Taylor Scott
The New York Mafia, also known as the Five Families, has a long history of organized crime in the United States. While bank robbery was a common crime during the Roaring Twenties, the New York Mafia's criminal activities were more sophisticated and profitable, such as loan-sharking, extortion, labour union infiltration, gambling, and drug trafficking. They also controlled legitimate businesses, such as construction and transportation companies. However, one notable exception to their typical crimes was the Lufthansa heist in 1978, where the Lucchese family stole $5 million in cash and $800,000 in jewels from John F. Kennedy International Airport. More recently, members of the Genovese and Bonanno clans have been charged with running illegal gambling operations and money laundering schemes, showing that the influence of the New York Mafia and its diverse criminal enterprises continues to this day.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| New York Mafia Families | Five Families |
| Commission Bosses | Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonanno, Vincent Mangano, Carlo Gambino, Tommy Lucchese, John Gotti |
| Crimes | Gambling, Drug Trafficking, Extortion, Money Laundering, Kidnapping, Auto Theft |
| Heists | Lufthansa Heist |
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What You'll Learn
New York Mafia's 'Five Families'
The "Five Families" refers to 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 an organizationally structured hierarchy and reported to the same overarching governing entity. Maranzano intended each family's boss to report to him as the capo di tutti i capi ("boss of all the bosses"), which led to his assassination in September 1931. After Maranzano's murder, Luciano established the "Commission," a ruling committee to oversee all Mafia activities in the United States and 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.
The Five Families used tactics like loan-sharking, extortion, and labor union infiltration to influence and profit from a range of businesses. They ran gambling and drug trafficking rings and controlled construction and transportation companies. They did not rob banks, as more sophisticated crimes paid more and carried less risk.
The Mafia and the Five Families entered a period of decline after the enactment of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO Act) in 1970, which aimed to stop organized crime. The act was effective, and many arrested members became informants to avoid lengthy prison sentences. The Lucchese family, for example, pulled off the infamous Lufthansa heist in 1978, stealing $5 million in cash and $800,000 in jewels from John F. Kennedy International Airport. However, one of the mobsters, Henry Hill, became an FBI informant and entered the witness protection program.
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Mafia's influence on Wall Street
While the New York Mafia did not rob banks, they did engage in various other criminal activities, including loan-sharking, extortion, labour union infiltration, gambling, and drug trafficking. They also had their hands in construction and transportation companies. The Mafia's influence on Wall Street is evident in the way that large banks have manipulated interest rates on municipal bonds, stealing money from schools, hospitals, libraries, and nursing homes. This form of organised crime has been compared to the Mafia's historical manipulation of public bids for garbage collection and construction contracts.
The Mafia's influence on Wall Street was also observed in the way that Wall Street's secret dealings were revealed through wiretap recordings and witness testimonies during the Carollo trial, reminiscent of old mob trials. The scale of the crime, however, set it apart, as it involved multiple banks acting together against the public interest.
The Mafia has also been involved in money laundering schemes, using legitimate businesses as fronts for their illegal operations. For example, two of New York's oldest Mafia clans, the Genovese and Bonanno families, ran a secret underground gambling den in a suburban Long Island coffee shop. They were also involved in money laundering and extortion schemes, with a Nassau County detective offering to conduct police raids on rival gambling locations in exchange for payments.
The Mafia's influence on Wall Street demonstrates how criminal enterprises can infiltrate and manipulate legitimate financial systems for their gain, often at the expense of the public and essential services like healthcare and education.
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Mafia's extortion and violence
The Mafia's extortion and violence have long been a feature of their criminal enterprises. In the 1930s, the "'Five Families' of the New York Mafia emerged, with "Lucky" Luciano at the helm, uniting the mob through the "Commission". These families engaged in various criminal activities, including loan-sharking, extortion, and labour union infiltration to profit from a range of businesses. They favoured more "elegant, sophisticated crimes" that paid more and carried less risk, such as gambling and drug trafficking, rather than bank robbery.
One of the most infamous incidents involving the New York Mafia was the Lufthansa heist in 1978, orchestrated by the Lucchese family. They stole $5 million in cash and $800,000 in jewels from John F. Kennedy International Airport. This heist was adapted into the 1990 movie Goodfellas, bringing the Mafia's criminal activities into the public eye.
The Mafia has also been known to infiltrate and manipulate legitimate businesses, such as construction and transportation companies. They would use extortion and violence to gain control of these operations and turn them into fronts for their illegal activities. This often involved strong-arming their way into unions and exploiting their influence to further their criminal agenda.
More recently, in 2022, two of New York's oldest Mafia clans, the Genovese and Bonanno families, were charged in a money laundering and extortion scheme. They had been running illegal gambling dens in Long Island and Queens, using a coffee shop as a front for their operations. This case also involved a Nassau County detective, Hector Rosario, who was accused of accepting payments to conduct police raids on rival gambling clubs.
The Mafia's extortion and violence have been a persistent feature of their criminal activities, allowing them to exert control over various businesses and further their illegal enterprises. These actions have had a detrimental impact on communities and have led to ongoing law enforcement efforts to curb their influence.
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Mafia's gambling dens
The Mafia has been involved in various illegal activities, including gambling. While they didn't rob banks, they carried out "more elegant, sophisticated crimes" that paid more and carried less risk. One of their main sources of income was gambling, especially sports betting.
The Bugs and Meyer Mob, a Jewish-American street gang named after Meyer Lanskey and Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel, was known for its involvement in grand theft auto, extortion, murder, and the formation of the National Crime Syndicate. With money from the Mafia, Siegel opened The Flamingo Hotel and Casino in 1946. However, the project bled money and shut down in March 1947. Siegel was shot and killed a few months later, although the circumstances of his death remain a mystery.
Tony 'The Hat' Cornero, a rum-runner, also turned to gambling and opened The Meadows, one of the first casino and hotel complexes in Las Vegas. However, the Great Depression hit hard, and Cornero returned to Los Angeles. He then bought cruise liners, turned them into casinos, and moored them just off the coast to bypass gambling laws.
In recent times, the Mafia has continued its involvement in illegal gambling. In 2013, the FBI arrested 20 members of the Gambino Crime Family for running illegal online sports bookmaking operations. This particular gambling operation turned over approximately $1.7 million between October 2010 and June 2011.
Mafia-run gambling dens have also been associated with violence and debt traps. In Vaughan, for example, there has been a rise in violence linked to illegal gambling, with patrons losing thousands and facing interest charges of up to 200% per year. These gambling dens are often set up in bars and cafes, luring in patrons with the promise of easy money. Once hooked, individuals may turn to bookies and loan sharks, leading to unmanageable debt and dangerous consequences.
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Mafia's heists
The New York Mafia, also known as the "Five Families", did not typically rob banks. Instead, they engaged in other criminal activities such as loan-sharking, extortion, labour union infiltration, gambling, and drug trafficking. They also had their hands in various businesses, including construction and transportation companies. However, one notable exception to their avoidance of bank robbery was the Lufthansa heist carried out by the Lucchese family in 1978. This heist involved stealing $5 million in cash and $800,000 in jewels from John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The Mafia's preference for crimes other than bank robbery is attributed to their perception of bank robbery as a less sophisticated and more dangerous endeavour. According to Selwyn Raab, author of "Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires," the Mafia families "didn't rob banks—they didn't have to." They favoured more elegant and sophisticated crimes that paid more and carried less risk.
Despite their avoidance of traditional bank robbery, the Mafia has been involved in modern-day financial schemes that resemble sophisticated forms of theft. For instance, in 2022, two of New York's oldest Mafia clans, the Genovese and Bonanno families, were charged in a money laundering scheme that involved running secret underground gambling dens in Long Island and Queens. These gambling clubs served as fronts for their illegal money-making operations, and they even colluded with a Nassau County detective, Hector Rosario, who conducted police raids on rival gambling locations in exchange for payments.
The Mafia has also been known to adapt to changing times and exploit new opportunities for illegal gain. For example, Carmelo Polito, a member of the Genovese clan, was accused of operating an illegal online gambling website. This demonstrates the Mafia's ability to leverage technology to further their criminal enterprises.
While the Mafia's criminal activities have evolved and adapted to modern times, their underlying principles of exploiting illegal opportunities and leveraging power and influence to generate profit remain consistent.
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Frequently asked questions
The New York Mafia did not rob banks. Instead, they engaged in other sophisticated crimes like loan-sharking, extortion, labour union infiltration, gambling, and drug trafficking.
One of the most infamous heists was the Lufthansa heist in 1978, where the Lucchese family stole $5 million in cash and $800,000 in jewels from John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The "Five Families" of the New York Mafia were powerful crime families that ran organised crime in America. They include the Bonanno family, the Genovese family, and the Gambino family. These families used various illegal schemes, such as gambling dens and money laundering, to profit from a range of businesses.
