What are the 5 main mafia families?
Lily Fisher
Updated on February 21, 2026
What are the 5 main mafia families?
New York Mafia New York City there were five: Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese, Colombo, and Bonanno. The heads of the most powerful families made up a commission whose main function was judicial. At the head of each family was a “boss,” or “don,” whose authority could be challenged only by the commission.
Do the 5 Mafia families still exist?
There are five main New York City Mafia families, known as the Five Families: the Gambino, Lucchese, Genovese, Bonanno and Colombo families. The Italian-American Mafia has long dominated organized crime in the United States.
Which of the 5 families is the most powerful?
The Genovese family-which is the most powerful Mafia family in the US, has approximately 250-300 Made Men, and over 1800 associates.
Who runs the five families today?
Original and current Five Families bosses
| Original family name | Founded by | Current boss |
|---|---|---|
| Profaci | Joe Profaci | Andrew “Andy Mush” Russo |
| Mangano | Vincent Mangano | Domenico Cefalù |
| Luciano | Lucky Luciano | Liborio Salvatore Bellomo |
| Gagliano | Tommy Gagliano | Victor Amuso |
Who is the boss of the Lucchese family?
Victor Amuso
Current leadership. Although in prison for life, Victor Amuso remains the official boss of the Lucchese crime family. On March 27, 2018, Lucchese crime family soldier, Dominick Capelli, and nine associates were arrested as part of Operation “The Vig Is Up”.
Do the Gambino family still exist?
The family’s fortunes grew through 1976, when Gambino appointed his brother-in-law Paul Castellano as boss upon his death. Castellano infuriated upstart capo John Gotti, who orchestrated Castellano’s murder in 1985….Gambino crime family.
| Carlo Gambino, the Gambino crime family’s namesake | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1910s |
| Years active | 1910s–present |
