Captain with no Crew vs Soliders Direct with Boss

[InCamelot]

As far as we know, are there operational differences between those that are labelled as a solider that is "direct with the boss" and those that are considered captains with no crew?

[B.]

A captain can sit down with other captains and settle issues at that level while a soldier with the admin can only sit as a soldier. A captain can attend captains meetings and has the status of a leader.

You have admin soldiers like Joel Cacace in the 1980s though who was like a liaison / street boss for the admin. Other admin soldiers though might operate like any other soldier they can just go direct to the admin with issues instead of a captain.

[Pmac2]

Alphonse funzi mosca. A gambino soldier who ran the concrete for big Paul. Robert dB debarnardo ran the porn. Both soldiers direct to Paul. Big earners

[Pmac2]

Paul had more can't remember

[Pmac2]

Was john gambino direct with paul?

[B.]

John Gambino was under Antonino Inzerillo then Failla and Billotti.

Danny Marino was direct with the admin for a period.

[PolackTony]

We know from Frank Bompensiero that Phil Alderisio (along with Marshall Caifano) was a soldier direct with Giancana during the time the latter was boss. At the time that Bomp reported to the FBI in 1969 following a meeting that he had with Alderisio and Fratianno, Bomp stated that he believed that Alderisio was still formally a soldier; if so, he may have reported to either Ricca or Accardo, who were serving as acting bosses at this time. Outside observers at the time and since have opined that Alderisio was a captain or admin member during the 60s, based on his clout due to reporting directly to the admin — and thus being apparently given access to racket territories that didn’t correspond to what seem to have been the spheres of control that the crew captains in Chicago had (Alderisio had his fingers in a lot of pots and stuff going on all over Chicagoland and beyond) — as well as his own aggressive personality. B brought up the example of Cacace serving as a “street boss”/liaison for the admin, and I believe that Alderisio, given the failing health and incarceration of several senior Chicago members in this time, may have been tapped by Chicago’s acting admin for a similar role before he himself was incarcerated. We also know that he was participating in Chicago’s Consiglio during this time, which may have led to the FBI labeling him as the official Consigliere, though if he actually had that position, Bomp was evidently unaware of it. Alderisio was also a de facto liaison to Milwaukee, owing to his long personal relationship with Balistrieri and others there, though Accardo seems to have also had a similar role vis-a-vis the senior Milwaukee members.

Alderisio would seem to be a prime example of how a soldier direct with the admin could have exercised clout beyond his formal title, leading to outsiders assuming that he had a higher rank than he seems to have actually had. Of course, not all soldiers direct with the admin will act in such a fashion, and again, some of it is likely due to contingencies in the Family’s admin structure at the time, as well as personal idiosyncrasies.

[johnny_scootch]

Ralphie Scopo, huge earner and extremely powerful but only a soldier. He got convicted with all the Bosses at the Commission trial. Did he have a captain or was he direct with the Colombo admin?

[Antiliar]

I'd say Alderisio was probably made the acting capo for the imprisoned Battaglia. Similarly, when Angelo LaPietra went to prison his brother James became the acting capo of Bridgeport, although to those under him he was the de facto captain of the crew. So it seems that the norm in Chicago was to keep your rank in prison unless you're demoted or give it up. At any rate, as acting capos Alderisio and Jimmy LaPietra were technically still soldiers.

[PolackTony]

I'd say Alderisio was probably made the acting capo for the imprisoned Battaglia. Similarly, when Angelo LaPietra went to prison his brother James became the acting capo of Bridgeport, although to those under him he was the de facto captain of the crew. So it seems that the norm in Chicago was to keep your rank in prison unless you're demoted or give it up. At any rate, as acting capos Alderisio and Jimmy LaPietra were technically still soldiers.

He may well have been, but we don’t have a member source that tells us that, and Bompensiero wasn’t aware that he was.

[Antiliar]

I'd say Alderisio was probably made the acting capo for the imprisoned Battaglia. Similarly, when Angelo LaPietra went to prison his brother James became the acting capo of Bridgeport, although to those under him he was the de facto captain of the crew. So it seems that the norm in Chicago was to keep your rank in prison unless you're demoted or give it up. At any rate, as acting capos Alderisio and Jimmy LaPietra were technically still soldiers.

He may well have been, but we don’t have a member source that tells us that, and Bompensiero wasn’t aware that he was.

No, we don't have a member source saying this directly about Alderisio, but Nick C. did use capo and acting capo interchangeably for LaPietra. So I think it has good explanatory power for Alderisio, and on the totality of the preponderance of the evidence it's highly probable.

[NYNighthawk]

Tommy Gambino who just died was a capo and ha dno crew under him.

[bn]

Alphonse funzi mosca. A gambino soldier who ran the concrete for big Paul. Robert dB debarnardo ran the porn. Both soldiers direct to Paul. Big earners

DiBernardo was under Ettore Zappi. Alfonso Mosca Sr. was under Francesco Rizzo and later Anthony Napolitano.

[Browniety86]

I think Matty Madonna when he was a capo had no crew...Anthony Casso was a soldier direct with Chris Furnari when he was consigliere...

[dack2001]

Tony Caponigro was direct with Angelo Bruno.