# Why is Tony Soprano so much richer than everyone else? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 19, 2018, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-tony-soprano-so-much-richer-than-everyone-else/812706 "2018-04-19T14:11:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2018, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-tony-soprano-so-much-richer-than-everyone-else/812706/61 "2018-04-20T23:00:59Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > Corleone was based on Carlo Gambino who had a summer house in Massapequa on Long Island. [Here](http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/mob-boss-carlo-gambinos-summer-home-former/view/google/)is a picture of it. Gambino’s net worth was estimated at 18 billion dollars. > In contrast his succesor was Paul Castellano had a much bigger [house](https://nypost.com/2015/09/16/hillary-to-visit-notorious-mob-mansion-for-fund-raiser/)on Staten Island. Castellano was unpopular with his subordinates because they felt he took too much money and was not a real gangster just a racketeer. This played a part in his assassination by Gotti and Ruggerio. [Here](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/home-of-john-gotti-at-160-11-85th-street-howard-beach-news-photo/97258648#/home-of-john-gotti-at-16011-85th-street-howard-beach-queens-picture-id97258648)is a picture of John Gotti’s house in Queens. Fascinating. Thank you for this. However, I think the Corleone house looked more like the Castellano house. I knew Gotti lived in a modest house, but no idea it was that modest. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-tony-soprano-so-much-richer-than-everyone-else/812706/62 "2020-02-17T23:51:04Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The only thing that may have saved Hesh from getting whacked by Tony to get out of paying the money back was Hesh’s girlfriend Renata dying. Tony had enough residual guilt to pay him back after that, but he had already convinced himself that Hesh was being unfair in even reminding him of the debt. My understanding is that Hesh still wouldn’t have gotten whacked, at least in the real world Mafia as avoiding debts can harm a mobster’s credibility, i.e. if they don’t pay then others might assume that they they are not producing enough revenue to be able to do so. John Gotti had a reputation as a rabid gambler who always paid, but obviously not out of fear or any sense of moral duty, rather his reputation required it. Also, IIRC they tension between Tony and Hesh was because Tony was paying the interest or “vig” he was expected to be paying whereas Hesh felt that Tony should have just paid off the balance as soon as he could due to their relationship. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2020, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-tony-soprano-so-much-richer-than-everyone-else/812706/63 "2020-02-17T23:53:53Z")
Michael Franzese was a captain in the Colombo crime family, but he ran a scam that involved scamming the government out of fuel taxes in gas stations. He said he was making close to $8 million a week at the height of this scam. So maybe Soprano is just a high earner. He kicks money up the supply chain, but he keeps a lot of what he earns too. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-tony-soprano-so-much-richer-than-everyone-else/812706/64 "2020-02-18T04:52:45Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Michael Franzese was a captain in the Colombo crime family, but he ran a scam that involved scamming the government out of fuel taxes in gas stations. He said he was making close to $8 million a week at the height of this scam. > > So maybe Soprano is just a high earner. He kicks money up the supply chain, but he keeps a lot of what he earns too. Tony is the boss of a family, he doesn’t kick up to anyone. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-tony-soprano-so-much-richer-than-everyone-else/812706/65 "2020-02-18T05:08:33Z")
Tony is a family man. A lot of the other characters, really most of the other guys: Junior, Paulie, Christopher for most of the show etc. don’t have kids or large families. No real need for all that largesse and ostentatious display for a lot of the guys. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-tony-soprano-so-much-richer-than-everyone-else/812706/66 "2020-02-18T05:35:22Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > Tony is the boss of a family, he doesn’t kick up to anyone. In the first season, when he already had the house, Tony was just a _capo._ Jackie Aprile Sr. was acting boss (while Eckley DiMeo was in prison for life). After Jackie died, Uncle Junior became the official boss, although Tony was the de facto boss. Tony wasn’t the actual boss until Junior died. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-tony-soprano-so-much-richer-than-everyone-else/812706/67 "2020-02-18T06:28:44Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > In the first season, when he already had the house, Tony was just a _capo._ Jackie Aprile Sr. was acting boss (while Eckley DiMeo was in prison for life). After Jackie died, Uncle Junior became the official boss, although Tony was the de facto boss. Tony wasn’t the actual boss until Junior died. Since you want to be overly technical about it for some reason, you forgot that in the pilot Tony is indeed boss. Either way, he isn’t kicking up to anyone after season 1 because everyone knows who’s the boss (and sorry, Abed, it isn’t Angela.) ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-tony-soprano-so-much-richer-than-everyone-else/812706/68 "2020-02-18T06:36:54Z")
too late to edit I’m not calling you Abed, I’m just making a crossover joke about shows about bosses. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-tony-soprano-so-much-richer-than-everyone-else/812706/69 "2020-02-18T15:20:46Z")
Regarding the supposed “code”. If you still think such a code exists, read a book on Sammy “The Bull” Graviano. His whole rise was predicated on not following the code. I might have missed it being mentioned in this thread, but one common trait of the old-school Mafiosos is to not display your wealth. You live modestly, etc. So no big mansions. You keep it low key. This reduces the attention from law and tax authorities. John Gotti went against this and it seemed to work. He became known as the Teflon Don. But it only worked for a while. He spent the last decade of his life in prison, dying at only 61. The apparent living standards of Tony vs. Junior may just reflect a generational difference in this regard. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-tony-soprano-so-much-richer-than-everyone-else/812706/70 "2020-02-18T15:26:36Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > In the first season, when he already had the house, Tony was just a _capo._ Jackie Aprile Sr. was acting boss (while Eckley DiMeo was in prison for life). After Jackie died, Uncle Junior became the official boss, although Tony was the de facto boss. Tony wasn’t the actual boss until Junior died. Nitpick: Junior is still alive in the final episode. _Gagootz_, but alive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-tony-soprano-so-much-richer-than-everyone-else/812706.md?page=3)