Jack Leon Ruby was an American nightclub owner who killed Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, two days after Oswald was accused of assassinating President John F. Kennedy. Ruby shot and mortally wounded Oswald on live television in the basement of Dallas Police Headquarters and was immediately arrested.
Carlo Gambino was a Sicilian crime boss who was the leader and namesake of the Gambino crime family of New York City. Following the Apalachin Meeting in 1957, and the imprisonment of Vito Genovese in 1959, Gambino took over the Commission of the American Mafia and played a powerful role in organized crime until his death from a heart attack in 1976. During a criminal career that spanned over fifty years, Gambino served only twenty-two months in prison for a tax evasion charge in 1937.
The Apalachin meeting was a historic summit of the American Mafia held at the home of mobster Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara, at 625 McFall Road in Apalachin, New York, on November 14, 1957. Allegedly, the meeting was held to discuss various topics including loansharking, narcotics trafficking, and gambling, along with dividing the illegal operations controlled by the recently murdered Albert Anastasia. An estimated 100 Mafiosi from the United States, Italy, and Cuba are thought to have attended this meeting. Immediately after the Anastasia murder that October, and after taking control of the Luciano crime family from Frank Costello, Vito Genovese wanted to legitimize his new power by holding a national Cosa Nostra meeting.
Carmine Lombardozzi was a high-ranking member of the Gambino crime family in New York. He was known as "Alberto", "The Doctor", the "King of Wall Street" and "The Italian Meyer Lansky". By the end of his criminal career, Lombardozzi was the biggest earner for the Gambino family.
Russell Alfred Bufalino was an Italian-American mobster who became the crime boss of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Italian-American Mafia crime family known as the Bufalino crime family, which he ruled from 1959 to 1994. He was a cousin of attorney William Bufalino, the longtime counsel for Jimmy Hoffa.
The New Orleans crime family, also known as the Marcello crime family or the New Orleans Mafia, was an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The family had a history of criminal activity dating back to the late nineteenth century. These activities included racketeering, extortion, gambling, prostitution, narcotics distribution, money laundering, loan sharking, fencing of stolen goods, and murder. Operating along the Gulf Coast, with its main criminal activity centered in the New Orleans area, the organization reached its height of influence under bosses Silvestro Carollo and Carlos Marcello.
Angelo "Gyp" DeCarlo was a member of the New York City Genovese crime family who dominated loansharking operations in New Jersey during the 1960s.
The Commission is the governing body of the American Mafia, formed in 1931 by Charles "Lucky" Luciano following the Castellammarese War. The Commission replaced the title of capo di tutti i capi, held by Salvatore Maranzano before his murder, with a ruling committee that consists of the bosses of the Five Families of New York City, as well as the bosses of the Chicago Outfit and, at various times, the leaders of smaller families, such as Buffalo, Philadelphia, Detroit, and others. The purpose of the Commission was to oversee all Mafia activities in the United States and serve to mediate conflicts among families.
Natale "Joe Diamond" Evola was a New York mobster who briefly became boss of the Bonanno crime family who was succeeded by Philip Rastelli, and preceded Paul Sciacca as boss in 1971.
The Rochester crime family, also known as the Valenti crime family or the Rochester Mafia, was an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Rochester, New York that was part of the American Cosa Nostra.
Campisi's Restaurant is an Italian-American restaurant chain based in Dallas, Texas, offering a self-described Roman cuisine focusing on pizza and pasta. As of 2023, the chain has nine locations throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
The Detroit Partnership is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Detroit, Michigan. The family mainly operates in Detroit and the Greater Detroit area, as well as in other locations including Windsor, Ontario; Toledo, Ohio; and Las Vegas.
William Vito "Black Bill" Tocco was an Italian-American mobster from Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan and a founding member of the Detroit Partnership of La Cosa Nostra.
Vito Di Giorgio was an Italian-born crime boss based in Los Angeles. Originally from Palermo, Sicily, Di Giorgio lived most of his life as a grocer in New Orleans, where he was also an active Black Hander. While he lived in Los Angeles, he was known as a wealthy food importer. He survived two shootings, only to be killed while visiting Chicago in 1922.
The San Francisco crime family, also known as the Lanza crime family or the San Francisco Mafia, was an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in San Francisco, California. The syndicate mainly originated in the Little Italy neighborhood of North Beach and was organized in the early 1930s by Francesco "Frank" Lanza. The membership of the San Francisco family peaked at around 15 or 20 "made men" under the leadership of James "Jimmy the Hat" Lanza, who became boss of the family in 1961.
The San Jose crime family, also known as the Cerrito crime family or the San Jose Mafia, was an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in San Jose, California. The San Jose family was one of the two families that controlled organized crime in San Jose, within the nationwide criminal organization known as the American Mafia ; the other family that ran organized crime in the city was the Bonanno crime family of New York. The family consisted of around 25 "made" members in the 1960s.
Joseph Francis Civello was an American mobster and the leader of the Dallas crime family from 1956 until his death in 1970.
James "Jimmy the Hat" Lanza was a Sicilian-American mobster and boss of the San Francisco crime family. He was the son of the first known boss of the San Francisco crime family and took over in 1961. It is now probably extinct. He was first noticed when Life magazine published his photo in the late 1960s, identifying him as boss of the San Francisco crime family.
Giuseppe "Joseph" Ida was the head of the Philadelphia Mafia during the 1940s and 1950s, following the death of Giuseppe Dovi in 1946. Ida retired and returned to Italy in 1959, leaving the title of boss of the Philadelphia crime family to Angelo Bruno.
Anthony Samuel Carollo was an American mobster, boss of the New Orleans crime family and son of the mob boss Silvestro Carollo. He led the organization from 1990 until his death on February 1, 2007.
