1931 - Detail

October 1931 - The Sicilian La Cosa Nostra, was organized into a "commission" corporate structure of USA mafia crime families headed by the five families of New York City. La Cosa Nostra's power and influence was super charged by the prohibition era and over the course of the twentieth century continue its advance into all aspects of American society. Its rise and eventual fall was not just a matter of chance, it was guided by the personalities, interactions, and decisions by the men at the top of the family hierarchy. For nothing got done without the permission of the boss or bosses.

Article by Jason Donovan

La Cosa Nostra also known as the Italian Mafia grew out of the poverty amongst the newly arrived Italian immigrants. Mixed in with these immigrants were "Men Of Honor" or members of the Italian underworld. These men formed the base of the future criminal underworld in America. The mafia as we know it today grew out of the aftermath of the Castellammarese War. The war was between the two major bosses of Prohibition Era America. On one side stood Giuseppe "Joe" Masseria on the other side stood Salvatore Maranzano. The war would end after these two men were wiped out by those under them, many who would go on to become infamous in American history.

The structure of the modern American La Cosa Nostra was laid out primarily by Charles "Lucky" Luciano when he restructured the the organization into a corporate model in 1931, reported in October of that year. The Commission was the corporation’s board. This board consisted of the heads of the major families. These men had a main function of defusing disputes between families thus making costly war less likely. The main families on The Commission were major players in America’s criminal underworld for the last century. Here are the leadership histories of New York’s influential five families.

The Genovese Family

The family was, when The Commission was set up, headed by Luciano himself. Luciano would head the family until his conviction for "compulsory prostitution" or sexual exploitation for which he was sentenced to 30-50 years in prison in 1936. After Luciano's conviction his under boss Vito Genovese took over as acting boss. Genovese would be in his position till 1937 when he fled to Italy because of a possible murder charge. By this time the future Genovese borgata would remain under Vito’s control from Italy while he associated with the major Italian mafia’s movers and shakers.

Before his flight to Italy, Vito’s actions helped cement him as one of the biggest players in La Cosa Nostra with strong ties to criminals and their worldwide networks. These networks would help him develop his rackets, i.e. Genovese’s involvement in Prohibition Era bootlegging. Though he made his mark by being one of the four gunmen that took out his boss, Masseria, in 1931 on Coney Island. Then there was Costello.

While Genovese was having a good time in Italy, the new acting boss named was Frank Costello. Frank would take over the family in 1946 after the deportation of Luciano back to Italy. Costello was a money maker and had rackets around the country. The family was making their money from collaborations with other families. Some examples would be,

"slot machines in New Orleans with Carlos Marcello, illegal gambling in Florida and Cuba with Meyer Lansky, and illegal race wires with Bugsy Siegel in Los Angeles."

Another part of Costello’s rule was not only the far reaching political influence that he cultivated but, arguably, his treatment of his family’s made members. He did not require large kick ups, instead he spread the profits around and only wet his beak. Even though he was liked by his men the government had a different opinion of the man. The Senate called many La Cosa Nostra figures in front of the Kefauver Committee, which was investigating the role of organized crime in American society. Frank Costello’s biggest memorable moment when he was asked "What have you done for your country?" His reply was simple "I paid my taxes". The government was not the only threat to Costello that would come from Genovese himself. Costello had angered Vito by dropping him from underboss to capo. As a result of this slight, Genovese ordered a hit. Frank was shot in 1957, which led to him stepping aside.

Vito Genovese came to power with the help of Carlo Gambino to take out the then current administration. Thus the attempt on Castello’s life. The other was the deaths of the head of the Mangano borgata and "Murder Inc's" Albert "Lord High Executioner" Anastasia in a barber shop in 1957.

In 1969 acting boss Philip Lombardo took control. Lombardo used "front- bosses" to shield himself from law enforcement. Before his death in 1981 Lombardo made Vincent "The Chin" Gigante his successor. Gigante is said to have been the gunman in Castello’s assassination attempt. Gigante learned a lesson from his predecessor, the use of front bosses. Gigante ruled with an iron fist and did not let a slight go unpunished. John Gotti felt this wrath when he was the target of a assassination attempt via car bomb. The explosive gift was in retaliation for Gotti killing his boss and Gigante’s friend Paul Castellano.

John Gotti was not the only one to feel the Chin’s fury. There has been a long standing prohibition on dealing drugs, not a part of the traditional rackets of loansharking, prostitution, gambling, and other crimes. Those in the Genovese family knew that you were dead if you were caught dealing.

After acting mentally unstable or mentally impaired for decades in order to avoid the law. The Chin’s act would last decades until in 1997 when he was found guilty of racketeering and conspiracy to murder and was sentenced to 12 years in prison and a $1.25 million fine. He would serve his sentence until his death in 2005.

The Genovese family is still going while keeping a low profile. It is not clear if they are still as secretive as they once were. The borgata is still in many of its old rackets as a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York dated 16 April 2024 states that four of the family’s members and associates pled guilty to illegal gambling. Some of these illegal operations are joint ventures with other families that are bringing in millions, but of course they are not the only one.

The Gambino Family

Like all the five families the Gambino Family’s future started in the early twentieth century when then founder and boss Ignazio " Lupo the Wolf" Lupo went to prison in 1910. After Lupo was incarcerated, Salvatore "Toto" D’Aquila took over the family. He would grow the family’s power and influence by incorporating other gangs into his ranks making him one of the most powerful men in the criminal underworld. Up until this point Lupo had been a powerful ally of the Morrello gang, a powerful gang of the time. When the leaders of the Morello’s went to prison D’Aquila broke away and formed his own family. As his power grew he came into conflict with Joe Masseria who decided to remove the competition. Toto would be shot on the street and taken to a drugstore where he expired.

De’Aquila’s death was allegedly masterminded by his underboss Alfred Manfredi, also known as Alfred Mineo. Manfredi came forth as a Masseria ally. His time at the top would only last two years Maranzano’s men would catch up to him in 1930. Frank Scalice was a loyal Maranzano supporter. Thus his reign would come to an end after Luciano restructured La Cosa Nostra. Scalice was told to step aside. Vincent Mangano would assume control giving his surname to his family.

Mangano would lead his family for the next twenty years. During his reign he would gain control over the New York waterfront. He made the men working on the docks pay a tax for each day they worked. This racket allowed the mafia as a whole to know what cargo was on each ship. The intelligence gained by this arrangement; the ships with the best cargo may have that cargo grow legs and walk away. The family also fell in the traditional rackets like loansharking, and gambling etc. Mangano was known for his "cunning strategies and underworld power plays." He was also, in a way a dying breed because he exuded traditional values that once ruled the standards of expectable behavior. These values included "honor, tradition, respect, and dignity." In 1951 a dark shadow would settle over Mangano; this shadow’s name was Albert Anastasia. Mangano was disappeared and never found. The particulars about his end remains an unsolved puzzle.

Albert "Lord High Executioner" or "Mad Hatter" Anastasia was known as a hot head with a fast brutal temper. His homicidal tendencies made him the perfect co founder along with Louis "Lepke" Buchalter to head up Murder Inc. Murder Inc. was a group of enforcers and hitmen that were feared within the La Cosa Nostra. Their business was very profitable and was based on whatever the customer wanted would be done. This corporate style was very efficient and thus prolific. A rough body count of 1,ooo people in about a decade. One of the few things that matched Anastasia’s lust for power was his greed. Though greed was only part of his fall the other was that he broke the rules of La Cosa Nostra. One of the main tenants of the mafia in America, unlike their Italian cousins, were it is strictly forbidden to kill a member of the public. Anastasia was infuriated that a member of the public pointed out an escaped bank robber. With this transgression a plan was hatched between Genovese and Gambino. The agreement worked out was Genovese would back Gambino taking control of the family if Gambino helped him take out Anastasia. The deal was carried out on 25 October 1957. On this day Anastasia was in a barber shop at the, then, Park Sheraton Hotel at 870 7th Ave in Manhattan. As per the deal, Gambino was made the don of the family.

Carlo Gambino ruled for 19 years. He was an old school don who believed in keeping a low profile which helped him become one of the most successful criminal bosses in American history. Over the years of his rule, Gambino made the family $500 million a year. Adjusted for inflation for 1975 the last full year of Carlo’s rule he was pulling in over $3 billion per 2025 dollars. Gambino may look like the ideal grandfatherly figure, but many have fallen with his nod. From death to life a main aspect of the life is politics between families and like royalty of old, the Gambino family would join their families together when Carlo’s son married the daughter of Thomas Lucchese, the head of the Lucchese family. This combination would lead to both families working closely together, thus allowing the two to take control of The Commission. Gambino’s family had 500 made men and 500 associates with interests in areas like hijacking, control of labor unions, illegal gambling, and even narcotics trafficking. The narcotics prohibition was always in effect but, no one ever asked from where the money came. He controlled interests from as far north as Massachusetts to as far south as southeastern Pennsylvania. With control of The Commission he stoked the ire of fellow bosses of the Bonanno and, the then, Profaci family. Joe Bonanno and Joseph Magliocco respectively, conspired to kill Gambino and Lucchese. The plan was discovered with repercussions that have shaped the criminal underworld of the late twentieth century. The foiling of this plot and a decision that Carlo made would have even longer lasting effects on the mafia and society as a whole. The real godfather made it to a ripe old age of 74, passing away with his" shoes off" in his home. This was not just the end of an era, it was the beginning of the end of La Cosa Nostra as we had known it. Enter Paul Castellano Carlo’s cousin and hand picked successor.

Paul Castellano, unlike Gambino, was not a man of the street, but like his cousin, he was a businessman, a butcher by trade. Paul also shared his cousin’s philosophy of using illicit profits to fund legitament businesses. This more business corporate white collar attitude did not sit well with a faction of the family that was blue collar and streetwise. Even though he was the boss, from day one, a rift between these two factions existed. That was the beginning of the end for Paul. Another strike against Castellano was his affair with his maid. This may not seem like a big deal, but this was different. Made men were allowed, by the rules, to have girlfriends; the caveat to this is that a made man should not take his wife to the same places as he takes his girlfriends. The affair was happening under the nose of his wife. These actions were considered very unbecoming a man of honor. With all this build up of tension in the family began to come to a head when members of his underboss’, Aniello "Neil" Dellacroce, crew, one by the name of John Gotti, was caught on FBI wiretaps talking about selling narcotics. Castellano kept insisting to hear the tapes of the taps with Dellacroce protecting his crew as best he could. Dellacroce, old school, was known to have said that whatever the boss says goes even when he disagreed with the decision. This old school hand was removed from the equation when in late 1985 he died. With him gone the family was fragile and the clock was ticking. Castellano’s end came on Monday 16 December 1985 outside Sparks Steakhouse in midtown Manhattan. Two teams under the command of John Gotti and Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, were positioned in the midst of crowed streets full of Christmas shoppers. While the two commanders sat in a car down the block Castellano and his bodyguard Thomas Billotti got out of their car and as they did so both their bodies were shot multiple times. As Gotti and Gravano left the scene they drove by "to get a closer look." An era had ended. The next boss thought he was Francis Ford Coppola’s "The Godfather" instead of the head of one of the most powerful crime families in the world.

John Gotti was a very flamboyant, flashy, and ruthless. He cultivated a media image that turned him into a celebrity. The media gave him the nickname of the "Dapper Don" because of his clothing and its accessories that totaled at least tens of thousands of dollars. Gotti thought of himself as a modern day Al Capone, but times had changed. Technology that was not available in Capone’s time was in standard use at the same time of Gotti’s rule. Wiretaps picked up Gotti speaking about plans, hits, murders, and other business. These wiretaps also picked up Gotti blaming Gravano, his now underboss for all types of crimes. Gravano was made underboss after Frankie DeCicco was killed in April of 1986 when a bomb in his car exploded. The hit was ordered by Chin Gigante and was carried out by Lucchese underboss Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso in retaliation for Castellano. The death of DeCicco is how Gravano found himself in the position of underboss. From Gravano’s own admission he and DeCicco had an agreement that if Gotti got out of hand they, Gravano and DeCicco, would take it upon themselves to remove Gotti.

Gotti’s greed, narcissistic tendencies, and need for the spotlight led to him telling his underboss to take the fall and via defense strategy and on the tapes the government used for evidence Gotti turned on Gravano. The strategy backfired, Gravano was a large part of the reason Gotti was also known as "The Teflon Don". Gravano has said that he was bribing juries in those previous cases. Due in part to Gotti’s treatment, Gravano would turn state witness. Gravano was not the only person to break the code of silence or omertà, the end of La Cosa Nostra as we then knew it, was on the horizon.

The Gotti's would continue to sit at the head of the family. Peter Gotti took over the family in 2002, previously had been the acting boss from 1999-2002. He ascended into the top spot due to John passing away. Peter was not well thought of within the family; he was referred to as "The Dumbest Don." Unfortunately for him, he would be arrested soon after taking control. Throughout the early 2000’s Peter would be brought up on multiple charges. He was sentenced to 25 years with a release date of 2032. Peter would be the last of the Gotti's at the head of the Gambino organization. In 2011, Domenico Cefalu allegedly was in the top spot till 2015. He was seen as a throwback to the old school family head. Who replaced Cefalu is, like sometimes happens when researching the topic, allegedly Frank Cali. No matter if he was the boss or not, his life was cut short when he was shot in 2019. Not much is known about the current boss as La Cosa has slid back into the shadows like those of the pre Gotti era.

Lucchese Family

The organization began out of the money making bonanza that was Prohibition like all the other families in the the New York area. The birth of the family came in 1922 as Gaetano Reina broke away from the imploding Morello Family. Another break away was Reina’s underboss Tommy Gagliano. The family was built on Reina’s success in the ice business in "the Bronx and East Harlem". During this time food would be kept cold by real ice in ice boxes in the kitchen. Ice would be delivered to the homes and was very profitable. Reina was made rich and his wealth did not go unnoticed by his ally Masseria. Reina would be gunned down in 1930. Reina may have been gone, but due to his administration, tactics, and ability to keep within his family, they would live on in the ethos of the family through the years to come. Reina’s alleged possible murderer Joseph Pinzolo would go on to take over the family, not for long though.

The reason Pinzolo was suspected of Reina’s death is due to the fact that he was installed by Masseria as the new boss of Reina’s family. Underboss Tommy Gagliano and Thomas Lucchese were passed over for the top position and Pinzolo had an attitude that these two men did not care for it. The change of boss happened during the Castellammarese War and Pinzolo would meet a Caesar like end when he was set up in a Lucchese owned building in Manhattan in September 1930. The underboss ascends to the throne.

Gagliano took over the family as a Masseria ally. Time was ticking for Masseria though because when he selected Pinzolo as head of the family he created vengeful enemies in the guise of allies in Gagliano and Lucchese. The two men, behind Masseria’s back, worked on an "alliance with Maranzano while professing loyalty to Joe the Boss." Gagliano, after the deaths of both Masseria and Maranzano, during the restructuring he was chosen to continue as boss of the family. He was a good choice, because he flew under the radar. It has been said that "he believed in secrets and knew how to keep them." Gagliano started, like so many others laid out in this little monograph, at the bottom of the mountain with Morrello in East Harlem. He would eventually transfer to the Bronx. In the Bronx he used "lathing and hoisting businesses as a front for his more profitable endeavors such as gasoline rationing, meat, and black market sugar."

One of the events that provided an example of the few things that are known is when Gagliano handed leadership of the family to his underboss and loyal friend Tommy Lucchese, 1951. One event is his date of death. Lucchese helped create more smoke and mirrors when he testified in the Kefauver hearings that Gagliano died on 16 February 1951, but, other sources state that he died two years later of old age. In either case, Lucchese was the boss now.

Gaetano "Tommy" Lucchese arrived in East Harlem in 1911. He started his path into criminality when he became an associate with Ciro Terranova and his 107th Street Mob. At the time the Democratic Machine of Tammany Hall leader Boss Tweed made use of criminal elements to further its corrupt agenda. These activities would lead to Lucchese having a large number of political connections that he used to his advantage, leading him to be called "one of the more influential gang leaders in the nation." Political connections helped protect his other interests.

The Lucchese family had a piece of many of the mafia’s traditional money making endeavors. These include illegal gambling, loan sharking, and construction. They also moved into areas such as union corruption and collusion with the trucking unions allowing a Lucchese cartel. The cartel allowed the family to know what goods arrived at, what is now known as, JFK International Airport, allowing the family to spread into warehouse theft and hijacking trucks as they left the airport. One area that Lucchese had an iron fist was the garment industry, especially in New York City’s garment district. The family’s extortionate influence spread to include factories in Pennsylvania. This was achieved via the garment workers union.

As stated above, the Lucchese and Gambino families were joined by marriage. They used their alliance to take over the commission. They were a powerhouse duo for years. Lucchese would leave this mortal plain on 13 July 1967, after being at the top for 16 years, unlike many in the life he died with his shoes off. Carmine Tramunti was now at the top.

Tramunti was only in power for six years and most of them he would be consumed by troubles with the law. There are different stories of why he was placed at the top. One was that he was a figure of unity between the family’s competing internal groups. The other was that he was a place holder until Tony Corallo was released from incarceration. He would end his underworld career serving a 15 year sentence for his part in the notorious narcotics ring "The French Connection." He would pass away in 1978 of natural causes.

Tony "Tony Ducks" Corallo would ascend to the top in 1973. Tony Ducks was a very quiet Don in the mold of an old school mobster. He used violence sparingly. He created a monopoly in the gravel industry and eventually controlling garbage collection firms. Under Corallo’s leadership the Lucchese family carved out their piece of the union corruption especially the trucking and construction. As a result, the money kicked up the chain created a money making machine even by underworld standards. This situation would not last that long, Tony Ducks would end up bringing himself and many of his fellow made men to their downfall, loose lips sunk them all.

What brought down the hammer on the family was a small gadget, a wiretap, that was installed in a Jaguar owned by his chauffeur and bodyguard Salvatore Avellino. This wiretap caught Corallo speaking of many of the Mafia’s activities. The hours of tapes were what provided the law a window into the mafia’s activities as he spoke in detail about not just his own family but also about the leadership and activities of others. These tapes would be used in one of the biggest underworld trials of the 20th century, "The Commission Trial" of 1986. The charges that led to the trial were brought using a law that would be used to hamstring La Cosa Nostra for decades to come. The law was called the "Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act," or RICO, the law passed in 1970 and "is a law that allows authorities to punish offenders engaging in criminal activities, particularly racketeering." Under the law "Racketeering activity, is any crime involving gambling, arson, murder, robbery, kidnapping, bribery, theft, fraud, or activities involving obscene matter or controlled substances. Generally these crimes are part of a pattern of criminal activity engaged in by a particular party. Under the law, there are several types of activities that qualify as racketeering activity. Some examples of racketeering activity include:

Drug trafficking, Bankruptcy fraud, Money laundering, Helping immigrants illegally enter the country for financial gain, Terrorism.

Of course, racketeering activity is not limited to these examples provided above. Racketeering can also include embezzlement, murder-for-hire, and obstruction of justice, among other things.

The trial resulted in Corallo being sentenced to 100 years in prison. Corallo passed away of natural causes in 2000, aged 87.

After Corallo went away with most of the family leadership Victor "Vic" Amuso and his underboss Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso seized control. Amuso and Casso unleashed the dark shadow of death over the family. According to Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, Amuso and Casso were bloodthirsty and made up stories in order to kill their own men. They would eliminate someone based on their lies, rumors, and the slightest infraction. Casso alone said he killed 36 people he thought were informants. Amuso and Casso broke the strict rule that had been in place since the beginning, no civilians should be killed. Over all Casso is believed to have ordered over 100 killings. Over their reign many of those murdered would be found in trunks of cars or completely disappeared. The highest profile death that these men were involved in, as mentioned above, would be in revenge for the killing of Castallano. The bombing death of Gotti’s underboss Frankie DeChicco.

Amuso and Casso’s leadership and bloodthirsty tendencies would lead to their own men being terrified of their own bosses. The terror pushed many of their members into the arms of law enforcement. This was part of the reason for their downfall. Casso himself would become a government informant. Vic Amuso is incarcerated at this time still the boss of the family, using acting bosses to carry out family business on the outside. Unlike Amuso, Casso would pass away of Coronavirus.

Bannano Family

The future Bannano family was first lead by a Sicilian from Castellammare del Golfo named Sebastiano Di Gaetano. He would not serve for long. He arrived in New York City in 1898. By 1910 was the head of a family based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He became the boss of bosses, but only till 1912. It is said Di Gaetano stepped down, but what he did afterwards is not known.

Nicolo Schiro was chosen to replace Di Gaetano. Shiro’s time as boss does not have a paper trail unlike many of the men that would follow him. He kept a ghost like low key existence. As a result, he had a clean criminal record. The lack of a criminal record, arguably, helped him cultivate relationships with friends in high places. Schiro would be at the head of the family till he was "asked" to step down by Joe Masseria. Even though Shiro was a citizen he would return to Italy after stepping down. With nearly two decades at the top, Schiro’s tenure proved to be an incubator for a talent pool of future bosses for other cities such as San Francisco and Buffalo, which would be headed by former members of the Brooklyn based family. Schiro would be replaced by Salvatore Maranzano thus setting the stage for the war to come.

Salvatore Maranzano assumed the top position in 1930. A main belligerent in the Castallammarese War, Maranzano’s hubris was on full display when, like his co-belligerent, he assumed the title of "Boss of Bosses." Maranzano used his real estate office as a front to run illegal activities. An era would come to an end on 10 September 1931 in that office when two men came inside, and after disarming the body guard, shot and stabbed Maranzano to death. Luciano had cleared the board, making way for him to implement his vision. Family underboss Joseph Bananno was elevated to head the family. He was only 26 years of age.

Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonanno ruled over a smaller but far more clannish crime family. This was due, in part, to Bonanno’s requirement that only men came from Castallammarese del Golfo in Sicily. Unlike his fellow bosses, he was more old school in his leadership style.

One of the keys to Bonanno’s long time at the top was his close ties to Joseph Profaci the head of the, soon to be discussed, then Profaci family. The alliance with Profaci functioned as protection from the other families from storming in and taking over Bananno’s lucrative traditional rackets of loan sharking, illicit gambling, and "non traditional" activity of dealing in narcotics. This protection would end in 1962 with Profaci’s death.

With the other families knocking at his door Bananno would conspire, in 1963, with the new Profaci family boss, Joseph Magliocco, to seize control of The Commission by liquidating both Gambino and Lucchese in one fell swoop. Unfortunately the hit was assigned to Profaci family hitman Joe Colombo. Colombo turned on his boss and informed his intended targets of the plot. This act was caused, in part, by Bonnano losing sight of his duties as leader as he spent an ever increasing amount of time in Arizona, which along with California, the family had expanded into. Along with this, he committed an act of disrespect when he promoted his son to the vary important leadership position of consigliere. This decision split the family with the opposition supporting capo Gaspar DiGregorio. The split would become known as the Banana Wars with deaths on both sides.

The other families were suffering the effects of the war and wanted the war to end. With this in mind, Bananno offered a peace deal. As part of the proposed deal he would retire to Arizona while his son Bill and brother-in-law would be boss and underboss, respectively. The plan was rejected. Along with the rejection of the peace plan the Commission would replace DiGregorio with Paul Sciacca as a result of DiGregorio’s inability to win the war. Bananno’s heart would end the war in 1968 after he suffered a heart attack, as a result he retired to Arizona. Bananno was granted his retirement but was told if he came back into the family he would be eliminated. Bananno and his son would get their revenge, in a way, by writing books about "the life." Though by writing these books, they broke "omertà," the code of silence. Joe would be replaced by Gasper DiGregorio. Joe would pass in Tucson of natural causes at the age of 97 in 2002.

Gasper’s reign would be defined by the Banana Wars. After only a few years the Commission, as stated above, would replace him with Paul Sciacca. Sciacca tenure at the top was spent reuniting the family so it could rebuild back to its former glory. He achieved reunification by promoting Natale Evola, leader of the what was once the loyalist faction, to underboss and the leader of the faction of younger members known as "The Young Turks" as consigliere. Sciacca would rule till he was jailed for selling large quantities of heroin.

Natale Evola would take control in 1971. He would only be at the top for two years. Phillip "Rusty" Rustelli would be promoted to the top spot after Evola's death.

Rastelli used multiple acting bosses while he was was in and out of jail over the course of his reign. One of these bosses was Carmine Galante. Galante had built a multi million dollar narcotics business via the French Connection before going to prison. Upon his release he set out to not just rebuild his business interest but, seeing himself as the rightful head of the family, seized full control of the family. Galante cemented his power by purportedly having eight Gambino members murdered. He hated the Gambinos in particular because they were trying to take over the family’s territory. Galante was one of the most feared mobsters of his day. Known as a cunning individual with a great "strategic acumen" and a neurotic psychopathic personality. As "Ralph Salerno, a former NYPD detective, once said,

"Of all the gangsters that I've met personally, and I've met dozens of them in all of my years, there were only two who, when I looked them straight in the eye, I decided I wouldn't want them to be really personally mad at me. Aniello Dellacroce was one and Carmine Galante was the other. They had bad eyes, I mean, they had the eyes of killers. You could see how frightening they were, the frigid glare of a killer."

Galante knew that his power grab would put him in danger so he imported some men from his hometown in Sicily. These men would become known as "zips". They would be his downfall.

All of Galante’s transgressions of the rules of La Costa Nostra throughout his brutal rise to the top caught up to him. The commission had enough and ordered his removal. It was well known that his ego was so large that he thought himself untouchable, as a result he did not carry a gun. Whether he had may not have helped, his death was a swift execution. He was made an example of.

Galante’s end came on 12 July 1979 on the garden patio a Joe & Mary’s Italian restaurant in Brooklyn at 205 Knickerbocker Avenue. On this day he dined with Bonanno capo and ardent backer Leonard Coppola and Giuseppe Turano who was a soldier in the family, owner of the restaurant and Galante’s cousin. There were also two of his bodyguards, plus guests Baldassare Amato and Cesare Bonventre, seated at the table. At 2:45 pm three masked men unloaded a hail of bullets from handguns and shotguns, then escaped. The two bodyguards went untouched. A photograph of Galante clenching a cigar in his mouth as he lay against the cement wall of the patio, exists. His two guests were also eliminated.

After Galante’s elimination Rastelli would appoint two more acting bosses, but they kept a much lower profile. Rastelli would maintain control until his passing in 1991. Joseph Massino would be promoted to the top spot. In the tradition of past bosses Massino forbid his name to be spoken by anyone associated with the family, due to this he was known as "The Ear." Massino was well aware of law enforcements new surveillance technologies and techniques and he took measures to ensure his security and a reduction in something incriminating being picked up. He also mandated all social clubs be closed. All these measures were for naught for it was not a wiretap that would bring Massino down.

Despite all his precautions his fellow made men facing serious time would break their oath of silence. In order to save himself Massino joined these men in testifying for the government. Massino would serve a life sentence starting in 2005, but, due to his cooperation he would be released in 2013. His underboss Vincent Basciano would take over in 2005. His former boss would send him to prison on a murder charge. He controlled the family while in prison until 2013. Micheal Mancuso would take over the family while also behind bars as he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the 1999 hit. Massino’s testimony sealed his fate. He would be released in 2019 and now stays in the shadows.

Columbo Family

The Columbo family came about out of the Castellammarese War. After the death of Salvatore D’Aquila a boss of the Gambino family. As a result of this murder, Joseph Profaci would be given Brooklyn even though he was not a seasoned gangster. The reason for his elevation, in 1928, is not fully known. What is known is that Profaci had extensive connections with his Sicilian homeland as a result of his healthy olive oil importing business.

In 1930 Profaci ruled over a series of rackets including prostitution, loansharking, illegal lottery, and trafficking in narcotics. Profaci would face a major threat to his leadership from a rebellion lead by the Gallo brothers, Larry, Joey, and Albert Gallo. The Gallo’s started the war over a belief that their boss was greedy taking a large percentage of the brother’s profits. These flames of rebellion were fanned by Gambino, in an attempt to break the alliance between Profaci and Bonanno. Profaci took umbrage with one of the Gallo’s men, Frank Abbatemarco, due to his belief that Abbatemarco was shorting him in the amount of money he was required to give to Profaci. His unwillingness to "kick up" the set about would cost him his life.

The Gallos would strike back for Abbatemarco’s death. They decided to kidnap family underboss Joseph Magliocco and capo Joe Columbo. The brothers demanded a bigger slice of the proceeds from their activities. Profaci "agreed." In reality, he was patiently plotting his vengeance now that his men were returned.

1961 brought about a full scale war. The war heated up whith the death of Gallo member Joseph Gioelli and an attempted assassination of Larry Gallo. The Gallos put out the word that Profaci’s men were to be shot on sight. In the background power plays were playing out as Profaci was being pushed to retire by Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese.

In June 1961 Profaci left this mortal plane and as a result Magliocco assumed control of the family. His time at the top would be very short. As he would enter into a conspiracy with Bonanno with the aim to permanently remove Gambino, Lucchese, and Stefano Magaddino, the boss of Buffalo. The plan would never occur as it would be uncovered in amazing fashion.

The family’s top tier hitman Joe Colombo turned on his boss and reported the plan to the commission. The two bosses were summoned to the commission to answer the accusation leveled against them. While Bonanno went in hiding, Magliocco affirmed his role in the plot. As a punishment he was fined $50,000 ($533.000 as of 2025) and be forced to retire, but most importantly he was allowed to leave that room alive.

In order to show their appreciation, the commission elevated to be the boss of, the Colombo family. Columbo was able to negotiate an end to the First Colombo War. One of the main pushes that Colombo was involved in was the, April 1970, formation of the "Italian-American Civil Rights League" (IACRL). Colombo would draw thousands to his cause. He also used the league to paint himself as being persecuted for his Italian heritage thus painting law enforcement as not the prosecuting force against a criminal organization which happens to consist of Americans of Italian decent, but a persecuting force who unjustly brings the hammer down on all Americans of Italian decent. He would use the power of his positions to have changes made to the script of the classic film "The Godfather." He set demands for the cast members to meet in order to film on the streets of New York City. While the public, by and large, had a positive view of the league, many in the underworld quietly raised concerns of the added attention Colombo’s massive rallies were bringing on La Costa Nostra as a whole. For the underworld thrives in the shadows. Then in 1971, Joe Gallo was out of jail. Gallo refused to honor the treaty.

28 June 1971, those who opposed Colombo’s actions either ordered the actions of that day or a gift fell in their laps. On this day designated by the (IACRL) as the second annual "Unity Day" for which they held a huge rally in Columbus Circle. Colombo was greeting attendees when his assassin Jerome A. Johnson, who was either posing as or was a press photographer, accounts vary. Johnson was shot three times in the head. Chaos ensued and as a portion of the crowd attacked Johnson. In the melee, an unknown person shot and killed him.

Columbo was rushed to the hospital, he survived, but would be partially paralyzed and and comatose for the next seven years. His health started to quickly deteriorate in May of 1978. He was moved to the hospital and succumbed to complications of the shooting.

Conspiracy theories were circulating since the shooting. A top one states Joe Gallo ordered Colombo’s removal. Gallo would be removed on 7 April 1972, his death ordered by the man who would seize control of the family a year or so later, Carmine Persico. Persico’s actions put the war, known as the Second Colombo War, to bed for good.

Carmine Persico’s philosophy of how to handle the media was antagonistic to his predecessor. He kept a low profile. This did not do much to keep him out of the sight of the law. As a consequence of the work of law enforcement. He would spend most of his reign using acting bosses while he served a total sentence of 134 years, passing away in 2019 while incarcerated.

Like the other four families the Colombos have fallen to a shadow of its former self. Part of the reason for their fall was the Third Colombo War. The war was a power struggle between then acting boss Vittorio Orena. Orena was trying to engage in a coup d’état. Word of Orena’s power grab was reported to Persico who then ordered Orena’s death. In June 1991, Orena was being hunted by Persico’s hitmen, thus the war had begun. Over the course of the next two years over twenty family members and associates would be killed. This war wiped out a large amount of the family’s strength. On top of the effects of the war, the government brought the hammer down via the RICO law. These one two punches left the family in shambles. Persico’s cousin Andrew "Andy Mush" Russo was the head of the family till his death in 2022. Information as of who the leader of the family today leaves the top man’s identity truly unknown.

As with many other criminal organizations those at the top of the hierarchy make decisions with their related consequences. La Cosa Nostra is no different. The Machiavellian philosophy that dominates their unique society and the men who live at the top of it have been, mostly in the shadows, but throughout the course of American history, have effected the country as a whole. Even today, though as a much diminished force, they still continue to quietly work away in the shadows with its leadership decisions of today resulting in the criminal history of tomorrow.

Photo above: Montage (left) Charles "Lucky" Luciano, 1936, New York Police Department. (right) Carlo Gambino, 1930's, New York Police Department. Both Courtesy Wikipedia Commons. Photo Below: Montage (left) Thomas Gaetano Lucchese, 1958, Unknown Author, Associated Press. (center) Joseph Bonnano, 1964, U.S. Federal Government. (right) Joseph Columbo, 1970, New York Police Department. All courtesy Wikipedia Commons.

Info Source: Sartore, Melissa. "11 American Crime Families Most People Have Never Heard Of." Ranker, 26 Mar. 2024; (Sartore) History Archive. "Gangsters | Charles "Lucky" Luciano." Mafiahistory.org, 2024; "A Short History of La Cosa Nostra in Madison, WI." Gangsters Inc. 2015; "Crime." Encyclopedia of Milwaukee; "Gambino Crime Family." Crime Museum; Castro, Michelle. "Castellammarese War." Encyclopedia Britannica, 2024; "The Sicilian Mafia: Deconstructing the Criminality of the Men of Honor." The Odyssey Online, 2016; "Genovese Crime Family | History, Members, & Boss | Britannica."; Hunt, Thomas. "When Lucky Luciano Was Locked Up, 1936-1946 | American Mafia." Mafiahistory.us, 2025; "Frank Costello | American Organized Crime Boss | Britannica."; "New Orleans Crime Family Bosses | American Mafia History." Mafiahistory.us; Magazine, Smithsonian, and Gilbert King. "The Senator and the Gangsters." Smithsonian Magazine; "Vincent Gigante Trial: 1997 | Encyclopedia.com." Encyclopedia.com, 2025; "Eastern District of New York | Five Members and Associates of the Genovese Crime Family Plead Guilty to Various Felony Charges, Including Illegal Gambling | United States Department of Justice." 2024; "Camorra | Italian Secret Society." Encyclopedia Britannica; Schmit, David. "New York's Gambino Crime Family Today: Is It Still Operating? - Abevigoda." Abevigoda, 2024; Nucleus. "Vincent Mangano - the True Crime Database Vincent Mangano Mafia Mangano Crime Family." The True Crime Database, 2024; Oliver, Mark. "Murder Inc., the Deadly Crime Syndicate of 1930s New York." All That's Interesting, All That's Interesting, 2024; "Allie Boy: The Rise of the Colombo Crime Family's New Boss." H.O.M.E., 2023; "Carlo Gambino, a Mafia Leader, Dies in His Long Island Home at 74." The New York Times, 1976; NCS. "Lucchese Crime Family Leadership Timeline - 1922 Onwards." National Crime Syndicate, 2016; A&E. "Mobsters: Paul Castellano: Gambino Boss - Full Episode (S2, E20) | A&E." 2021; "How Did Paul Castellano Get Killed? - Gambino Crime Boss - National Crime Syndicate." National Crime Syndicate, 2013; Salvatore "Sammy The Bull" Gravano. "Revenge for Frankie DeCicco | Sammy "the Bull" Gravano." YouTube, 2023; "New Details Revealed in Shooting Death of "Franky Boy" Cali, Reputed Gambino Crime Boss." Cbsnews.com, CBS New York, 2019; Current Leadership Charts of the Five Families. www.fivefamiliesnyc.com; Harvey, Austin. "Inside the Five Families of the New York City Mafia." All That's Interesting, 2024, allthatsinteresting.com; Facebook.com/AmericanMafiaHistory. "Tommy Reina - the First Boss of the Lucchese Crime Family - American Mafia History." American Mafia History, 2024; "Tommy Gagliano - the Quiet Don." American Mafia History, 2013; Devine, John. "Research Guides: Historic Congressional Committee Hearings and Reports: Kefauver Committee (Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce), 1950-1951."; "Thomas Lucchese Part 01." FBI, 2024, vault.fbi.gov; "King of the Rackets" Vito Genovese Is Arrested and Convicted for Narcotics Crimes | Monmouth Timeline." Monmouth Timeline, 2023; "Three-Finger Brown" - the Story of the Lucchese, One of the 5 NY Crime Families - Crime Library." Crimelibrary.org, 2015; "Tony Ducks and the Jaguar - the Story of the Lucchese, One of the 5 NY Crime Families - Crime Library." Crimelibrary.org, 2015; Team, Content. "RICO Law - Definition, Examples, Cases, Processes." Legal Dictionary, 2019; OC SHORTZ - Organized Crime Shortz. "SAMMY the BULL Talks about HOMICIDAL MANIACS - CASSO & AMUSO." YouTube, 2024; "Off with Everyone's Head - the Story of the Lucchese, One of the 5 NY Crime Families - Crime Library." Crimelibrary.org, 2015; Metych, Michele. "Bonanno Crime Family | Members & History | Britannica." Www.britannica.com; Camacho, Orlando. "The Notorious History of the Leadership in the Bonanno Crime Family." Medium, 2018; Turco, Dario Lo. "What to See in Castellamare Del Golfo - a Pearl between Trapani and Palermo." Topsecretsicily.com, 2025; Facebook.com/AmericanMafiaHistory. "Carmine Galante - Joe Bonanno Protege - American Mafia History." American Mafia History, 2014; "The Commission (American Mafia) Explained." Explained.today, 2017; Williams, Joseph. "The Heroin Don Who Sat down for Lunch in Brooklyn and Came out in a Bodybag." All That's Interesting, 2022; "Carmine Galante: The Life and Brutal Death of a Notorious Mob Boss", dannydutch.com; "The Location Where Carmine Galante Was Killed." Oddstops.com, 2022; Apoyan, Jackie. "The Life and Death of Joe Colombo." The Mob Museum, 2018; Pratik Handore. "How Did Joe Colombo Die? Who Killed Him?" The Cinemaholic, 2022; Guy, The Other. "The Third Colombo Family War: Persico vs. Orena (1991-1993)." The New York Mafia, Button Guys of The New York Mafia, 2020.

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President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who served four terms as President. Courtesy National Archives.

Out of work workers during the Great Depression. Courtesy National Archives.

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During the decade of the 1930's, World's Fairs of various sizes were held throughout the United States to stimulate the local economies as public works projects to pull the country out of depression. They were also used a public confidence projects to buoy the spirit of a nation in economic turmoil.

Chicago 1933-4
San Diego 1935-6
Cleveland 1936-7
Dallas 1936-7
New York 1939-40
San Francisco 1939-40

ABH Travel Tip

Take the time to listen, not only to the guides at the various historic sites you visit, but also to the ambiance around the sites themselves. Imagine yourself back in time. It's easier to do in the early morning or evening when crowds are low and the bustle lessened, but it can be a wonderful experience to imagine for yourself the past that happened on the ground where you stand. Above photo, the salient at Spotsylvania Battlefield, Virginia.

Night view of the Trylon and Perisphere at the New York World's Fair of 1939-40, 1939, New York Daily News, Courtesy Pinterest. During the first year of the fair, World War II would start.

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