Five Families

The five Mafia families that dominate organized crime in New York City: Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese.

Castellammarese War: A 1930–1931 conflict between rival Mafia factions in New York that ended with Salvatore Maranzano’s death. Its aftermath cleared the way for the city’s Mafia leadership to be reorganized.
Mafia family: An organized-crime group in the American Mafia, led by a boss and divided into crews. Each of the Five Families is a distinct organization rather than a biological family.
Joseph Bonanno: A Sicilian-born Mafia boss who led the family that bears his name for decades. His leadership and disappearance during the 1960s produced a major family crisis.
RICO: A United States federal law that allows prosecution of patterns of racketeering linked to an enterprise. RICO gave prosecutors a framework for charging leaders for coordinated criminal activity.
Bonanno crime family: A New York Mafia family traditionally counted among the Five Families. Its long-running independence and the 1960s leadership crisis distinguish its history.
Joe Masseria: An Italian-born crime boss who led a powerful New York Mafia faction until his 1931 assassination. His defeat in the Castellammarese War helped end the old leadership struggle.
Boss (crime): The senior leader of an organized-crime group who directs policy and major decisions. A boss heads each family, although leadership can shift through succession or conflict.
Carlo Gambino: A Sicilian-born crime boss who led the Gambino family and became a dominant Mafia figure. His long tenure made his family one of the city’s most influential.
Mafia Commission Trial: A 1985–1986 federal trial that convicted leading defendants connected to the Mafia Commission. Its case directly challenged the leadership structure linking New York’s families.
Colombo crime family: A New York Mafia family traditionally counted among the Five Families. Repeated internal wars made its history unusually turbulent.

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