The war on crime and Father Time have decimated Fortune magazine's list of the nation's biggest Mafia bosses. Five years after they were selected, most of the Fortune 50 are out of business - in jail, in retirement or in the ground.
According to an Associated Press survey of law enforcers and other experts, only eight of the 50 are still pursuing an unfettered life of crime. Twenty-three are serving prison terms, most of them long; nine are retired or inactive; six are dead; three are on bail; and one is a fugitive and possibly dead.In 1986, 27 of the 50 men Fortune selected for their "wealth, power and influence" were free, and six others were out on bail. They also were five years younger; the average age of the 44 living members of the Fortune 50 is 69, and 17 of the bosses are over 75.
The old saw that "no one retires from the mob" is wrong: 85-year-old Anthony "Big Tuna" Accardo (No. 2 on the Fortune list), a onetime pal of Al Capone, winters in Palm Springs and summers on an estate outside Chicago.
Similarly comfortable is 87-year-old Vincent "Jimmy Blue Eyes" Alo, (No. 23) an associate of the legendary Meyer Lansky. He lives in Miami following a lucrative career in casino gambling and money laundering.
The retired also include two seminal Mafiosi: Joseph Bonanno (No. 14), founder of the New York crime family that bears his name, and Carlos Marcello (No. 16), boss in New Orleans for almost a half century.
Bonanno and Marcello both served time; Bonanno, 87, was released at age 82, the 81-year-old Marcello less than a year ago.
"I'm retired. I'm happy. Everybody's been nice to me," Marcello said after his release.
The most dramatic departure from the list was made by John "Johnny Dee" DiGilio (No. 39), a reputed member of the Genovese family, whose body was found in a New Jersey river three years ago.
Others went quietly. Chicago boss Joseph Ferriola (No. 20) died following his second heart transplant, and Tampa boss Santo Trafficante (No. 15) succumbed after triple bypass surgery.
Then there's Angelo "Little Angie" Tuminaro, the alleged head of the "French Connection" heroin ring. The former Lucchese family member has not been heard from in more than six years; he would be 86 if he's still around.
Six of the top 10 are serving 100-year sentences, including the No. 1 man, 80-year-old former Genovese boss "Fat Tony" Salerno.
Former Boston underboss Gennaro Angiulo (No. 34) works in the clothing room at Leavenworth for less than $1 an hour; the 72-year-old convict can't return to his seaside estate before 2010.
Some things haven't changed. In 1986, John Gotti (No. 13), the reputed Gambino family boss, was behind bars awaiting a racketeering trial; now he is behind bars awaiting another racketeering trial.
Most of the Fortune 50 kept their vow of silence. The exception was 40-year-old Michael Franzese (No. 18), who cooperated with prosecutors after telling them his life of crime was over.
He apparently lied. Franzese was arrested in Los Angeles this month and subsequently pleaded guilty to bank fraud.
Several reputed bosses are just out of the slammer, including Frank Balistrieri of Milwaukee (No. 17). Federal agents say they are keeping an eye on the 73-year-old racketeer, whose health actually improved in prison.
Out on bail is the strangest member of the Fortune 50: Vincent "The Chin" Gigante (No. 19). The government says he is boss of the Genovese family. His lawyers say he is mentally ill, an assertion the 62-year-old Gigante supports by wandering through Greenwich Village dressed in pajamas, bathrobe and slippers.
Then there's former Colombo family boss Carmine Persico, who served as his own counsel at his racketeering trial.
"At the beginning of the case I told you I wasn't a lawyer," he told the jury in his summation. "I guess you found out that was true." Persico, 58, was convicted and sentenced to 100 years in prison.
(Additional information)
Status of Top Mafia Bosses
The fate of the nation's top 50 Mafia bosses as listed in Fortune magazine
Jail: 46%
Retired: 18%
Free: 16%
Dead: 12%
Out on bail: 6%
Fugitive: 2%