The Five Families are the five Italian American Mafia crime families who operate in New York City. In 1931, the Five Families were organized by Salvatore Maranzano following his victory in the Castellammarese War. Maranzano reorganized the Italian American gangs in New York City into the Maranzano, Profaci, Mangano, Luciano, and Gagliano families, which are now known as the Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese families, respectively. Each family had a demarcated territory and a hierarchy and reported to the same overarching governing entity.

Initially, Maranzano intended each family's boss to report to him as the capo dei capi ("boss of all the bosses"). This led to his assassination that September, and that role was abolished for the Commission, a ruling committee established by Lucky Luciano to oversee all Mafia activities in the United States and to mediate conflicts between families. It consisted of the bosses of the Five Families as well as the bosses of the Chicago Outfit and the Buffalo crime family. In 1963, Joseph Valachi publicly disclosed the existence of New York City's Five Families at the Valachi hearings. Since then, a few other crime families have been able to become powerful or notable enough to rise to a level comparable to that of the Five Families, holding or sharing the unofficial designation of Sixth Family.

History

Leading up to the Five Families

In the 1920s, Mafia operations in the U.S. were under the control of Giuseppe "Joe The Boss" Masseria, whose faction consisted mainly of gangsters from Sicily and sporadically from other regions of Southern Italy like Calabria, Campania and Apulia. Masseria's faction included Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Albert "Mad Hatter" Anastasia, Vito Genovese, Alfred Mineo, Willie Moretti, Joe Adonis, and Frank Costello. However, powerful Sicilian mafioso Don Vito Cascio Ferro decided to make a bid for control of Mafia operations.

From his base in Castellammare del Golfo, he sent Salvatore Maranzano to seize control. The Castellammarese faction in the U.S. included Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonanno, Stefano "The Undertaker" Magaddino, Joseph Profaci, and Joe Aiello. As it became more and more evident that the two factions would clash for leadership of the Mafia, they each sought to recruit more followers to support them.

The Castellammarese War was between the forces of Masseria and Maranzano. Underneath, however, there was also a generational conflict between the old guard Sicilian leadership known as the "Mustache Petes" for their long mustaches and old-world ways, such as refusing to do business with non-Italians and the "Young Turks", a younger and more diverse Italian group who were more forward-thinking and willing to work more with non-Italians. This approach led his followers to question whether Masseria was even capable of making the Mafia prosper in modern times. Led by Luciano, the aim of this group was to end the war as soon as possible in order to resume their businesses, because they viewed the conflict as unnecessary. Luciano's objective was to modernize the mob and do away with unnecessary orthodox norms. This was a vision that enabled him to attract followers, who had seen the inadequacies of Masseria's traditionalist leadership. Therefore, both factions were fluid, with many mobsters switching sides or killing their own allies during the war. Tensions between the Maranzano and Masseria factions were evident as far back as 1928, with one side frequently hijacking the other's alcohol trucks (alcohol production was then illegal in the United States due to Prohibition).

In early 1931, Luciano made the decision to take out Masseria. The war had been going poorly for Masseria, and Luciano saw an opportunity to switch allegiance. In a secret deal with Maranzano, Luciano agreed to engineer Masseria's death in return for receiving Masseria's rackets and becoming Maranzano's second-in-command. Joe Adonis had joined the Masseria faction and when Masseria heard about Luciano's betrayal, he approached Adonis about killing Luciano. However, Adonis instead warned Luciano about the murder plot. On April 15, 1931, Masseria was killed at Nuova Villa Tammaro, a Coney Island restaurant in Brooklyn. While they played cards, Luciano allegedly excused himself to the bathroom, with the gunmen reportedly being Anastasia, Genovese, Adonis, and Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel; Ciro "The Artichoke King" Terranova drove the getaway car, but legend has it that he was too shaken up to drive away and Siegel had to shove him out of the driver's seat. With Maranzano's blessing, Luciano took over Masseria's gang and became Maranzano's lieutenant, ending the Castellammarese War. Although Maranzano was slightly more forward-thinking than Masseria, Luciano had come to believe that Maranzano was even greedier and more hidebound than Masseria had been. He sent four Jewish gangsters to Maranzano's office whose faces were unknown to Maranzano's people. They had been secured with the aid of Jewish mobsters Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel. Disguised as government agents, two of the gangsters disarmed Maranzano's bodyguards. The other two, aided by Lucchese, who was there to point Maranzano out, stabbed the boss multiple times before shooting him. This assassination was the first of what would later be fabled as the "Night of the Sicilian Vespers". Although there would have been few objections had Luciano declared himself capo di tutti i capi, he abolished the title, believing the position created trouble among the families and would make himself a target for another ambitious challenger. Luciano's goals with the Commission were to quietly maintain his own power over all the families, and to prevent future gang wars; the bosses approved the idea of the Commission. The Commission would consist of a "board of directors" to oversee all Mafia activities in the United States and serve to mediate conflicts between families.

The Commission consisted of seven family bosses: the leaders of New York's Five Families: Charlie "Lucky" Luciano, Vincent Mangano, Tommy Gagliano, Joseph Bonanno, and Joe Profaci; Chicago Outfit boss Al Capone; and Buffalo family boss Stefano Magaddino. The act was effective, and led to a large portion of the members who were arrested turning into informants. This effect compounded over time.

Original and current Five Families bosses

In 1963, Joseph Valachi publicly disclosed the existence of New York City's Five Families at the Valachi hearings. According to Valachi, the original bosses of the Five Families were Charles Luciano, Tommaso Gagliano, Joseph Profaci, Salvatore Maranzano, and Vincent Mangano. At the time of his testimony in 1963, Valachi revealed that the current bosses of the Five Families were Tommy Lucchese, Vito Genovese, Joseph Colombo, Carlo Gambino, and Joe Bonanno. These have since been the names most commonly used to refer to the New York Five Families, despite years of overturn and changing bosses in each.

{| class="sortable wikitable"

! Original family name

! Founded by

! Current family name

! Named after

! Current boss

! Acting boss

|-

| Maranzano

| Salvatore Maranzano

| Bonanno

| Joe Bonanno

| Michael "The Nose" Mancuso

|

|-

| Profaci

| Joe Profaci

| Colombo

| Joseph Colombo

| Theodore N. "Skinny Teddy" Persico Jr.

| Robert "Little Robert" Donofrio

|-

| Mangano

| Vincent Mangano

| Gambino

| Carlo Gambino

| Domenico Cefalù

| Lorenzo Mannino

|-

| Luciano

| Lucky Luciano

| Genovese

| Vito Genovese

| Liborio Salvatore "Barney" Bellomo

|

|-

| Gagliano

| Tommy Gagliano

| Lucchese

| Tommy Lucchese

| Victor Amuso

| Michael "Big Mike" DeSantis

|-

|}

Territories

The crime families historically operated throughout the New York metropolitan area, but mainly within New York City. In the state of New York, the gangs have increased their criminal rackets on Long Island, including both Nassau and Suffolk counties, and the counties of Westchester, Rockland, and Albany. They also maintain a strong presence in the state of New Jersey. The Five Families are also active in South Florida, Connecticut, Las Vegas, and Massachusetts.

  • 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 Atlanta, and have ties to the Rizzuto crime family in Quebec.
  • The Bath Avenue Crew operated in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, New York City
  • 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, Georgia, 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 Staten Island Boys operate mainly in Staten Island under few other sub-groups.
  • The Annadale-Rossville Boys
  • Great Kills Crew
  • North Staten Island Crew
  • 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 New Jersey.
  • 1931–1968 – Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonanno – on October 21, 1964, Bonanno disappeared; forcibly replaced as boss by the commission; crime family split into two factions; in May 1966, Bonanno reappeared after two years; officially retires after a heart attack in 1968
  • Disputed 1964–1966 – Gaspar "Gasparino" DiGregorio – installed when Bonanno disappeared and later forcibly replaced by the Commission – for the DiGregorio faction
  • 1968–1971 – Paul Sciacca – imprisoned
  • 1971–1973 – Natale "Joe Diamonds" Evola
  • 1973–1991 – Phillip "Rusty" Rastelli 1974–1979 – Carmine "Cigar" Galante
  • Acting 1979–1983 – Salvatore "Sally Fruits" Farrugia – appointed by the Commission
  • Acting 1987–1991 – Anthony "Old Man" Spero shot and killed in November 2011
  • Acting 2010–2012 – Vincent "Vinny T.V." Badalamenti – imprisoned in January 2012
  • 2013–present – Michael "the Nose" Mancuso – released from prison March 12, 2019
  • Acting 2013–2014 – Thomas "Tommy D" DiFiore – arrested on January 23, 2014
  • Acting 2014–2015 – John "Johnny Skyway" Palazzolo – arrested on March 27, 2015, for violating parole
  • Acting 2015–2019 – Joseph "Joe C" Cammarano Jr. – indicted on racketeering and extortion charges on January 12, 2018, acquitted March 13, 2019

Colombo family

thumb|The March 6, 1970 mug shot of [[Joseph Colombo, boss of the Colombo crime family]]

  • 1928–1962 – Joseph Profaci – died of natural causes
  • 1962–1963 – Joseph Magliocco – fled, after the murder of Joe Gallo
  • Acting 1972–1973 – Vincenzo "Vincent" Aloi – imprisoned
  • Acting 1973 – Joseph "Joey" Brancato 1981–1984, 1985–2019, died on March 7, 2019
  • Acting 1973–1979 – Thomas DiBella
  • Acting 1983–1984 – Gennaro "Jerry Lang" Langella – imprisoned – imprisoned
  • Acting 1987–1991 – Vittorio "Vic" Orena – imprisoned sentenced to life
  • Acting 1991–1993 – Vacant – disputed leadership during the third war
  • Acting 1994–1996 – Andrew "Andy Mush" Russo – imprisoned March 1997
  • 2019–2022 — Andrew "Andy Mush" Russo – indicted on September 14, 2021. Died on April 18, 2022.
  • Acting 2022–present — Robert "Little Robert" Donofrio
  • 2025–present — Theodore N. "Skinny Teddy" Persico Jr.

Gambino family

thumb|The 1990 mug shot of [[John Gotti, boss of the Gambino crime family from 1985 to 2002]]

  • 1900s–1910 – Ignazio "the Wolf" Lupo – imprisoned in 1910.
  • 1910–1928 – Salvatore "Toto" D'Aquila – took over the Brooklyn Camorra in 1916 and merged with Al Mineo's gang forming the largest family in New York. He was killed on orders of boss Joe Masseria in 1928.
  • 1928–1930 – Manfredi "Alfred" Mineo – killed in Castellammarese War in 1930.
  • 1930–1931 – Frank Scalice – demoted after murder of boss of all bosses Salvatore Maranzano.
  • 1931–1951 – Vincent Mangano – disappeared in April 1951, allegedly killed on orders of underboss Albert Anastasia.
  • 1951–1957 – Albert Anastasia – murdered in October 1957 on orders of Carlo Gambino.
  • 1957–1976 – Carlo Gambino – died of natural causes in 1976.
  • Acting 1964–1976 – Paul Castellano – acting boss for Gambino, became official boss after his death.
  • 1976–1985 – Paul Castellano – murdered in December 1985 on orders of capo John Gotti.
  • 1985–2002 – John Gotti – imprisoned in 1990, died in 2002.
  • Acting 1993–1999 – John A. Gotti – imprisoned in 1999, later retired.
  • Acting 1999–2002 – Peter Gotti – promoted to official boss.
  • 2002–2011 – Peter Gotti – imprisoned in 2002, died in 2021.
  • Acting 2002–2005 – Arnold Squitieri
  • Acting 2005–2008 – John D'Amico
  • 2011–present – Domenico "Italian Dom" Cefalù
  • Acting 2015–2019 – Frank Cali – murdered in March 2019.
  • Front boss 2019–present – Lorenzo Mannino

Genovese family

thumb|A 1996 mug shot of [[Liborio Bellomo, believed to be the current boss of the Genovese crime family]]

  • 1890s–1909 – Giuseppe "the Clutch Hand" Morello – imprisoned
  • 1910–1916 – Nicholas "Nick Morello" Terranova – murdered on September 7, 1916
  • 1916–1920 – Vincenzo "Vincent" Terranova – stepped down becoming underboss
  • 1920–1922 – Giuseppe "the Clutch Hand" Morello – stepped down becoming underboss to Masseria
  • 1922–1931 – Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria – murdered on April 15, 1931
  • 1931–1946 – Charles "Lucky" Luciano – imprisoned in 1936, deported to Italy in 1946
  • Acting 1936–1937 – Vito Genovese – fled to Italy in 1937 to avoid murder charge
  • Acting 1937–1946 – Frank "the Prime Minister" Costello – became official boss after Luciano's deportation
  • 1946–1957 – Frank "the Prime Minister" Costello – resigned in 1957 after Genovese-Gigante assassination attempt
  • 1957–1969 – Vito "Don Vito" Genovese – imprisoned in 1959, died in prison in 1969
  • Acting 1959–1962 – Anthony "Tony Bender" Strollo – disappeared in 1962
  • Acting 1962–1965 – Thomas "Tommy Ryan" Eboli – became front boss
  • Acting 1965–1969 – Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo – became the official boss
  • 1969–1981 – Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo – retired in 1981, died of natural causes in 1987
  • 1981–2005 – Vincent "Chin" Gigante – imprisoned in 1997, died in prison on December 19, 2005
  • Acting 1989–1996 – Liborio "Barney" Bellomo – promoted to street boss
  • Acting 1997–1998 – Dominick "Quiet Dom" Cirillo – suffered heart attack and resigned
  • Acting 1998–2005 – Matthew "Matty the Horse" Ianniello – resigned when indicted in July 2005
  • Acting 2005–2008 – Daniel "Danny the Lion" Leo – imprisoned 2008–2013
  • 2010–present – Liborio "Barney" Bellomo

Lucchese family

thumb|[[Tommy Lucchese, boss of the Lucchese crime family from 1951 to 1967]]

  • 1922–1930: Gaetano "Tommy" Reina: murdered on February 26, 1930
  • 1930: Bonaventura "Joseph" Pinzolo:
  • Acting 1966–1967: Carmine Tramunti: stepped down
  • Acting 1967: Ettore "Eddie" Coco: arrested in 1991, received a life sentence in January 1993
  • Acting 1990–1991: Alphonse "Little Al" D'Arco:
  • Acting 1995–1998: Joseph "Little Joe" DeFede: imprisoned in 1998
  • Acting 1998–2000: Steven "Wonderboy" Crea:
  • Acting 2000–2003: Louis "Louie Bagels" Daidone:
  • Acting 2017–present: Michael "Big Mike" DeSantis