Mafia Families

So you want to know all about the New York Mafia Families, uh?

If we are going to talk about the New York Mafia, then we must learn about “The Commission” First.

The Mafia Commision

The Comission is the governing body of the Mafia in the US. It has changed a lot since it was created in 1931 but the bosses of the New York Five Mafia Families still are the core membership of The Commission.

The Commission was created in ‘31 by Lucky (Luciano, of course) in Atlantic City. It’s purpose was to replace the old Sicilian mafia regime and establish some ground rules among the new mafia families. Historically, a system like this has always been in place. In Sicily, the heads of each cosche would meet regularly  to discuss “business”, and in the US, they wouldn’t forget their traditions.

In the beginning of 1931, after winning a bloody War among the New York gangs,  the New York Boss Salvatore Maranzano divided all the gangs in the US into several mafia families and then he assummed as capo di tutti capi (”boss of all bosses”). Because there had never been a “boss of all bosses” in the Mafia History, the mafia’s ranks reacted negatively to this. Luciano, who was by then a Maranzano ally, soon abraded under the harsh control by Maranzano and in September of that year he machined Maranzano’s assassination. Luciano then became the top mobster in the country.

Since then, gang wars didn’t “stopped” but they did reduced it’s scale and frecuency.

The current Known Bosses of the Mafia Commision are:

• Bonanno Crime Family – Unknown
• Colombo Crime Family – Andrew “Andy Mush” Russo
• Gambino Crime Family – Daniel “Danny” Marino/Giovanni “Johnny” Gambino/Robert “Bobby” Vernace
• Genovese Crime Family – Unknown
• Lucchese Crime Family – Steven “Wonderboy” Crea/Aneillo “Neil” Migliore/Joseph “Joey Dee” DiNapoli
• DeCavalcante Family – Francesco “Frank” Guarraci
• Chicago Outfit – John “No Nose” DiFronzo
• Patriarca crime family – Luigi “Baby Shanks” Manocchio
• Philadelphia Crime Family – Joseph “Uncle Joe” Ligambi

Now that we know how it all began, we can move on to really understand the New York Mafia.

Fictional portrayals:

The Commission has been depicted in a few Hollywood films, primarily in “The Godfather” and “The Godfather III“.

For further information on The Commision, we recommend the book “Born to the Mob: The True-Life Story of the Only Man to Work for All Five of New York’s Mafia Families“.

The Five Families:

The Five Families refers to the five major Italian-American Mafia families that have dominated  New York City’s underworld since 1930. The Five Mafia Families of New York remain as the main powerhouse of the Sicilian Mafia in the United States.

The Current Five Mafia Families Bosses:

• Bonanno: Vincent “Vinny Gorgeous” Basciano (Salvatore Montagna is the acting boss)
• Gambino: (Ruling Committee/Panel – Daniel “Danny” Marino, Giovanni “Johnny” Gambino, Robert “Bobby” Vernace)
• Colombo: Carmine “Junior” Persico (Thomas Gioeli is the acting boss)
• Genovese: Unknown Boss (Daniel Leo is the acting boss)
• Lucchese: Vittorio “Vic” Amuso (Ruling Committee/Panel – Aniello “Neil” Migliore, Joseph “Joey Dee” DiNapoli, Matthew Madonna)

Fictional portrayals and Curious Facts:

As we mentioned before, the Five Families’ Commission was depicted in The Godfather series. What you may not know is that the famous “The Sopranos” tv series DiMeo Family of NJ has has close business connections with the Lupertazzi Mafia Family of Brooklyn, one of the five families in New York. Members of the DeCavalcante family believed themselves to be the inspiration for the DiMeo family.

History of the New York Mafia

Check out this great documentary about the new york mafia (Around 60 minutes long)