Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles
available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The Five Families
are the five major Italian-American Mafia crime families which have
dominated organized crime in New York City since the 1930s. Prior to
this was the Maranzano Family and the Masseria Family which ended up
fighting each other during a period known as the Castellammarese War.
The Five Families, under the suggestion of Meyer Lansky and Lucky
Luciano, were responsible for the establishment of The Commission, a
council which demarcated territory between the previously warring
factions and governs Mafia activities in the United States. The Five
Families in New York remain as the powerhouse of the Italian Mafia in
the US.
