The Invisible Mafia of Triple Cities – The Joseph Barbara Family
Joe Barbara Sr. was the undisputed capo over a small territory, but one that produced tremendous rackets revenue and profits nonetheless.
The American Mafia had a wide reach that went beyond the confines of the Big Apple. Almost every major American city from Boston to Chicago to Los Angeles had its own mafia family. Small cities like Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Dallas, Texas also had a mafia family to call its own.
And even smaller cities like Madison, Wisconsin; San Jose, California; and Springfield, Illinois had a mafia presence as well.
Upstate New York had a plethora of mafia activity including the Falcone regime of Utica which fell under the auspices of the Stefano Magaddino crime family of Buffalo. But there was also a mafia presence in cities like Syracuse, Schenectady, Albany, Rochester, and Binghamton, to name but a few.
In fact, the infamous 1957 mafia meeting in Apalachin, New York was hosted by Joseph Barbara Sr., who oversaw a large swathe of organized crime activity not only in Binghamton but also just over the border in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
This brings us to Russell Bufalino, perhaps one of the most underrated bosses of all time.
Bufalino assumed the mantle of power after Barbara's death in 1959. But he had ruled over the Northeastern Pennsylvania area as Barbara's trusty underboss years before and became a powerhouse in his own right. And he never looked back.
And that's just a small teaser of the kind of stories you can read in this section. Not only will you find in-depth articles about nearly all of the mafia families that ever operated across the U.S., but we've also written extensive stories on mafia families and regimes in Canada and Sicily, Italy as well.
In addition, you'll find articles about various regimes and crews of New York's Five Families and the DeCavalcante Family of New Jersey that also stretched their tentacles beyond their home bases.
Plus, you'll find interesting articles about the mob's presence in south Florida (and we're not talking just the Trafficante Crime Family here) and more.
So, take a seat and dig in. You'll be here a while.
Joe Barbara Sr. was the undisputed capo over a small territory, but one that produced tremendous rackets revenue and profits nonetheless.
The Carlo Caputo Family of Madison, Wisconsin was, without a doubt, the smallest mafia Family to ever exist in the United States.
Despite being one of the smallest LCN borgatas to ever operate in the US, longtime boss Joe Cerrito made millions - all without ever serving one day in prison!
The Chicago Outfit has been at the forefront of organized crime in the U.S, since the Roaring 20s with more than a few colorful gangsters.
Headed by Joseph Civello, the Dallas Crime Family was one of the smallest mafia families in the United States.
Cleveland has always ranked high in the Mafia of the United States. From their seat on The Commission to their vast control over labor unions, this borgata has always counted!
John Verilla headed the Altoona, PA Crew, but choosing him was one of the biggest mistakes the otherwise careful and low-key LaRocca Family ever made!
Connecticut has been inundated with splintered factions from many different Mafia Families, all competing to operate there over the years.
In the late-1940s New York’s Anastasia/Gambino Family officially planted their flag and staked a claim in Baltimore ala The Corbi Regime.
Since the 1920s, this iconic satellite regime of New York’s Genovese Family has operated a highly successful crew up in Massachusetts.
Under the auspices of Paolo DiCocco, bookmaking and gambling thrived in the quiet city of Schenectady with very little violence throughout its history.
The story of Anthony (Gov) Guarnieri and the Binghamton, NY regime he headed first for Joe Barbara and later the new boss Rosario Bufalino.
Montreal was a city custom-built for the mob and what the Cotroni Regime accomplished in partnership with the American Mafia was second to none.
One of the smartest and most venerable of N’drangheta bosses to ever operate on Canadian soil was the legendary Don Giacomo Luppino.
John Papalia's underworld reputation would grow as one of the top bosses in the City of Hamilton, Ontario. Here is his life story.
From city to city and state to state, Button Guys of The New York Mafia breaks down the history of organized crime in America. Through deep-dive biographies and snapshots of mobsters to in-depth stories about mafia regimes and crews, you’ll uncover an underworld you might never have known existed – maybe even in your own hometown!
Copyright © 2019-2023, Button Guys of The New York Mafia. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2019-2022. Button Guys of The New York Mafia. All Rights Reserved.