Background info on the Five Crime Families

Bonanno- founded and named after Joseph Bonanno. The Bonanno was the first of the New York families to be kicked off the Commission due to allegations that the family was actively dealing heroin and the inner family fighting. Around 1979 they faced shaky leadership following the murder of acting boss Carmine Galante. The acting boss Philip Rastelli ordered the hit. In 1981, the family learned an FBI agent calling himself Donnie Brascco had infiltrated their ranks. Boss Joseph Massino, in 2004, who brought the family back to respectable stature among the families and got them back on the commission, became a government informant.

Vincent Basciano (former Bonanno boss)

Colombo- is the youngest of the five families. In 1928, Joseph Profaci formed the Profaci crime family. After the 1st family war Joseph Colombo took over and renamed the family after him. After the shooting of Colombo, Carmine Persico took over. The family enjoyed over 15 years of peace under Persico and his many acting bosses. In 1991, while Carmine Persico was in jail, acting boss Victor Orena tried to seize power of the family. In 1993, after the war and Orena imprisonment, Persico was left with a family decimated by war. The family was crippled in the 2000s by multiple convictions in the federal racketeering cases and numerous members becoming government witnesses.

Joseph Colombo (former Colombo boss)

Gambino- is named after Carlo Gambino boss of the family from 1957- 1976. The family's operations extend from New York to California. The rise of what for a long time was the most powerful crime family in America began in 1957. Gambino partnered with Meyer Lansky to control gambling interests in Cuba. The family's fortunes rose through 1976, when Gambino appointed his brother-in-law, Paul Castellano, as boss. Castellano infuriated upstart capo John Gotti. Gotti's downfall came in 1992 when underboss Sammy Gravano started to cooperate with the FBI. Gravano's cooperation brought down Gotti, and most of the top members of the Gambino family.

Carlo Gambino (former Gambino boss)

Genovese- They have been nicknamed "Rolls Royce" of organized crime. They are rivaled in size only by the Gambino's and are unmatched in terms of power. Trying to find new ways to make money in the 21st century, the family took advantage of lax due diligence by banks during the housing spike with a wave of mortgage frauds. They also found new technology to improve on illegal gambling, with customers placing bets through offshore sites via the Internet. The current "family" was founded by Lucky Luciano, but was renamed in 1957 after boss Vito Genovese. The family was run by "The Oddfather", Vincent "The Chin" Gigante for years. Although leadership of the family seem to have been limbo after Gigante, they appear to be the most organized family and remain quite powerful. Unique in the Mafia today, the family has greatly benefited from members following the code of Omerta. Many mobsters across the country have testified against their crime families since the 1980s, the Genovese only have had 5 members turn state's evidence in its history.

Vito Genovese (former Genovese boss)

Lucchese- Originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano Reina serving as boss up until his murder in 1930. The family was then taken over by Tommy Gagliano during the Castellammarese War and led by him until 1951 when he died. The family was peaceful and low key under Gagliano, focusing on their criminal activities in New York and New Jersey. The next boss Tommy Lucchese, who turned the family around to become one of the most powerful families to be on the Commission. Luchesse teamed up with Carlo Gambino to control organized crime in NYC, Lucchese died in 1967, Carmine Tramunti took over for a short time before he was arrested in 1973. Anthony Carallo than took control of the family. Corallo was secretive and soon became one of most powerful members of the Commission. Corallo was arrested in 1986 and tried in the famous Commission case.

Anthony Corallo(former Lucchese boss)

(Five Families NYC)