1930s Castellammarese War
Joe "The Boss" Masseria
1887 – April 15, 1931
Salvatore Maranzano
July 31, 1886 - September 10, 1931
Salvatore Lucania
Charles “Lucky” Luciano
• The body of underworld
kingpin Joe "The Boss"
Masseria. He holds a
playing card in his hand,
as he was murdered
while playing pinochle
in a restaurant
• April 15, 1931
• New York, New York: The
body of Salvatore
Maranzano, after he was
murdered in his office on
the ninth floor of the New
York Central Tower on
New York's fashionable
Park Avenue. A girl
stenographer told police
of the three men who
quarrelled with
Maranzano before the
shooting and stabbing
took place.
Joe Bonanno
Vincent Mangano
Charles Luciano
Tommy Gagliano
Original
Commission
Alphonse Capone
Joe Profaci
Stefano Magaddino
The Mafia Hierarchy
Boss
The boss makes all the important decisions,
much like a CEO of a company would. Although
each mob boss may run his outfit in a different
way, they have one thing in common: they are
greatly respected and widely feared by their
subordinates. All of the men in his outfit pay
him a tribute, so he is also usually an extremely
wealthy man.
Underboss
The underboss is second-in-command in the hierarchy
of the Mafia crime family. His level of authority varies
from family to family, but he is ready to stand in for
the boss at any given moment. In the violent and
volatile world of the mob, the underboss can easily
find himself at the helm of the family so, for the most
part, they are usually groomed for an eventual
takeover, particularly if the boss’s health is failing or if
it looks like he’s headed for a stay in the joint.
Consigliere
The consigliere, or chief advisor, is not officially
part of the hierarchy of the Mafia, but he plays
one of the most important roles in a crime
family. He is the close trusted friend and
confidant of the family boss. The consigliere is
meant to offer unbiased information based on
what he sees as best for the family. He’s not
supposed to factor emotional concerns, such as
retaliation and blood feuds, into his decisions.
Capo
The capo, or caporegime, is the captain or
lieutenant of a division within the Mafia.
He heads a crew of soldiers and reports
directly to a boss or underboss, who hands
down the instructions.
Soldiers
The lowest-ranking members of the
hierarchy of the Mafia, the grunts of the
organization who do the majority of the
“dirty work.” Running errands, making
deliveries, picking up cash, and generally
sticking out their neck in the hope of
making a name for themselves by
demonstrating their loyalty to the
organization.
Associates
Associates are not actual members of the
Mafia but rather anyone who teams up
with them on a criminal enterprise of some
kind. They could be someone who does
business with the mob, including moneylaundering bankers, crooked cops, lawyers,
politicians, drug dealers, etc.
Induction to the Family
• Formal induction was
shrouded in mystery until
1963
• Joe Valachi, a made man
broke the code of Omerta
and testified before the
U.S. Senate
The Ceremony
• Ceremony has evolved over 100 years
• An associate will be told by their Capo to put on
their finest suit.
– The event is supposed to be a surprise, but usually isn’t
• Brought before the Boss
• Finger is pricked with a needle
• Card of a Saint or a tissue is lit on fire and placed in
their hands
– They take an oath to “burn in hell if they ever betray the
family”
Omertà
Omertà is the code of silence that prohibits
mafia members from helping at all with the
cops or prosecutors if they were arrested.
The punishment for transgression of this
commandment is death, and
relatives/family of the turncoat may be
murdered as well.
Charles Luciano
• 1936 convicted of
compulsory prostitution
by Thomas Dewey
• Many of the witnesses
were pimps and
prostitutes who
embellished their stories
• Sentenced 30-50
• Still ran his family even
though he was a “Guest
of the State”
Frank Costello
Became the Boss when Luciano was
imprisoned and Vito Genovese fled back to
Italy to avoid a murder charge
Gambino
Family
Original Godfather
Vincent Mangano
Disappeared: 1951
His body was never
found
Gambino
Family
Albert Anastasia
• A.K.A. High Lord
Executioner
•
•
•
•
Became the Boss
when Mangano
disappeared
Part III
Part IV
Part V
Carlos Gambino
• Orchestrated the “hit”
on Albert Anastasia
• Hit was done by
“Crazy” Joe Gallo
• Became the longest
serving “Boss” of the
family
• Died of natural causes
while watching a NY
Yankees game
Paul Castellano
• Brother in-law of Gambino
• Known as Business Man Don
• Didn’t start off in the streets
like most made men
• Focused on White Collar
crimes.
Big Paul Whacked
• Killed outside of
Sparks Steak
House in NYC
• Killed by a CAPO
named John
Gotti
John Gotti
A.K.A.: Teflon Don or Dapper Don
Mafia Hits
Louis Tuzzio: Bonanno Family
Benjamin “Bugsy” Segal
Colombo Boss
Joe Colombo
Henry Smurra: Colombo Family
Nicolas Gracio: Colombo Family
Albert Anastasia: Gambino Family
Gambino Boss: Paul Castellano
Edward Lino:
Gambino Family
Anthony DiLappi: Luchesse Family
Abe Reles: Our Favorite Canary
Dutch Shultz
Not Dutch Shultz!
Often implied this
was him. He was
sitting at the table
with this man, but
took off to the
kitchen when the
gunman walked in.
Walter Sage
Crazy Joe Gallo
St. Valentine’s Day Masacre
Philadelphia Boss: Angeleno Bruno
Jack “Machine Gun” McGurn
Boss Frank
Costello after
botched hit
Frank stepped
down after the
attempt, and
Vito Genovese
took over
Wrong Name