Federal authorities recently announced another significant blow to organized crime with the indictment of eight alleged members of the Genovese crime family in North Jersey. Investigators say the faction, based in Bergen County, specialized in illegal sports betting and numbers running, with enforcement backed by violence. The suspects include reputed capo Streaky Gatto, three of his relatives, and a former police officer.
The arrests come at a time when federal oversight of the mob has been dramatically reduced. The FBI has cut back its organized crime squads from five to one. The C5 squad now handles what five separate units once managed, meaning all five New York families fall under a single investigative team.
When oversight decreases, opportunity increases.
Among New York’s five families, two stand above the rest: the Gambino crime family and the Genovese crime family. For decades, those in the know have called the Genovese family the Ivy League of the mob. That title was not earned without reason.
The Genovese crime family is the oldest mafia operation New York City has ever seen. Its lineage traces back to Giuseppe Morello, born in 1867. After his mother remarried into the Terranova family, his stepfather Bernardo Terranova and half-brothers, including Ciro Terranova, became part of the story.
They immigrated to the United States in the 1890s and settled in Manhattan.
Morello ran a group called the 107th Street mob, controlling upper Manhattan. His associate Ignazio Lupo controlled Little Italy and Lower Manhattan. Together, these men built the foundation.
The 107th Street mob eventually became the 116th Street crew, operating alongside the Greenwich Village crew. These two crews have been the backbone of the family from the 1890s through today.
Joe Masseria took over after Morello and was killed in 1931. Charles Luciano then built the five families from the wreckage. After Luciano was indicted and deported, Frank Costello took over, followed by Vito Genovese.
Benny the Squint came next, then Vincent Chin Gigante took control.
Gigante ran the Greenwich Village crew, with Fat Tony Salerno serving as his front man. Salerno rose from captain of the 116th Street crew to front boss. Gigante was the shadow, Salerno was the face, and that dynamic defined the family for a generation.
Today, when people talk about who runs the Genovese family, one name dominates the conversation: Liborio Barney Balomo. Many assume he is the boss, and there is reason for that assumption. He is powerful and respected.
He was made in his early 20s, which almost never happens. His mentor was Sammy Black Santoro, and Tony Salerno thought highly of Balomo’s father. Before his father died, he asked Tony to take care of his son, and Tony did exactly that.
The man who proposed Balomo for membership was Vinnie the Fish Cafaro, who later became a government informant. Despite that, Balomo’s position was never threatened. When Chin Gigante chose a successor, sources say he personally selected Balomo.
But Balomo is not the boss. He is the street front boss. The real decision maker above him is Ernest Muscarella, a name most people do not know.
Muscarella is 82 years old. His father Raymond was a made guy in this family. Muscarella himself is a Bronx and Harlem man, old school to the core.
You do not see him at parties or wakes. You barely see him anywhere. One person described him simply as a ghost.
Muscarella grew up with many of the young men now sitting in upper echelon positions in the family. He is the shadowy figure at the top. Muscarella and Balomo together represent the traditional Genovese model: a shadow boss and a front boss.
It is a structure that goes back over a century.
The underboss of the family, according to sources, is Michael Ragusa, another complete ghost. There is only one known photo of the man. He is close to Balomo and was arrested in the early 2000s in a racketeering case that also caught Muscarella.
Ragusa is a father and a make-money-not-headlines type of man. That phrase could be the official motto of the entire family.
For consigliere, the number three position traditionally goes to an elder statesman. Right now, that is Pasquale Parrello, known as Patty. Parrello owns a restaurant in the Bronx called Pasquale’s Ristorante.
He is well respected and has done prison time. He was indicted in 2016 in Operation East Coast. He has seen heavy things, including the loss of his son to the streets.
But Parrello remains a trusted, high-ranking figure with a crew behind him.
Ralphie Balsamo is worth watching. Known as the Undertaker because his family is in the funeral home business in the Bronx, Balsamo just got out of prison after multiple stints. He is extremely close to Balomo.
Sources say he is a consigliere in waiting, possibly already acting in that capacity on the street. He has been groomed for this role for years. He took his punishment, did his time, and is trusted at the highest levels.
Danny Pagano is a well-respected figure. His father Joe Pagano was a Genovese made man with deep ties to the music business and connections to people like Al Sharpton going back decades. Danny Pagano operates heavily in Staten Island and New Jersey.
He is an elder statesman with panache and respect. He is not on the administration, but he carries weight.
Two names connected to Pagano are Anthony Tony D Palumbo and James Tanaglia. Both are quick risers. Palumbo came up under former Genovese member Angelo Prisco and is part of the New Jersey and Staten Island orbit.
These are trusted captains and trusted soldiers.
Hippie Zanfino is one of the two most trusted confidants Balomo has in this world, alongside Balsamo. Zanfino was a bit of a loose cannon coming up. He had direct beef with the Tanglewood boys in the 1990s.
The person who made the sit-down with the Lucchese family on his behalf was a young Barney Balomo. Even back then, in his 20s and 30s, Balomo had the power to make that happen. Zanfino has done significant time for this family.
He is trusted and respected across multiple families. He is still in his 60s, which in mob terms means there are good years ahead.
Sally Larker is another name to keep an eye on. His father was a legendary figure in the streets, connected to Nicky Barnes and making enormous money. Sally Larker got into the life, did his time, and took his punishment.
He runs in the same circles his father made famous.
Joey Reddiarra runs a small but functional crew in Lower Manhattan. His father Petey Reddiarra was a legendary figure who operated near Market and Cherry Street for decades. There is still a social club there today.
Joey Red quietly maintained what his father built.
The Genovese family continues making new members. Matthew Dino is one of the more recently made guys. He came up on Long Island, wrestled in college, and found his way into the gambling world.
He was indicted in a high-profile poker and NBA gambling scheme. His lawyer is fighting the charges, and the next court date is in March. The attention was unwanted, but the money from those games was not small.
Nicky Colesi operates in Upper Manhattan, the Bronx, and Florida. His father operates alongside him. They were all indicted on racketeering charges a couple of years ago alongside John Campanella and Michael Pauly.
Most of them have now gotten out of prison. Colesi and his crew ran loan sharking and extortion operations. Word is that Michael Pauly may have received his button.
These are the guys who do it the old-fashioned way when big construction contracts are not available. One figure, Fava, is listed as a soldier but had serious control over the tow truck business in New York for years. He cornered that market, threatened competitors, and fixed bids and contracts.
He had a man named Michael Mazio under him who owned a tow truck company. They called Fava the godfather of tow trucks. He reportedly belongs to a small Brooklyn crew run by Bartholomew Barry Nicolonilo, who is nearly invisible.
Very little is known about him, but the people who know, know.
Black Dom Deanie O is another newer member worth attention. He originally came up as a Colombo associate in Wild Bill Cutolo’s crew. He did serious prison time.
He had an issue with bringing around Chris Paciello, who later became a government informant. It did not look good for him. He resurfaced after a long stint and slotted in with the Genovese family.
Multiple sources describe him as a massive earner. Sources say he is in good standing with the administration specifically because of the money he generates. That is the only currency that matters in this family right now.
Not violence, not brute force, but money, brains, and results.
Construction is one answer. Lawrence Wecker is a major construction figure connected to this family, accused of running schemes and frauds for years. The family has historically dominated construction in New York and continues to maintain a footprint there.
Loan sharking remains a constant. Multiple crews still put money on the street and collect interest. Gambling operations continue.
The poker games that caught Matthew Dino were generating serious money before law enforcement stepped in. Merchant cash advance lending is another avenue, done the right way when collection methods stay legal, done the mob way when they do not.
The smarter guys in this family have moved toward legitimate business. Restaurants, funeral homes, construction companies. Legal money is harder to prosecute and harder to trace.
Barney Balomo essentially sits at a point in his career where he can collect on decades of labor without doing anything stupid. His daughter is reportedly an attorney. He goes to Florida.
He keeps a low profile. He stays insulated.
The Genovese crime family operates as the most sophisticated organized crime organization in New York City in 2026. Two bosses run this family. One that no one sees, one that barely anyone photographs.
The underboss is a ghost. The consigliere runs a restaurant in the Bronx. The captains are earning.
The soldiers are earning. The associates are earning. New members are being made.
The old guard is still respected.
And the FBI watches with fewer eyes than it had five years ago. The Genovese family did not earn the Ivy League title by being loud. They earned it by being quiet, by staying structured, and by making money while everyone else made headlines.
That has not changed in 2026. The family is alive. The family is smart.
The family earns. And in New York City, that is all that has ever mattered.