Which of the 5 Families do you find least interesting, and why?

[Wiseguy]

If you're talking about shoot outs, the Genovese are the least interesting. But if you're intrigued by an organization's ability to remain successful and low key as they have, then they are interesting in that sense.

I've always thought that their success is by dominating the vice rackets. That's what it was all about from the beginning and still to this day. The needs of bored men. These are the rackets that law enforcement is least concerned with. Drugs are obviously where the line's drawn. Do the Genovese deal drugs the way the other families do? I don't see a lot of big drug busts with them as I do the other families. Gambling, women (prostitution), loan sharking (service to gamblers who can't go elsewhere for loans). The beauty of these rackets is that they don't come with these debilitating 20 year sentences like drug cases. They're easy to plea out of.

Meanwhile look at Chicago. They're practically non-existent now and I can't help but to think it's because they hitched everything onto their large scale business rackets. Teamsters, Vegas, etc. When that went down, they went down with it. They didn't diversify, at least not enough. If you're going to hitch everything to large scale business rackets, then I think you have to have a path to eventually going legit. Maybe that's what Accardo was trying to do.

I don't know. I'm just always wondered how the Genovese family seems to be the closest thing there is to how the mob was run in it's glory days.They have to be doing something different from the others. I doubt it's just by chance.

From a rackets standpoint, the Genovese remain at the top because of two things. First, they run the largest bookmaking and loansharking operations in the New York/New Jersey area. Second, relatively speaking, they have the most involvement remaining in labor racketeering and legitimate businesses. Make no mistake, the latter has long been a prime reason why the Genovese were considered the most sophisticated and successful family.

The Genovese are involved in drug trafficking but certainly not as deep as the Gambinos or Bonannos are. Narcotics has long been more central to those families' portfolio. And if there was a family who had the most involvement in the sex trade, it would be the Gambinos as well.

The Outfit was very diversified years ago. Don't forget they controlled or collected a street tax from vice rackets in Chicago. What did them in is the same as most other families - a combination of attrition and repeated prosecutions.

[PolackTony]

If you're talking about shoot outs, the Genovese are the least interesting. But if you're intrigued by an organization's ability to remain successful and low key as they have, then they are interesting in that sense.

I've always thought that their success is by dominating the vice rackets. That's what it was all about from the beginning and still to this day. The needs of bored men. These are the rackets that law enforcement is least concerned with. Drugs are obviously where the line's drawn. Do the Genovese deal drugs the way the other families do? I don't see a lot of big drug busts with them as I do the other families. Gambling, women (prostitution), loan sharking (service to gamblers who can't go elsewhere for loans). The beauty of these rackets is that they don't come with these debilitating 20 year sentences like drug cases. They're easy to plea out of.

Meanwhile look at Chicago. They're practically non-existent now and I can't help but to think it's because they hitched everything onto their large scale business rackets. Teamsters, Vegas, etc. When that went down, they went down with it. They didn't diversify, at least not enough. If you're going to hitch everything to large scale business rackets, then I think you have to have a path to eventually going legit. Maybe that's what Accardo was trying to do.

I don't know. I'm just always wondered how the Genovese family seems to be the closest thing there is to how the mob was run in it's glory days.They have to be doing something different from the others. I doubt it's just by chance.

Chicago was very much diversified, they did not put all their eggs in the Teamsters/Vegas basket, as lucrative as these were. They had major juice loans; all sorts of gambling (big sport books, card and crap games, bolita); hijacking, local and interstate burglary rings, auto theft and chop shops; extortion and strong arming of all sorts of businesses both around and beyond Chicago; labor racketeering and control of tons of area union locals; business racketeering and white collar rackets like bid rigging, control over city hiring and services via the department of Streets and Sanitation, etc. For many years you basically couldn't build anything in the Loop without the Outfit getting a taste via Pat Marcy and the old 1st Ward Machine.

Losing the Vegas skim or control over the Teamsters purse strings didn't bring down the Outfit. What screwed them were the series of major Federal cases in the 80s and 90s that smashed their grip over city and Cook County politics and the court system -- Operations Greylord, Gambat, Silvers Shovel. Once they lost their control of political corruption and Cook County judges and prosecuters they lost their decades-long ability to kill and terrorize with near impunity.

[InCamelot]

Gambino, Gambino is the least interesting crime family hands down.

Not for any reason some of you may think, I just hate how trendy this particular crime family is. It's like rappers with Scarface, everything is Gotti this - Gotti that. I'm so sick of the pop culture that surrounds this particular crime family, and it's not even the family itself, but the Gotti part of it.

I cannot tell you how many Italian guido-retards i've met growing up in NY, with the orange skin, and spiked gel hair. Who's last name just so happens to be Gambino, or some sort of variation of it like Gambini; Who act like they're hot shit, just because of what their last name is, even though they most likely have zero relations with John Gotti - and they never do have any actual relation to him or the crime family as a whole. Basically dick riding a crime family, just because they share a similar last name. I don't see this happening with any other crime family.

I find the Gambino the least interesting, the same reason I find America's role uninteresting during world war 2, because it's all people ever fucking talk about.

Basically, for me.

Although I know I'm missing the interesting shit about the Gambinos. Its just more bullshit to wade through before you get to the good stuff maybe.

[InCamelot]

All of the families are interesting in some way. However, the Gambinos aren’t too interesting to read about. I’ve already heard the Gotti story 500 times and the only thing about the family that intrigues me today are the zips on 18th ave.

Post-Gotti is definitely interesting. I think maybe even the Gotti prison years.

[slimshady_007]

All of the families are interesting in some way. However, the Gambinos aren’t too interesting to read about. I’ve already heard the Gotti story 500 times and the only thing about the family that intrigues me today are the zips on 18th ave.

Post-Gotti is definitely interesting. I think maybe even the Gotti prison years.

Nicky Corozzo’s crew in the 90’s were interesting bunch of guys as well.

[Angelo Santino]

They are all interesting and have their own history to them. But for me, I'd answer the Luccheses, mostly because I don't have many questions on them. We know the Corleonese split into two camps- Gens and Lucs and there's interesting questions that will never be known. But I find the Gambino/Colombo split to be more interesting because its still a mystery that we can only offer up educated guesses on.

[CabriniGreen]

Gambino, Gambino is the least interesting crime family hands down.

Not for any reason some of you may think, I just hate how trendy this particular crime family is. It's like rappers with Scarface, everything is Gotti this - Gotti that. I'm so sick of the pop culture that surrounds this particular crime family, and it's not even the family itself, but the Gotti part of it.

I cannot tell you how many Italian guido-retards i've met growing up in NY, with the orange skin, and spiked gel hair. Who's last name just so happens to be Gambino, or some sort of variation of it like Gambini; Who act like they're hot shit, just because of what their last name is, even though they most likely have zero relations with John Gotti - and they never do have any actual relation to him or the crime family as a whole. Basically dick riding a crime family, just because they share a similar last name. I don't see this happening with any other crime family.

I find the Gambino the least interesting, the same reason I find America's role uninteresting during world war 2, because it's all people ever fucking talk about.

Basically, for me.

Although I know I'm missing the interesting shit about the Gambinos. Its just more bullshit to wade through before you get to the good stuff maybe.

This is actually part of why I'm into the Sicilian Gambinos... the connections to Italy, or even or Italy in general..

I actually find the Genovese uninteresting... For the same reason you find the Gambinos boring. It's always, " The ivey league of OC", like the same repeated phrases and names even... although.....I have always been Interested in Colletti, Gagliodottos nephew...

[Angelo Santino]

Gambino, Gambino is the least interesting crime family hands down.

Not for any reason some of you may think, I just hate how trendy this particular crime family is. It's like rappers with Scarface, everything is Gotti this - Gotti that. I'm so sick of the pop culture that surrounds this particular crime family, and it's not even the family itself, but the Gotti part of it.

I cannot tell you how many Italian guido-retards i've met growing up in NY, with the orange skin, and spiked gel hair. Who's last name just so happens to be Gambino, or some sort of variation of it like Gambini; Who act like they're hot shit, just because of what their last name is, even though they most likely have zero relations with John Gotti - and they never do have any actual relation to him or the crime family as a whole. Basically dick riding a crime family, just because they share a similar last name. I don't see this happening with any other crime family.

I find the Gambino the least interesting, the same reason I find America's role uninteresting during world war 2, because it's all people ever fucking talk about.

Basically, for me.

Although I know I'm missing the interesting shit about the Gambinos. Its just more bullshit to wade through before you get to the good stuff maybe.

This is actually part of why I'm into the Sicilian Gambinos... the connections to Italy, or even or Italy in general..

I actually find the Genovese uninteresting... For the same reason you find the Gambinos boring. It's always, " The ivey league of OC", like the same repeated phrases and names even... although.....I have always been Interested in Colletti, Gagliodottos nephew...

I find both the Gams and Gens to be interesting due to their differences. The Gambinos are the most heavily Palermitan and still retain those links 150 years after the Family was set up in New York. The Genovese are the other hand shed their Sicilian roots (Bellomo aside) yet it doesn't seemed to have affected their longevity.

[InCamelot]

Gambino, Gambino is the least interesting crime family hands down.

Not for any reason some of you may think, I just hate how trendy this particular crime family is. It's like rappers with Scarface, everything is Gotti this - Gotti that. I'm so sick of the pop culture that surrounds this particular crime family, and it's not even the family itself, but the Gotti part of it.

I cannot tell you how many Italian guido-retards i've met growing up in NY, with the orange skin, and spiked gel hair. Who's last name just so happens to be Gambino, or some sort of variation of it like Gambini; Who act like they're hot shit, just because of what their last name is, even though they most likely have zero relations with John Gotti - and they never do have any actual relation to him or the crime family as a whole. Basically dick riding a crime family, just because they share a similar last name. I don't see this happening with any other crime family.

I find the Gambino the least interesting, the same reason I find America's role uninteresting during world war 2, because it's all people ever fucking talk about.

Basically, for me.

Although I know I'm missing the interesting shit about the Gambinos. Its just more bullshit to wade through before you get to the good stuff maybe.

This is actually part of why I'm into the Sicilian Gambinos... the connections to Italy, or even or Italy in general..

I actually find the Genovese uninteresting... For the same reason you find the Gambinos boring. It's always, " The ivey league of OC", like the same repeated phrases and names even... although.....I have always been Interested in Colletti, Gagliodottos nephew...

I find both the Gams and Gens to be interesting due to their differences. The Gambinos are the most heavily Palermitan and still retain those links 150 years after the Family was set up in New York. The Genovese are the other hand shed their Sicilian roots (Bellomo aside) yet it doesn't seemed to have affected their longevity.

The Americanization of the group is something I find fascinating about the Genovese.

[motorfab]

I'm answering the thread's question but on the opposite: the only NY family that interests me is the Bonanno Family because of all the international connections it has or had and simply because I find the history of the family interesting. Unlike the other 4 which don't really interest me ...

[Pmac2]

Genovese family so stable there boring to read about. The bosses are so far insulated threw there blood family no rats really get close. The most interesting case was the springfield crew and artie nigro who fucked up because he had that rat big John a associate relaying messages to and from the Springfield crew. You got to ask why nigro with a huge crew of made guys would use a associate to do that kind of work. Must have been stealing or hiding money from his bosses. And that was 2008 nothing really much since. The merlino thing which wasnt much.

[MSFRD]

Bonnano Family as a whole, with the Vic and Gas era of the Lucchese on par.

[PolackTony]

Gambino, Gambino is the least interesting crime family hands down.

Not for any reason some of you may think, I just hate how trendy this particular crime family is. It's like rappers with Scarface, everything is Gotti this - Gotti that. I'm so sick of the pop culture that surrounds this particular crime family, and it's not even the family itself, but the Gotti part of it.

I cannot tell you how many Italian guido-retards i've met growing up in NY, with the orange skin, and spiked gel hair. Who's last name just so happens to be Gambino, or some sort of variation of it like Gambini; Who act like they're hot shit, just because of what their last name is, even though they most likely have zero relations with John Gotti - and they never do have any actual relation to him or the crime family as a whole. Basically dick riding a crime family, just because they share a similar last name. I don't see this happening with any other crime family.

I find the Gambino the least interesting, the same reason I find America's role uninteresting during world war 2, because it's all people ever fucking talk about.

Basically, for me.

Although I know I'm missing the interesting shit about the Gambinos. Its just more bullshit to wade through before you get to the good stuff maybe.

This is actually part of why I'm into the Sicilian Gambinos... the connections to Italy, or even or Italy in general..

I actually find the Genovese uninteresting... For the same reason you find the Gambinos boring. It's always, " The ivey league of OC", like the same repeated phrases and names even... although.....I have always been Interested in Colletti, Gagliodottos nephew...

I find both the Gams and Gens to be interesting due to their differences. The Gambinos are the most heavily Palermitan and still retain those links 150 years after the Family was set up in New York. The Genovese are the other hand shed their Sicilian roots (Bellomo aside) yet it doesn't seemed to have affected their longevity.

The Americanization of the group is something I find fascinating about the Genovese.

+1

I'd suspect that most of us Chicago guys have a strong interest in the Genovese, due to both the close ties and broad similarities over the years between them and the Outfit.

Additionally, even though I currently live in BK I have much stronger personal ties to East Harlem and the Bx, so I find myself more interested in the Genovese and the Lukes secondarily. The history of Italian Harlem is fascinating (as well as its latter day "diaspora" in the Bx and Westchester/CT) and of course these families are closely tied to that history.

[bababooey]

I find the Lucchese, Colombo, and Bonanno families the least interesting because they always seem to be in such disarray. The Genovese and Gambino's are bigger and better run.

To me the lucchese is the most interesting because they had the lowest amount of made men , but from the 40s-80s had the most millionaires out of any family and also had an insane presence within the unions. One unique thing about the lucchese's was that tommy brown was loved by his crew. Unlike bonano and profaci who had insane kickup fees, Tommy brown let everyone in the family earn. Early on the family had the least amount of rats like the genovese. Extremely loyal to the family because tommy brown was so loved. He also wasn't a crazy killer, he would use money to gain control instead of killing.

[Wiseguy]

To me the lucchese is the most interesting because they had the lowest amount of made men , but from the 40s-80s had the most millionaires out of any family

Not sure where that came from. The Genovese were always considered the wealthiest family (individually and collectively), followed by the Gambinos. Law enforcement would referred to them as the "two millionaire crime families."