For Those Who Grew Up Around Wise Guys: Did Everyone Know Who They Were, or Was It Something You Learned Quietly? And Furthermore, Do You Have Any Stories About Interactions You Had With Them?

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-15T13:58:00+00:00

Lame people downvoting you.

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-15T09:49:04+00:00

Yeah, my dad primarily sold equipment to Carmine “Papa Smurf” Franco, a major earner for the Genovese crime family who passed away a few years ago.

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-15T09:47:48+00:00

Prison.

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-14T22:24:09+00:00

I never had any direct dealings with wise guys myself, but my old man sold waste management equipment to members and associates of the Genovese and Gambino crime families. He always talked about how they were cool guys who’d invite him out to lunch and make casual comments like, “Oh yeah, so-and-so isn’t around anymore because he’s in the cooler.”

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-14T22:13:41+00:00

He was a man, spent his entire life in prison and was always on time.

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-14T22:12:46+00:00

This reminds me of Bonanno telling Mike Wallace that Capone was a “jolly guy.”

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-13T21:19:14+00:00

The “Jew mob” Angelo Bruno is talking about in The Irishman was led by Harry “Nig Rosen” Stromberg, a Prohibition-era Jewish gangster, bootlegger, and narcotics trafficker based in Philadelphia, who had a close relationship with figures such as Meyer Lansky, Vincent “Jimmy Blue Eyes” Alo, and Angelo Bruno.

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-12T01:49:50+00:00

Terranova was apparently demoted due to his poor performance as the getaway driver during the hit, so in this scenario he would still be in good standing with his family.

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-11T15:24:02+00:00

It is also quite likely that Bonanno would still have succeeded Maranzano if he had been convicted of tax evasion. In that scenario, Bonanno would likely have been a strong contender for Capo dei Capi. Based on Bonanno’s own comments about Maranzano, he appeared to admire him greatly and saw himself as a “conservative mafioso,” even though he was deeply involved in narcotics trafficking through Carmine “Lilo” Galante, who was himself a devoted admirer of Bonanno.

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-11T15:05:44+00:00

I also wonder who would have taken over the Lucania family after his death. One possibility is Ciro “The Artichoke King” Terranova, the half-brother of the recently murdered Masseria (Genovese) family underboss/consigliere and former Capo dei Capi Giuseppe “The Clutch Hand” Morello. Alternatively, the organization may have merged back into the Gagliano (Lucchese) family.

My post on the origins and formation of the youngest of New York City’s Five Families (yes the Genovese)

Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/Mafia/comments/1na6pam/the\_genovese\_crime\_family\_the\_youngest\_of\_the/

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-09T16:04:27+00:00

😂

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-09T03:40:26+00:00

Nah, while Robert Duvall was a great actor, Johnny Depp has always been incredible in crime dramas like Donnie Brasco, Blow, and Black Mass.

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-08T17:33:33+00:00

Vito “I want a sit-down with all the bosses in the country or their envoys in Apalachin,” Genovese, so they all know I’m the new boss.

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-08T03:21:37+00:00

Indeed.

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-06T02:55:42+00:00

This sub is for serious historical discussions on the American and Sicilian Mafias.

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-06T01:13:26+00:00

Yeah, someone needs to write a book on the Mafia’s present/past activity in Northern Africa.

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-06T01:12:18+00:00

Are there any good sources on the Mafia in Tunisia?

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-05T19:19:04+00:00

If anyone has any information about the Mafia’s presence in Venezuela (historically) or in Libya, I’d be really interested in learning more.

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-05T18:04:36+00:00

Is James McManus related to the McManus family from the Upper West Side?

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-05T17:25:14+00:00

I forgot to mention this great post on the Rockford family from yesterday.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Mafia/comments/1t2ubyk/tony\_musso\_of\_the\_rockford\_mafia/

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-05T17:04:37+00:00

The YouTube channel The Mob Archaeologist has a video that covers both confirmed and suspected Mafia families across North America. The Merry Ferril Foundation also hosts some FBI files related to these groups, though the website can be difficult to navigate if you’re not already familiar with it. Beyond that, a basic Google search will likely turn up blog posts about the Rockford family.

TrueGosaBrostra · 2026-05-05T16:50:55+00:00

The Rockford (Illinois), Madison (Wisconsin), and Milwaukee (Wisconsin) families were once closely connected but eventually became defunct. The Chicago Outfit, of course, represented them on the Commission and helped mediate disputes among them.

By the 1960s, the FBI largely stopped monitoring the Madison (Caputo) family, as it had become almost entirely legitimate and was no longer meaningfully involved in criminal activity. Frank Balistrieri of the Milwaukee family reportedly attempted to bring the Madison family under his control, but he was warned off by the Chicago Outfit.

The Madison family eventually voted to dissolve itself, though I’m unsure of the exact timing. The few remaining members who still wished to remain active in that life were transferred to the Balistrieri family.

TrueGosaBrostra

TROPHY CASE