THE GENOVESE CRIME FAMILY PART 1 OF 3

The Genovese Family is one of the "Five Families" of the Mafia that controls racketeering activities in New York City. The faction got its name from Vito Genovese, who ran it in the 1950s, although it had existed before that time.

The Genovese Crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of Organized Crime. Genovese Family interests are estimated at around $500 million per year and the number of government informants from within the family can be counted on one hand. Due to their very secretive nature and habit of using 'front bosses' to disguise the true Boss of the family the FBI have found it repeatedly difficult, though not impossible, to incarcerate the families administration.

Currently there are an estimated 200-250 'made' members and around a thousand associates in the family making it arguably the largest mob family. They are rivalled in size by probably only the Gambino crime family and in terms of power only the Gambino crime family and the Chicago Outfit match them. They have generally maintained a varying degree of influence over many of the smaller mob families outside of New York.

Although the leadership of the family seems to have been in limbo the last few years, specifically since the death of Boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante, the family stills appears to be more organized than most of the other families and has remained powerful.