How is Vic Amuso still boss 30 years later ?

[HoagieNose]

Wouldn’t he be phased out by now? Forgive me for not being in the know , but I would just assume a life sentence and you just are replaced eventually and forgetten about. I’m not saying you aren’t respected but how can you still be a true boss.

[Wiseguy]

Because the boss doesn't necessarily need to be on the street to maintain his position. That's where a street/acting boss comes in. The official boss can give orders from prison, provided they're followed. Plenty of bosses have done this from behind bars.

[Ryan98366]

Wouldn’t he be phased out by now? Forgive me for not being in the know , but I would just assume a life sentence and you just are replaced eventually and forgetten about. I’m not saying you aren’t respected but how can you still be a true boss.

I agree with you. However this is a place where art imitates real life. In the Sopranos they let Uncle Junior be the boss, no one wants the job. The feds think they have the boss in jail and Junior absorbs all the hits. I think this is very similar to real life with Vic Amuso and Junior Persico. They may be “the boss.” Really that is in name only with little command and control. You think Vic Amuso gets a list of new members? Or give orders to kill? He’s “the boss” of his cell toilet. That’s it.

[Wiseguy]

Wouldn’t he be phased out by now? Forgive me for not being in the know , but I would just assume a life sentence and you just are replaced eventually and forgetten about. I’m not saying you aren’t respected but how can you still be a true boss.

I agree with you. However this is a place where art imitates real life. In the Sopranos they let Uncle Junior be the boss, no one wants the job. The feds think they have the boss in jail and Junior absorbs all the hits. I think this is very similar to real life with Vic Amuso and Junior Persico. They may be “the boss.” Really that is in name only with little command and control. You think Vic Amuso gets a list of new members? Or give orders to kill? He’s “the boss” of his cell toilet. That’s it.

That's simply not true. If you were taking about Peter Gotti, yes. But it's been firmly established Amuso isn't just a powerless figurehead. Just like Persico, Chin, and Gotti weren't either. They all had "command and control." They didn't run things day to day and they don't need to. But they had ultimate authority.

[furiofromnaples]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost.com ... rison/amp/

Imprisoned-for-life Mafia boss Vittorio “Vic” Amuso sent a coded letter from jail to longtime underboss Steven “Stevie Wonder” Crea in 2017. The message: Brooklyn-based Luchese wiseguy Michael “Big Mike” DeSantis was to take the reins of acting boss from Bronx-based Matthew “Matty” Madonna.

If Madonna didn’t step aside, Amuso had a hit list that included a captain and several members of the family, according to John Pennisi, a Luchese turncoat who started cooperating with the feds last year.

[furiofromnaples]

The Snake Persico was the boss for so long because half colombo family is made by his relatives. Now the boss is his son and Russo the street boss is his cousin.

[Manf]

Amuso is another guy where there was some narrative built around him that didn't wind up being true.

[TommyGambino]

Because he's got killers loyal to him.

[Shellackhead]

He’s the perfect lightning rod, already doing life, was mentored by legendary Lucchese mobsters Corallo, Tick, etc. nobody better around to help run the ship & have good judgement calls over who to put in x Positions. Look at Stevie Crea & his son, both were powerful members in the family since the late 90s & were within earshot of Amuso.

[furiofromnaples]

He’s the perfect lightning rod, already doing life, was mentored by legendary Lucchese mobsters Corallo, Tick, etc. nobody better around to help run the ship & have good judgement calls over who to put in x Positions. Look at Stevie Crea & his son, both were powerful members in the family since the late 90s & were within earshot of Amuso.

Apart for appointing Casso as underboss.

[AnIrishGuy]

Any good business will have senior people at the top, probably getting limited detail on what's happening on the ground, but with the experience and good judgement skills to make overarching strategic decisions. Makes perfect sense (before you even take the lightning rod theory into account).

[Pmac2]

wonder who else was on vics hit list if madonna wouldnt step down. madonna must have had a few heavy guys who surported him but its weird he was in jail in new jersey for atleast 1 or 2 years and was still acting boss. was he running stuff from his jail in new jersey

[Shellackhead]

He’s the perfect lightning rod, already doing life, was mentored by legendary Lucchese mobsters Corallo, Tick, etc. nobody better around to help run the ship & have good judgement calls over who to put in x Positions. Look at Stevie Crea & his son, both were powerful members in the family since the late 90s & were within earshot of Amuso.

Apart for appointing Casso as underboss.

That family would of been in much better shape if Casso wasn’t near a position of influence at all.

[johnny_scootch]

was he running stuff from his jail in new jersey

Crea was still on the street running the family until Amuso made him hand over power to Mike DeSantis.

[newera_212]

Amuso is another guy where there was some narrative built around him that didn't wind up being true.

Exactly. Knowing of the Vic and Gas saga i always thought Vic was some patsy that was held out front, manipulated by Casso, all of that. Coupled with a few lines in D'Arco's book to where he said he knew Vic his whole life and when Vic was made boss, he was "unsure of himself" and not confident. But I'm not buying that at all. It's obvious that the guy has serious juice and respect. We've seen that up until just a couple years ago he was actively getting money and involved in decision making. The guys on the street have to have some sort of level of respect for him, because if not, they could stop all communication with him and put the squeeze on (or kill, but we know they're not really doing that) the Amuso loyalists that are out there on the street - which can't be really a TON, just because of how small the family is to begin with. I remember on these boards maybe 10 years ago it ranged from Amuso was shelved to Amuso being a non factor, with his (shelved) loyalists lucky to be alive while the guys from the Bronx were in charge of everything. Seems like the guys from the Bronx had a more respect for the rules and history, and Amuso himself, than everyone thought