Gambino Family Picks New Godfather

When news breaks that "Franky Boy" is taking over from "Greaseball," it can only mean one thing—the Gambino crime family is getting a new godfather. DNA Info reports that 48-year-old Francesco "Franky Boy" Cali will replace 76-year-old Domenico "Greaseball" Cefalu as boss of the nation's biggest mob family. In doing so, the New York native whose parents came over from Italy joins the ranks of former leaders such as John Gotti and Carlo Gambino.

Cali has an "old-school" style, writes Murray Weiss at DNA Info. He keeps a low profile and expects his subordinates—an estimated 750 of them—to do the same. But behind the scenes, "the family believes Cali is more dynamic and that Cefalu has become too laid back," says one police source. "And that's not what a money-making organization wants." While the mafia's influence in general has waned in the last decade or so, gambling, loansharking, and prostitution remain big money-makers. (More Gambino crime family stories.)