Wiseguy wrote: ↑Sat Nov 09, 2019 8:28 am
Lupara wrote: ↑Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:28 amIt is an established fact that even you cannot ignore that Canadian mobsters active in Hamilton and Toronto, up until this day, are tied to Buffalo in one form or another. Now whether that means there is still a functioning family remains to be seen. But at this point there's just a little bit too much compiling evidence to disregard that possibility based on a now dated FBI statement. Until the feds repeat this statement the debate and possibilies remain open. Buffalo may not be gone and there is nothing you can do about it so far.
It was also "an established fact" that William D'Elia was tied to the New York and Philadelphia families "in one form or another." Didn't mean much as far as the actual state of the Bufalino family. You guys will be living on "possibilities" and "what ifs" for years to come because that's all you're going to get.
No disrespect, but I think the term "apples and oranges" applies here.
On one hand, you have a man who is the boss of a defunct family, but is treated with the respect of a boss by other crime families nonetheless. Note that this man, William D'Elia, was the boss when the family was still functioning, and it was simply through general attrition that he outlived the rest of the crime family.
On the other hand, you have a man who was recently inducted into an apparently-defunct family. Indeed, such an anomaly
did happen with the Rochester crime family, when a stand-alone induction ceremony was held in 2000 IIRC. But then this inductee, Violi, was later promoted to underboss, allegedly by the boss himself, Joe
Todaro. Again, meaningless promotions have happened in the past, so this isn't a conclusive answer. But
on top of all that, there is also evidence that the "
Todaro crime family" has an active crew in Canada, and is continuing to hold more induction ceremonies (since Violi's brother was debating which family to join, right?)
WG, you've been able to find a plausible explanation for each of these anomalies, pointing to similar "defunct" families. William D'Elia. Rochester. Los Angeles. There have been plenty of cases where the structure of a crime family sometimes outlasts the actual viability of the crime family. But the problem with Buffalo is that it is not just
one anomaly. It is not just
one exception that proves the rule. It is multiple anomalies that all piece together to indicate that Buffalo indeed has an active Mafia presence. We have:
- An alleged boss, a confirmed, active underboss, an active capo, etc.
- A recent induction ceremony.
- The expectation/assumption of more making ceremonies (Violi's brother).
- Racketeering/organized crime activity.
- Confirmation from Canadian law enforcement that the
Todaro crime family is an active criminal force that is being watched and investigated by law enforcement north of the border.