The 5 Major Mafia Crime Families,...

The major mafia families, known as the Five Families, are the Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese families. These families were organized by Salvatore Maranzano in 1931 after his victory in the Castellammarese War. Each family had its own territory and a structured hierarchy, reporting to the Commission, a ruling committee established by Lucky Luciano to oversee all Mafia activities in the United States. The Five Families were the most powerful and impactful families in the history of organized crime in the United States, with their operations being publicly revealed in 1963. Despite their diminished power compared to their heyday, the Five Families continue to exist but operate in a diminished capacity. >>> History Leading up to the Five Families >>> In the 1920s, Mafia operations in the U.S. were controlled by Giuseppe "Joe The Boss" Masseria, whose faction consisted mainly of gangsters from Sicily and the Calabria and Campania regions of Southern Italy. 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. >>> 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. 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. Lucchese crime family New Jersey faction operates throughout New Jersey. The Tanglewood Boys was a "recruitment gang" that operated in Westchester County, The Bronx, and Manhattan --- Wikpedia.