Barney Bellomo

[aleksandrored]

I remember a recent documentary that talked about the Mafia in Drug Trafficking, it also showed interviews with current drug dealers, they didn't even know the Mafia, some knew it existed, but it seemed that the Mafia was a thing of the past, as if it had several organizations well more structures in the US.

[Dave65827]

TBH this convo has been done to death. Are cartels stronger nationally ? Hell ya and can’t be disputed. Is the Mafia still the “Main” OC group in NY ? Yes

Just saved 20 pages on this thread

[TommyNoto]

I remember a recent documentary that talked about the Mafia in Drug Trafficking, it also showed interviews with current drug dealers, they didn't even know the Mafia, some knew it existed, but it seemed that the Mafia was a thing of the past, as if it had several organizations well more structures in the US.

In the beginning days of the prescription pill crisis, the mob had a big share in NJ and Staten Island as they had the hooks with the Drs

[Wiseguy]

I'm talking over generations. They may be exceptional but like Capeci said, Jerry Asaro 125 years (more like 175 based on more vague info) and he's not alone.

Are there non-mafia organizations who can trace current members in different countries back to the 18th century? Legitimately asking, I know little about other groups.

Possibly some of the Chinese tongs/triads.

The way I see it, people are making a category error in trying to place the mafia in a comparative framework of “criminal organizations”, like gangs and DTOs. The mafia is a longstanding cultural tradition that hinges on an initiatory criminal secret society at its core. Cognate phenomena are triads, yakuza, the Nigerian Black Axe fraternities (themselves derived from much older initiatory male secret societies in southern Nigeria), even the Abakuá of Cuba, not DTOs or street gangs.

It's unclear how much the Tongs have really lasted up to the present day. You see several that show up in the U.S. in the 19th century but how many are still around, let alone have been a continuing criminal enterprise? In other words, could one track a line of succession (like you can with a Mafia family) from, say, the guys in the Ghee Kung Tong in San Francisco in the mid-1800s to Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow in the 2000s? Is it even the same organization?

[PolackTony]

I'm talking over generations. They may be exceptional but like Capeci said, Jerry Asaro 125 years (more like 175 based on more vague info) and he's not alone.

Are there non-mafia organizations who can trace current members in different countries back to the 18th century? Legitimately asking, I know little about other groups.

Possibly some of the Chinese tongs/triads.

The way I see it, people are making a category error in trying to place the mafia in a comparative framework of “criminal organizations”, like gangs and DTOs. The mafia is a longstanding cultural tradition that hinges on an initiatory criminal secret society at its core. Cognate phenomena are triads, yakuza, the Nigerian Black Axe fraternities (themselves derived from much older initiatory male secret societies in southern Nigeria), even the Abakuá of Cuba, not DTOs or street gangs.

It's unclear how much the Tongs have really lasted up to the present day. You see several that show up in the U.S. in the 19th century but how many are still around, let alone have been a continuing criminal enterprise? In other words, could one track a line of succession (like you can with a Mafia family) from, say, the guys in the Ghee Kung Tong in San Francisco in the mid-1800s to Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow in the 2000s? Is it even the same organization?

That’s a good question. I’d be inclined to say that even if the specific organizations have changed over time, there’s a distinct subculture that surrounds the Tong/Triad phenomena that constitutes an underworld cultural tradition. My interest centers less on these phenomena solely as “criminal enterprises” but as interlocking sets of formal and informal social institutions and cultural traditions. The “enterprise” model is a valid one, within the framework of criminal justice/law enforcement perspectives, but it’s only part of the picture.

In terms of a continuous organizational structure, the On Leong Tong society was already in existence circa 1890; I’m not sure if it was derived from a predecessor organization. And of course On Leong was an extant “criminal enterprise” as late as the ‘90s in Chicago and NYC. Apparently it still exists today, though I have no idea if its members still use the society to operate criminal rackets anymore.

[B.]

Something about Barney that's not well-known is he speaks Sicilian fluently, which shouldn't be a surprise but is still significant to me. Sal Mangiavillano did time with him and said Barney specifically speaks in Corleonese dialect, which is similar to the dialect where Mangiavillano's family comes from in Camastra / Naro. They were able to speak Sicilian in prison but he said Barney was still ultra-paranoid and felt people could understand it.

[Amershire_Ed]

Something about Barney that's not well-known is he speaks Sicilian fluently, which shouldn't be a surprise but is still significant to me. Sal Mangiavillano did time with him and said Barney specifically speaks in Corleonese dialect, which is similar to the dialect where Mangiavillano's family comes from in Camastra / Naro. They were able to speak Sicilian in prison but he said Barney was still ultra-paranoid and felt people could understand it.

When Bill Simmons was still at ESPN, he famously coined the term “the Tyson zone”. Someone enters the “Tyson Zone” when any story told about them—no matter how insane or far fetched—sounds like it actually could’ve happened. Some famous “Tyson Zone” alumni are (obviously) Mike Tyson, Manny Ramirez, Ron Artest, Allen Iverson, and many others.

There’s a mafia parallel here with Barney where you could literally say anything about him and I’d be inclined to believe it. He’s like a super mafioso. If you told me “yeah Barney made his whole family (grandmas, aunts, uncles, etc) disrobe after his granddaughters communion because he was scared someone was wired for sound”, I’d be like “yeah that sounds about right”.

[B.]

Yeah, I'm skeptical of some of the unsourced claims about him. He's become like a Chuck Norris joke going back to the old boards 15+ years ago. "One time Barney showed up to a sitdown dressed like a hotel maid and communicated in morse code," which gets repeated forever.

That said, both people who met him and the lore around him are on the money that he's secretive 24/7 and an enigma. Another sort of like that is Allie Boy Persico -- someone who was with him in MCC said Persico kept to himself and was secretive despite all of the comradery among locked up mob guys because Persico believed they shouldn't act the part. Both Bellomo and Persico are those true believer types based on what I've learned.

[Amershire_Ed]

I’d love to know how many made guys in 2022 are fluent in either a Sicilian or Neapolitan or Calabrian dialect.

I think one of the earlier mob docs on the pizza connection talked about how even though they had agents that could speak and understand Italian, they would get these wiretaps with these Sicilians speaking in their own slang and dialect and these agents couldn’t understand a damn word they were saying. The Feds had to really recruit people that knew the Sicilian dialect.

[PolackTony]

I’d love to know how many made guys in 2022 are fluent in either a Sicilian or Neapolitan or Calabrian dialect.

I think one of the earlier mob docs on the pizza connection talked about how even though they had agents that could speak and understand Italian, they would get these wiretaps with these Sicilians speaking in their own slang and dialect and these agents couldn’t understand a damn word they were saying. The Feds had to really recruit people that knew the Sicilian dialect.

Current reputed Chicago members Massimo and Matteo LoBue were born in Trabìa, Palermo, so they would be an example. Another reputed Chicago member Jason Nitti has strong ties to Bari so I’d imagine he can speak Bares’. Al Mitria, who may be a Chicago member, was born in Ricigliano, Salerno.

[Ryan98366]

Cartels more powerful.
Crips Bloods Latin Kings.
Bikie gangs. Hells Angel's have thousands of full patches in the US alone, hundreds more in canada.

Those organizations are national. Some international. GENOVESE exists purely in a few boroughs in NYC.

The “Bikie” gangs are more powerful than the Genoese family? C’mon. Clearly you have never seen an American 1% biker gang. They are unintelligent and unorganized and the leaders of these gangs live in Shitty home and have next to no money. Barney is a multi-millionaire.

The Banditos have a club in my area. They all work 9-5 blue collar jobs and might move some drugs on the side.

Nice try Prince Harry.

[Newyorkempire]

Prince Harry lol .....hes a true crime writer. Has his ear to the streets and has a lot of inside information about all groups around the world

[Pogo The Clown]

But is he a retard?


Pogo

[Newyorkempire]

But is he a retard?


Pogo

Are you?

[SonnyBlackstein]

I’d love to know how many made guys in 2022 are fluent in either a Sicilian or Neapolitan or Calabrian dialect.

I'd love to know how bilingual the modern day mob is.

Pennisi speaks Italian. Be interested to know how much 'interaction' is in Italian these days.