Mob Rules

by Louis Ferrante

  Winners accept responsibility, learn from mistakes, and move forward.

  Losers drown in their own denial, sometimes their own blood, like Don Adolf Shitler.

  LESSON 32

  How to Hit Your Target Without a Gun: Motivating Your People

  WHEN the U.S. Attorney’s office prosecutes a racketeering case, they often designate the leader of the crew the “mastermind.”

  If you think about it, “mastermind” seems like a word more appropriate to describe Stephen Hawking, not some criminal. But in a way the title is apt: it describes the one mind on the indictment able to master the other minds.

  When a Mafia crew is convicted in court, the judge usually gives the mastermind a lengthier sentence than his codefendants because the judge knows that the other conspirators would seldom, if ever, have kicked their own asses into gear. The judge recognizes that most people need someone else to come up with an idea, formulate a plan, and motivate them into action. That someone is the mastermind.

  In my racketeering indictment, I was labeled the mastermind by federal prosecutors. It was true. I came up with an idea, sold it to my crew (which made me a master salesman), then motivated them to believe the idea could be realized.

  I was astonished to find that men in my crew seldom thought past their upcoming plans for the weekend. With no vision of their own, they were in need of direction, loose clay waiting to be molded. This may or may not surprise you, but men in my crew represent the majority of the world’s employees. It’s up to you to become their mastermind.

  Few men have any next; they live from hand to mouth, without a plan, and are ever at the end of their line, and, after each action, wait for an impulse from abroad.

  —Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Whether in the Mob or the real world, people without vision don’t believe they have the ability to accomplish big things; in essence, they don’t believe in themselves. However, if they believe in you because you’ve emerged as a leader, then you can instill in them a strong sense of confidence and motivate them by assuring them, “We can do this!”

  We presents them with an opportunity to latch on to your shirttail and accomplish something with you. If they believe in you, they’ll now believe in themselves.

  Through strong leadership and proper motivation, you can galvanize a dozen or so people and magnify your own one-cylinder ambition into a twelve-cylinder locomotive, ready to plow through any mountain.

  LESSON 33

  Let’s Meet in the Back for a Sit-down: Mediating Disputes and the Art of Compromise

  THOSE who know the Mafia only through the media will probably have trouble believing that the Mob goes to great lengths to avoid violence.

  The “Docile Don,” Angelo [Bruno] hated violence and valued negotiation and peace above all.

  — George Fresolone and Robert J. Wagman, Blood Oath

  The Mob’s main instrument for resolving disputes is called a “sit-down.” Sometimes, two men of equal rank will sit down together to air out their grievances. If they’re unable to reach a compromise, then someone who holds a position of authority in the family, similar to middle management, will preside over the sit. It’s understood going into the sit that this mediator’s decision is final.

  Surprisingly, the criminal characters who preside over sit-downs are fair and judicious in their judgments, which is the reason the sit works and remains revered.

  At first, The Chin disagreed with Casso . . . they talked back and forth. Ultimately, The Chin agreed with Casso’s position because what Casso said was just and reasonable.

  —Philip Carlo, Gaspipe: Confessions of a Mafia Boss

  All day long, mobsters bump heads on the street. Every beef is brought to the table, from a stolen bottle of whiskey to a billion in stolen bonds. People fight over everything, especially when there’s money involved.

  Aside from money, the sit can settle a beef over a man’s reputation, a question of respect, even squabbles between mobsters’ wives and daughters.

  I once took part in a sit-down I’ll call the “Breakfast Beef.” This street guy named Bruno woke up with a hangover and ordered his wife to cook him breakfast. His wife smelled another woman’s perfume on his clothes and slapped him across the face with a slab of raw bacon. Bruno, in turn, broke a dozen eggs over her head, then repeated his order to make him breakfast. His wife, shells stuck in her hair, yoke on her face, began to fry the bacon.

  While the bacon sizzled, she called her brother, Joey, a street guy in my crew. Joey lived nearby and showed up at her house minutes later. Almost immediately, Joey and Bruno began fist fighting in the kitchen. At some point, Bruno was hit with the hot pan of bacon grease and suffered serious burns.

  When Bruno got out of the hospital, he wanted Joey dead and put in a beef. I sent Joey into hiding and defended him at the sit. According to Mob rules, Joey was permitted to defend his sister, but Bruno argued that Joey, by burning his face, had gone too far. I argued that Joey’s sister, not Joey, hit Bruno with the grease. After all, I said, Joey’s sister was an abused wife who could do as she pleased, unfettered by Mob rules. Bruno now looked like an abusive husband who got what he had coming, and Joey was off the hook.

  Within a month, Bruno had divorced Joey’s sister. No policemen, no lawyers, no civil suit, no drawn-out divorce proceedings. The outcome of a large problem involving three lives was settled in less than an hour, because it’s agreed upon in the Mob that everyone must make a serious attempt at resolving differences.

  Imagine a world in which people sit down and discuss their problems, walking away from the table with a resolution that same day. This is the world of the Mafia.

  The Mob knows that grudges interfere with growth, and simmering disputes boil over into serious trouble. Take a lesson, and be quick to arbitrate between coworkers. Make people talk out their differences. Squash a beef before it gets out of hand, and be sure to offer fair and honest advice every time. Learn from the Mob’s tireless efforts at diplomacy, the most powerful weapon in their arsenal.

  Whatever happened in the past is over. There is to be no more ill feeling among us. If you lost someone in this past war of ours, you must forgive and forget.

  —Salvatore Maranzano, following the Castellammarese

  War, as quoted by Joseph Valachi

  LESSON 34

  When to Take a Bullet for the Boss

  MANY mobsters wholeheartedly believe in The Life, the chain of command, death before dishonor, and are willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of the organization.

  Other mobsters temper ideology with self-preservation, and will only take a bullet for the boss if it benefits them in the long run.

  Organized crime is a non-ideological enterprise.

  —Howard Abadinsky

  The latter is the best and only approach in the business world.

  Before taking a bullet for the boss, consider that you may not be repaid for your sacrifice. Like anyone else, your boss has a track record. Does he stand by his employees? Support them? Did he achieve his position by stepping on the backs of others?

  Knowing how your boss has treated those who have made sacrifices for him in the past should help you decide. There should be a lot of evidence to suggest your sacrifice will be rewarded before you take that bullet. In short, weigh your long-term benefits against your short-term sacrifice.

  LESSON 35

  Why Hit Men Tell Jokes over a Dead Body: Bonding with Subordinates

  IN 1981, Bonanno soldiers Frank Lino and Stefano “Stevie Beef” Cannone picked up capo “Sonny Black” Napolitano and drove him to a house where Napolitano was to be killed.

  As the three men walked up to the porch, mobster Frank Coppa opened the front door and directed them into the cellar. Downstairs, Robert Lino, Sr., and Ronald “Monkey Man” Filocomo were lying in wait.

  Napolitano was kicked down the steps, shot, and killed.

  Parked in a van outside the house where this was taking place were Joseph Massino, S
alvatore Vitale, and George Sciascia, there as backup shooters in case anything went wrong. Several other mobsters picked up Napolitano’s body and disposed of it.

  A dozen men to kill one man. Why was this simple hit turned into a family affair? Bonding. Everyone dips their hands in the blood.

  In all illegal enterprises, criminal or political, the group, for the sake of its own safety, will require that each individual perform an irrevocable action in order to burn his bridges to respectable society before he is admitted into the community of violence.

  —Hannah Arendt, On Violence

  Mobsters have many ways to bond that don’t involve killing. Everyday bonding rituals include poker, bocce, baseball, and vacations. Manhattan’s Feast of San Gennaro is like a Mafia company picnic. The Mafia is a “family,” and a family that plays together, stays together.

  Businesspeople bond by playing together, too. A two-seater golf cart is the perfect vehicle for bonding. Contracts are signed at the office, but deals are hatched on the greens.

  My friend Tony Licatesi owns a large law firm. He takes clients to Yankee games. Besides dazzling them with impressive seats, he’s got three hours to woo them. Whether the Yanks win or lose, Tony leaves the stadium a winner.

  Another friend of mine has weekly card games at his house, just like we did in the Mob. Food, drink, jokes, and laughter, a great way to bond.

  Truth is, adults like to play as much as children and adults are bound together more by interests than by friendship.

  In a relaxing environment, we drop our guard and realize how much we have in common with one another. Sure, professional behavior is critical in the workplace, but strengthening your bond with your colleagues is conducive to progress. It’s just easier to deal with people to whom we can relate. And we discover our common ground through bonding.

  That day, Tony and I weren’t gangsters, thieves, shylocks, or enforcers, just friends. We loved our families, we loved the idea of loyalty, we even loved each other. The streets, the whole Mob thing, gave us a sense of honor and camaraderie we both needed.

  —Unlocked

  LESSON 36

  Nino Gaggi’s Magic Bullet: The Mob Never Kills a Good Idea

  GAMBINO capo Nino Gaggi had a beef with another wiseguy in the family. Because the other wiseguy had previously broken Mafia rules and was already on the outs with the boss, a sit-down was bypassed and Gaggi received direct permission from his don to whack the guy.

  Gaggi set up the hit, but it didn’t go according to plan. The two were driving on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn when the wiseguy suddenly realized he was being driven to his execution, and not a meeting as Gaggi had claimed. The wiseguy tried to get Gaggi to stop the car. Instead of canceling the hit, Gaggi pulled the trigger there and then. While motorists drove by, Gaggi got out of the car and walked away, leaving the body in the car, parked on the shoulder.

  A young motorist who witnessed the incident took the next exit off the parkway and flagged down a cab, hoping to use the cabbie’s radio to call for help. It so happened the cabbie was an armed, off-duty cop moonlighting as a cab driver.

  The cop drove around until he spotted a man who fit Gaggi’s description, bloody clothes and all. He drew his gun and identified himself as a cop. As should already be clear, Gaggi didn’t like anyone interfering with his plans; he squeezed off three shots at the cop, but missed, perhaps because he was accustomed to firing his weapon at point-blank range. The cop returned fire and dropped Gaggi, a bullet lodged in his neck.

  After a trip to Coney Island Hospital, Gaggi was charged with murder and sent to Rikers Island. It looked as though Gaggi’s fate was sealed.

  Though Gaggi’s crew was not Mensa material, they came up with plenty of creative ideas on how to break him out of the Alcatrazstyle fortress.

  “We’ll get some scuba gear and sneak up on Rikers Island, and take the hospital with machine guns” was one idea briefly tossed around. Picture a group of overfed mobsters stuffed into wetsuits with silk socks and flippers, chomping on soggy cigars. I’m not sure if Gaggi’s crew saw the same ludicrous image I did, but they still scrapped the idea.

  After floating a few other half-baked plans, Gaggi’s crew decided to exchange the bullet lodged in Gaggi’s neck for another one. Ballistics evidence would then rule out the cop’s gun as the one that fired the bullet into Gaggi. Once the cop was dismissed as Gaggi’s shooter, Gaggi could claim he was shot in the neck before the cop even fired at him, arguing that whoever wounded him must also have killed the wiseguy in the car. In court, Gaggi would portray himself as a hapless victim who felt lucky just to be alive.

  This magic bullet idea may seem ridiculous, but if you study the evidence presented to the committee that investigated the assassination of JFK, I assure you, Gaggi’s magic bullet was a lot less magical than Kennedy’s.

  Gaggi’s crew snuck their magic bullet into the prison visiting room, wrapped inside a condom, and passed it to Gaggi. If Gaggi wasn’t already feeling like a scumbag, this should have clinched it. There’s irony in everything we do.

  Back in his cell, Gaggi clawed at the bullet in his neck. The bullet popped out like a zit and Gaggi flushed it down the toilet. He then called a hack, and handed him the magic bullet, claiming it had just fallen out of his neck.

  As it turned out, Gaggi didn’t have to rely on his “magic bullet” defense at trial. A young female juror was about to marry a guy whose father was one of Gaggi’s loan shark customers. A couple of raspy phone calls later, and the fix was in. Gaggi was acquitted of murder.

  (Note the power of networking as related earlier; it’s all about who you know.)

  Until Gaggi’s acquittal, he and his crew entertained any idea that might free Gaggi, however stupid. The most successful mobsters work with ideas, not products. Every major scheme or crime the Mafia ever came up with was spawned from these four simple words: “I got an idea.” It’s the most quoted phrase I ever heard in the Mob and makes everyone suddenly stop and listen.

  During the second Colombo War, an aged and ailing capo, Gregory Scarpa, Sr., tried unsuccessfully to arrange a meeting with leaders of the opposition.

  Scarpa’s plan was to have an underling push him into the meeting room in a wheelchair, a blanket draped across his lap. Beneath that blanket, Scarpa would have concealed two submachine guns he would use to reduce the opposition to pulp.

  From all appearances, Scarpa was a sick old man in a wheelchair, but he could suck your blood with the same teeth he kept in a glass at night. (Respect your elders but always remember that the oldest, most decrepit lion in the jungle can still eat you for breakfast.)

  Another pea-brain idea during that same Colombo War came from two gangsters who were unable to get the jump on their target. They planned to hijack a helicopter, then order the pilot to pick up a car magnet from a junkyard. Using that magnet suspended from the helicopter, they would lift their target’s car while he traveled on the Belt Parkway. I wouldn’t have believed this one myself if I hadn’t heard the actual conversation, caught on tape and handed over as evidence before their trial. (The tape should have been used to commit them to an insane asylum.)

  As crazy as these Colombo War ideas may sound, some ideas proposed during the First and Second World Wars were just as preposterous. The few ideas that did materialize, however, decided the outcomes of both wars.

  During World War I, Lt. Col. Ernest Swinton of the British Army proposed that steam tractors be fitted with armored shells to deflect machine gun and artillery fire and driven into enemy lines. Many laughed, but the idea morphed into the modern tank, a decisive weapon in nearly every major war since. During World War II, the development of an atomic weapon was at first considered by many a ridiculous idea. Yet it ultimately brought the war to a close in the Pacific Theater.

  Whether the Allies or the Colombos, soldiers and commanders who displayed the rare ability to think outside the box often stumbled upon great ideas that tipped the scales in their favor.

&n
bsp; Think. Encourage others to think. And remember that even the simplest idea can change how we do business. Some have changed the world. Who opened more doors than the inventor of the hinge?

  When my crew and I took target practice, we’d brag about our marksmanship, sometimes saying, “I can shoot an apple off ya head.” Luckily we never tried this.

  Back then, I didn’t know where the saying originated. Later on, after becoming an avid reader, I read the story of William Tell, who actually shot an apple off his son’s head.

  Friedrich Schiller wrote the famous story but got the idea to transcribe the legend from another writer named Goethe, who was a big idea man.

  One day, Goethe was strolling along the street with Beethoven, another big idea man. The two idea men crossed paths with the empress and a few dukes. Goethe took off his hat and stepped aside, allowing royalty the right of way. Beethoven walked straight through the crowd, refusing to yield an inch.

  Afterward, Beethoven said to Goethe, “There’s plenty of them but only two of us. Let them move.”

  Goethe needed to be reminded by Beethoven that idea men are rare, even rarer than royalty.

  LESSON 37

  Toss the Dice High: Dealing with Unreasonable Ultimatums

  JULIUS Caesar was becoming a hot-shot general in the field when, back in Rome, senators jealous of his fame and success issued him an ultimatum: “Lay down your command and return to Rome, or suffer the consequences.”

  Caesar knew it was an unreasonable ultimatum. If he didn’t obey, he’d be labeled a traitor and marked for death. If he did return to Rome, the Senate would do away with him anyway. He decided to fight it out.

  “Toss the dice high,” Plutarch tells us Caesar said before crossing the Rubicon on his way back to Rome. Caesar entered Rome with his army, dissolved the Senate, and overthrew the Republic.