It was two days after the murder of Royce-Gambino and an apparent Mafia summit was taking place in the ritzy Park Sheraton Hotel in New York City. Many influential leaders from the Five Families reportedly had rooms at the hotel. Delegates from the Corleone Crime Family included Boss Real-Corleone and Angel of Death. From the Fratesi Crime Family, Mickie Fratesi and Vindog. From the Calabrese Family, Frankie Calabrese Sr. and Frankie Calabrese Jr. From Bad Company/Noodles Crime Family, Benny Noodles and his advisor Frank Cali. Finally Kingpin and Boss of the Barzini Crime Family LeftyTwoGunz and his Consigliere Ric rounded out the who’s who of Mafia royalty.
The meeting took place in a private dining room in the five star steak house inside the hotel. There was a long table, enough to fit all the Mafia delegates comfortably, and LeftyTwoGunz sat at the head of the table. He had called this meeting to celebrate the victory over Royce-Gambino as well as discuss the future of the American Mafia. Small talk filled the room as the waiters bustled in and out carrying trays of food and keeping the wine glasses topped off.
After about an hour of eating, drinking and small talk, Lefty picked up a spoon and began lightly tapping his glass to get the attention of the room. The maître d approached Lefty, “Would you and your friends be needing anything else right now sir?” Lefty replied, “No thanks, please tell your staff to leave us be until further notice.” The maître d nodded and quickly gathered the waiters and rushed them out of the room. A hush now came over the room as all of the powerful Mafiosi looked in the direction of Lefty.
Lefty stood up and began talking. “First of all I’d like to thank you all for coming and say congratulations to all of us for our recent victory and getting rid of that rat Gambino.” The group of men laughed at the reference and briefly clapped to congratulate themselves. Lefty continued, “Now as you all know, to build for the future, there’s going to be some changes and I’m going to implement some new rules for this thing of ours.” Benny interjected, “What, you gonna make us stand on our heads?” The room erupted in laughter. Lefty, still laughing, replied “Only you Benny, only you.” More laughter.
Lefty raised his hands in a gesture to silence the men and took a more serious tone. “The way things were run before the High Council took over was sloppy. There was no organization, no structure, and this thing of ours thrives on those two things.” The men all nodded in approval. “So the first thing I want to do in order to make sure everyone is on the same page is let you all know what the ten guidelines of Our Thing will be.” Lefty proceeded to discuss the ten guidelines, such as respecting Omerta, not meddling in other families affairs and most importantly showing respect. When he finished outlining all ten guidelines he said, “Respect is the biggest one of them all my friends. Without respect this thing falls apart.”
Lefty’s tone then became more stern. “I’d also like to address the return of Pazzo Sangue.” The men collectively groaned at the sound of that name. Lefty understood the men’s concerns and said, “Now as you all know Pazzo has been out of the country in semi retirement since Royce had been deported.” The men still unsure about the situation continued to hear Lefty out. “Pazzo reached out to me about a return to our streets and I told him I’d bring the situation up to the High Council and family bosses.” After some discussion about the possibility of allowing Pazzo to return, the men all came to an agreement. Pazzo would be fined a considerable amount of money for all the damage he caused and men he killed. He would pay this money to Lefty and Lefty would then divide it up amongst the families. They also agreed that Pazzo should be under the supervision of one of the Five Families. Lefty chimed in, “Listen, since I’m the one in the big seat, I’ll take Pazzo in with me and keep an eye on him. If he causes any problem then we can deal with it, but if there are no issues he is to be treated as a member of my family.” The men all cautiously agreed to this plan and made a pact that they would allow Pazzo to return and prove he’s changed. They did, however, leave the option open that he be dealt with if he steps out of line. “Ok, now that we got that out of the way I want to bring something else to the table.”
Lefty then brought up his plan to ensure there will be a mutual respect amongst the families, specifically pertaining to turf. “We got five families and we got 50 states. I’m giving each family 10 states to rule over and that way everyone gets a fair slice of the pie.” The men in the room nodded approvingly, liking the idea they were hearing. “The northeast, from Delaware to Maine, will belong to me and the Barzini Family. The southeast, from West Virginia to Florida, will belong to the Bad Company or Noodles organization; whatever the name is they’re using these days.” The men all laughed loudly at Lefty’s joke. “The Calabrese Family will control pretty much the whole Central Time Zone, from Illinois down to Lousiana.” Lefty paused to take a sip of wine and then continued, “Ohio, however, will belong to the Fratesi Family, as will the Midwest, from North Dakota down through Texas, and they’ll also control Hawaii and Alaska.” Vindog chimed in, “My man Lefty! I knew you wouldn’t forget about me and Ohio.” Lefty laughed and continued, “Lastly the Corleone Family will control the West Coast, from Colorado to California.”
All the men seemed content with this split and began to small talk between each other about future business opportunities in their states. Lefty interrupted, “Now gentlemen, I’m almost done here.” Lefty picked up his wine glass and took a sip. After placing it back down he said, “With this even split amongst the families there should be no issues about money making opportunities. Each region gives all of you great opportunities to make a lot of cash. You all can make and enforce your own rules for these regions, but remember any inter-family issues should be brought to the High Council.” Lefty concluded his speech with a toast to a prosperous future, and then all the men raised their glasses and together said “Salud!”
Lefty sat back down and the men all went back to talking amongst themselves. The waiters returned to fill all the wine glasses and brought out the dessert tray for the men to enjoy. The jovial atmosphere resembled a family reunion and seemed to be a foreshadowing of the future. Eventually the men finished their food and wine and went back to their respective rooms. The foundation had now been laid for a strong future for the American Mafia. Everything seems to be flowing smoothly and heading in the right direction…for now.