WITSEC, draconian jail terms, confiscation of racket profits, etc., etc., etc....

All of this coupled together has made it nearly impossible to continue earning the way they once did. In other words, the "profit" has been taken out of the game, which doesn't make the mob "game" attractive for most mob guys anymore.

Here are just a few of the rackets that are no longer available to them; liquor bootlegging (legalized spirits), horse-race betting (OTB), policy-numbers (LOTTO), sports bookmaking (legalized sports betting), illegal casinos (Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Foxwoods and hundreds of other casinos all across the country), shylocking (payday loans and numerous other sources of funding), marijuana (legalized), truck hijacking (GPS), cargo theft (GPS and CCTV), etc., etc. The list goes on and on.

So why would any potential mob guy with half a brain in his head even bother going into a dying industry? Especially when there are so many better options today.

And existing mob guys? Lol. Once again, those guys with any common sense whatsoever are either retiring or shifting their focus away from "street rackets" -- in other words, they're trying their best to go legit!

And with the exception of dealing hard drugs today, or the occasional big-money sophisticated fraud scheme (for those few guys who can even rise to that level), today's mob's is a dead duck!