The American Mafia, an Italian-American organized-crime network with operations in cities across the United States, particularly New York and Chicago, rose to power through its success in the illicit liquor trade during the 1920s Prohibition era. After Prohibition, the Mafia moved into other criminal ventures, from drug trafficking to illegal gambling, while also infiltrating labor unions and legitimate businesses such as construction and New York’s garment industry. The Mafia’s violent crimes, secret rituals and notorious characters such as Al Capone and John Gotti have fascinated the public and become a part of popular culture. During the latter part of the 20th century, the government used anti-racketeering laws to convict high-ranking mobsters and weaken the Mafia. However, it remains in business today.
Immigration and Prohibition
During the late 19th century and early 20th century, waves of Italians, mostly farmers, craftsmen and unskilled laborers, flocked to America in search of better economic opportunities. In New York City alone, the number of Italians soared from 20,000 to 250,000 between 1880 and 1890, and by 1910, that number had jumped to 500,000 immigrants and first-generation Italian Americans, or one-tenth of the city’s population, according to historian Thomas Repetto. The majority of these immigrants were law-abiding, but, as with most large groups of people, some were criminals who formed neighborhood gangs, often preying on those in their own communities.
Did you know? Mafia boss John Gotti (1940-2002) was dubbed the “Teflon Don” for his ability to evade prosecution. However, after mobster Sammy Gravano turned government informant and testified against Gotti, Gotti was convicted on murder and racketeering charges in 1992 and sent to prison, where he died of cancer.
During the 1920s Prohibition era, when the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution banned the sale, manufacture and transportation of alcoholic beverages, Italian-American gangs (along with other ethnic gangs) entered the booming bootleg liquor business and transformed themselves into sophisticated criminal enterprises, skilled at smuggling, money laundering and bribing police and other public officials. During this time, the Sicilian Mafia in Italy, which had flourished since at least the mid-19th century, was under attack from the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini (1883-1945). Some Sicilian Mafiosi escaped to the United States, where they got involved in bootlegging and became part of the burgeoning American Mafia. The Mafia in the U.S. and Sicily were separate entities, although the Americans adopted some Italian traditions, including omerta, an all-important code of conduct and secrecy that forbid any cooperation with government authorities.
The American Mafia Gets Organized
In the late 1920s, a bloody power struggle known as the Castellammarese War broke out between New York City’s two biggest Italian-American criminal gangs. In 1931, after the faction led by Sicilian-born crime boss Salvatore Maranzano (1886-1931) came out on top, he crowned himself the “capo di tutti capi,” or boss of all bosses, in New York. Unhappy with Maranzano’s power grab, a rising mobster named Lucky Luciano (1897-1962) had him murdered that same year. Luciano then masterminded the formation of a central organization called the Commission to serve as a sort of national board of directors for the American Mafia, which by then consisted of at least 20 crime families across the country.
New York, which had become America’s organized-crime capital, had been divided into five main Mafia families; everywhere else the Mafia operated, there was just one crime family per city. The Commission’s role was to set policies and mediate disagreements among the families. Each of the five New York families received a vote on the Commission when it was established, while the heads of the families in Chicago and Buffalo also got one vote each.
The U.S. Mafia: Hierarchy and Rituals
Typically, each American Mafia crime family was organized around a hierarchy headed by a boss, who ruled with unquestioned authority and received a cut of every money-making operation taken on by any member of his family. Second-in-command was the underboss and below him were the capos, or captains, who each controlled a crew of 10 or so soldiers (men who had been “made,” or inducted into the family). Each family also had a consigliere, who acted as an advisor and ombudsman. At the bottom of the chain were associates, people who worked for or did business with the family but weren’t full-fledged members.
Becoming an official member of a Mafia family traditionally involved an initiation ceremony in which a person performed such rituals as pricking his finger to draw blood and holding a burning picture of a patron saint while taking an oath of loyalty. Italian heritage was a prerequisite for every inductee (although some crime families required such lineage only from the father’s side) and men often, though not always, had to commit a murder before they could be made. Becoming a member of the Mafia was meant to be a lifetime commitment and each Mafiosi swore to obey omerta, the all-important code of loyalty and silence. Mafiosi were also expected to follow other rules, including never assaulting one another and never cheating with another member’s girlfriend or wife.
The Mafia’s 20th-Century Dominance
With the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the Mafia moved beyond bootlegging and into a range of underworld activities, from illegal gambling to loan-sharking to prostitution rings. The Mafia also sunk its tentacles into labor unions and legitimate businesses, including construction, garbage collection, trucking, restaurants and nightclubs and the New York garment industry, and raked in enormous profits through kickbacks and protection shakedowns. Instrumental to the Mafia’s success was its ability to bribe corrupt public officials and business leaders, along with witnesses and juries in court cases.
By the mid-20th century, there were 24 known crime families in America, comprised of an estimated 5,000 full-fledged members and thousands of associates across the country. Prior to the 1960s, some government leaders, including FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, voiced skepticism about the existence of a national Italian-American organized crime network and suggested instead that crime gangs operated strictly on a local level. As a result, law enforcement agencies made few inroads in stopping the Mafia’s rise during this period.
Taking Down the Mafia
In 1970, Congress passed the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which proved to be a powerful tool in the government’s war on the Mafia, as it allowed prosecutors to go after crime families and their sources of revenue, both legal and illegal. During the 1980s and 1990s, RICO laws were used to convict numerous high-level mobsters. Some Mafiosi, faced with long prison sentences, broke the once-sacred code of omerta and testified against their fellow mobsters in exchange for a place in the federal witness-protection program. At the same time, Mafia membership declined as insular Italian-American neighborhoods, once a traditional recruiting ground for mobsters, underwent demographic shifts and became more assimilated into society at large.
By the start of the 21st century, the American Mafia was a shadow of its former self. However, the Mafia remained active in some of its traditional ventures, including loan-sharking and illegal gambling, and its involvement in labor unions and legitimate industries such as construction hadn’t been completely eliminated. Contributing to the Mafia’s continued survival may be the fact that following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America, significant resources devoted to investigating organized crime (which had already seen cuts prior to 9/11) were shifted to counterterrorism work.
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FAQs
Mafia in the United States - Today, Italian-American & History? ›
The American La Cosa Nostra evolved from the Sicilian Mafia organization that first surfaced in New Orleans in the 1800's and later in New York City in the 1920's. Today, the Sicilian Mafia is a formidable criminal organization in the United States, controlling a worldwide heroin distribution network.
Is the Italian American Mafia still active? ›The American La Cosa Nostra evolved from the Sicilian Mafia organization that first surfaced in New Orleans in the 1800's and later in New York City in the 1920's. Today, the Sicilian Mafia is a formidable criminal organization in the United States, controlling a worldwide heroin distribution network.
How active is the Italian mafia today? ›The exact number of people in the family is unknown. In total, the FBI estimates there are about 3,000 members and affiliates of Italian-American organised crime groups in the US.
Where is the Italian mafia active in the US? ›Though the majority of the Mafia's activities are contained to the Northeastern United States and Chicago, they continue to dominate organized crime in the United States, despite the increasing numbers of other crime groups.
Who is the biggest Italian mafia family USA? ›The Genovese family is the oldest and the largest of the "Five Families".
Who runs the 5 families now? ›| Original family name | Founded by | Current boss |
|---|---|---|
| Maranzano | Salvatore Maranzano | Michael "The Nose" Mancuso |
| Profaci | Joe Profaci | Unknown |
| Mangano | Vincent Mangano | Domenico Cefalù |
| Luciano | Lucky Luciano | Liborio Salvatore "Barney" Bellomo |
Longtime Colombo under-boss John “Sonny” Franzese is the living embodiment of the ultimate mob rule — bragging in an interview about refusing to rat despite it making him the oldest federal prisoner at the age of 100.
Who is the most feared Mafia today? ›May 3, 2023, at 8:14 a.m. (Reuters) -Italy's 'Ndrangheta has supplanted Sicily's Cosa Nostra as the country's most powerful mafia organisation, and has spread across Europe and the rest of the world. Here are a few facts about the fearsome group.
Who is the head of the Mafia today? ›Matteo Messina Denaro was born in Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani, Sicily. His father, Francesco Messina Denaro, known as Don Ciccio, was the capo mandamento of Castelvetrano. Matteo learned to use a gun at 14. He once bragged: "I filled a cemetery all by myself."
What is the most powerful Mafia in the world today? ›The 'Ndrangheta (/(ən)dræŋˈɡɛtə/, Italian: [nˈdraŋɡeta], Calabrian: [(ɳ)ˈɖɽaɲɟɪta]) is a prominent Italian Mafia-type organized crime syndicate based in the peninsular region of Calabria and dating back to the 18th century. It is considered the most powerful organized crime group in the world.
Who is Tony Soprano based on? ›
The character is loosely based on real-life New Jersey mobsters Ruggerio "Richie the Boot" Boiardo, boss of the North Jersey Genovese crime family, and Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo, a former caporegime (capo) and "de facto" boss of the DeCavalcante crime family.
What is the Italian American Mafia called? ›The three main Italian mafia-style groups — the Cosa Nostra, Camorra and Ndrangheta — operate worldwide but keep a very low profile outside of Italy, making it difficult for law enforcement agencies to detect these organised crime groups.
Do the 5 families still exist? ›The legendary “five families” still exist, experts said, and still operate in the same realms of organized crime: extortion, loan-sharking, racketeering, gambling.
Who was the most violent mafia family? ›Philip "Crazy Phil" Leonetti was the youngest underboss in the history of the American Mafia at the age of 30, and, along with his uncle and boss—"Little" Nicky Scarfo, head of the Philadelphia crime family from 1981-91—was responsible for what is arguably the most violent reign organized crime has ever seen.
Which country has the most powerful mafia? ›Italy's 'Ndrangheta has supplanted Sicily's Cosa Nostra as the country's most powerful mafia organisation, and has spread across Europe and the rest of the world.
What does the Mafia do to make money? ›the mafia or La cosa nostra (LCN) makes money through many ways. the most popular rackets are gambling, loansharking, and drug dealing. They also commit fraud and even are in the prostitution business.
Who is the most powerful gangster in New York? ›Charles "Lucky" Luciano was an Italian-American mobster, considered the founder and father of organized crime in America and the most powerful Mafia boss of all time.
Does the Gambino family still exist? ›More than 40 years after Gambino's death, the New York crime family is still named for him. Although decimated by the federal crackdown during the Gotti era, the Gambino family is still involved in various criminal activities in Brooklyn and Staten Island.
Who is the biggest gangster in Chicago? ›Chicago's most infamous Prohibition-era crime boss, Al Capone is best known for his violence and ruthlessness in his elimination of his rivals. The most notorious of the bloodlettings is the St.
Who is the most feared gangster in America? ›1. Al Capone (1899-1947) Earning the nicknames Scarface, Big Al, Big Boy, and Snorky, Alphonse Gabriel Capone was born in New York.
Who was the toughest mobster ever? ›
Upon his death from a torturous, four-day bout with pneumonia in 1932, Frank McErlane was described by Chicago Police as the “toughest gangster of them all.” His ruthless bootlegging peers in the Windy City feared him so much they reportedly paid him a “pension” of hundreds of dollars a week just to stay out of town.
What mafias still exist today? ›In Castellano's day there were double that number in the New York area alone, yet the same Five Families — Gambino, Bonanno, Colombo, Genovese, and Lucchese — have survived since Charles "Lucky" Luciano founded the Commission, the Mafia's governing body, in the early 1930s.
What are the biggest mafias in the US? ›Five Families, moniker given to the five major Italian American Mafia families in New York City: Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese.
What country has the most organized crime? ›As the birthplace of the original mafia, Italy is home to some of the world's most powerful organized crime groups, operating domestically and abroad.
What is Gabagool? ›Capicola, also referred to as coppa, capocollo, or even gabagool among New York's Italian-American population, is an Italian cured meat made from pork shoulder and neck.
Are there still mobsters in Chicago? ›From 1996 to 2018, the Chicago Outfit was believed to be led by John DiFronzo. As of 2021, the Chicago Outfit is believed to be led by Salvatore "Solly D" DeLaurentis.
Who in The Sopranos was a real gangster? ›Surely most know him for his role as an always looking sharp gangster that went by the name of Paulie Walnuts in the acclaimed TV series "The Sopranos", but actor Tony Sirico was algo a known figure in the underworld outside of filming sets.
Who is the biggest female gangster? ›- Ma Barker. Kate Barker, also known as Ma Barker, was a prominent and influential figure during the notorious “public enemy era” of the 1930s. ...
- Bonnie Elizabeth Parker. ...
- Sara Aldrete. ...
- Tilly Devine. ...
- Kate Leigh. ...
- Bessie Starkman. ...
- Lola la Chata. ...
- Renae Lawrence.
Following Cali's death, it was reported that Lorenzo Mannino had become the new Gambino leader.
Who was the weakest mafia family? ›In the 2000s, the family was further weakened by multiple convictions in federal racketeering cases and numerous members becoming government witnesses. Many law enforcement agencies believe the Colombo crime family to be the weakest of the Five Families of New York City as of 2011.
Who was the smartest gangster? ›
Torrio had several nicknames, primarily "The Fox" for his cunning and finesse. The US Treasury official Elmer Irey considered him "the biggest gangster in America" and wrote, "He was the smartest and, I dare say, the best of all the hoodlums.
Who is the biggest Mafia queen? ›Gangubai Kathiwadi Real Story: The famous Mafia Queen Gangubai Kathiwadi was born in a renowned family of Kathiawad Gujarat. Her real name was Ganga Harjivandas.
What is a mafia wedding like? ›The ceremony involves significant ritual, oaths, blood, and an agreement is made to follow the rules of the Mafia as presented to the inductee. The first known account of the ceremony dates back to 1877 in Sicily.
What mafia was Al Capone in? ›About 1920, at Torrio's invitation, Capone joined Torrio in Chicago where he had become an influential lieutenant in the Colosimo mob.
Who is the don of the Mafia? ›role in Mafia
…was a “boss,” or “don,” whose authority could be challenged only by the commission. Each don had an underboss, who functioned as a vice president or deputy director, and a consigliere, or counselor, who had considerable power and influence.
More than 40 years after Gambino's death, the New York crime family is still named for him. Although decimated by the federal crackdown during the Gotti era, the Gambino family is still involved in various criminal activities in Brooklyn and Staten Island.
Are there still 5 crime families in New York? ›There are five families recognized as part of the New York Mafia empire of organized crime. They are the Gambino family, the Genovese family, the Lucchese family, the Colombo family, and the Bonanno family.
What does Gambino mean in Italian? ›Italian: from a diminutive of gamba 'leg' probably applied as a nickname for someone with short legs. The surname probably of Italian origin is also found in Spain and Portugal. Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022.
Does the Lucchese family still exist? ›Administration. Boss – Vittorio "Vic" Amuso – became boss in 1986 and remains the official boss of the crime family. Amuso has been imprisoned since 1992 and continues to rule the family from prison.
Who are the 5 families in New York City? ›Five Families, moniker given to the five major Italian American Mafia families in New York City: Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese. The families and their inner workings were publicly revealed in 1963, when a Mafia soldier testified at a congressional hearing.
What crime family runs the Bronx? ›
There, the five major Italian-American mob families established “The Commission.” In essence, The Commission divided the city and surrounding suburbs into territories controlled by the Lucchese, Genovese, Gambino, Bonnano and Colombo crime families, all of whom operate within the Bronx in some capacity.
Who is the biggest current crime family? ›The Genovese family is still active in the 21st century, reportedly engaged in such white-collar crimes as extortion, loan sharking, and gambling. A 2006 raid led to the conviction of as many as 30 members of the family on racketeering charges, and 6 alleged associates were arrested in 2022.
What is the upstate NY crime family? ›The Buffalo crime family, also known as the Magaddino crime family, Buffalo Mafia, The Arm, the New York State crime family, the Upstate New York Mafia, and the Todaro crime family, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Buffalo, New York.
Who was the most feared Gambino? ›Moreover, Carlo Gambino was perhaps the most powerful crime boss in American history. Between the time when he took the position of boss in 1957 and his death in 1976, he made the Gambino crime family into perhaps the wealthiest and most feared criminal outfit in modern history.