Gambino Family Members example essay topic

... afterwards. Now Gotti needed someone of the older generation, a traditional capo in the family. Joseph Armone fit the bill. By getting Armone to join the Fist, they reduced the possibility of a civil war within the family. Gotti and his co-conspirators knew that they had to lay the groundwork for their plan well beyond the Gambino family. In Jerry Capeci and Gene Mustain's book Gotti: Rise and Fall the strategy is described: Members of the Fist contacted influential men in three other Cosa Nostra families -Lucchese, Colombo, and Bo nanno -- and asked for support if 'something happened' to Paul.

They approached men they regarded as the next generation of leaders, because most of the current leaders had fallen victim to the RICO (racketeering law) sword and were awaiting trial and facing life in prison without parole. For obvious reasons, Paul's friend Chin Gigante was not contacted. On the day of Paul Castellano's assassination, DeCicco carried on some important political preparations. He went to the Sparks restaurant to make sure that the other capos there did not think that their lives were endangered and to do his best to prevent them from taking any retaliatory action against whoever they thought was responsible.

A couple of days after Paul's death, elderly Joe Gallo called a meeting of all the Gambino family capos at a restaurant owned by Grav ano. Gallo had already warned Gotti that his contacts with the younger leadership of the other families didn't count. Only the Cosa Nostra Commission could have a leader removed. Consequently, Gotti and the Fist must never admit what they did, regardless of what conclusions were reached by other Gambino family members or other crime family members. Capeci and Mustain captured the spirit of the dialogue:' It's terrible, what's happened,' Gallo began. 'But we don't know who killed Paul, we " re investigation'.

Nobody feels worse for Paul's and Tommy's families than me. But we " re a family too and we have to stay strong. So that's why we called you here". None of the captains believed him, of course.

But the armed sentries and seating arrangements made reassurance more important than truth. Nobody had any questions about the murders; Gallo, speaking for Gotti, gave them the only answers they wanted. The other Cosa Nostra families were given the same message and did not threaten any trouble. The sole exception was Chin Gigante, the boss of the Genovese family who reminded the Gambino capos that eventually someone would have to pay for breaking the Commission rules. When the Gambino capos met again before the end of the year, John Gotti was formally elected boss of the family. Fist co-conspirator Frank DeCicco made his nomination.

As a student of Machiavelli, Gotti had a good sense of whom in his organization to put into positions of power. DeCicco became his under boss and he made Angelo head of the Bergin crew. Sammy officially took over all of Toddo's operations. Sammy was a very powerful man, but he preferred to remain a shadowy background figure, while Gotti and DeCicco visibly ran the show. Joseph Armone, the elderly capo who had become a member of the Fist, was given new sources of income.

And Joe Gallo remained in his position under Gotti as he had under Paul Castellano. Most importantly, Gotti understood the value of public relations. Unlike his predecessor and some of the other family bosses, Gotti realized that favorable publicity would enhance his standing with other Cosa Nostra families, with the members of his own family, and, very importantly, with potential jurors and witnesses. By charming the media, he was able to create a public image of himself as a legendary, almost heroic rogue. Yes, he was a gangster. That could not be denied.

But to the public he was a popular and likable guy -- the way Al Capone was revered on the streets of Chicago in 1930. Gotti was very media astute, a fact which confounded his enemies in law enforcement. The original Mafia was an institution built out of respect and honor in Sicily the early 1700's. This secret society was at the time mostly intended to unify the natives against their enemies. Its intention was to create a sense of family based on ancestry and Sicilian heritage. The leaders of today are changing the face of the Mafia.

Gotti himself is not Sicilian, but rather Neapolitan. It has been called The Outfit, The Arm, The Clique, The Tradition, The Syndicate, The Honored Society, The Office, and The Combination, but to its members it is La Cosa Nostra (this thing of ours). The face of the Mafia has changed from the faceless, mysterious, and impenetrable power that it was fifty years ago. Fifty years ago, no member of La Cosa Nostra would have considered breaking omer ta, the code of silence which, in many ways, is responsible for the power of the Mafia. To do this was to be labeled a 'rat' (called that because a rat will do anything to survive) and be marked for certain death. Today, things are different.

It has been blamed on drugs, and it has been blamed on youth. One thing is certain: powerful members of the Mafia have broken omer ta, and the entire organization has paid the price. In 1988, Angelo Leonardo, former acting boss of the Cleveland Family, testified before the Senate Committee on Government Affairs. The issue of the changing of the Mafia was addressed. Senator Roth stated: '... we are facing a new generation of the LCN [La Cosa Nostra]... They lack respect for tradition and for the family, they have succumbed to the influence of drugs, both as traffickers and as users.

As a result, they have become more greedy, selfish, more violent. Many have chosen to forsake omer ta, the traditional vow of silence and turn in other family members to save their own skins. ' Mr. Lombardo himself stated that there were no men of honor anymore. He states: 'It has changed since I first joined in the 1940's, especially in the last few years with the growth of narcotics. Greed is causing younger members to go into narcotics without the knowledge of the families. These younger members lack the discipline and respect that made 'This Thing' as strong as it once was. '.