This is my first time posting here, my nephew told me about this question and he knew I would have to say something. I have a Master’s in criminology and have studied American organized crime extensively. I can tell you right now with all certainty that anyone who thinks the Chicago Outfit’s power only rivaled that of the “smaller” families in New York are deeply misinformed. Everyone has to remember that organized crime functions just as competing corporations. At one time Ford sold the most cars, but that isn’t so today. From 1920 to 1940 The Chicago Outfit wasn’t on the same scale as most of the New York families. However from 1945 to 1955, the Outfit’s power and influence would be comparable to many of the New York families with the exception of the Genovese, Gambino. From 1955 to 1975 the Chicago Outfit’s range had far surpassed anything in New York. The Outfit had become an international force to be reckoned with. Among the interests the Outfit had in Chicago it also included Casino and gambling in Mexico, Casinos in Iran, gun funneling and gun walking correlated with the U.S. government in central America, oversight of the illegal families in Milwaukee, Kansas City, Los Angeles, and of course Las Vegas. Their payroll included thirty circuit court judges, police and alderman in not only Chicago but Milwaukee as well. In Joe Pistone’s book, Lefty told Donnie that they have to be “careful in Milwaukee as they do not answer to anyone but Chicago and they are the most dog eat dog family”. Eventually corruption among the leadership, greed and federal indictments would significantly cripple the Outfit as by the early eighties they had lost much influence, at this time they were as relevant as any New York family. By 1990 to present they havebe come a very low profile organization, or as Mr. Russo says, a “pale image of what it once was”. Since 1990 the Outfit no longer even rivals the most trivial New York family. Their wealth and influence is gone forever, while they still exist it no longer compares to the organized crime in New York. But please remember at one time, it really was the most lucrative criminal empire in the entire nation……by far.