by B. » Sat Jun 22, 2019 9:59 pm
No worries, man, and no need to apologize.
The problem is that no tapes, cooperators, or other inside sources have revealed to us that the structure is actually different in Montreal, or if it is, then how it is. A decina can be anything from a captain with no crew, to a small army. It's anyone's guess how many soldiers were in the Carmine Galante crew but it must have been huge. When the Montreal crew split off, they were an above average sized decina with the influence of a small family due to being the lone Cosa Nostra group in the city. Having support from the Bonannos in NYC at the time the Montreal crew was formed gave them a major leg up; maybe that was the motivation for Cotroni's loyalty to Joe Bonanno through most of the war.
An FBI report from the mid-1960s stated that the Cotronis were being given more freedom in administrating their own affairs but would still belong to the Bonanno family and around this period were represented at a meeting in NYC by Frank LaBruzzo. They would fall in with the new regime by 1968 or soon after. By the early 1970s Montreal was reported to be in line with the Evola regime and their NYC liaisons were captains Rastelli and Marangello, two of the top upcoming powers in the family. Montreal would also participate in politics of the time, voting for Rastelli as boss, who would make Marangello underboss.
So Montreal would have been immediately closer to the Bonannos by 1974 given that their former liaisons were now the top bosses. Rastelli's imprisonment may have brought Montreal even closer to NYC with their former captain Galante gaining influence. Galante was not only the former captain of some still-active Montreal members, but he was a Joe Bonanno loyalist like Cotroni who maintained contact with Bonanno in Arizona. Bonanno also kept business contacts in Montreal.
The rise of the Rizzutos in the late 1970s wasn't an example of them pulling away from the Bonannos, but most likely the result of them being closer than they had in many years. The boss, defacto boss, and underboss all had ties to Montreal and the new NYC "zip" faction would become close to Montreal as well. Montreal was also likely inducting new members for the first time in many years after having followed the rules earlier in the 1970s when Violi was told the books were still closed and Montreal couldn't induct new members. Any new inductees obviously became Bonanno members. All of this would have strengthened ties between Montreal and the family in NYC, though this time with a new Sicilian faction in power.
Gerlando Sciascia was not only considered fit to head the Montreal crew, but also to aide the NYC leadership in the 1980s and serve on the captain panel in the 90s. He served as a representative of the Bonanno family regarding mafia activities within the family and in meetings with leaders of other families, all while offering some level of direction to Montreal, though obviously his allies there were running the daily operations. This new leading Sicilian faction in Montreal/NYC became key facilitators in the international drug trade and a large degree of their influence is through the drug business. However, this was not new to the Montreal leadership.
At the time the Cotronis were still Galante soldiers, they were already among the most important mafia members in the international drug trade. The idea of the Bonanno Montreal crew being autonomous A-list drug traffickers with deep influence in Canada seems to have been the norm for them regardless of whether it was the Cotronis or Rizzutos in charge. The main difference is the even more Sicilian-centric network the Cattolica Eraclea group was part of, which is a reflection of what was going on throughout the US and Sicily at the time.
A flow chart based on business relationships, social contacts, and criminal activity for the Cotroni era wouldn't look much different from the Rizzutos in terms of structure and it would probably be a more accurate depiction of what happens on the street. This chart would probably include some non-Italians and other high-placed associates in equal or greater standing to the made members. However, a chart based on their status as mafia members would show a captain, maybe an acting captain, and a bunch of soldiers. Not as exciting as being able to name a boss, underboss, and consig with a bunch of capos underneath them, but if these guys were introduced to other mafia members, which did happen and probably still does, they would be introduced as captains and soldiers in the Bonanno family. Unless they transferred membership to another Cosa Nostra family or have been officially recognized as a new Cosa Nostra family, neither of which have been reported.
Project Colisee showed that there was some distribution of money/power among a "ruling faction" in Montreal, but did any tapes reveal anything out of the ordinary? These sorts of partnerships and co-management of illegal businesses doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, even for a crew, but I don't know what all was recorded or discovered about the set-up.
No worries, man, and no need to apologize.
The problem is that no tapes, cooperators, or other inside sources have revealed to us that the structure is actually different in Montreal, or if it is, then how it is. A decina can be anything from a captain with no crew, to a small army. It's anyone's guess how many soldiers were in the Carmine Galante crew but it must have been huge. When the Montreal crew split off, they were an above average sized decina with the influence of a small family due to being the lone Cosa Nostra group in the city. Having support from the Bonannos in NYC at the time the Montreal crew was formed gave them a major leg up; maybe that was the motivation for Cotroni's loyalty to Joe Bonanno through most of the war.
An FBI report from the mid-1960s stated that the Cotronis were being given more freedom in administrating their own affairs but would still belong to the Bonanno family and around this period were represented at a meeting in NYC by Frank LaBruzzo. They would fall in with the new regime by 1968 or soon after. By the early 1970s Montreal was reported to be in line with the Evola regime and their NYC liaisons were captains Rastelli and Marangello, two of the top upcoming powers in the family. Montreal would also participate in politics of the time, voting for Rastelli as boss, who would make Marangello underboss.
So Montreal would have been immediately closer to the Bonannos by 1974 given that their former liaisons were now the top bosses. Rastelli's imprisonment may have brought Montreal even closer to NYC with their former captain Galante gaining influence. Galante was not only the former captain of some still-active Montreal members, but he was a Joe Bonanno loyalist like Cotroni who maintained contact with Bonanno in Arizona. Bonanno also kept business contacts in Montreal.
The rise of the Rizzutos in the late 1970s wasn't an example of them pulling away from the Bonannos, but most likely the result of them being closer than they had in many years. The boss, defacto boss, and underboss all had ties to Montreal and the new NYC "zip" faction would become close to Montreal as well. Montreal was also likely inducting new members for the first time in many years after having followed the rules earlier in the 1970s when Violi was told the books were still closed and Montreal couldn't induct new members. Any new inductees obviously became Bonanno members. All of this would have strengthened ties between Montreal and the family in NYC, though this time with a new Sicilian faction in power.
Gerlando Sciascia was not only considered fit to head the Montreal crew, but also to aide the NYC leadership in the 1980s and serve on the captain panel in the 90s. He served as a representative of the Bonanno family regarding mafia activities within the family and in meetings with leaders of other families, all while offering some level of direction to Montreal, though obviously his allies there were running the daily operations. This new leading Sicilian faction in Montreal/NYC became key facilitators in the international drug trade and a large degree of their influence is through the drug business. However, this was not new to the Montreal leadership.
At the time the Cotronis were still Galante soldiers, they were already among the most important mafia members in the international drug trade. The idea of the Bonanno Montreal crew being autonomous A-list drug traffickers with deep influence in Canada seems to have been the norm for them regardless of whether it was the Cotronis or Rizzutos in charge. The main difference is the even more Sicilian-centric network the Cattolica Eraclea group was part of, which is a reflection of what was going on throughout the US and Sicily at the time.
A flow chart based on business relationships, social contacts, and criminal activity for the Cotroni era wouldn't look much different from the Rizzutos in terms of structure and it would probably be a more accurate depiction of what happens on the street. This chart would probably include some non-Italians and other high-placed associates in equal or greater standing to the made members. However, a chart based on their status as mafia members would show a captain, maybe an acting captain, and a bunch of soldiers. Not as exciting as being able to name a boss, underboss, and consig with a bunch of capos underneath them, but if these guys were introduced to other mafia members, which did happen and probably still does, they would be introduced as captains and soldiers in the Bonanno family. Unless they transferred membership to another Cosa Nostra family or have been officially recognized as a new Cosa Nostra family, neither of which have been reported.
Project Colisee showed that there was some distribution of money/power among a "ruling faction" in Montreal, but did any tapes reveal anything out of the ordinary? These sorts of partnerships and co-management of illegal businesses doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, even for a crew, but I don't know what all was recorded or discovered about the set-up.