New York City has the dubious distinction of being the cradle of organized crime in the United States.
During the late 19th century as immigrants settled in the USA from Sicily and Southern Italy, La Cosa Nostra (“our thing”) or Mafia, meaning clans or families, was formed in different New York neighborhoods.
There are still currently five Mafioso families in New York. They are the Gambino, (probably the most famous), Genovese, Colombo, Bonanno, and Luchese families. In 1984 one of the Mafioso informants Tommaso Buscetta, explained the family structure of a typical clan. Each clan or family has a leader referred to as the mob boss or don with underbosses under them.
Tommy Buscetta was born in Sicily, Italy and became involved with the mob in 1945. He mostly smuggled cigarettes. In 1963 after the Ciaculli massacre, he fled to the US and was taken under wing by the Gambino crime family. In 1983 after having graduated from cigarette smuggling to a life of murder, fleeing countries, torture, and mafia disenchantment, he turned informant, was given a new identity and placed in the Witness Protection Program. He died in 2000.
Another famous Gamino boss is John Gotti or "Junior." He has been arrested for racketeering and murder. He was of great interest by the FBI but illusive for many years. He has been repeatedly busted but when trial takes place the verdicts end in hung juries. His father, John Gotti Sr. had also been a boss. He loved fine clothes and was called Dapper Don. Because of his knack for being slippery when pursued by FBI, he earned another nickname of Teflon Don. He was known for being a brutal leader and therefore many of his soldiers turned on him which led to his arrest and subsequent sentence in 1992 to life in prison. He died of throat cancer while incarcerated.
Many of the Gotti relatives are now in prison which has weakened the Gamino family tremendously.
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