by dack2001 » Sun Nov 11, 2018 7:39 am
Ralph was the boss but didn't have the power. Think of it like Junior and Tony Soprano, Junior was the official boss but Tony was the chief on the street. Joey put Ralph up partly because of his connections and also to deflect LE attention. Look at the Previte tapes, Joey ran South Philly but also represented the family as underboss with other families. Joey did an end run around Ralph when necessary and sent him enough money to keep him happy. The more interesting question would be, when did the New York families recognize Joey (and Ralph) as boss? My guess would be each one at different times considering the state of LCN. The issue was still in flux when Ligambi becomes street boss, probably enough that Long John thought he could make a move. Enough that Ricci was willing to back Caprio in a crazy scheme to kill Joeys guys while Joey was facing trial in that coke case. The Lukes seem like the last hold out but they were even on board when Jr. got demoted.
Ralph was the boss but didn't have the power. Think of it like Junior and Tony Soprano, Junior was the official boss but Tony was the chief on the street. Joey put Ralph up partly because of his connections and also to deflect LE attention. Look at the Previte tapes, Joey ran South Philly but also represented the family as underboss with other families. Joey did an end run around Ralph when necessary and sent him enough money to keep him happy. The more interesting question would be, when did the New York families recognize Joey (and Ralph) as boss? My guess would be each one at different times considering the state of LCN. The issue was still in flux when Ligambi becomes street boss, probably enough that Long John thought he could make a move. Enough that Ricci was willing to back Caprio in a crazy scheme to kill Joeys guys while Joey was facing trial in that coke case. The Lukes seem like the last hold out but they were even on board when Jr. got demoted.