I still don't get how some of these things work. Let's say that made guy Johnny is put in charge of a sportsbook. Would he actually come to the sportsbook and work there, or have his own guys there and just collect and kick up to his capo?

Also, would a capo run any rackets of his own, or rely on the kick-ups he'd receive from his soldiers and associates?

And how many of these rackets would a family own? If a family has a hundred made guys, is it safe to assume that they also have a hundred sports betting and loan shark operations or is that too great a number?

Last question, how many rackets would a made guy who's not a capo own? If Johnny is just a soldier and not a capo, would he have just the sportsbook as his income or others things as well?

1. If Johnny is put in charge of a sportsbook he would probably put some of his guys in the place or he would take over the operation from the previous guy running it and still keep the people working there and collect his share from it then send the rest of the money up to his Captain.

2. It depends actually. A capo could have his own rackets or just rely on kick-ups. Often a capo has some sort of racket and has a soldier overwatching it and collects the money like I said in the previous answer about Johnny.

3. If a family have 100 made guys they probably don't have that many rackets, it also depends. Usually not all made guys have their own rackets but work for a capo that has one or a couple of madeguys work together with the same racket and then send the money up the ladder.

4. That also depends. LCN is a business, some people are entrepreneurs and some isn't, so it's individual.

it also depends on how big and how much of earners are your crew. If you have ten guys in your crew all kicking up that means you are going to be earning alot of money. If you have 5 guys you are going to be obivoursly earning less. Some crews have lots of earners others struggle.

I would say if you had 100 made guys 30 would be good earners always earning on a weekly basis everyone else is chasing the next score that means the amount of money they kick up depends on how well they did in that week. Some guys are known as killers someone you can trust not to talk they might not necessarily be earners but they can be trusted in alot of other things meaning they are important

It also depends on turf--both physical territory and claims on specific rackets. Where there's competition among families (i.e., in NYC), one or two families may have an agreement to share, say, thefts at and around Kennedy Airport, while another may have exclusive claim to a local racket (i.e., shaking down vendors at a street fair, or securities fraud for a particular area of trading). Some really big rackets (like the garbage disposal and concrete rackets) are shared by most or all of the families.

In general, if the racket is big enough, all the families will want to "wet their beaks." Carmine Galante declared that he, not Rusty Rastelli, was the don of the Bonannos, and that he would make Carlo Gambino "s--t" in the street." But he was whacked because he refused to share his highly profitable Sicilian heroin connection with other families.

Thanks for the replies. I was confused when I watched The Sopranos, which I assume would present the mob stuff realistically, when Paulie gave Chris the sportsbook. Chris was then shown actively working in the sportsbook which surprised me, as I thought why would a made man actually work there rather than just come by and collect.

That type of bookmaking is mostly gone but still some old schoolers out there

The major books are run in Costa Rica where it legal and also less face to face , plus cheap

All internet now and why they could get so big . My guess would be volumes are big today but I could be wrong , but I do know the guys that run a good book are not hurting for $. Just don't forget they lost their numbers / lottery biz as the government stole it ( lol ).

Who the bank is is anyone's guess but depends on the territory, It's no secret in NJ the L and G have gaming ops that will never go away ( how long has bet eagle and Catalina been around , lol ) , each crew has their package " group of bettors " where they get a cut of the groups losses. this is where many associates get on , helping with the book and good things usually happen to the guy that can grow a biz

It comes down to the individual crew and how well they can grow their market share . Take the Gs for instance, with all that Philly shit going on don't think for a minute they didn't seize the opps in SJ and even into Philly . I'm sure the other fam did the same .

I've always heard North P worked with the Ls ( again could be total hear say )

Just one last note outside of gambling , their influence has obviously waned significantly but with 700 or so guys , there isn't a racket they aren't into be it lending ( legit and not ) unions , construction , trucking , bars , burglary , hot goods , counterfeit goods , real estate scams- which btw is rarely discussed but was HUGE $ pre crisis for some. Scores are happening all the time in all areas except maybe fish ( something I learned from a poster and which I believe , which I normally wouldn't as although they have been knocked down in certain industries a lot , it's hard to totally eliminate their presence ) .

The consistent earners , strong crews , well those are the smart ones that take these earnings and plowed them into legit industries or assets and for the most part these are the guys running things today in NY/NJ at least .

brokersters usually have costly habits

Something I've been curious about is who is making in roads to areas where soccor is growing rather quickly , now that would be smart . Hell I played football from 7 into college and even bet on soccer ( world , euro cup etc ) lol pathetic I know yet I won't touch Bball or hockey

Good question. In Chicago, they are lying looooooooooooooow.

Very hard to say what the main rackets are these days.

They are really only caught for one-off penny ante bu$$sh$t, so there is no real clear picture about what, if anything, is going on large scale.

Possibilities range from basically defunct to the possibility that they have just gotten a whooooole lot smarter.

I think the overwhelming majority of evidence points to the former.

See the trial of Mike Sarno.

There is a hierarchy solly D and sammy cards when that ends the outfit will end fact. It will be gone 40 years from now without a doubt
Sure there is some young guys in the cicero crew and they have some links to the construction last 15 years I have seen some links but nothing like the past.

For now they are ok but the future is not good for them

If the indictments are any guide it would be bookmaking and video poker machines. Also burglaries, stolen goods, etc. You also have examples of bid rigging and getting city contracts. Still some involvement in the Teamsters Union.

I think what makes the situation in Chicago hard to read these days is the quickly shrinking core of made members. Whenever they are gone, there is no family left technically. Even if you have associates or descents of deceased members still active in this or that. We've already seen this in other cities where the family is gone.

If I'm not mistaken, those bookmaking and video poker charges are getting to be nearly a decade old.

There were video poker charges and raids in 2009. You'd have to go a little further back for bookmaking unless we count the Buttitta bookmaking bust in 2012. Even though I haven't seen any clear Outfit connection, all things considered in the case, I'd be very surprised if there wasn't one.

If the future really is that bleak in Chicago, to me at least it would make sense to seek an alliance or fly under another flag that can provide capital and legit construction expertise . It's a huge city , LE would be idiotic to spend much time on OC with the cartel , gang violence currently going on. This is more down the road but to me it would make sense for a NY family to work with Chicago guys in the know and start some legal loan , construction , trucking and concrete businesses , Chicago is huge , known for its corruption and has a ton of garbage and consulting and the street guys can still do their bread and butter in sharking and gaming and everything I have read has said how lucrative the loan biz in that state. They just need to evolve into the legit loan biz many have done around here and it's not only lucrative but can lead into other big $ business.

anyway good thread , I like learning about the outfit as they were such a powerhouse , thanks in advance to posters in the know

The Outfit has reorganized. The low point in Outfit history was probably 2007-2012. Since that time, there has definitely been more activity. While the Outfit has been reduced to minor street crime (loansharking, running book), in New York it is no different. Other than tiny union activity, most everything is sports book or loansharking.

Based on Scott's articles in Gangsterreport, plus other sources, the Outfit has quietly reorganized. Perhaps the ranks are not replenished, but there appears to be some movement.

I think the hierarchy looks something like this (feel free to disagree).

Boss- Joseph Andriacchi
Former Boss- Johnny DiFronzo
Former Consiglieri- Marco D'Amico (shelved due to DiFronzo inactivity, however Marco has probably been allowed to keep his book and shark businesses)
I also think the two DiFronzo brothers have been shelved now that John DiFronzo is out of the rackets.

Street Boss- Salvatore DeLaurentis
Underboss- Salvatore Cataudella
Street Consigliere- John Matassa

Elmwood Park Capo- Rudy Fratto
Elmwood Park Capo- Tony Dote

Grand Avenue Capo- Albert Vena
Grand Avenue Capo- Joseph Calato (inactive)

Cicero Capo- James Inendino
Cicero Capo- Lou Marino

Southside crew (26th Street/Chinatown/Heights)- Frank Caruso
(Who is in this crew other than Bruno and Leo??)

I don't know how much you pay attention to New York but, while bookmaking and loansharking are certainly the mob's bedrock there too, there is still significant labor/business racketeering in several unions and industries. Not "tiny" by any means. NY is considerably different than Chicago and anywhere else there is still a family.

That said, I would say the Outfit remains involved in more than "minor street crime." In addition to its traditional street rackets - bookmaking, video poker machines, stolen goods, etc., it has interests in things like trucking companies, the trade show industry, and some remaining involvement in the Teamsters Union.

I forget where I read it, but the NYPD Intelligence Unit downgraded all 5 families to street crime status. If you figure there are 5 families of at least 100 members each, being involved in a few unions is a significant reduction from 1990.

What do you think of the Outfit hierarchy chart?

That hasnt been reported anywhere, not by the NYPD or any other law enforcement agency.

In NY you still have a combined total of over 700 members. Unlike most other cities, including Chicago, the NY families have been able to keep their memberships stable for the last 20 years.

And if you look at the cases in NY, while nobody would deny their decline in union clout and removal from several industries, the mob there has continued to show significant labor racketeering activity as well as continued involvement in several other industries. So, to say "New York is no different than Chicago " just isn't true.

What would you say about the current hierarchy?

For what it's worth, Ivy is mostly an East Coast expert and there hasn't been many press releases or indictments (typically what Ivy uses when constructing a leadership hierarchy for a family) handed down since Family Secrets that would prove or disprove some of the more popular theories on who is running the Outfit right now. Near as I can tell, the only ones who've been officially confirmed as crew bosses through one of the above sources are Toots Caruso and Albert Vena. The rest are up for speculation, although Burnstein has posted several articles regarding what he views the leadership to be.

I usually don't like people speaking for me but what you said about sums it up I think.

If we're talking about info that has come out after those 2007 articles that talked about the 4 crews and who was running them, there hasn't been much beyond what Scott has said on his blog.

Obviously we know Sarno is no longer acting boss. A 2011 article said he was collecting money from Frank Caruso and kicking up to John DiFronzo.

And we know Albert Vena is running the Grand Ave crew.

People are free to speculate but I'm content to wait for more solid info.