Colombo crime family
An Italian American organized-crime family based in New York City and one of the Five Families of the American Mafia.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Colombo crime family is an Italian American organized-crime group based primarily in New York City. It is one of the Five Families that have historically dominated organized crime in the city and operates within the wider American Mafia network. The organization is the youngest of the Five Families and was originally known as the Profaci crime family, after its founder Joseph Profaci. The family's roots are generally traced to a bootlegging organization established by Profaci in 1928. Profaci had arrived in New York from Sicily, developed a legitimate olive-oil importing business, and built influence among Italian American criminal groups in Brooklyn. Following the reorganization of the American Mafia after the Castellammarese War in 1931, Profaci's organization was recognized as one of New York's principal Mafia families, with Joseph Magliocco serving as his close deputy. The family became particularly notable for internal conflict. A dispute over tribute payments and control of profitable gambling operations led to the first Colombo family war in the early 1960s. The conflict pitted Profaci and his loyalists against the Gallo brothers and associated members, including Carmine Persico. Profaci died in 1962, and Magliocco briefly succeeded him. Magliocco subsequently became involved in a plot associated with Bonanno family boss Joseph Bonanno to kill other Commission leaders. When Joseph Colombo exposed the plan, the Mafia Commission forced Magliocco from power and installed Colombo as head of the family. The organization then adopted the Colombo name. Colombo attempted to consolidate the group by reconciling with elements of the Gallo faction and by promoting older, established members. He also created the Italian-American Civil Rights League, which publicly opposed what it described as discriminatory treatment of Italian Americans. Federal authorities and other Mafia leaders viewed the organization as a means of challenging law-enforcement investigations of organized crime. Colombo was shot at an Italian-American Civil Rights League rally in Manhattan in 1971 and remained paralyzed until his death in 1978. His incapacitation reopened the family's internal divisions. A second war began after Joe Gallo's release from prison in 1971. Gallo rejected a proposed settlement and resumed the conflict, but he was murdered at Umberto's Clam House in 1972. Forces aligned with Carmine Persico eventually prevailed, while surviving members of the Gallo faction were transferred to the Genovese family in 1975. Persico became the family's dominant leader, but much of his later rule was exercised through acting bosses because he was imprisoned for racketeering and related offenses. In 1989, Persico appointed Victor Orena as acting boss. Orena later attempted to take control for himself, producing the third and most violent internal war from 1991 to 1993. The conflict killed approximately twelve family members, divided the organization, and ended with Orena's imprisonment and Persico's victory. The war severely damaged the family's leadership structure and capacity. During the 2000s and afterward, the Colombo family was weakened by federal racketeering prosecutions, convictions, leadership imprisonment, and defections by members who cooperated with prosecutors. Law-enforcement agencies have often characterized it as the weakest of New York's Five Families. Despite that decline, the group has continued to be treated by authorities as an organized-crime entity with residual activity in the New York area. Its historical profile is defined less by commercial branding than by Mafia hierarchy, territorial influence, racketeering allegations, internal warfare, and repeated confrontation with federal law enforcement.
History
The Colombo crime family developed from criminal networks operating in Brooklyn during the Prohibition era. Joseph Profaci, a Sicilian immigrant who also operated a legitimate olive-oil importing business, consolidated a gang after the 1928 murder of Brooklyn underworld figure Frankie Yale. In the aftermath of wider Mafia conflicts, Profaci received territory and recognition at a 1928 meeting in Cleveland. The 1931 defeat of Joe Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano led to the creation of the Commission and the formal division of New York's Mafia into five families. Profaci's group became one of them. Profaci maintained control for decades, but dissatisfaction grew over mandatory tribute payments and the allocation of lucrative gambling operations. The resulting dispute with the Gallo brothers and allied Brooklyn figures became the first family war, involving kidnappings, attempted killings, murders, and disappearances. Profaci's death from cancer in 1962 brought Joseph Magliocco to power. Magliocco then joined Joseph Bonanno's unsuccessful plan to kill rival Commission leaders. Joseph Colombo revealed the scheme, and the Commission removed Magliocco and gave Colombo command of the family. Colombo sought to stabilize the organization and settle the Gallo conflict. He also pursued a public political strategy through the Italian-American Civil Rights League, presenting opposition to Mafia investigations as a civil-rights issue. The approach generated publicity and concern among other Mafia leaders. In 1971, Colombo was shot during a League rally, leaving him incapacitated. After Joe Gallo was released from prison, negotiations failed and the second family war began. Gallo was killed in 1972, while Carmine Persico's faction eventually secured control and absorbed or displaced the remaining opposition. Persico's leadership was repeatedly interrupted by imprisonment. In the 1980s, federal racketeering prosecutions removed much of the family's senior hierarchy. Persico appointed Victor Orena as acting boss in 1989, but Orena attempted to replace him. The third war, from 1991 to 1993, was the bloodiest in the family's history, killing about twelve members and resulting in Orena's imprisonment. Persico remained the ultimate authority until his death in prison in 2019. Later federal prosecutions, cooperating witnesses, and the loss of experienced leadership further reduced the family's strength. Authorities have described the Colombo organization as the weakest of New York's Five Families, although it has not disappeared. Its modern status and leadership are difficult to establish from public sources, and the organization is best understood as a residual organized-crime group rather than a conventional business enterprise.
- 2019
Death of Carmine Persico
[1]Persico died in federal prison after decades as the family's dominant leader.
- 1993
Third family war concludes
[1]The conflict ended with Orena imprisoned and Persico's faction victorious, though the organization was severely weakened.
- 1991
Third family war begins
[1]Victor Orena's challenge to Carmine Persico's authority split the family into rival factions.
- 1972
Joe Gallo murdered
[1]Joe Gallo was killed at Umberto's Clam House during the second internal war.
- 1971
Colombo incapacitated by shooting
[1]Joseph Colombo was shot at an Italian-American Civil Rights League rally and was left paralyzed.
- 1963
Family renamed after Joseph Colombo
[1]After Magliocco's removal, Joseph Colombo became boss and the organization became known as the Colombo crime family.
- 1962
Profaci dies
[1]Profaci's death brought Joseph Magliocco to the leadership of the organization.
- 1931
Family recognized under the Commission
[1]The American Mafia's postwar reorganization confirmed Profaci's organization as one of New York's five principal families.
- 1928
Profaci gang established
[1]Joseph Profaci consolidated a Brooklyn-based criminal organization that later became the Profaci and then Colombo crime family.
Products and positioning
An illicit organized-crime organization rather than a consumer or commercial brand.
Controversies
2000
Federal racketeering prosecutions
A series of federal racketeering cases and related convictions further damaged the family's hierarchy during the 2000s.
1991
Third family war
A leadership dispute between the Persico and Orena factions produced two years of violence and left approximately twelve family members dead.
1971
Shooting of Joseph Colombo
Colombo was shot at a public rally connected with the Italian-American Civil Rights League and remained paralyzed until his death in 1978.
1963
Magliocco-Bonanno assassination plot
Joseph Magliocco supported Joseph Bonanno's plan to assassinate several Commission leaders. Joseph Colombo exposed the plot, resulting in Magliocco's removal from leadership and the renaming of the family.
Marketing campaigns
- 1970Italian-American Civil Rights League
United States · New York City
Joseph Colombo established the Italian-American Civil Rights League, presenting it as an organization opposing discrimination against Italian Americans. Authorities and rival Mafia leaders regarded it as a public-relations vehicle that also attacked federal investigations of organized crime.
Outcome. The League generated national attention but increased concern among other Mafia leaders. Colombo was shot at a League rally in 1971, after which the initiative lost momentum.
Brand decisions
1989
Victor Orena appointed acting bossStrategyBackground
Carmine Persico was imprisoned following federal racketeering convictions.
Action taken
Persico named Victor Orena to act as the family's operational boss.
Aftermath
Orena later challenged Persico's authority, leading to the third family war.
1963
Commission installs Joseph ColomboOtherBackground
Joseph Magliocco was removed after his role in the Bonanno assassination plot became known.
Action taken
The Commission transferred leadership of the Profaci family to Joseph Colombo.
Aftermath
The family adopted the Colombo name and temporarily achieved greater internal stability.
Recent events
- 2019
Carmine Persico dies in federal prison[1]
Leadership change
Persico, who had continued to be regarded as the family's dominant boss while imprisoned, died in federal custody.
- 1931
Profaci organization recognized as one of New York's Mafia families[1]
Other
Following the restructuring of the American Mafia and creation of the Commission, Joseph Profaci's organization was recognized as one of the five New York families.
Sources1 sources
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