Understanding Chicago

[B.]

This is not meant as a criticism of anyone here, but I feel it's important to have an objective discussion about the Chicago family.

Cosa Nostra / Outfit

- The mafia and Cosa Nostra are placeholder words that refer to the same umbrella organization with roots in Sicily. Naturally it went through changes (though not as many as people think), but it's "the same thing", to borrow a phrase used by mafia members. For convenience, I'm going to refer to the families within this larger organization as Cosa Nostra families. All of the recognized US families were part of Cosa Nostra before 1931 and after 1931.

- Al Capone was inducted into Cosa Nostra which allowed him to become boss of a Cosa Nostra family. Chicago was given a seat on the Commission, which was a ruling body comprised only of Cosa Nostra bosses. Similarly, the Genovese family (which Al Capone was inducted into) was and is a Cosa Nostra family. Chicago, Genovese, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland families were unique in that they were dominated by mainlanders early on and did not retain as much influence from Sicilian mafiosi, but those mainlanders were still members of Cosa Nostra and their national recognition depended on that.

- It is a myth that "outfit" is a unique term for Chicago. This was not a formal name for the organization, but a casual placeholder not unlike other placeholder terms for this secret society. Member sources confirm that most of the midwest families adopted the term "outfit" to describe their Cosa Nostra organizations. FBI sources show that Milwaukee, Detroit, Kansas City, and St. Louis members all used the term "outfit" for their respective families in addition to Chicago. This makes sense, as these midwestern families interacted closely with each other and developed their own lexicon.

Inductions

- Many Cosa Nostra families appear to have turned away from the formal induction ceremony on occasion or even consistently. A Buffalo source in the 1960s believed they had not used the traditional ceremony for many years; the DeCavalcante family did not use the traditional ceremony at all in the 1970s and 80s and we have zero earlier sources so this may have started even earlier; there are countless examples of the Bonannos skipping the traditional ceremony spanning decades, maybe even going back to the 1920s; a Lucchese source's description of his 1950s induction was nontraditional.

- The above examples are significant because each of these families were heavily Sicilian and some still had connections to Sicily during the time they skipped the traditional ceremony. Some of these groups also appear to have periodically used the traditional ceremony, too, so it is inconsistent, not unlike inconsistent reports of Chicago using / not using the traditional ceremony.

- While the level of tradition varies, the important point is that men who were inducted into these organizations were recognized as Cosa Nostra members following induction regardless of the process used to make them a member.

Capodecina

- Member informants and witnesses around the US who were close to Chicago leaders, including Frank Bompensiero and Jimmy Fratianno, described their structure similarly to any mafia/Cosa Nostra group. A so-called "crew boss" was a capodecina. "Crew boss" is a translation of capodecina in the same way that Joe Bonanno's book translated capodecina to "group leader". "Capo" translates to "head", which was an early term for the boss of each organization and we can see that "capo" was eventually Americanized to "boss" and is now synonymous with "capodecina". "Decina", while it literally refers to a group of ten, essentially translates to crew/group. So a capodecina is "boss of a crew" or "leader of a group"; "crew boss" and "group leader".

- Different families have treated the position of capodecina differently. In the Bonanno and Profaci families, who had much more territorial crossover between their decine, it was far more common to see crews broken up, members re-assigned to other captains, and other mixing and matching between crews. This was less true for the Genovese, Gambino, and Lucchese families, though with the Gambinos we see their Brooklyn faction operating similarly to the Bonanno and Profaci groups given the overlap in territory. Chicago appears to have treated their decine more like the Genovese and Lucchese families where there is more direct succession, less re-assignment, and more of a territorial basis for the crews. Chicago is not far removed from that. Not an exact science, but we can see a trend.

- The authority of a capodecina also varies. Captains have helped the admin run the family and presided over inductions ceremonies. Member CIs in both the Gambino and Lucchese families described induction ceremonies presided over by a captain as early as the 1950s and we have more recent examples of this. Some captains have a great deal of autonomy and influence, while others are little more than middle management. This seems to depend on the family as well as the individual capodecina.

Consigliere

- In his early FBI interviews, the consigliere position was described by Joe Valachi as an amorphous position that could be important or unimportant depending on who held the position. Al D'Arco, Michael DiLeonardo, Vincent Cafaro, Greg Scarpa, and other sources described the consigliere as an immensely influential position (a couple of those witnesses saying it was "the" most important position in the family). Evidence backs up Valachi's statement, as we see different degrees of influence among consiglieri. With this in mind, former boss Tony Accardo would be more influential as consigliere than, say, Frank Lastorino.

- Bompensiero was told by a well-connected member close to Detroit that Joe Zerilli had plans to step down as boss in the 1960s and become a "consigliere of power." While this never happened, it shows that a midwest boss considered following a similar model to Chicago.

- Joe Rugnetta of Philadelphia was the consigliere but he was described on tape by his boss Angelo Bruno as "rappresentante" (boss) of the Calabrian faction of the family. This was not an offhand remark. Rugnetta was a former underboss and acting boss prior to becoming consigliere and countless reports show that he had autonomous control over the Calabrian faction and was near-equal to boss Angelo Bruno in political power. He was not the "number three" man, but had for a time been the #1 and #2 man in the organization and he carried some of this authority with him to the position of consigliere.

- The only elected positions in Cosa Nostra were boss and consigliere. Underboss and capodecina were appointed by the boss. Multiple sources have described this, but the ultimate source is Stefano Magaddino, who not only described this process in detail, but was recorded saying that he never allowed a consigliere in his family as it would challenge his authority as boss. He also described how Carlo Gambino was appointed acting boss following Albert Anastasia's murder because Gambino was the consigliere, showing that this was an independent power in the organization not tied to the previous boss/underboss.

- The nature of the consigliere position has changed over the years, now being seen as the defacto "number three" position in the hierarchy. This has colored our perception of the position and does not represent what it originally was. The above examples may not have had the level of power/influence as figures like Ricca and Accardo, but they were not that different and they were a power and authority unto themselves.

Non-Italians

- Are there reliable accounts of non-Italians being recognized as Cosa Nostra members in Chicago? We have rare examples in other families of half- or even quarter-Italians becoming members, and Joe Fernandez of Montreal boasting that he and French-Canadian Desjardins were inducted by Vito Rizzuto, but I remain skeptical of any claim that someone with zero Italian blood has become a recognized Cosa Nostra member without a confirmed member source identifying them or a recording of a Cosa Nostra member acknowledging them as amico nostra.

- Not sure what to say about this overall. Many Cosa Nostra organizations have had important non-Italians who were given trust and power akin to membership or even leadership. I haven't seen any substantial information to make me believe non-Italians were recognized as Cosa Nostra members in Chicago. That does nothing to diminish their practical importance, though.

- Non-Italian associates in any family can vary from nobodies who wouldn't even be allowed in the same room as the leadership, to associates who have the full trust of the boss and are given access to information otherwise reserved for members. I've been to management meetings at work before where nothing is supposed to leave the room, but an hour later the front desk clerk and the janitor know everything that was discussed. Not a perfect example, but you get what I'm saying.

- Associates are part of the Cosa Nostra organization, but they aren't members. There is a distinction. They belong to the organization and on a practical level can be everything a member is, but membership is membership. Meyer Lansky and Joe Watts were part of the organization and more influential than many if not most members, but they were not members.

--

I'm open to any sources that refute the above points and I would never claim to be an expert on the finer details of Chicago. No doubt it was a unique organization, just as other Cosa Nostra organization have their unique qualities, but there is an undeniable mythology that has distorted our perception of Chicago's history and their nature as a Cosa Nostra family.

[Villain]

1. The Outfit often used the phrase "clique" when they refered to their organization and "outfit" when they referred to a certain crew

They also used terms such as "The Man" and "Relay Man" when they referred to the top boss (Ricca,Accardo) and underboss.

2. I agree that no matter the type of induction process, they were recognized as CN members

3. My personal opinion is that Capone was probably the first and last "capo decina" in Chicago because when he became the boss, the organization received more of a horizontal hierarchy rather than the straight vertical one. We have top fellas such as Battaglia and crew bosses beneath them with different numbers of made guys and high level associates so the whole thing is a little bit complicated

4. We have Humphreys talking about certain issues that shouldve been taken to the national commission and Cerone also stated that the Outfit used to have different nationalities in their ranks. Alex was also another proof so yeah, we can consider some of the non-Italians as legit Outfit members, but not as members of the national CN organization

5. There was no consigliere in Chicago, but instead there were always one or two spots reserved for top players who had to take a step back and Ricca wasnt one of those fellas because he was "The Man" lol

[B.]

1. The Outfit often used the phrase "clique" when they refered to their organization and "outfit" when they referred to a certain crew

They also used terms such as "The Man" and "Relay Man" when they referred to the top boss (Ricca,Accardo) and underboss.

2. I agree that no matter the type of induction process, they were recognized as CN members

3. My personal opinion is that Capone was probably the first and last "capo decina" in Chicago because when he became the boss, the organization received more of a horizontal hierarchy rather than the straight vertical one. We have top fellas such as Battaglia and crew bosses beneath them with different numbers of made guys and high level associates

4. We have Humphreys talking about certain issues that shouldve been taken to the national commission and Cerone also stated that the Outfit used to have different nationalities in their ranks. Alex was also another proof so yeah, we can consider some of the non-Italians as legot Outfit members, but not as members of the national CN organization

1 - Those are all informal terms, though. In NYC they call captains "skipper" and members "buttons" but it's not formal. Chucky Merlino told Nick Caramandi, "Your outfit stinks," referring to his crew of associates. It's a casual term used widely.

3 - Well, he was a capodecina of the Genovese family before he transferred to Chicago and became rappresentante. I'd agree he was the last capodecina of a non-Chicago family in Chicago, though not the last non-Chicago member in Chicago (Elmo Amarante of the Bonanno family being one). However, Capone became boss of the Chicago Cosa Nostra family which was comprised of their own capidecine.

4 - There is a difference between a non-member talking about the internal affairs of the organization vs. being a member. Vincent Asaro was recorded telling his non-member cousin who the new acting boss of the Bonanno family was and the cousin could have repeated that to people, but it doesn't make him a member. Was Gus Alex reported by a member source or wiretap as a recognized member of Cosa Nostra within the Chicago family, or was he simply trusted with insider information? These guys violate "omerta" all the time, so the spread of info doesn't tell us much.

[Villain]

1. The Outfit often used the phrase "clique" when they refered to their organization and "outfit" when they referred to a certain crew

They also used terms such as "The Man" and "Relay Man" when they referred to the top boss (Ricca,Accardo) and underboss.

2. I agree that no matter the type of induction process, they were recognized as CN members

3. My personal opinion is that Capone was probably the first and last "capo decina" in Chicago because when he became the boss, the organization received more of a horizontal hierarchy rather than the straight vertical one. We have top fellas such as Battaglia and crew bosses beneath them with different numbers of made guys and high level associates

4. We have Humphreys talking about certain issues that shouldve been taken to the national commission and Cerone also stated that the Outfit used to have different nationalities in their ranks. Alex was also another proof so yeah, we can consider some of the non-Italians as legot Outfit members, but not as members of the national CN organization

1 - Those are all informal terms, though. In NYC they call captains "skipper" and members "buttons" but it's not formal. Chucky Merlino told Nick Caramandi, "Your outfit stinks," referring to his crew of associates. It's a casual term used widely.

3 - Well, he was a capodecina of the Genovese family before he transferred to Chicago and became rappresentante. I'd agree he was the last capodecina of a non-Chicago family in Chicago, though not the last non-Chicago member in Chicago (Elmo Amarante of the Bonanno family being one). However, Capone became boss of the Chicago Cosa Nostra family which was comprised of their own capidecine.

4 - There is a difference between a non-member talking about the internal affairs of the organization vs. being a member. Vincent Asaro was recorded telling his non-member cousin who the new acting boss of the Bonanno family was and the cousin could have repeated that to people, but it doesn't make him a member. Was Gus Alex reported by a member source or wiretap as a recognized member of Cosa Nostra within the Chicago family, or was he simply trusted with insider information? These guys violate "omerta" all the time, so the spread of info doesn't tell us much.

1. Informal or not, they were quite different from the ones on the east coast and were used quite often

3. Dont forget that by 1947, 90% of Chicagos top guys were non-Sicilian, something which explains a lot of things

4. Ill say it again....guys like Guzik, Humphreys or Alex were legit Chicago Outfit members who took percentage from made guys and sometimes asked for their lives, but they were not recognized as CN members by the national CN organization. In plane words, they almost had the same authority as the members only from the Chicago area

[Pogo The Clown]

Gus Alex was said to be on a ruling panel running the family in the early 1970s even though he wasn't Italian or an inducted LCN member.


I think the difference is that the Outfit started out as their own group with their own hierarchy and way of doing things separate from Cosa Nostra. Later on when they were accepted into LCN they adopted some of the LCN rules and traditions but continued to do somethings the way they had before. Though gradually that faded over time. This is different from the other groups who were LCN from the beginning.


Pogo

[Villain]

Gus Alex was said to be on a ruling panel running the family in the early 1970s even though he wasn't Italian or an inducted LCN member.


I think the difference is that the Outfit started out as their own group with their own hierarchy and way of doing things separate from Cosa Nostra. Later on when they were accepted into LCN they adopted some of the LCN rules and traditions but continued to do somethings the way they had before. Though gradually that faded over time. This is different from the other groups who were LCN from the beginning.


Pogo

I completely agree and yeah, during the early 70s Alex was one of the top three bosses. Previously he held the major boss position on the South Side for Frank Ferraro, who in turn was the number two guy at the time. Alex settled disputes among made guys and gave orders to capos or crew bosses such as Skids Caruso.

Previously Humphreys used to be one of the main advisors for the top admin and also had the last word on all union matters

At the start, they literally kidnapped the CN organization in Chicago and thats that

[B.]

1 - Exactly. Like I mentioned in the original post, the midwestern families had a different informal lexicon from the east coast. The lexicon corresponds to the same formal positions used in NYC and Sicily, though, just as NYC's own informal terms correspond to Chicago and Detroit. Like Bompensiero and Fratianno both reported during their cooperation, Frank LaPorte was formally a capodecina which is how his position would be understood by a Cosa Nostra member located anywhere.

3 - Definitely an important part of their background, like it is with Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and the Genovese. The non-Sicilians joined Cosa Nostra, though, as that was the currency of the time. Regardless of the era, both Al Capone and Sam Giancana sat in on Commission meetings as rappresentanti of the Chicago Cosa Nostra family.

4 - So they were important associates with a significant amount of influence. Sounds like Chicago members respected and deferred to some of these associates because they were instructed to do so by the family's official leadership and it became normal and accepted. Makes complete sense to me and it's one of the things that makes Chicago unique without fundamentally changing the nature/rules of the mafia organization.

[Villain]

1 - Exactly. Like I mentioned in the original post, the midwestern families had a different informal lexicon from the east coast. The lexicon corresponds to the same formal positions used in NYC and Sicily, though, just as NYC's own informal terms correspond to Chicago and Detroit. Like Bompensiero and Fratianno both reported during their cooperation, Frank LaPorte was formally a capodecina which is how his position would be understood by a Cosa Nostra member located anywhere.

3 - Definitely an important part of their background, like it is with Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and the Genovese. The non-Sicilians joined Cosa Nostra, though, as that was the currency of the time. Regardless of the era, both Al Capone and Sam Giancana sat in on Commission meetings as rappresentanti of the Chicago Cosa Nostra family.

4 - So they were important associates with a significant amount of influence. Sounds like Chicago members respected and deferred to some of these associates because they were instructed to do so by the family's official leadership and it became normal and accepted. Makes complete sense to me and it's one of the things that makes Chicago unique without fundamentally changing the nature/rules of the mafia organization.

1. I agree but i have to ask you this...when we say capodecina, we are talking about a crew boss with more or less then ten guys or something else? Because according to informants, LaPorte controlled around 30 made guys during one priod

3. I completely agree

4. One intersting example in which you can see Humphreys giving advice (also go to the next pages)...ferraro was the underboss at the time...

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... s%20outfit

[B.]

Gus Alex was said to be on a ruling panel running the family in the early 1970s even though he wasn't Italian or an inducted LCN member.


I think the difference is that the Outfit started out as their own group with their own hierarchy and way of doing things separate from Cosa Nostra. Later on when they were accepted into LCN they adopted some of the LCN rules and traditions but continued to do somethings the way they had before. Though gradually that faded over time. This is different from the other groups who were LCN from the beginning.


Pogo

Was this purely a business/criminal role, or was he involved in protocol and administration among the Italians? These non-Italians appear to have had immense importance in practical matters and maybe Chicago blurred some lines, but I'd be curious to know the exact details and how they were reported.

Al Capone replaced Toto LoVerde as head of the existing Chicago mafia family, whose hierarchy can be traced back. Al Capone had been inducted into the Masseria family which gave him access to a formal position in Chicago. No doubt the ranks were filled by other Italians with less commitment to tradition, but they weren't a separate gang that was "accepted" by the other families in 1931. They had to become members of the existing Chicago family first, as a formality if nothing else, just like what happened with the Milano group in Cleveland and the Neapolitan/Calabrians in the Pittsburgh and Genovese families.

[B.]

1 - Exactly. Like I mentioned in the original post, the midwestern families had a different informal lexicon from the east coast. The lexicon corresponds to the same formal positions used in NYC and Sicily, though, just as NYC's own informal terms correspond to Chicago and Detroit. Like Bompensiero and Fratianno both reported during their cooperation, Frank LaPorte was formally a capodecina which is how his position would be understood by a Cosa Nostra member located anywhere.

3 - Definitely an important part of their background, like it is with Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and the Genovese. The non-Sicilians joined Cosa Nostra, though, as that was the currency of the time. Regardless of the era, both Al Capone and Sam Giancana sat in on Commission meetings as rappresentanti of the Chicago Cosa Nostra family.

4 - So they were important associates with a significant amount of influence. Sounds like Chicago members respected and deferred to some of these associates because they were instructed to do so by the family's official leadership and it became normal and accepted. Makes complete sense to me and it's one of the things that makes Chicago unique without fundamentally changing the nature/rules of the mafia organization.

1. I agree but i have to ask you this...when we say capodecina, we are talking about a crew boss with more or less then ten guys or something else? Because according to informants, LaPorte controlled around 30 made guys during one priod

3. I completely agree

4. One intersting example in which you can see Humphreys giving advice (also go to the next pages)...ferraro was the underboss at the time...

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... s%20outfit

1 - "Decina" literally translates to ten but is used more generally. Endless examples show capidecine to have everything from zero to dozens of members. LaPorte's 30 members would fit perfectly in line with what we'd expect from a Chicago capodecina and as is always the case, I defer to the members who cooperated and identified him as a capodecina. Bompensiero actually called him a "caporegime", which is a corruption/variation of capodecina used interchangeably, so we can even throw out the word decina entirely for this.

4 - I checked a couple of the pages. Definitely shows Humphreys had respect/influence. This line from Humphreys to Ferraro is pretty telling, though: "There's only one boss, and that's you guys."

[Villain]

Gus Alex was said to be on a ruling panel running the family in the early 1970s even though he wasn't Italian or an inducted LCN member.


I think the difference is that the Outfit started out as their own group with their own hierarchy and way of doing things separate from Cosa Nostra. Later on when they were accepted into LCN they adopted some of the LCN rules and traditions but continued to do somethings the way they had before. Though gradually that faded over time. This is different from the other groups who were LCN from the beginning.


Pogo

Was this purely a business/criminal role, or was he involved in protocol and administration among the Italians? These non-Italians appear to have had immense importance in practical matters and maybe Chicago blurred some lines, but I'd be curious to know the exact details and how they were reported.

Al Capone replaced Toto LoVerde as head of the existing Chicago mafia family, whose hierarchy can be traced back. Al Capone had been inducted into the Masseria family which gave him access to a formal position in Chicago. No doubt the ranks were filled by other Italians with less commitment to tradition, but they weren't a separate gang that was "accepted" by the other families in 1931. They had to become members of the existing Chicago family first, as a formality if nothing else, just like what happened with the Milano group in Cleveland and the Neapolitan/Calabrians in the Pittsburgh and Genovese families.

Regarding Alex... https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... %20accardo

By 1931 Loverde was probably pushed back by Capone and the same day in November when his brother Ralph and his overseer in Cicero was sentenced to prison, Loverde was killed in in that same area. It seems that Cicero wasnt big enough for both of them, meaning Loverde also had many interests in that same area so he had to go

[Villain]

1 - Exactly. Like I mentioned in the original post, the midwestern families had a different informal lexicon from the east coast. The lexicon corresponds to the same formal positions used in NYC and Sicily, though, just as NYC's own informal terms correspond to Chicago and Detroit. Like Bompensiero and Fratianno both reported during their cooperation, Frank LaPorte was formally a capodecina which is how his position would be understood by a Cosa Nostra member located anywhere.

3 - Definitely an important part of their background, like it is with Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and the Genovese. The non-Sicilians joined Cosa Nostra, though, as that was the currency of the time. Regardless of the era, both Al Capone and Sam Giancana sat in on Commission meetings as rappresentanti of the Chicago Cosa Nostra family.

4 - So they were important associates with a significant amount of influence. Sounds like Chicago members respected and deferred to some of these associates because they were instructed to do so by the family's official leadership and it became normal and accepted. Makes complete sense to me and it's one of the things that makes Chicago unique without fundamentally changing the nature/rules of the mafia organization.

1. I agree but i have to ask you this...when we say capodecina, we are talking about a crew boss with more or less then ten guys or something else? Because according to informants, LaPorte controlled around 30 made guys during one priod

3. I completely agree

4. One intersting example in which you can see Humphreys giving advice (also go to the next pages)...ferraro was the underboss at the time...

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... s%20outfit

1 - "Decina" literally translates to ten but is used more generally. Endless examples show capidecine to have everything from zero to dozens of members. LaPorte's 30 members would fit perfectly in line with what we'd expect from a Chicago capodecina and as is always the case, I defer to the members who cooperated and identified him as a capodecina. Bompensiero actually called him a "caporegime", which is a corruption/variation of capodecina used interchangeably, so we can even throw out the word decina entirely for this.

4 - I checked a couple of the pages. Definitely shows Humphreys had respect/influence. This line from Humphreys to Ferraro is pretty telling, though: "There's only one boss, and that's you guys."

I agree on both statements

[B.]

Is that the full source for Alex being on a ruling panel? It shows Alex was important and trusted by Accardo but it's fairly vague.

When Joe Massino was in prison, he used non-Italian lawyer Tommy Lee to promote Vincent Basciano to acting boss and send messages concerning other family affairs, even murder contracts involving Basciano. No doubt Alex had worlds more influence and authority than Lee, but there are examples of non-members/non-Italians being used to direct high-level affairs in other cities without actually being members.

--

Glad we agree on those above points!

[Villain]

Is that the full source for Alex being on a ruling panel? It shows Alex was important and trusted by Accardo but it's fairly vague.

When Joe Massino was in prison, he used non-Italian lawyer Tommy Lee to promote Vincent Basciano to acting boss and send messages concerning other family affairs, even murder contracts involving Basciano. No doubt Alex had worlds more influence and authority than Lee, but there are examples of non-members/non-Italians being used to direct high-level affairs in other cities without actually being members.

--

Glad we agree on those above points!

It is not the only source....you have many other sources pointing out the same thing, including stuff such as his alliance with Accardo against narcotics and also during one short time period when Accardo was on vacation and Aiuppa was in hospital, guess who was the guy who spread the orders on the streets?

I have to be honest that Alexs older brother Sam previously visited both Accardo and Aiuppa and after that he saw his younger brother...acting boss? Lol just kidding

[Villain]

Here are just few of the files which i managed to find with a quick search but theres a lot more....

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 0narcotics

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 0narcotics

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... lex_aiuppa