Genoveses 'top of five Mafia families'

It really was like a gangster movie

The FBI considers the Genoveses to be the biggest and most powerful of New York's five Mafia gangs.

The four other families have seen their leaderships undermined by a relentless campaign against organised crime in the United States over the past 20 years, detectives say.

That has led to a new underworld order. The Genoveses - once seen as the second most powerful family after the Gambinos - have now moved up to the number one slot, the FBI believes.

Five Crime Families

Genovese Family - 300 members and associates

Bonanno Family - 200 members and associates

Gambino Family - 200 members and associates

Lucchese Family - 150 members and associates

Colombo Family - 150 members and associates

The Gambinos were crippled by the arrests of their boss John Gotti and other leading figures.

The other three families - the Bonannos, the Colombos and the Luccheses - have also been weakened.

According to the New York Daily News, the Luccheses and the Gambinos have suffered from uncertain leadership.

The Colombos are so divided and faction-ridden that the other families no longer recognise them, the Daily News says.

But the Genovese family - known for strict discipline and secrecy - managed to increase its strength under the leadership of Vincent "Chin" Gigante, who was jailed in 1997.

Gotti's arrest decapitated the Gambino family

Less vulnerable because fewer of its members became informants, the Genovese mob continued its activities, reported to include murder, extortion, credit card fraud, loan-sharking, gambling and drugs.

Yet US Attorney Mary Jo White said one reason for the Genoveses' survival was that they were less violent than the other families.

Instead, they used threats and intimidation to muscle into their illegal rackets.

Crazy or faking?

Federal investigators believe Mr Gigante has continued to run the mob from behind bars - remaining unchallenged as the supreme boss.

But the brother of the gangland boss, who is a priest, dismisses that notion.

Mr Gigante's lawyer says the gangland boss, now in his seventies, suffers from dementia and heart disease.

He is nicknamed the "Oddfather" because of his claims to suffer from mental illness.

He is reported to have once answered detectives' questions while standing fully clothed in the shower, sheltering under an umbrella.

But the FBI believes he faked mental problems to try to avoid the authorities.

He was jailed for racketeering in 1997 despite his plea of insanity.

Now, he may well be joined in jail by three of the clan's "capos" or captains: Pasquale (Patsy) Parrello, Rosario (Ross) Gangi and Joseph Dente Jr.

Their arrests dealt a severe blow to the family's operations, the FBI says.