The Five Families are the five original Italian American Mafia crime families of New York
City which have dominated organized crime in the United States since 1931.
The families are: Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese.
History The Five Families originated out of New York
City Sicilian Mafia gangs.
They were formally organized in the summer of 1931 by Salvatore Maranzano after the April
15, 1931, murder of Giuseppe Masseria, in what has become known as the Castellammarese
War.
Maranzano also introduced the now-familiar Mafia hierarchy: boss, underboss, advisor,
captain, soldier, and associate; and declared himself capo di tutti capi.
By declaring himself "boss of bosses," Maranzano reneged on the deal he had made with Lucky
Luciano.
In that deal, it was agreed that after Luciano was to help murder Masseria, the two bosses
were to be equals.
When Maranzano was murdered just months after Masseria on September 10, 1931, the "boss
of bosses" position was eliminated in favor of The Commission, a council which demarcated
territory among the previously warring factions and governs American Mafia activities in the
United States and Canada.
Names The Five Families were publicly named in the
1963 Valachi hearings based on their bosses at the time: Tommy Lucchese, Vito Genovese,
Carlo Gambino, Joseph Bonanno and the recently deceased Joseph Profaci.
For the most part the names stuck, but the "Profaci family" would be renamed the "Colombo
family", as a reference to boss Joseph Colombo.
Mafia boss succession Bonanno Family:
1931 – Salvatore "Caesar" Maranzano is murdered at the end of the Castellamarese War, and
underboss Joseph "Don Peppino" Bonanno takes over his family.
1979 – After a major power struggle, which involved Joe Bonanno's forced retirement by
the Commission and the assassination of acting boss Carmine "Lilo" Galante, Philip "Rusty"
Rastelli becomes boss.
1991 – Rastelli dies of cancer and underboss Joseph Massino becomes boss.
Massino eventually changes the family's name to the Massino crime family.
2003–2004 – Massino is arrested and convicted of racketeering and murder charges.
Massino became a federal witness, testifying against 60 fellow mobsters, so acting bosses
Anthony "Tony Green" Urzo and Michael "Mikey Nose" Mancuso, both of whom were themselves
jailed, controlled the family briefly.
2005–present – Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano moves up from acting boss to become
boss.
Authorities contend that Basciano continues to lead the family from prison in Colorado,
where he is serving two life sentences for murder convictions in 2006 and 2011.
Profaci/Colombo Family: 1931 – Joseph Profaci has his Brooklyn-based
gang formally recognized as a family.
1962 – Profaci dies of cancer, and underboss Joseph Magliocco succeeds him.
1964 – Magliocco is forced to retire after taking part in Bonanno's plot to take over
the Commission.
Joseph Colombo becomes new boss with Commission support and changes the family's name.
1971 – Colombo is shot and paralyzed at a civil rights rally he organized.
Colombo's activism drew unwanted publicity and attention towards the Mafia, and made
other Mafia leaders, such as Carlo Gambino, uneasy.
The first rally Colombo organized attracted over 50,000 people with Gambino's support;
the second rally barely drew 10,000 people without Gambino's blessing.
It was theorized that the Commission authorized Colombo's murder to take pressure off of the
Mob.
The most likely candidate, though, was Joseph "Crazy Joe" Gallo.
1972 – Carmine "the Snake" Persico becomes the new boss.
1986 – Persico is convicted on racketeering charges and sentenced to life in prison.
1986–2004 – Persico tries to run the family from prison until his son, Alphonse "Little
Allie Boy" Persico, can succeed him.
Persico's son is convicted and put in jail.
Mangano/Gambino Family: 1931 – Vincent Mangano becomes boss of the
newly formed Mangano crime family.
1951 – Mangano disappears, presumably murdered by underboss Albert "the Executioner" Anastasia.
With Commission support, Anastasia then assumes title of boss, and the family assumes his
name.
Vito Genovese, underboss of the Luciano family, believed that Anastasia had broken a cardinal
Mafia rule by murdering Mangano.
However, war was avoided between the two families due to the efforts of Joe Bonanno.
Genovese still resented Anastasia, though, and Genovese would cultivate the sympathies
of Anastasia's underboss Carlo Gambino. 1957 – Anastasia is assassinated by gunmen
in a barber shop, with Genovese and Gambino being prime suspects for orchestrating the
murder.
Gambino takes over as boss, and the family assumes his name.
1976 – Gambino dies of a heart attack; he is succeeded as boss by his brother-in-law
"Big" Paul Castellano. 1985 – Castellano is gunned down and John
Gotti, the man responsible for planning Castellano's assassination, becomes boss.
2002 – Gotti dies of cancer in prison after being convicted of RICO charges in 1992.
His brother, Peter, succeeds him as boss.
2003–2004 – Peter Gotti is convicted on racketeering charges.
2011 – Sicilian mobster Domenico Cefalu is appointed boss in a return to tradition.
Luciano/Genovese Family: 1931 – Joe "The Boss" Masseria is murdered
at the end of the Castellammarese War after his underboss, Charles "Lucky" Luciano, secretly
betrays him.
Luciano takes over the family.
1937 – Luciano is convicted of compulsory prostitution charges; succeeded by Frank "the
Prime Minister" Costello. 1957 – Costello goes into retirement after
a failed assassination attempt orchestrated by Vito Genovese.
Genovese then replaces Costello and renames the family.
Genovese's motive for removing Costello had to do with the fact that Genovese was Luciano's
underboss and, in his mind, the rightful heir to Luciano's position.
Genovese, however, fled to Italy to evade murder charges, making him an unsuitable candidate
for the title of boss, which left Luciano no choice but to bestow the title on Costello.
1969 – Genovese dies in prison still as boss after being convicted of narcotics trafficking
charges in 1959, and Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo becomes new Genovese boss.
1980s – Lombardo retires and is replaced by Vincent "Chin" Gigante, the man who attempted
to assassinate Frank Costello in 1957.
1997–2005 – Gigante is convicted on racketeering charges and dies in prison.
Lucchese Family: 1922 – Gaetano "Tommy" Reina.
1930 – Bonaventura "Joseph" Pinzolo takes over after Reina is murdered on February 26.
1930 – Tommy Gagliano assumes the position as boss after the murder of Pinzolo on September
5.
1951 – A very ill Gagliano appoints his underboss, Tommy "Three-Finger Brown" Lucchese,
as the new leader and the family adopts his name.
1967 – Lucchese dies of a brain tumor, temporarily leaving the family leaderless.
The Commission selects Carmine Tramunti to fill in as acting boss until the leading candidate
for the position of boss, Anthony Corallo, was released from prison.
1970 – Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo becomes the new boss.
Some contend that the position was not formalized until 1973, when Tramunti was imprisoned,
and that between 1970 and 1973, Tramunti remained family boss, but only in name, with Corallo
actually in control.
1986 – Corallo implicates himself and many other mobsters in recorded conversations.
He is convicted of RICO charges, along with top mobsters of the Genovese, Gambino, and
Colombo families, and sentenced to life in prison.
Before being incarcerated, Corallo selected Vittorio "Little Vic" Amuso and Anthony "Gaspipe"
Casso as the two candidates most deserving of the title of boss.
1987 – Amuso becomes boss after being nominated by Casso, but Casso, as underboss, is viewed
as the man who makes important decisions and has control of the family.
1992 – Amuso is sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of racketeering charges.
1998 – Casso is sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to racketeering and
murder charges.
Louis "Louie Bagels" Daidone becomes acting boss.
2004 – When acting boss Daidone is convicted on murder charges and with Daidone's successor
Steven "Wonderboy" Crea beginning a two-to-six year term for state charges, Amuso appoints
a "Ruling Panel" of senior capos to control the family.
2006 – Crea is released from prison after 34 months, but is precluded by the terms of
his probation from associating with the mob again until 2009.
2009 – Ruling Panel members Madonna and DiNapoli are indicted on labor racketeering,
illegal gambling, and extortion charges, leaving Migliore reputedly the most powerful mobster
in the family.
2012 – Amuso resigns as boss from prison and Crea is named to succeed him.
Current bosses Bonanno: boss – Michael Mancuso
Colombo: boss – Carmine Persico, Gambino: boss – Domenico Cefalu
Genovese: boss – unknown, Lucchese: boss – Steven Crea
Territories The Five Families operate throughout the New
York Metropolitan area, but mainly within New York City's five boroughs of Manhattan,
Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island.
In the state of New York the families have increased their criminal rackets in Long Island
and the counties of Westchester, Rockland and Albany.
The Five Families maintain a strong presence in the state of New Jersey.
The crime families are also active in South Florida, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Las
Vegas.
The Bonanno crime family operates mainly in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island.
The family also maintains influence in Manhattan, The Bronx, Westchester County, New Jersey,
California, Florida and have ties to the Montreal Mafia in Quebec.
Bath Avenue Crew operated in Bensonhurst Brooklyn in New York.
The Colombo crime family operates mainly in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island.
The family also maintains influence in Staten Island, Manhattan, The Bronx, New Jersey and
Florida.
The Gambino crime family operates mainly in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island
and Long Island.
The family also maintains influence in The Bronx, New Jersey, Westchester County, Connecticut,
Florida and Los Angeles.
The Ozone Park Boys operate in Queens and Long Island
The Genovese crime family operates mainly in Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn and New
Jersey.
The family also maintains influence in Queens, Staten Island, Long Island, Westchester County,
Rockland County, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Florida.
116th Street Crew operates in Upper Manhattan and The Bronx
Greenwich Village Crew operates in Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan
Genovese crime family New Jersey faction operates throughout the state of New Jersey
The Lucchese crime family operates mainly in The Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New
Jersey.
The family also maintains influence in Queens, Long Island, Staten Island, Westchester County
and Florida.
Cutaia Crew operates in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island
The Jersey Crew operates throughout New Jersey The Tanglewood Boys was a recruitment gang
that operated in Westchester County, The Bronx and Manhattan.
Popular culture Factual and fictional details of the history
of the Five Families have been used in a vast array of media, specifically;
The 1972 film The Godfather, the Five Families are represented by the Godfather Five Families,
namely the Corleones, the Tattaglias, the Barzinis, the Cuneos and the Straccis.
In the HBO series The Sopranos, the DiMeo crime family works with the Lupertazzi crime
family of Brooklyn, one of the five families in New York.
In the video game series Grand Theft Auto, the Five Families are represented by the Leone,
Sindacco and Forelli families.
In Grand Theft Auto IV, the Five Families are represented by the Gambetti, Ancelotti,
Messina, Pavano and Lupisella.
See also Chicago Outfit
Rizzuto crime family References
Raab, Selwyn.
Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires.
New York, N.Y.: St. Martins Press, 2006.