Pete wrote:Big surprise wiseguy posts opinion after opinion and even though many conflict with each other he passes them as fact
I realize some of those quotes I posted above are contradictory - that was part of the point, Pete. The NY families are always mentioned. So there's no question about them. Chicago as well. New Jersey, New England, and Philadelphia almost as much. Detroit a few times. And Miami/South Florida a couple times. None of the other families are mentioned at all. The contradictions therein show a sort of gradation, for lack of a better word, of these families. The more often and consistently a family is cited by different sources over the years, the more weight one can give it. Those more inconsistently bring up more questions. When one does this, along with looking at the indictments for these families, it gives one a good idea of the state of things. One has took look at
all the evidence objectively and weigh it in the balance. But you don't do this and have never done it. You follow Chicago, and other families to a much lesser degree, and then come on the forums and make uninformed comments. Hence the reason you think there's anything still resembling a mob family in New Orleans today. That's hilarious in itself so I don't know where you get off laughing at anyone.
Ivan wrote:You hear this a lot (and I'm not saying you are saying it Wiseguy), but is there any real evidence that they are any more active and stronger than Philly or New England? They seem to be on par with or even maybe less active than those two families, at least from what we can tell from cases etc.
I could be mistaken here; if someone can objectively prove that I'm wrong about this, go for it.
I certainly don't think there's as much of a gap between Chicago and those other smaller remaining families than there is between all of them and the NY families. And one could argue the size of the Outfit, according to the latest estimates, is comparable to New England and Philadelphia. It's just the member to associate ratio is a little different. That said, there does seem to be more involvement in legitimate business, organized labor, and local politics in Chicago than those other families - though not nearly as much as some who have an outdated view of the Outfit may think. The underlying point being, even if Chicago is a step above those other families, it's still closer to them today than it is to the NY families.
Ivan wrote:Joe LIgambi (who was either the boss or acting for Merlino, depending on who you ask) was busted in 2011.
I think both families are roughly the same scale, based on the cases coming out and whatnot. Could be wrong though, I don't have firsthand knowledge, I just know what I've read.
Pete brought this up before. He apparently thinks because Ligambi was acquitted it somehow doesn't count. Of course, it's the indictment itself that shows the activity in question. The aftermath - conviction, acquittal, or plea deal - is beside the point.
All roads lead to New York.
