General Mob Questions

[TallGuy19]

Was fat Andy Ruggiero Nicky corrozo capo??
And was be as big as portray on there show?

yes at one point. and yes he was as big and as powerful as they say..just lowkey and in oz not far from the Bergen crew during the 80s and the burke crew in the 70s...those guys drew a lot of attention away from fat andy and im sure he didn't mind at all

Fat Andy's topless bar (Classic) 82nd st. And Rockaway blvd. Alot went down in that place

yeah before my time, but ive heard stories

I thought he was a capo

He was a soldier with a large crew of associates under him. His son, Andy Ruggiano Jr., claimed he had around seventy-five guys on record with him.

but not a Capo? Makes no sense to have thatmany

Ed Scarpo did an interview with Ruggiano Jr. awhile back, and we had a long discussion about it on the forum. Some people didn't believe that a soldier could have that many associates, but I pointed out that Vincent Cafaro testified that he had around seventy-two controllers working under him in his numbers operation. I guess it kind of depends on how you define "associate" though. Personally, I consider anyone who works for a made member, but isn't made themself, to be an associate; some people have a different definition.

Here is part one of the interview with Andy Ruggiano Jr.:

https://www.cosanostranews.com/2019/11/ ... y.html?m=1

[Bklyn21]

Was fat Andy Ruggiero Nicky corrozo capo??
And was be as big as portray on there show?

yes at one point. and yes he was as big and as powerful as they say..just lowkey and in oz not far from the Bergen crew during the 80s and the burke crew in the 70s...those guys drew a lot of attention away from fat andy and im sure he didn't mind at all

Fat Andy's topless bar (Classic) 82nd st. And Rockaway blvd. Alot went down in that place

yeah before my time, but ive heard stories

I thought he was a capo

He was a soldier with a large crew of associates under him. His son, Andy Ruggiano Jr., claimed he had around seventy-five guys on record with him.

but not a Capo? Makes no sense to have thatmany

Im pretty sure he was a capo for some time

[TallGuy19]

Was fat Andy Ruggiero Nicky corrozo capo??
And was be as big as portray on there show?

yes at one point. and yes he was as big and as powerful as they say..just lowkey and in oz not far from the Bergen crew during the 80s and the burke crew in the 70s...those guys drew a lot of attention away from fat andy and im sure he didn't mind at all

Fat Andy's topless bar (Classic) 82nd st. And Rockaway blvd. Alot went down in that place

yeah before my time, but ive heard stories

I thought he was a capo

He was a soldier with a large crew of associates under him. His son, Andy Ruggiano Jr., claimed he had around seventy-five guys on record with him.

but not a Capo? Makes no sense to have thatmany

Im pretty sure he was a capo for some time

Here is the thread where members of the forum discussed Andy Ruggiano's rank within the Gambino family. The general consensus was that, based on the wording of the interview, Ruggiano was never a captain, but rather a soldier with extensive operations and a large crew of associates:

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=5434

[Dio]

Hi. I'd began to do some research a couple months ago and read this forum everyday although I'm not used to make any post. But, recently I've come across a few posts that left me wondering. It's about the "kicking up" proccess. I myself used to believe it was a strict, rigid practice that involved the bottom men kicking up a percentage of their earnings to their boss almost every week or so, and after reading a couple posts (I believe it was Boss Earnings and a post about Sal Vitale testimony, or something to that effect) regarding this I'm now unsure about whether or not this kicking up proccess is enforced and if so, to what degree it is. Is the "kick up" a strict protocol? Are all soldiers supposed to kick up tributes (including earnings of their own business and operations, even if their operations don't involve the captain) to their captains in a regular basis, as in every week or every month? If so, how much? Or is the "tribute" confused with vig payments or something to that effect? I know they probably pay Christmas tribute and such, but are they really supposed to pay rent, taxes or tribute to their bosses frequently? And if so, why? Is it because it is seen as a nice gesture, loyalty, to have advantage in sit downs or simply because they're instructed to kick up, as mandatory? And where does that money go, to a fund or to the boss pockets? I'm eager to know what's the functioning behind all this. It'd be perfect if you guys could include real life examples or sources.

I'm sorry if this is thought of as a stupid question, but I felt I had to ask irregardless. If someone could clear this up for me and anybody else who has the same questions as I do, I'd be grateful. Maybe a post entirely about this kick-up thing would be nice too, if you guys have interesting info about this and would like to share. Please keep in mind that I've just started to read more in-depth about the Mafia, not to memorize things but rather because I find the stufy of their culture a hobby, a truly fascinating one, so I might not be as knowledgeable as you guys are. Please be mindful of that. Thanks for reading.

[Orcus]

As far as I'm concerned, kick-ups happen on a weekly basis (sometimes monthly) and is usually given to the one someone is on record with. For example, a made man hands his weekly to a captain. However, Sal Vitale says that not all associates kick up, but I think this is dependent on the family and if someone is an earner or not. The reason behind them is to be given a pass to operate in an area by paying tribute to the reigning captain, it's like a tradition and a way of showing respect. The higher your tribute, the higher your standing in the family. Earners rise faster and hold more sway. What I'm not sure about myself is the percentage that is kicked up.

Does anyone know how the profits are shared between a family's administration? I know some underbosses/consiglieres had their own buttons under them, or even operated a crew from which they received their profits. What if an underboss had no crew under him? Would he be expected to run rackets of his own, or did the boss share part of the income with him and his consigliere?

[Pogo The Clown]

As far asDoes anyone know how the profits are shared between a family's administration? I know some underbosses/consiglieres had their own buttons under them, or even operated a crew from which they received their profits. What if an underboss had no crew under him? Would he be expected to run rackets of his own, or did the boss share part of the income with him and his consigliere?

From Vitale's debriefings that B. posted up.

- Vitale says that a family leadership position doesn't automatically receive money. He says most of the money family leaders make is through their own operations and businesses (legal and illegal) and that they only occasionally receive a cut from scores that gets kicked up. He says "it's not all trumped up" like outsiders would believe.

[JeremyTheJew]

But isn't that not the norm? I thought chinwas respected so much is bc he didn't.have crews kickup.

Then at same time u have bosses like gotti who mos def demanded a cut and a meetevery week.
Same w scarfo who had the baseball analogy of u must touch base.

Profaci was knownfor charging also.

Every boss and crew is different.
Id say MOST made members are required to kick up to capo

[TallGuy19]

Hi. I'd began to do some research a couple months ago and read this forum everyday although I'm not used to make any post. But, recently I've come across a few posts that left me wondering. It's about the "kicking up" proccess. I myself used to believe it was a strict, rigid practice that involved the bottom men kicking up a percentage of their earnings to their boss almost every week or so, and after reading a couple posts (I believe it was Boss Earnings and a post about Sal Vitale testimony, or something to that effect) regarding this I'm now unsure about whether or not this kicking up proccess is enforced and if so, to what degree it is. Is the "kick up" a strict protocol? Are all soldiers supposed to kick up tributes (including earnings of their own business and operations, even if their operations don't involve the captain) to their captains in a regular basis, as in every week or every month? If so, how much? Or is the "tribute" confused with vig payments or something to that effect? I know they probably pay Christmas tribute and such, but are they really supposed to pay rent, taxes or tribute to their bosses frequently? And if so, why? Is it because it is seen as a nice gesture, loyalty, to have advantage in sit downs or simply because they're instructed to kick up, as mandatory? And where does that money go, to a fund or to the boss pockets? I'm eager to know what's the functioning behind all this. It'd be perfect if you guys could include real life examples or sources.

I'm sorry if this is thought of as a stupid question, but I felt I had to ask irregardless. If someone could clear this up for me and anybody else who has the same questions as I do, I'd be grateful. Maybe a post entirely about this kick-up thing would be nice too, if you guys have interesting info about this and would like to share. Please keep in mind that I've just started to read more in-depth about the Mafia, not to memorize things but rather because I find the stufy of their culture a hobby, a truly fascinating one, so I might not be as knowledgeable as you guys are. Please be mindful of that. Thanks for reading.

I'm currently reading The Valachi Papers and in the book Valachi says that his capo, Anthony "Tony Bender" Strollo, made him split the $500 a week commission he got from referring customers to Jonny Robilotto's alcohol business with fellow crew member Girolamo "Bobby Doyle" Santuccio. He also broke up his partnership with Robilotto in a loansharking operation when Strollo tried to take a 1/3 cut of the profits for himself. Valachi says that he only met with Strollo when he absolutely had to and that he was unwilling to share any of his profits with him, because he didn't want to develop a reputation as a pushover.

There is no standard amount or percentage that is kicked up to soldiers, captains, or bosses; it varies from crew to crew and operation to operation. A soldier might be 50/50 partners with his captain in a bookmaking operation, but he might have a loansharking operation that he keeps all to himself. If you're interested in learning more about the day-to-day operations of the Mafia, I would highly recommend reading Underboss, Mafia Prince, The Valachi Papers, or Mob Boss: The Life of Little Al D'Arco, the Man Who Brought Down the Mafia, as go into a lot of detail on loansharking, numbers, labor racketeering, and gambling.

[chin_gigante]

So thinking of doing a little digging and does anyone know any good sources on the impact of WWI on LCN or mobsters who fought in the war (either for Italy before coming over to the US or for America)? Would be helpful. Thanks

[JeremyTheJew]

https://youtu.be/o-fkaTOFo7s

Interesting stories from Gianni Russo about the godfather

[JeremyTheJew]

Lol Johnny and gene show w Kenji!!! He's un masked too!!

https://youtu.be/FLJnZGVAlsI

[JeremyTheJew]

All this talk of sopranos made me re watch GF2 and I'm the beginning they talk about Clemenza for a brief second....

What happened to Clemenza?

[Naitor]

What was the general consensus on taxes? Not just street taxes or weeklies but taxes being used for punishments for mistakes rather than getting killed/demoted?

[JMAN723]

When did Gotti become official capo Of the Bergin? We already know that he was inducted in October 77 after being paroled and became acting capo while Fatico was dealing with legal issues. But reading a lot of informant reports in 1979-80 they all say Gotti was acting capo. He still had control over the Bergin crew but apparently he was pissed off that Paul didn’t give him the official capo title. Does anybody know when he was named The official Capo of the Bergin crew?

[HairyKnuckles]

When did Gotti become official capo Of the Bergin? We already know that he was inducted in October 77 after being paroled and became acting capo while Fatico was dealing with legal issues. But reading a lot of informant reports in 1979-80 they all say Gotti was acting capo. He still had control over the Bergin crew but apparently he was pissed off that Paul didn’t give him the official capo title. Does anybody know when he was named The official Capo of the Bergin crew?

He was never named the official captain. When he took over, after Castellano was killed, he was still just acting captain.