Everybody is in the Bills Mafia, but there were actually real mafia bosses and families right here in Buffalo!  Check out the most infamous! The Buffalo Crime Family, also known as the Magaddino crime family or The Arm, began in Buffalo in 1910 and may still be active today!

Their territory was said to include Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Syracuse, Rochester, Utica, Ontario, Northwest Pennsylvania and Las Vegas! The family was apparently involved in extortion, bookmaking, drug trafficking, loan-sharking, prostitution, gambling, racketeering, labor racketeering, conspiracy and murder!

Credit: Jerry Genova via Youtube

  • Angelo "Buffalo Bill" Palmeri

    The First Known Mafia Boss In Buffalo

    Angelo Palmeri, who was known as the first Mafia Boss here, was also known as Buffalo Bill. He was from the Sicilian town of Castellammare del Golfo. He lived in NYC from 1906 to 1912, then moved to Buffalo!

  • Stefano "The Undertaker" Magaddino

    An Original Member Of The National Commission

    Stefano Magaddino, also known as The Undertaker, was born October 10, 1891, in Castellammare, Sicily. After being shot at in Brooklyn by the Buccellato clan, Magaddino relocated to Buffalo. In WNY, Magaddino set up shop and started a bootlegging business, allowing the Cleveland Syndicate and Moe Dalitz's "Big Jewish Navy" to smuggle illegal booze from Canada through Buffalo! And when any of his rivals or regular citizens got in the way and needed to be "disposed of", he also owned the the Magaddino Memorial Chapel funeral home!

    Video Credit: Jerry Genova via Youtube

  • John "Giovanni" Charles Montana

    Buffalo’s “Man of the Year”

    John Charles Montana, was born Giovanni Montana, in Montedore, Italy. He wasn't your ordinary mobster, he actually was heavily involved in politics, and was even named Buffalo's “Man of the Year” by The Erie Club, which ironically, was an association of Buffalo police officers!! Montana was elected to Buffalo city council and re-elected in 1930. He owned the largest taxi company in WNY. His true mob background was exposed when police raided a mob ranch in Apalachin, NY and uncovered one of the most notable Mafia meetings in history.

    Video Credit: Bill Yuhnke via Youtube

  • Joe "The Wolf" DiCarlo

    ublic Enemy Number One In Buffalo

    Joe "The Wolf" DiCarlo had been arrested 26 times by 1945 and earned the title of Public Enemy Number One in Buffalo!

    Video Credit: Thomas Hunt via Youtube

  • Albert and Vito Agueci

    The Agueci brothers were born and raised in Sicily. They ran their racket in Buffalo during the early 1960s and were mainly involved in drug trafficking. Magaddino allowed them to operate in WNY, but they had to pay him a percentage of their profits. On November 23, 1961 Albert Agueci was found dead on a farm near Rochester. He was horribly mutilated, including having an estimated 30 pounds of flesh carved from his body, his jaw was shattered and half his teeth knocked out, he was strangled, soaked in gasoline and set on fire! Vito Agueci was convicted on the narcotics charges and sent to the pen in ATL.

  • Fred "Freddie Lupo" or "The Wolf" Randaccio

    Fred "Freddie Lupo" Randaccio was born on July 1, 1907 in Palermo, Sicily. By the mid-1950s, Randaccio was the underboss of the Buffalo Mafia and was running the day-to-day operations of the Buffalo Mafia. He was promoted to capo in the 1940s and controlled the local and Southern Ontario rackets. He was one of the many key Mafia members arrested during the Apalachin raid by the FBI in 1967. He was later arrested on June 29, 1967, on charges of planning an armed robbery. He was convicted and sentenced to a 20-year prison term. He spent 12 years in prison and was paroled on June 28, 1979. After his prison stint, he was never again was a prominent member of the Buffalo Mafia.

  • Joe Bonanno

    Joseph Charles Bonanno, Sr. was born in Sicily on January 18, 1905. He was Magaddino’s cousin, was operating in Canada in the 1960. Even though they were La Familia AND blood family, Magaddino believed Bonanno was trying to creep into his Canadian territory. On October 21, 1964, Bonanno was kidnapped by Magaddino’s brother, Antonino, and his son, Peter. He ended up being released unharmed. After internal conflict, The Commission ruled that Bonanno had forfeited his position by not attending a meeting, leading to the "Banana War," which lasted from 1964 to 1969.

    Video Credit: Daniel Torbitt via Youtube

  • John Cammilleri

    John Cammilleri was born in Campobello di Licata Gigenti, Italy in 1905. His family moved to Buffalo when he was five-years-old. It was during the Great Depression that Cammilleri got into crime. In 1933, he was sent to Elmira Prison for 20 years. He got lucky and was paroled 6 years later in 1939. He returned to Buffalo and worked as a lieutenant for Stefano Magaddino. He was killed On May 8, 1974, he was shot and killed outside the Roseland, a popular West Side Italian restaurant. The FBI claims that his murder sparked 15 mob-related deaths. His murder remains unsolved!

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