Bufalino Crime Family

The Bufalino Crime Family, who operates in Scranton, Pennsylvania, could very well be the most powerful Mafia family today. Despite it's small size, the Bufalino Family seems to have control of many illegal as well as legitimate businesses within mostly Pennsylvania but also in New Jersey and New York. They maintain strong ties with the other Mafia families. There is not much information about the Bufalino crime family, very few convictions or indictments. The Bufalino Family seems to have the lowest profile of all the Mafia families, which gives it a very strong advantage over the other families. The Bufalino Family pretty much owns all of Scranton.

The Bufalino family is basically extinct. Former Philadelphia boss Ralph Natale was overheard several years ago on an FBI bug talking about how Billy D'Elia was the last member of the family.

Law enforcement claims that there are at least 30 Made Men left. The Bufalino Family still maintains control over Scranton.

There is no law enforcement agency that claims the Bufalino family has 30 made members. Aside from criminal charges involving D'Elia himself, there hasn't been a major case involving the family there in years. The family is gone. Time to join the 21st century.

Sorry, its a bit funny.

Some of this was mentioned in this thread?
http://www.gangsterbb.net/threads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=571369#Post571369

Anyway, which law enforcement agency is that?

Yes, I'd like to know that too. Of course I say that knowing there isn't any agency in the land that claims that.

This is a classic example of what I was talking about before. The information so many people have on the mob is often very much out of date. And it's usually because they'll read a few books, which are almost always written long after the fact, and figure that's how things currently are. And from there we get people who think families are still thriving in places like Scranton, New Orleans, and elsewhere.

I never said a law enforcement agency I said law enforcement itself. Ever thought maybe the family has gone underground and likes to keep things low profile?

If you really believe that, one could make the argument that the Dallas family or the Denver family has gone underground and is still thriving beneath the radar. Of course, we know this isn't true. Just as it isn't true for Scranton. And you know, just as well as I do, that law enforcement does not say the Bufalino family still has at least 30 made members.

What law enforcement does say is that the only families left are the five New York families, as well as those in New England, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit. And possibly Buffalo. But that's it. Everywhere else the families are all extinct or only have a few individual members left; i.e. 10 or less.

I know you didn't say agency but i cant very well ask "Which law enforcement" could I?
& hey, low profile is totally the case, what with there being one guy left & all.

But hey if an article comes out tomorrow announcing a bust outta Scranton with a shitload guys named & charged, i'll eat my hat.
Erm. I'll even buy one first.

We don't know if they're extinct or not, they very well might not be. I guess we would have to visit Scranton to find out.

You seem to just be hoping the family isn't gone. They haven't been on any list of current viable families from the FBI since the 1980's. And that was the last time there were any significant cases involving the family. D'Elia is said to be the last surviving member. All the evidence is there to show the family is no more. Just accept it.

I think you still have "made" guys working whats left of Gambling,prostitution,or anything else they can make $$ on but it maynot be the "Bufalino Family" as u know it but a crew or a few guys from another existing family elsewhere taking care of business these days?

Just because the FBI doesn't know anything doesn't mean they're extinct. Everyone on hear seems to think the FBI is more powerful than God or something.

There are members of the five families active in a number of places outside New York but there has never been any evidence, thus far, that they have moved to operate in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area.

The FBI knows a lot more than you. You have ZERO, ZILCH, NADA to show that they aren't extinct. So somehow they've found out a way to avoid law enforcement when other families haven't? Give me a break.

And people wonder why I sometimes get belligerant. It's because of crap like this. Some of you mob fanboys can stay in your own little dream worlds where the Bufalino family just may be the most powerful in the country. But some of us choose to go with the demonstrable facts.

I don't want to take sides, but Ivy's right. Let this one go, guys.

It's almost as if some of the younger members here are pissed off that they missed out on the "glory days" of the mob. Well, they're gone. And it will NEVER again be like it was. Ever.

Things change. And in this case, I might add, it's for the better.

Some wanting to believe it's still the glory days of the mob is right. I encounter them all the time. I call them mob fanboys. Problem is they are about 50 years too late. But not to worry, there is still plenty of mob activity in the Northeast and a few other areas of the country for us to watch. People just need to remember it's 2010, not 1955.

Everyone that has been posting that Billy D'Elia was/is the last remaining member of the Bufalino crime family is one hundred percent correct. The Scranton family has one known member in D'Elia (although I would say there is a chance that D'Elia maybe made one or two guys without the FBI knowing, thirty guys is way far fetched).

Many families are extinct (Denver, Dallas, Rochester, San Francisco, San Diego), near extinct (New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Tampa), on their last legs (Buffalo), medium sized (New Jersey, Philadelphia, New England) or are one of the large and powerful families (Outfit, Partnership, the five families).

I really wouldn't consider Detroit to be one of the "large and powerful" families. Despite what some others here want to believe, it's not even a medium sized family at this point. Medium sized families would be those like Chicago, New England, New Jersey, and Philadelphia which each have about 50 members. Detroit has about 30 at most and is not nearly as active as those others. And it's not even close to the five New York families, which have anywhere from 100-200 members.

You're basically spot on with everything else though. You can also add the San Jose family to the extinct list. Maybe you meant them, since San Diego didn't last past Prohibition. You can also add Cleveland, Milwaukee, St. Louis, and Kansas City to the near extinction list.

When people assume is what pisses me off. I have a primary resource that knows more than the Feds. As for calling me a mob fanboy, I consider myself a Mafia Historian.

The only one who is assuming here is you. First you claimed the law enforcement says the family still as 30 members. Nevermind the fact that you can't produce any evidence and had to back away from that claim. Whatever your "primary resource" is, it isn't worth a hill of beans. I mean, what kind of "Mafia Historian" believes the Bufalino family might be the most powerful family in the country in 2010 when it's basically gone? Even when the family was at it's peak it was never the most powerful family.

First of all I never claimed a damn thing, second of all research on the internet says that law enforcement claims there are 30 Made Men. Lastly, is my primary resource really not worth anything when they happen to be a key asset to that family? I didn't think so.

First, where did you find on the internet that there are still 30 members? Can you even provide a link? Second, I shouldn't have to tell you how much nonsense there is on the internet.



You keep talking about this "primary resource?" What is that exactly? Not that I really care because it's just anecdotal evidenece on your part.

Bottom line, if you want to go around talking a bunch of nonsense about how the Bufalino family still has 30 members and might be the most powerful in the country, that's up to you. But don't expect anyone who actually knows what's going on to believe it.

Here's the link that says it has 30 Made men http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bufalino_crime_family

I could reveal my resource but I don't think they want me to. Anyways like I've said before I have family members that are connected that tell many things about what goes on the inside, I believe they would know more than the Feds. Everyone on here has said before the rats such as Henry Hill can't be trusted, so if the rats can't be trusted how can we trust the FBI if their inside sources are unreliable? Yeah there's wire taps but they don't tell everything.

If you want to be a Mafia Historian, let me give you a tip right now. Wikipedia is notorious for being a horrible source of information on organized crime. Anyone can go there and type anything. And many do.

First, that Wiki article claims law enforcement estimated 30 members in the 1990's, not today. Which is bogus either way. But even more importantly, notice how there is no external link for that claim down at the bottom of the page. It's just a number some idiot made up and has no basis in fact.



If I had a dollar for every time I came across somebody on an internet forum that claims to have inside knowledge.....

I don't give a fuck rather or not you believe anything I have to say at least I know the truth whereas a lot of people on here are probably a bunch a fat-asses who do nothing but sit on the computer all day because they don't have any other life other than the Internet.

And then there are people who have nothing better to do than come on internet forums, pretending to have inside information when they don't, and spreading bullshit.

San Diego = San Jose, typo lol

As for the Partnership, I know their membership is down in the 20-30 range but I'd still consider them a "stronger" family just because after the Northeast they're the second strongest family behind The Outfit.

And the other families (St. Louis, KC, Cleveland and Milwaukee) honestly didn't feel like typing for no reason just like I didn't mention the Rockford family on the extinct list lol...all good though, I'd personally put Cleveland and move them from the "near extinct" label to "on their last legs" as they seem to have actually grown in size and strength since the mid-1990s.

Take this beef offline. Let's keep it civil here.

You don't even know me you don't even know whether or not if I have inside information.

Honestly, dude, there is no way that any crime family is hiding thirty made members from the FBI nowadays. If you came on to a site saying you had inside information on one or two guys who "may" be made in the Bufalino Family since Big Bill took over then it could be seen as somewhat believable, but thirty? Just face the facts, this family is dead...outside of Philly, Jersey, New England, Chicago, Detroit and of course NY there isn't much left as far as LCN is concerned (family wise, of course there are crews from NY in Florida).

Any other family you're going to talk about is going to be at max maybe fifteen members, possibly as little as five or six with Pittsburgh and New Orleans.

I'm not so sure. They have about 9 or 10 made guys left. Some in prison. Some inactive. They could be compared to what's left in Tampa or Los Angeles, I suppose.

really? I wasn't aware it had gotten that bad, everything I had read put me under the impression that Joe Iacobacci had made some new guys and had actually strengthened the family. I could be wrong however. I thought they were stronger than Tampa and LA.

Iacobacci is semi-retired. There is no longer a formally structured or viable family there. Here is a list of known members from a couple years ago. The ages would be a little older now and a few of them might have died. One or two more are in prison if I remember right.

1. Ralph "Bosie" Bucci/59
2. William "Billy" DeNova/68
3. William "Billy D" Dileno/72
4. Joseph Gallo/71
5. Joseph "Joe Loose" Iacobacci/59
6. John Iorillo/64
7. Ronald Lucarelli Jr/51
8. Nicholas "Nick" Nardi/82
9. John Oliverio/56
10. Russell Papalardo/67
11. Peter "Petey Boy" Sanzo/74
12. Anthony Velotta/67

I thought Iacobacci was just retired, didn't know it was only semi-retirement. Papalardo took over as "boss" correct? Do you have any idea how many of those guys (aside from Papalardo) were active when that list was created?

There really isn't much left for Papalardo to take over. Nothing in terms of a formally structured, viable family anyway. That list is only from a year or two ago and there were one or two guys that were in prison. Beyond that, I don't know how many are active at this point. Aside from a corruption probe that included Papalardo and some others in 2008, you have to go back to the late 1990's and early 2000's for any cases involving them.

Not sure where you got your info, but It's not at all right. The only Bufalino made guys left are William "Big Billy" D'Elia (b. 1946), Michael Insalaco (b. 1940), Albert Scalleat and Michael "Hoppy" Carsia. Albert is the brother of Philly mobster, Joe Scalleat. This info comes from recent news paper articles I have.