The Chin story is all over the NYTimes today. Seems the Chin copped a plea and admitted his ruse in order to avoid getting ten more years tacked onto his sentence (he got three more). He'll be out in 2010. Considering his age (75) and legitimately poor health, the prosecutor said it's the equivalent of life in prison. His son Anthony, 46, also copped a plea to extortion--he's looking at 2-3. The Times story noted that the Chin's first conviction occurred in 1959: heroin trafficking.
Chin's lawyer had the last word: "If this is a Mob boss, then I conclude that America is safe." The story didn't say anything about succession in the Genovese Family. They were considered the most stable of the NYC families, if for no other reason than the Chin had managed to stay out of jail for so long. At that, Chin managed to dodge a RICO conviction that sent his fellow Dons away for triple-digits. Perhaps he wasn't so dumb after all?