CS: The Cappollas (Cont. III)

Gambling remained a medium-sized operation, as the Cappolla family had little land of their own purchased. Several of their underground casinos were quickly shattered by the Eights, whose main struggle was to get a monopoly over the industry. Still, the Cappollas had several agents working within the race tracks and the few remaining casinos they had. These casinos were well guarded, as they raked in quite a bit of money due to their much more friendly atmosphere. Tony loved to pamper his customers, and he was good, the most social of the crime family leaders as well. The funds gathered from his gambling parlors allowed him to gain little, however, as they were able to only support themselves as the demands of protection continued to increase.

Loan sharking was probably the second biggest money-maker for the Cappollas. This was surprising, as the image of the Cappollas was that of the friendly family that was left in the game because of its amiable nature. Reno, however, was a very violent young man who knew how to discretely push the buttons of those who owed the Cappollas. Even better, most of the richer persons involved with crime resorted to the Cappollas, knowing that it was a rare chance that the family would be hurled into the battle over territory and profits. The Cappollas were the Switzerland of the crime investment world. Of course, Switzerland was probably not as violent and unforgiving if the other side didn’t hold its end of the bargain. Of course, Tony’s PR skills allowed him to keep one step ahead and Reno’s discrete nature made the loan sharking business seem small.

Construction was the biggest cash building industry for the Cappollas, an area that they had conquered alone. No other group had seen the various strategic advantages of running construction throughout the city. Not only were the Cappollas afforded favor from the politicians and police, for they at least gave back through some community charities, building homes for the homeless, and helping build new industry, but they were allowed to gain new territory quietly. Often, the construction was a front for the staking out of possible strategic territory that might serve as a base of operations for the Cappollas. Almost all the more commercial buildings the Cappollas had a hand in building also had new casinos built in the underground. This was ideal as the company desiring the new building would then fund the building of the casino in return for fast, devoted labor and some promise of protection from any discomforts other families might try to impose on them. The greatest power that Tony had, which few knew about as he ran it discretely with the help of several placed officials who worked within the more important of the buildings he had constructed, was that he could survey the dealings that occurred in the buildings, as he had placed secret cameras and bugs which recorded executives plans. His stocks soared constantly as he was able to use sneaky insider training and get away with it. None were smart enough to catch on.

Tony also had his hand in several other smaller areas, sometimes just common theft from the other families, save the Gambinis. His only other larger scale operation was the garment industry, something started by his father and a thing that he couldn’t part with despite his rather unrest at the amount of exploitation of the young involved. Nonetheless, he overlooked the problem and disregarded it; that was another skill Tony had in spades.

The actual amount of cash that the Cappollas accrued in a year was not disclosed due to the fact that even Tony said he did not want to know. Only his lawyer, Walter Firth, knew the exact amount brought in, which was a very considerable amount. Of course, there were always worries that Firth was trying to run the Cappollas out of business, stealing from the funds as Tony really had no clue how much was going in or out. This problem was always solved by Reno, who made sure that if anythng ever seemed to go wrong or if Walter ever tried to get out of town, he would easily be found and killed. Reno was not to be crossed and Walter knew not to cross him. Too often he had to cover up Reno’s disgressions into punishment. Nevertheless, the rumors never went away and Tony refused to see how much he was making: his reasons were his own.

Despite the fruitful businesses the Cappollas did have, they were sorely losing in several bigger cash industries that allowed the Gambinis and the other families to rise to the point of superiority. Of course, the Cappollas weren’t worried about superiority. They were content to let the others kill themselves.

$$$$$

The Cappolla family itself was weak in its bloodline. There had once been a strong amount of closely knit family members, but Vinny had broken the lineage due to his distaste for a large and dangerous family. After his death, Tony had similar outcomes, though for the different reason that he had never satisfied himself on a wife, so he focused more on having tristes and affairs with the help and any other woman who he took a fancy to. At one time Tony was married, however, which was how Reno came to be, but his wife left him soon after the violent business became too much, about the time the families all began to quarrel.