The West Side Secrecy

[Etna]

So, what exactly is their strategy? I know they bait and switch their leaders but what else is it about them that keeps them above the others?

Also in your opinion, are/were any other families on their level?

[Wiseguy]

Not any one thing. Generally more selective of its members. More competent leadership begats further competent leadership down through the years. Strict enforcement of discipline, including through violence. Better organized. Simply more emphasis on secrecy. Etc. All this has been a factor that has allowed them to better weather repeated attacks by law enforcement, avoid as many defectors and widespread organizational disruption, and hold onto their rackets.

[Costigan]

I would add that the modern day Gambino's are probably on their level, at least from what I read on this forum.

[Dave65827]

Besides Patsy Parello letting his crew being infiltrated twice by undercovers they seem to be well run and serious.


IMO opinion The only one that could compare to the Genovese today are The Gambinos. Been awhile since a Gambino guy has flipped and they’ve been bringing zips in to fill the dismal recruitment pool. Looks to me they’ve done the best they could in the modern day to put it back on track

[Wiseguy]

The Gambinos are certainly #2, and have had the least defectors after the Genovese, but they haven't been as successful at holding onto their labor rackets or involvement in certain legitimate industries.

[Etna]

Did Chicago or any of the other non NY families resemble any similar secrecy or discipline in anyone's research? Or are they just a unique organization in and of itself?

[TallGuy19]

I don't know much about Chicago, but I do know that they've only had one made member publicly cooperate, which is a lot fewer than the Genovese family. One of the reasons I don't really study the Outfit is that there isn't nearly as much information available on them as there is on the New York families. They've never had guys like Sammy Gravano or Al D'Arco write tell-all books.

[PolackTony]

Technically Nick Calabrese was the second Chicago member to cooperate. Gerald Scarpelli died in jail before he could testify, however.

Chicago is always a challenging subject due to the relative dearth of information. In the 1960s the Feds bugged critical Outfit hangouts like Celano’s Tailor shop and the Armory Lounge, but even the transcripts from these have to be interpreted with caution due to problems of context and guarded speech. While FBI intel from several CIs in the 60s and 70s have been released to the public, much of this intel was from non-made guys working for the Outfit, so it can provide an incomplete and inaccurate/distorted picture, particularly in relation to the mafia organization itself.

But even within the made membership, Chicago seems to have taken pains to insulate and compartmentalize the structure of the organization. Scarpelli, for example, wasn’t even sure who the underboss was (he hadn’t been a made guy for long, but still). Calabrese mentioned members who he didn’t know or recognize present at the Spilotro brothers hit, and was unsure if Louie Eboli was a capo or not. Not that guys from different crews didn’t work together and partner in things, but still even made members who talked didn’t have an encompassing grasp on the organization beyond their own crew. Over the years I’ve seen claims that this stricter compartmentalization began in the 70s under Aiuppa, but with Chicago who really knows.

Chicago also made far fewer members, both in absolute terms and in relation to the scale of their operations, then the New York families. Most of the guys in a functionally equivalent position to a “soldier” in NYC were not made guys in Chicago. So if a factor in the Genoveses's historical success was being selective in who they induct, Chicago took this to a relative extreme. Families outside of NYC in general had modest membership sizes comparatively, of course, but for Chicago the difference is really stark, taking into consideration the complexity, size, and vast reach of their operations as a “crime syndicate”.

[B.]

Having two of the first "celebrity bosses" (Luciano, Costello) and the first highly publicized cooperator were probably a blessing in the longrun. Gave them a chance to prepare early for the level of scrutiny all of the families would face a little bit later. It's after the early 1960s that we see them start to reel themselves in and build the reputation they have today, probably a response to some of these events.

They were also the first family to have an acting administration for a huge chunk of their early existence. Luciano's incarceration and deportation while an acting boss ran the family for 10 to 15 years was unheard of in the early mafia. The official underboss was also out of the country for the better part of a decade during the same period. Then Frank Costello has a relatively short prison bid in the early 1950s and Vito Genovese goes to prison for over a decade in the late 1950s, so you figure between the mid-1930s to late 1960s they got used to having an acting boss on the street more often than an official boss. I'm sure this helped change the leadership mindset and prepared them for the modern era, where every family is filled with acting leaders and ruling panels. Early on they were forced to see top leadership positions more as a duty than an absolute position.

You'd think these negative events would make them weaker, but I think they had a chance to respond to some of these "trends" earlier than the other families and it made the organization stronger and more disciplined long-term.

[eboli]

There are many reasons, but it boils down to tradition. After the problems they experienced in the late 1950s, the family adopted their modus operandi that carries them to this day. Almost everything can be traced back to the administration that ran the family while Vito was in prison.

1) Acting bosses with a ton of influence that were kept in check by other powerful high-ranking members.
2) More operational freedom for the West Side captains compared to the other New York families, but harsher punishments.
3) With ruling panels and different messengers, they are more effective in running their operations.
4) Being very selective who they propose for membership. More focus on money-making abilities and less on street cred.
5) Hereditary rulership i.e. the Genovese boss picks and grooms his replacement.

[Villain]

There are many reasons, but it boils down to tradition. After the problems they experienced in the late 1950s, the family adopted their modus operandi that carries them to this day. Almost everything can be traced back to the administration that ran the family while Vito was in prison.

1) Acting bosses with a ton of influence that were kept in check by other powerful high-ranking members.
2) More operational freedom for the West Side captains compared to the other New York families, but harsher punishments.
3) With ruling panels and different messengers, they are more effective in running their operations.
4) Being very selective who they propose for membership. More focus on money-making abilities and less on street cred.
5) Hereditary rulership i.e. the Genovese boss picks and grooms his replacement.

Thanks for this since it doesnt just explain the story regarding the Genoveses, but other families too

[funkster]

My guess is the Gambinos getting out from under the Gottis and being taken over by the Sicilians has helped them immensely.

[Grouchy Sinatra]

Plea deals? Willing to make allocutions, admit they're in the mob without testifying against anyone else?

Avoided drug dealing (and the draconian sentencing) more than other families?

Dry snitching? Luciano and Costello historically rumored to get a little chatty with feds to the tune of rivals getting pinched.

[newera_212]

Haven't they had the highest membership totals on paper for the last 40 something years? Yet they manage to remain the most secretive? I always found that to be the most interesting part about them.

I would imagine they have to have some guys into drugs somewhere down the chain right now. I just don't see it not happening in this day and age

[TallGuy19]

Haven't they had the highest membership totals on paper for the last 40 something years? Yet they manage to remain the most secretive? I always found that to be the most interesting part about them.

I would imagine they have to have some guys into drugs somewhere down the chain right now. I just don't see it not happening in this day and age

Genovese soldier Salvatore "Sally KO" Larca is currently in prison for running a large weed-trafficking ring in the Bronx.