National Crime SyndicateThe History of the American Mafia
The bosses, the families, the hits and the trials, from the Black Hand and Prohibition to John Gotti and the fall of the Five Families. True stories, real photographs and the records behind them.
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Free · every window opens from 1 DecemberThe Christmas Hit - Advent Calendar 2026A mob murder mystery behind 24 windows. Solve a case file a day and name the killer on Christmas Day. Read the case now and set a reminder for window 1. Get the app on Google Play. Prefer paper? Get the printable edition.
See the case →Start here
The National Crime Syndicate was the coast-to-coast alliance that Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky built out of rival gangs in the 1930s. This site tells the whole story of organised crime in America: the men who ran it, the Five Families and the Chicago Outfit, the murders that changed it, and what happened to them all.
This week in mob history11–17 October
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The Weapons the Mob Really UsedFrom the Tommy gun to the Colt 1911
The Death of Angelo BrunoThe Gentle Don's murder in Philadelphia, 1980
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What Is a Made Man?How you became a full member of the Mafia
The Weirdest Mob NicknamesWhere the names came from
Mob Hits Carried Out in PublicBrazen murders that shocked AmericaThe Bosses
Full biographies of the men who ran American organised crime.
The Five Families and the American Mafia
Every boss of every family, in order, with how each one's reign ended.
New York's Five Families
Beyond New York
The Hits That Changed the Mob
Eight murders that rewrote the history of organised crime.
1929
The St. Valentine's Day MassacreNorth Clark Street, Chicago1931
Salvatore Maranzano230 Park Avenue, New York1935
Dutch SchultzThe Palace Chop House, Newark1947
Bugsy SiegelNorth Linden Drive, Beverly Hills1957
Albert AnastasiaThe Park Sheraton barber shop1979
Carmine GalanteJoe and Mary's, Bushwick1980Angelo BrunoSnyder Avenue, Philadelphia1985
Paul CastellanoOutside Sparks Steak House
The St. Valentine's Day MassacreNorth Clark Street, Chicago1931Salvatore Maranzano230 Park Avenue, New York1935Dutch SchultzThe Palace Chop House, Newark1947Bugsy SiegelNorth Linden Drive, Beverly Hills1957Albert AnastasiaThe Park Sheraton barber shop1979Carmine GalanteJoe and Mary's, Bushwick1980Angelo BrunoSnyder Avenue, Philadelphia1985Paul CastellanoOutside Sparks Steak HouseFive Families: Escape Rooms
Stand Inside the Crime Scene
We rebuilt real mob crime scenes in 3D: the garage on North Clark Street, the barber chair at the Park Sheraton, the Ravenite Social Club. Search the room, read the real evidence and crack the padlock before the clock runs out.
Play it right here in your browser, no download. It's best on a computer: a big screen, a mouse and your keyboard to walk. It's also free on iPhone and Android, and if you sign in, your progress follows you between them. Between rooms, try Made Men, the battle card game.
Next room: Maranzano's Office, 230 Park Avenue, September 1931. Opens 1 November.
Play Between the History
A daily puzzle, a face-off and a card game, free on your phone or in your browser.
Daily puzzleFind the RatSomebody in the crew is talking to the Feds. Read the tip-off, cross off the clues and work out who, before the boss does. A new case every day.Play today's case →Free · in your browser and on Google PlayNew · Face-offGuess the MobsterThe face-guessing game, played with real gangsters. Ask yes or no questions, flip down the faces and name the other side's man first. Play Fat Tony or a friend online.Play Guess the Mobster →Free · in your browser and on Google Play · family packsCard gameMade MenCollect 28 real gangsters, from Bugs Moran to Lucky Luciano, the one Chairman card. Build a crew of five, pick your stat and beat the daily Commission to win new cards.How to play Made Men →Free inside Five Families: Escape Rooms
Gifts for Mob History Fans
New for 2027
The Mob Calendar 2027
A real photograph of a different boss every month, his rap sheet and the true story, with 35 real mob anniversaries marked on the grid. Printed to order near you with free shipping.
Visit the NCS store for posters, playing cards, party games and printable guides.
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What was the National Crime Syndicate?
The National Crime Syndicate was the alliance of Italian, Jewish and Irish crime groups organised by Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky in the early 1930s. It shared out gambling, bootlegging, labour rackets and narcotics across the United States and used Murder, Inc. as its enforcers. Read the full history.
Who were the Five Families?
The Five Families are the five Mafia crime families of New York City: the Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese, Colombo and Bonanno families. They were organised in 1931 after the Castellammarese War and are named after later bosses.
Who was the most powerful mob boss in history?
Lucky Luciano is usually ranked first, because he created the Commission and the structure of the modern American Mafia. Al Capone was the most famous, and Carlo Gambino ran the largest family. See our ranking.
Does the Mafia still exist?
Yes, but in a much weaker form. Federal RICO prosecutions from the 1980s onwards jailed most of the leadership, and the families today are smaller and far less visible. What happened to the Five Families.