Welcome to the Mob forum

I've got some discussion topics and other points of interest here.

The Mafia FAQ

Of the thousands of questions that I have received, here are some of the most common questions that I get. Before you write to me, you would be wise to take a peek through the list:

Are you in the Mafia?

No.

How can I join the Mafia?

Don't ask me, because I don't know and furthermore, I don't want to know. Read how others have done it.

Can you send me a paper about the Mafia?

Sorry, I don't do that. I will answer a specific question you have about the Mafia, but you should do at least SOME of the work.

What is the history of the Mafia? -OR- I have to do a paper about the Mafia. Anything you can tell me will be greatly appreciated.

You can learn about the history of the Mafia or about the Mafia in general by going to the library, not through an e-mail response. Please be specific!

Please tell me about the Russian, Greek, Mexican, or other ethnic Mafia.

As I have mentioned, I only care about the Italian Mafia and the American Mafia, therefore, that's what I know about. It's not that I don't find other organized crime factions interesting, it's that I don't have enough time to learn about all of them.

Can you give me some information about the life of John Gotti and/or Sammy "The Bull" Gravano?

I'm tired of answering John Gotti questions. I'll admit it, I don't like John Gotti, and I get a kick out the fact that most of the people who want to know about him think he's the greatest mobster ever. I, on the other hand, think he's one of the worst ever. Compare him to Carlo Gambino and you'll see what I mean.

At any rate, you can find information about John Gotti and his sidekick Gravano in any bookstore, and most of those books can tell you more about Gotti than I can.

In case you still can't believe it, yes those are indeed the most frequently asked questions. Especially the second one. Draw your own conclusions.

Mafia research topics

Here are some Mafia topics you might want to do a paper on:

Murder, Inc., the Mob's very own hit squad
Pick a racket: bootlegging, narcotics, prostitution, gambling, etc.
Pick your favorite mobster to research
Pick your favorite lawman who fought the mob to research
Research the Mob's possible involvement in the JFK assassination
How the Mafia has changed over the years
The Mafia and its willingness, or lack thereof, to work with other ethnic groups
The future of the Mafia

Of course, this isn't a comprehensive list, just a few ideas to throw out.

The greatest mafioso of all time

It's a tie between Tony Accardo and Meyer Lansky. I like Lansky because he was able to exercise so much power, yet he lived a very quiet and unassuming life. Supposedly, he never killed anyone. Of course, he did give the orders to have people "hit," so I guess he might as well have been a murderer. But he never did any jail time, except for three months in a county jail for illegal gambling.

Tony Accardo is cool because he had, at least in my view, the greatest amount of brains (except for maybe Lansky and Arnold Rothstein) to go with his muscle. Here's my favorite Accardo story: One time, some Chicago Outfit thieves robbed a jewelry store owned by a friend of Accardo. When the owner of the store complained to Accardo, he had the robbers return the jewels to his home, to be returned to the jewelry store owner later. While the jewels were still at his house, Accardo went on vacation. The robbers, deciding they had been wronged, broke into Accardo's house and took the jewels. When Accardo got back, he rounded up the thieves, had their faces burned off with torches, slit their throats, eventually had them killed, shoved them into the trunks of their cars, and deposited them all around Chicago.

Only a fool messed with Tony Accardo.

Gravano: "The Bull" is full of it

I mentioned the two mobsters who I think are the greatest of all time, now I will tell you why I think Sammy "The Bull" Gravano is the worst mobster of all time.

Gravano is slime. And a coward. And a reflection on just how pitiful the Mafia of today has become. The thought of somebody actually becoming a "rat" would've sickened the boys back in the 1920's and 30's. And Gravano is sick. To those of you who have read his book, "Underboss," I advise you to not take stock in a word he says. I can think of no man who said it better about Gravano than Albert Krieger, a lawyer for John Gotti, when he said:

"Gravano is filth to his core. What he has done, is he has found a way to bargain for his freedom. And we buy it. And when we buy it, we get into the same sewer as he."

I, for one, do not buy it. And I'm sure Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Carlo Gambino, and Vito Genovese are all turning in their graves right now.

Suggested viewings

The Godfather. Easily the most popular mafia movie of all-time, and the best.
Goodfellas. Joe Pesci is great in this flick. "Are you laughin' at me? Is dat what you're doin?"
Mobsters. This movie is supposed to be how Lucky Luciano, Lansky, Frank Costello and Ben Siegel rose to power. Although there are some pretty serious factual errors, the movie still has a great entertainment value. Watching Mad Dog Coll in action is worth watching this movie in itself.
Robin and the 7 Hoods. All of your favorite members of the Rat Pack are in this one, along with Peter Falk (you know, Lt. Columbo).

The Mafia list

A glance at mobsters who I think best fit certain categories:

Favorite mobster ... Tony Accardo
Least-favorite mobster ... Sammy Gravano
Favorite lawman who fought the mob ... Bill Roemer
Best-dressed mobster ... John Gotti
Scariest-looking mobster ... tie between Sam DeStefano and Neil Dellacroce
Fiercest killer ... Albert Anastasia
Favorite member of the "Rat Pack" ... Sammy Davis, Jr.
Mobster you'd go into business with ... Paul Castellano
Best mob nickname ... Tommy "Three-Finger Brown" Lucchese

If you could join the Mafia, would you?

I asked this question a while ago, and it generated some very interesting responses.

First of all, everyone who wrote (and the number is over 100 now), said that yes, they would. But then it got weird. Some of you said you were already trying to get in. One person said he "had no problems killing if that's what the boss wanted." Another person said he was trying to start his own Mafia in Cincinnati. One guy said he would join "only if they would make me a capo or boss." A lot of you had grandiose visions of taking over New York. A lot of you said that you would choose a short, lavish life over a long, average one. And then there were those who want to join so they could get some respect, or so they would have an outlet to use to get back and their ex-girlfriend or boyfriend.

Only a few of you said you would join if we could somehow bring back the mob of the 1920's and 30's. You reasoned that "This Thing of Ours" has turned into "This Thing of Mine." Good answer. Personally, that's how I would look at it. To join the Mob during its golden age would be tempting, but to join it now isn't very appealing.

Anyway, this has turned into an interesting discussion so feel free to add your own thoughts. I've recently turned this into its own separate forum, so responses now get posted automatically.

To view what others have said, click here.

And for those of you who are trying to get in, good luck.

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