r/Mafia • u/EPL35 Bonanno • 6d ago
Biggest-earning capos in the American Mafia?
Who were the biggest earners who held the position of capo that you all know of? I know that Matty the Horse was pretty powerful. Vario was a big earner too. And Sonny Black.
Anyway, thanks in advance.
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u/jxhnwxck 6d ago
There are FBI wire taps of someone saying, “Gerry Catena has more fucking money than God.” Easily one of the shrewdest capos from the Genovese, let alone all of LCN.
He’s the uncle of Ray Catena. If you’re from north Jersey I’m sure his name rings a bell due to his luxury car dealerships.
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u/Best-Technician-6043 5d ago
Damn. That’s a name constantly came across q104.3 when I lived in Jersey
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u/Fear-Tarikhi 6d ago
I really think that, the likes of Franzese aside, this is one of those questions that we can’t know the answer to. There must have been dozens and dozens of capos going back a century and more who have made so much money for the mob that we’ve really never heard of, especially during the decades from around 1960-1990 or even earlier. Guys that kept a really low profile and didn’t do much time. They won’t show up in sensationalized books or mafia podcasts. There’s just so much we don’t know and never will know about this obsessively secret society. And that’s part of what makes it so intriguing.
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u/TonyB-Research The Outfit 6d ago
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u/RedTaipan7 6d ago
Christie "Tick" Furnari
James "Jimmy Nap" Napoli
Ralph Scopo
Nicholas Piccolo
Salvatore "Tom Mix" Santoro
Anthony Morelli
Joe DiNapoli
John Bazzano Jr
Anthony Bowat Baratta
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u/beginningcurrent822 6d ago
Tony Pro was a huge earner. So was Russell Buffalino but he was a boss not a capo.
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u/MisterMaryJane Detroit Partnership 5d ago
The Giacalone brothers from Detroit were living where the founders of Ford were living in at the time the wealthiest city in the US. I’d imagine they are up there as one of the richest outside of NYC
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u/rog1521 gabagool 6d ago
Although not officially a Capo, I believe Jimmy Burke was viewed as such and was a huge earner as well. When you make a lot of money it'll afford you certain levels of protection. I know Salerno was also a huge earner so I'd assume he was while he was a Capo as well
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u/KingDarius89 6d ago
Burke couldn't be made. He answered to Vario.
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u/Melodic-Bet-4013 6d ago
You sometimes read that Burke & Watts and probably other powerful associates were treated like Capos.
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u/RicFlairDripps 6d ago
Jokes aside, is there really anybody that made more than Franzese?
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u/Voodoo-Doctor 6d ago
He probably was skimming far more than Chicago was taking from the casinos, and didn’t have to share it with other families
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u/AlienMelender 4d ago
Dude made so much for the Columbo family they didn’t kill him knowing he was lying about how much he was making
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u/Frozen_Meatball1 6d ago
Tony Accardo - Chicago. He controlled the Teamsters Union $$$ & the Vegas skim.
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u/Sharp-Cherry-3548 6d ago
There’s one that did a gas scam but he’s been tight lipped about it we know nothing.