From a Mafia point of veiw, who do you think was the greatest Boss/Don in Mob history?

My vote goes to Carlo Gambino. Low key, never put in jail, and never anyone who looked to take him out of the picture while he was boss of bosses.


Don Cardi

Tough decision here....I think that Carlo Gambino was probably the most powerful of his time, but consideration has to be given to Lucky Luciano, too. If it wasn't for Tom Dewey's personal crusade against Luciano, Charley Lucky probably wouldn't have ever seen jail (and exile).

The most influential mobster of the 20th century? Meyer Lansky!

Is there any comparison that was done between the Mafia in Sicily with its American counterpart (La Cosa Nostra)?? Is it known which is richer/stronger?

Did they ever go to war?

Why do you guy's only mention the "American" mafia? I really wonder about that. I'm sorry to say this but are you fellows "unknown" or so. The mafia is still a Sicilian thing, and it always will be.

My vote goes to the one and only "capo dei tuta capi" Salvatore "Toto" Riina, who's still suffering in his cel in Palermo.

As far as i know Sonny, it's still all controlled from Sicily, and of course we Sicilians are richer and more powerfull. Don't forget that we founded it.

About a war, NO, we've never fought a war, it's better to coorporate.

I wonder if they'll accept any immigrants in Sicily

We do know that Australia will NOT accept immigrants, especially desperate refugees fleeing from countries which the US is currently bombing the holy living $hI+ out of.

Sorry a bit off topic there!

Although he wasn't really all that famous, I always thought that Frankie Yale deserved more credit than what he recieved.

Sure Sonny, why not. It's very handy if you know something about our culture and speak our language, if you go to the small villages in the country site.

I'm an immigrant aswell altough i'm 50 % Sicilian,
my dad was born there.

Bought the book already??

Well, let's see: I'm not Italian/Sicilian nor do I make any understandable sentence in Italian/Sicilian, I do have a fiery temper (I'll get whacked quite quickly).....I guess I'll pass on immigrating to sicily, but if you know of any Family that wants to sell Franchising rights in Europe, let me know

The book? I ordered it, but it's still on the way. They don't have it here, so I had it shipped from Amazon.com and it still didn't arrive....

And RICO, believe me, you don't want those people in your neighbourhood, their food sends out some strange smell (some people like it, but I can't stand it) and it doesn't go away easily...[no offence to any]

Gambino, Genovese, Colombo, Bonanno, and Luchese, according to Valachi...

Valachi included Colombo??? I find that hard to believe.

Hey Bogus, "...you're gonna take $hit from this guy***???? What's the world coming to???" (Goodfellas)

*** No offence Consiglieri

The Mastermind: Make way for Henry Hill...*evil lurks in the darkness*...*or does it?*...

I don't know what you mean by this Sonny, have you something to sell ...........??

I'm always interrested in a good business deal

No Don Michel...I'm sorry, that was supposed to be a joke;

I was trying to explain that I'm interested in the richer and more powerful Sicilian Mafia, but since I'm not Sicilian I can't join it directly. So I was joking with you that if you hear of a Sicilian Mafia Family that wants some representatives in Europe to let me know (so that I could buy some franchising rights)....

I thought it was funny...

No worry's Sonny, just a misunderstatement. Maybe i'm a lucky man then, my dad is 100% Sicilian, i was born over there, so i can join the club.

Again I can't narrow it down to just one. but my list would go something like this:
1. Charles "Lucky" Luciano (N.Y./N.J.)
2. Carlo Gambino (N.Y./N.J.)
3. Al Capone (Chi.)
4. Sam Giancana (Chi.)
5. Albert Anastasia (N.Y./N.J.)
6. John Gotti (N.Y./N.J.)
7. Vito Genovese (N.Y./N.J.)
8. Santo Traficante (FLA.)
9. Carlos Marcello (N.O.)
10. Nicodemo Scarfo (Phi.)

No my friend Luciano wasnt the greatest. carlo Gambino was but only in his time back then the police and FBI didnt look at the Cosa Notra that much. My friends Carlo was in his time. then it would be Al Capone then Vito Genovese Then John Gotti then Albert Anastasia. John Gotti was pretty smart but rmember at that time the whole family style was unraveling So the FBI and andy maloney went after him and wouldnt stop even after he wasnt found guilty. But in my thoughts Carlo is wand forever will be the greatest Don ever.

Don jasani let me take you to my class Mafia 101 if you read the books its entitles Carlo Gambio as the greatest.The Teflon Don was great but no great enought he would go around 4th place in my opinion.

A good arguement can be made for all the aboved mentioned. However, let me give my opinion as to why Carlo was the best. During his rule, the feds could never pin anything on him. He was a quiet man who never brought attention to himself. All in all his underlings were pretty happy, made money, and no one of importance under him ever really looked to get rid of him and take over as boss. This, in my opion makes for a great boss.

Lucky Luciano, is right up there with him. FOr it was Luciano who implemented the idea of forming a commission, with no one boss being in total control. He was defiantely ahead of his time no doubt. He surrounded himself with a smart man who knew the laws and knwe how to make everyone involved money ( Meyer Lansky ), and at the same time he also surrounded himself with a street smart bulldog who feared no one ( Benny Siegal ). Definately a smart idea to have both of these kinds of people surrounding you. But Luciano became a bit to careless, as he rose to the top, and brought too much attention upon himself which pissed off some of his underlings and also the Lawmakers. This eventually brought him down. Only the keen mind of Meyer Lansky could scheme up an idea to eventually get Lucky off the hook.

John Gotti, definately one of the most famous Bosses of all time. This guy had BIG BALLS, and feared no one. What brought him to power in such a short time was the fact that he was smart enough to take advantage of Castellanos greed, and convince the others that BIg Paulie was getting rich off thier backs and would not share the wealth. Unfortunately, when Gotti became the Boss of Bosses, he, like Luciano, brought too much attention to himself. After beating the government on three different occassions, he basically dared them to come get him! However, I still believe that what the government did to him was unconstitutional, taking his Legal Representation away from him! For if Cutler was not taken away from him, then I think that Gotti would have beat the government for a fourth time. However as I stated earlier, Gotti was too much in the public eye, and for that reason, in my opinion, he was not a great boss.

Al Capone, just a damn maniac in plain english! A great Boss, I wouldn't say so. He basically lived by one rule; My way or death. He was not one of those bosses who made money for all involved with him. Another guy who liked living in the headlines. Not good business for a family, especially if you are the boss.

If I had to choose a boss out of all these guys, Carlo Gambino would still be my choice.

Don Cardi

some how you guys have deleted some really good
bosses,for one john gotti does not even belong on
that list,yes he was ruthless and a killer,that does not make for a great don,he was careless to
the point of stupid,he could never run a business
such as construction,clothing,food industry or a
simple gambling operation,he lost money at his own
game,he was a simple hi-jacker who got lucky.he didnt know when to shut-up or stay low.
if you want to add a couple of names try vinny(the
chin)gigante who runs the most powerful family in
the world or sam(theplumber)decavalcantes who at one time held every union job new jersey ever saw
before even gambling was lagalized.
nicky scarfo sr. and jr. are two of the biggest idiots ever to come along,junior is not even made
and if not for gigante and BIG PAUL COSTELLANO scarfo sr. would not have been boss,both scarfos
are also resposible for the philly mob wars which
are still going on today,costellano probobly was
the smartest and most succesfull boss ever other then capone,at one time capone made more money per
day then any major corperation did in his time,
they also say paul was making 500 million a year
(half a billion)in both legal and illegal companies,some of these companies still exist today and are very profitable for the gambino family,john gotti took his regime and flushed it
down the toilet just like his life he had no control over his soldiers and his capos,drugs,
petty crimes and murders johns legacy is great but the truth is he was a terrible boss.

A lot of good points have been made regarding my list and now I feel the need to give my reasons..
1. Charles "Lucky" Luciano (N.Y./N.J.) - Set up The Comission and orchestrated the hits on Joe Masseria and Sal Maranzano..
2. Carlo Gambino (N.Y./N.J.) - Led the Gambino family through a period of unprecedented prosperity.
3. Al Capone (Chi.)- Orchestrated St. Valentines Day Massacre..oh yeah and he's AL CAPONE!
4. Sam Giancana (Chi.) - May have had a hand in J.F.K assasination, and led Chi. Mob through some dangerous times.
5. Albert Anastasia (N.Y./N.J.) - Had a key hand in forming Murder Inc.
6. John Gotti (N.Y./N.J.) - Teflon Don, as mentioned Balls for days....
7. Vito Genovese (N.Y./N.J.) - Well known for ruthless nature..
8. Santo Traficante (FLA.) - May have had a hand in the Kennedy assasination.
9. Carlos Marcello (N.O.) - May have had a hand in the Kennedy assasination.
10. Nicodemo Scarfo (Phi.) - Well known for ruthless nature...
And this list is by no means a hard and fast ranking of who the all time best were..

This is what i call a Boss:

Salvatore Riina of the corleonesi, the peasant from Corleone probably the most feared boss ever to sit on the Commission of the Sicilian Mafia the Cupolla. His greed and appetite for power unleashed a wave of murder organized crime would ever see the likes in any where throughout the world. Toto served his apprenticeship in the Corleonesi under the infamous Luciano Liggio. Toto's prestige within the corleonesi would soar when he saved his mentors life. Liggio was ambushed by a gang sent from a rival clan he added by Michele Navarra. Both of them would take hits but Toto's instinct would be to protect his boss and get him to safety, and soon after they would seek retribution by Killing the then head of the Cupolla the doctor Michele Navarra.

Leggio would soon take over what Navarra left behind and although the Cupola wasn't happy with Leggio's actions but would not punish him. Riina began to seek power by striking up friendship's with influential men of honour belonging to deferent clans some as far as Napoli. His method was extremely insidious as he would fuel rifts in families in order to recruit younger men of honour.

This would serve Riina well when he took over the Corleonesi clan in the mid-seventies when Leggio was incarcerated. Riina Would sit on the Cupola as one of three men that divided the power into a third each. Riina was by now heavily involved in heroin distribution and his greed would spark a power struggle for control of the massive profits the corleonesi were already enjoying. Toto began plotting the deaths of the men he had to share the power of the cupola. First of all Salvatore Inzerello was murdered and shortly after Stefano Bontade suffered the same fate. This brought mayhem to Sicily Where upon over a thousand men of honour would die in a bloody war that threatened to engulf the entire Sicilian cosa nostra. But after the smoke cleared Toto Riina became the boss of bosses in Sicily.

The beast would be backed up by powerful bosses such as Michele Greco and Pipo Calo who would now be the new power on the cupola and Riina would enjoy a couple of peaceful years but there was a dark cloud on the horizon in the shape of Tomasso Buschetta and his crucial testimony in the maxi trials.

Tomasso Buschetta was arrested in Brazil and returned to Italy to face his crimes one of which just because he was a man of honor despite fleeing to Brazil Because he openly opposed the Corleonesi led by Riina. Buschetta angered by the murders of his 2 sons he began to cooperate with the authorities as an act of vengeance to the notorious Corleonesi. Buschetta testified at the maxi trials in Palermo where over 400 Mafiosi would be convicted although many were overturned by a corrupt judge, judge Carnevale nicknamed sentence killer.

Riina was also convicted even though he would not attend the maxi trials, Riina was supposedly a fugitive even though he never left Palermo. For nearly 20 years Riina avoided arrest thanks largely to the amount of law enforcement officers who were paid off so he could walk around Sicily like a free man.

Soon enough though Riina would be walking around freely no more. In 1993 Riina was
arrested after roughly twenty years on the lam. He was picked up in Palermo at midday,
a victim of the massive police crackdown sweeping across southern Italy. The authorities
and public were outraged at the senseless murders of 2 anti Mafia judges, Giovanni Falcone
and Paulo Borselino. Toto Riina is serving life behind bars but his underboss Bernardo Provenzano is now the head of the cupola.

You can read more of his "work" here:
Salvatore "Toto" Riina



[ October 30, 2001: Message edited by: Don_Michel ]

[ December 31, 2001: Message edited by: Don_Michel ]

Grazie Don_Michel! But what about 'the Fox' Giulio Andreotti??? The REAL boss of Italian political corruption. What was his famous motto? Oh yeah :"Power wears out those who don't have it."

Do you mean this FOX:

Giulio Andreotti, the seven-times former prime minister who was acquitted two years ago of having Mafia ties, was due to go on trial again

Andreotti, 82, who has bounced back onto the political scene following his acquittal, is being accused on appeal by two women prosecutors in Palermo, Sicily. They will ask for him to be jailed for at least 10 years.

The original case against Andreotti was based on evidence by a number of Mafia informants who said he had met Mafiosi and even "godfathers".

The two prosecutors in that earlier case said the acquittal, made on the grounds that no crime had been committed, amounted to a "misapplication and travesty of justice".

They charged that the judges failed to take the evidence into account and followed a course of reasoning "way out of line" with that of the prosecution.

Andreotti was acquitted after a trial lasting four years.

But in the full account they gave of their decision last year, the judges claimed Andreotti had lied in court when he said he had not known the Salvo cousins, powerful Sicilian tax collectors who were connected to the Mafia.

The question of whether Andreotti knew the two men or not was considered crucial for the prosecution's case, since the Salvos were said to have been his channel to the Mafia leadership.

Despite his age and judicial concerns, Andreotti has returned to the political scene. A senator for life, he recently helped to form a moderate party based on old Christian Democrat ideals.

His name was recently mooted as a choice for foreign minister in a possible new conservative coalition government after next month's elections.

Grazie Don_Michel! Yes THAT sly 'Fox.' What about the current President Silvio Belusconi? He is pretty well "mobbed up" as they say, no?

Berlusconi Rules, he is a fine president altough he is quitte mobbed up. I have no problems with that. I'm Sicilian you know.

I would choose Carlo Gambino

Don Jasani I pretty much agree with your list but one thing You have Al capone No. 3 and Sam Giancana No. 4, But no one has mentioned Anthony (Joe Batters) Accardo I would place him above Al Capone and especially Sam Giancana. Anthony Accardo never went to prison(as far as I know) plus when Sam Giancana was hit back in june of 1975 it's been said that only Anthony Accardo could have given the order for the hit. Actually I would probably place Anthony Accardo No. 1 on the list sorry for going on for as long as I have I've been gone for awhile.

[ November 01, 2001: Message edited by: The Iceman ]