Back in the 60's and 70's Rochester was rampant with mob wars. I remember as a kid barely aday went by when someone wasn't caught or arrested for something.(mob related)
In Arizona just a few weeks ago Frank Valenti died. He reached the ripe old age of 97. To see this guy was like a Hollywood movie, he was a showstopper. I remember a restauraunt I worked at over 40 years ago where he would visit with people.You knew the moment he walked in!!! They use to say he was "The Man".Tailored suits,fancy cars,bankrolls,women,etc.. And the authorities knew him well. He did a brief stint for extortion.
In the 60's when Joe Valachi became an FBI turncoat it led to the "Apalachin" raid down near Binhamton New York. Frank and his brother Stan were caught there. That raid was part of The Godfather part 1 if I remember correctly.
Valenti had power. An attorney once said, he could get things done in a nice way versus a tough way. Alot of savvy. He groomed others for the mob. One of his most notorious "students" was "Sammy G. (Gingello) Only to be killed by a car bomb explosion.
A woman recently remembered when she was in a restauraunt waiting for someone. She was young. He was there and she struck up a conversation with him. She said she told him she never had money. In the brief meeting he wrote on a napkin the name of a horse that was running at the local track. The horse won. Im unsure if she bet it. But this was him.He even steered people away from crime.
Towards the end, there were many stories I remember, and the most funniest one was, he was asked to leave the city. So he did. He moved to Arizona with his family. They say he was the only mob boss to retire in a nice way versus another.
Today Rochester is a quiet city. None of this is ongoing. There is enough crime and bloodshed with the kids alone. Sad..