During Prohibition, American gangs became extremely wealthy through bootlegging and illegal alcohol distribution. The mob families of New York were established after high-profile gangsters like Salvatore Maranzano and Joe Masseria were murdered, ending a war between their factions. Major cities across the US had organized crime bosses and structures that profited off Prohibition, such as Johnny Torrio, Al Capone, and Carlos Marcello who led criminal operations in Chicago and New Orleans respectively. Politicians may also have financially benefited from the lucrative illegal alcohol trade.

1. PROHIBITION ERA
GANGSTERS
The 18th Amendment helped the mob make serious cash.
During Prohibition the gangs in America went from reasonably
rich criminals to multi-millionaires.
Good Times
But it was nothing like our War on Drugs. It is impossible not
to get rich in this war. Yeah Congress.
Cocaine dollars built half of Miami.

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3. MARANZANO AND MASSERIA WERE THE FIRST
BOSSES
THE MUSTACHE PETES
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4. SALVATORE MARANZANO

5. JOE MASSERIA

6. THOSE TWO GUYS WEREN’T SURE WHAT TO
DO WITH PROHIBITION
THEIR LIEUTENANTS KNEW
THE YOUNG GUYS HAD TO MURDER THEM
TO GET WHAT THEY WANTED
AN END TO THE CASTELLAMMARESE WAR
(BETWEEN MARANZANO AND MASSERIA)
AND
TO MAKE LOTS OF MONEY

7. NEW YORK HAS 5 CRIME FAMILIES
THEY WERE ESTABLISHED AFTER THE
CASTELLAMMARESE WAR
THESE CRIME FAMILIES EXIST IN ONE FORM OR
ANOTHER TODAY
A FEW RETAINED THEIR FOUNDING FATHER’S NAMES
• Bonanno Crime Family
• Colombo Crime Family
• Gambino Crime Family
• Genovese Crime Family
• Lucchese crime family
Following are the photos of the people they are named after.

8. JOE BONNANO
Lead the Bonnano Crime Family
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9. JOE COLUMBO
Lead to Columbo Crime Family

10. CARLO GAMBINO
Lead of the Gambino Crime Family

11. VITO GENOVESE
Lead of the Genovese Crime Family

12. TOMMY
LUCCHESSE
Lead the Lucchese Crime Family
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13. LUCKY LUCIANO
Why does Lucky not get a crime family
named after him.
He is the most famous of all New York
mob bosses.
First among equals.

14. MEYER LANSKY
He was the gambling czar for the mob.
He doesn’t get a crime family either.
Was a gangster during Prohibition and
long after it.
His life long friend was Bugsy Seigel
who built Las Vegas and Lansky was big
into developing gambling in Cuba
before Castro took over.

15. BUGSY SIEGEL
Built Las Vegas for the mob. They killed
him for being stupid.
Very close friend of Meyer Lansky and a
lot of other mafia big shots.

16. ARNOLD
ROTHSTEIN
Advisor to Lucky Luciano and other
people, especially Jewish gangsters
Major gambler – accused of fixing
world series
The Italian gangs seem to have been the
muscle of his operation.
Advised Meyer Lansky
No crime family for him either

17. HERE ARE SOME OF THE MEN WHO
FILLED THE ORIGINAL FAMILY BOSSES
POSTITIONS
How important they are depends on their biographer but all of these
men were big shots in the mob. Leaders of Organized Crime.
They would have been soldiers/capos during Prohibition

18. JOE PROFACI
Lead the Profaci Crime Family
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19. FRANK COSTELLO
Lead the Costello Crime Family

20. THOSE ARE THE HISTORICAL LEADERS OF
THE NEW YORK MAFIA
EVERY METROPOLITAN AREA WILL HAVE
SOMEONE IN CHARGE OF IT
TO BE ORGANIZED YOU NEED TO HAVE A
BOSS AND STRUCTURE
What did Chicago do for criminal leadership.
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21. CHICAGO
THE OUTFIT
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22. JOHNNY TORRIO
Boss in Chicago until he retired.
Al Capone worked for him
Al Capone did not murder his boss to
get the top spot

23. AL CAPONE
The next boss of Chicago.
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24. AL CAPONE

25. CAPONE’S
JAIL CELL
I don’t remember which prison.
Capone went to prison a few times.
Also, Capone wasn’t a mafia member.
He wasn’t from Sicily.

26. TONY ACCARDO
One of the bosses between Capone and
Giancana.
Possibly even more vicious than Capone
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27. PAUL RICCA
The other boss of Chicago between
Capone and Giancana.

28. SAM GIANCANA
Next big boss of the Chicago Outfit
We are going to stop with him. It is very
unlikely he was old enough to be a
prohibition gangster.

29. OF COURSE PHILADELPHIA, LOS ANGELES,
NEW ORLEANS, AND OTHER CITIES HAVE
ORGANIZED CRIME.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
ALL THESE AREAS HAVE A MOB BOSS WHO
RUNS THEM.
THEY JUST DON’T GET INTO THE PAPER AS
MUCH.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
IN THE MOB IT IS BETTER TO BE INVISIBLE
THAN TO BE SEEN.

30. CARLOS
MARCELLO
He was the leader in Lousiana.
Bobby Kennedy deported him to
somewhere in South America and left
him in the jungle with no ID or money.
Marcello held a grudge the rest of his
life.
JFK was shot??? Who knows
Would have been a soldier during
Prohibition. Ran plenty of Rum from
Cuba to America

31. JOSEPH KENNEDY
Father to JFK and Bobby.
Also a United States Ambassador
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Apparently owned a fleet of trucks and let “guys”
use them to drive to Canada and pick up Seagram’s
whiskey during Prohibition.
SEAGRAMS DID VERY WELL DURING PROHIBITION.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
I wonder how many of our politicians are getting rich
off our war on drugs. Scum bags. Maybe drug
dealers pay them to keep drugs illegal so they don’t
lower the profit margins.

32. CRIME FIGHTER
***********
BELIEVED TO HAVE
BEEN INCORRUPTIBLE
Arch nemesis to every rumrunner, bootlegger,
gangster type violating the 18th Amendment
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33. ST. VALENTINES
DAY MASSACRE
Probably the most famous mob slayings
of all time.
The assassins pretended to be police
officers and killed a rival gang.
No one knows who did these killings
but Al Capone profited by them.

34. PROHIBITION ERA GANGSTERS
AND
ONE NOTABLE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENT
From
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