Over the past 25 - 30 yrs.. Lets not go back to the 60s.. Lets keep this modern mby 80's to now.. I was watching a video on gaspipe.. Seems like he made a killing..

Tough to say. Michael Franzese was an amazing earner. Others include Richard Martino, Tommy Gambino, Joseph Caridi, Danny Marino, Joe Watts, Vincent Basciano..

Tommy Gambino made a fortune with his garment business.
DeMeo made a packet in his day.
Gravano must of taken a hell of a wad off the construction projects
Danny Marino made alot.

Great question and impossible to know the facts. It is not like these guys declared their true income on the 1040's.

Tommy Gambino cut a check for $12M as restitution as part of his plea in 1992. That was a check and is close to $18 M in todays dollar, inflation adjusted.

Joey Massino forfeited close to $12M, much of it in cash.

I read Carlo's book about Gaspipe, and he was clearly an earner, but I have not seen a figure on any forfeitures.

When Accardo's house got raided, the Feds found a couple hundred thousand in cash, which he eventually got back. Not sure what year that was.

Michael Franzese claims to have been turning in millions a week on the gas tax scam. I cannot recall what his restitution payment was, but I believe it was around $12 - 15M. There is a report somewhere (NJ Crime Commission?) suggesting that Franzese made more money for any crime family since Capone.

The gas tax scam reportedly generated $1B - clearly the most lucrative scam in recent history.

I have heard the windows scam generated anywhere from $150 - $450M total - and that was spread between several families.

The Pizza Connection reportedly moved $1 $2B in heroin, which was divided between Italian families, Canadians (Montreal & Toronto / Hamilton) and I NY, primarily the Bonanno's with some going to the Gambino's.

Interesting that we have little info on guys from the Genovese's, who clearly have some big time earners but keep it low on the radar screen and do not get busted. You know the Chin, Benny Eggs, etc had a warehouse full of cash stacked away in a couple of places.

yeah...another reason why me (and im sure everyone else) is interested in the genovese. Gigante and Mangano lived a few blocks from eachother in the village in very very modest apartments. Frank Condo lived in a Mitchell Lama building on Houston ; for those not in NY Mitchell Lama Housing is income-based housing for the middle class in the city. When you got guys that are in the game strictly for power and respect instead of money - like gigante seemed to have been - you know they're dangerous as f***.

In most recent times I'd guess Basciano was the biggest earner. I also read somewhere that the notorious "3 capos" from the Bonnanos were huge earners...especially Trinchera , not much is known about him

I do not know much about Vinny Gorgeous - what was the source of his $?

if im not mistaken, drugs. He was involved in a heroin ring trial in the 90s that was supposed to have made a HUGE chunk. then you gotta presume he plows some of that money into a loansharking book and the rest is history. He's realtively young but seems to have been around for a long time - thers a picture of him at some Bonanno wedding back in the day with some other Members when he was like 20-something years old

Basciano was big into both drugs (heroin, marijuana) and gambling (sports betting, video poker machines). Also had interests in some legitimate businesses.

Anthony casso was making alot even before he was underboss he ran a huge drug trafficking operation

Anyone ever read Sam and Chuck Giancana's stupid book?

In it they claim--through Sam's monologues, remembered verbatim--that the Outfit was responsible for everything from the assassination of JFK to Vietnam (yes--Vietnam was an Outfit scam) to I forget what else.

It was totally idiotic.

But if you believed it, he would be the greatest earner of all time. As well as the greatest of everything else of all time.

I read it. Other than the stories about personal family brutalities which I tended to believe only b/c stuff like that tends to stay with folks, it needed to be taken with a huge rock of salt, as you say. To believe everything in that book one would have to believe that Giancana had a compulsive need to confess to his relatives every evil thing he ever did.

i read it and also had the same thoughts of that. i think if anyone was responsible for jfk was carlos marcello boss of new oreleans. of course this once again is just theory. i do believe that sam ginacanna and trafficante were in the failed attempt on fidel castro's life. i think there has been enough proof for that. as for the vietnam thing.....i highly doubt it.

thats the only reason casso came to the position that he was in, because of his great earning ability s. i guess you have to give the devil his due because he was a fierce earner. just wasn't the most rational fella.

Guys I totally agree with you! And also unbelievably that there is enough evidence that the CIA really did approach Giancana to help kill Castro!

The CIA went to extraordinary lengths to try to whack Castro.
They had a bomb placed under a podium he was due to give a speech at but it failed.
There was a plan to send him a box of cigars that would explode once lit.
They even sent him a wet suit (he liked scuba diving apparently) that was laced with deadly bacteria - he was smart enough to throw it away first though.

"I don't know a thing about John S------'s past.If he is a Colombo he could be the first billionaire.

Gennaro "Jerry" Anguilo was a hell of an earner, he ran a hell of a bookmaking and loansharking business which is what got him the money to kick up to Patriarca which in turn elevated him to defacto underboss

He's a made member of the Colombo family. Definitely a multimillionaire.

What about Salvatore LoCascio? Didn't he make the Gambino's over 400 million from the scams he had in the 90's?

James "Jimmy Brown" Failla, he is considered one of the greatest earners in the history of the mafia. Roy Demeo was another big earner who seemed to have his hands in everything, one of the main reasons he was "made" was because of his earning ability, otherwise he was considered a nut and loose cannon. William "Wild Bill" Cutolo was another huge earner for the Colombo's. I knew Daniel Marino was an important player, but didn't know he was such a huge earner, anyone know what his rackets are?

Mike Franzese was probably the biggest earner the last 50 years with his gas racket. obviously demeo was a big earner. also castellano was a huge earner with his meat industry

what is the role of organized crime in car dealerships these days?

anyone know?

I ask this question? because I had a problem with a dealership that makes me feel as if I am dealing with the mob.

The Locascio crew ran two scams, one involving charging the credit cards of people who thought they were taking free "tours" of adult sites on the internet, and another that over billed people who had called various 900 numbers. The two scams together supposedly brought in upwards of $750 million.

Back in the day Danny Marino oversaw the Gambino family's interest in the trade show industry. Last year people connected to him (I don't know if they were in his crew specifically) were busted for a several crimes ranging from extortion of construction companies and kickbacks in the food distribution business to running a prostitution ring and drug trafficking.

There are mob members who have financial interests in auto dealerships. For example, Colombo soldier John S------- owns a string of dealerships. Another is Outfit boss John DiFronzo, who also has interests in a couple dealerships in Chicago. And the mob, at least in New York, is still involved in the stolen auto racket.

One of the 3 murdered Bonnano Capo's (either Phil Lucky or Big Trin I think) had made a packet off a trucking business

I am sure there are others, but the below people we know were bigger earners than 80 percent of LCN:

Made guys include:
Tommy Gambino: Garmet Industry
Michael Franzese: Gas Scam (said to have made LCN over a billion
Anthony Casso: Everything you can think of
Anthony "Big Tony" Peraino: Financed the Porno "deep Throat" among many other things
Vinny Ocean: Was said to have been the most lucrative earner of his time that no one knew about. He kept millions stashed in his back yard
Al Capone: If you translate moneys worth into todays value he would be the biggest earner in LCN history
Sammy Gravano: I dont think many people ever realized how much this guy earned because he kicked up HUGE percentages to Gotti. He literally kicked up 50 percent of his earnings. Capeci once said that if no other member of the Gambinos gave Gotti a dime he could have lived off Gravano two life times over.
Vinvent Dinapoli: Was on Forbes Magazines "top 10 richest USA Mobsters) Can anyone find that list? I have tried and cannot
Eddie Lino: Most active gambino capo on the streets, big time earner even while associate, then soldier and carried it through to capo. One of the few capos who loved to get his hands dirty.
Gerrard Pappa: was a big earner, read that a few times, not sure what he dabbled in.
Carmine Lombardozi: Gambino Capo



Non Made guys (associates):
Frank rosenthal
Joe "the German" Watts
Burt Kaplan
James "jimmy the Gent" Burke
Meyer Lanski


I am sure there are many more, these come to mind.

FYI- Anyone in the Bonnano Family other than Big Joey should not be mentioned and even him you cant consider a "huge earner" as most of his time was spent either as a boss or top tier level. The earners are the soldiers, associates and some capos. Bosses should never be mentioned, they nod their head and snap their fingers and get kick ups, they dont earn. They were left out of the joint ventures forever with the comission. You can only make so much money off street rackets. Unions, Construction, Concrete, legit businesses is where the money was at.

Myth: The huge drug traffickers in LCN made great money no doubt, it was usually either to short lived or kept from the bosses for it to be what you would call a "massive earning racket". The Bonnanos as we all know relied on this for years while cut out of the comission joint ventures. Still GREAT money but if you look, most drug traffickers considered "big earners" had other things besides the drugs, Like Demao's car theft ring.

Burton Kaplan was a huge earner. He ran a huge marijuana ring, was one of the first people to start importing clothes from China, he made a ton selling fake Peruvian passports to people in Hong Kong before China took it back from the British, he was involved in security fraud, and was considered the best guy in NYC to get rid of swag. He also bought a lot of real estate out West with rich Chinese businessmen. He also always tried to owe Casso atleast a million so Casso wouldn't want to kill him, though Casso eventually put a hit out on him because he thought Kaplan was the one who got him caught when he was on the run.

Gerrard Pappa: was a big earner, read that a few times, not sure what he dabbled in

He was part of the windows racket wasnt he?
Think he also shook down some bars/clubs.
Not to mention his killing skills - no doubt he got paid a buck or two for murder.

Anyone know who was the largest earner in the Philly Mob? Im sure they had some good earners with AC being so close and all. Some others that were not mentioned:

Anthony "Nino" Gaggi (Big Pauls most trusted Capo)
Robert "DB" Dibernardo (construction tycoon)
Matthew Madonna (herion, gambling,construction and prostitution, also had a very large earning alliance with the Bloods street gang)
Matty "The Horse" Ianello (Vice Operations, Night Clubs and Restaurants)
Stevie "Wonder Boy" Crea: (Construction, said to have made the overall construction labor costs go up overall 5 percent in NY and had over 40 million a year in construction contracts)
Tino "T" or "the Greek" Fiumara: Controlled every major NJ racket in the 80's and 90's and was labeled a "powerhouse earner"