Does the Italian Mafia still exist in Los Angeles? Is the Los Angeles crime family still active today?

[Nick Prango]

I’ve been trying to find information on La Cosa nostra activity in California for ages now and there isn’t much information about them post 2003. Today, they are very much under the radar with the police shifting their attention towards Russian and Chinese syndicates in the city. Because of this, almost nothing is known about the organisation. The focus from the feds on crime families outside of the northeast and Midwest has seemed to have died off post 1990’s. I have read online that the LA Mafia has thought to have been taken over as a puppet family of the Gambino Crime Family. Is it possible?

[motorfab]

The Los Angeles Crime Family is dead since the 90's. Some members are still alive but that's all

[Moscone65]

There are hints that the Gambinos have quite a decent presence out there. Whether or not they run it as a family or it’s structure who knows. Tommy Gambino who was recently arrested seemed to be in charge out there.

[Wiseguy]

Other than bookmaking networks that extend out there, or the occasional shipment of marijuana a crew may bring back east, there really is no mob presence out west anymore. Not unless you want to count a handful of inactive members who live in Vegas or California.

Only about a half dozen LA members left and half of them don't even live in California anymore. There's a reason why their last case of any note was well over 20 years ago or that the annual California OC report ceased covering the LCN after 2005.

[HoagieNose]

Why aren’t families attempting to have a presence out there? There’s seems to be a renewed attempt to have a larger presence in Florida, but why not California? are they scared of the black and Latino gangsters ?

[Rat]

I highly doubt that they’re afraid, I think it has more to do with Florida already having established mob connections, rackets etc and Florida is on the other side of the country

[baldo]

I don't think it's that simple to just go into another city across the country and set up shop. Not to mention, a lot of these guys are like the rest of us and have large families/established connections in the NYC/NJ area. If a job opened up in Cali (I'm in NJ) not really sure I want to move my kids across the country and leave the rest of my family behind (as much as they drive me crazy LOL). It's really not as simple as the old days when NY/Chicago could send guys over to strong arm people.

[TallGuy19]

Why aren’t families attempting to have a presence out there? There’s seems to be a renewed attempt to have a larger presence in Florida, but why not California? are they scared of the black and Latino gangsters ?

There's stiff competition from gangs that operate out there, and there aren't really any Italian communities to recruit from.

[Uncle Pete]

I highly doubt that they’re afraid, I think it has more to do with Florida already having established mob connections, rackets etc and Florida is on the other side of the country

Yea good point. South Florida has a large and established Italian population and New York contingent. After Staten Island, Jersey and Long Island, everyone else moved to Florida. The mafia’s Rolodex in South Florida is simply much larger than it is in LA.

[Rat]

Florida is not on the other side of the country*

[Pogo The Clown]

And even Florida has seen less and less of an LCN presence. Other than that pain cream scam bust there been almost no Florida busts since all those the crews were busted up in 2010 and 2011. A big contrast to all the cases in the 1990s and 2000s..


Pogo

[Wiseguy]

Why aren’t families attempting to have a presence out there? There’s seems to be a renewed attempt to have a larger presence in Florida, but why not California? are they scared of the black and Latino gangsters ?

The trend today, and for a long time now, is remaining families holding on to what they have just within their geographic base. The resources, manpower and frankly ambition aren't there anymore. At least to where they're going to send guys somewhere to plant a flag and set up an ongoing operation of some kind.

Forget about the other side of the country. Like we were saying in another thread, only a couple of the five families have standing crews in New Jersey now. What's left of the Genovese crew in Springfield is now merged/overseen by a New York-based crew. Much less activity by both them and Gambinos in Connecticut over the past decade. Same with Florida (see below).

And even Florida has seen less and less of an LCN presence. Other than that pain cream scam bust there been almost no Florida busts since all those the crews were busted up in 2010 and 2011. A big contrast to all the cases in the 1990s and 2000s..


Pogo

Beat me to it.

I recently went back and compared the mob cases in Florida 2000-2010 vs 2011-2020. HUGE drop off in the latter decade.

The mob presence and activity there is shrinking, not expanding. It doesn't appear any of the NY families have a crew based there anymore. The last Genovese crew based there was busted in 2006. The last Gambino crew in 2008. There was a Bonanno crew busted in 2009 but it was simply the South Florida wing of the New York-based Chilli crew. Then the Colombos in 2011. For whatever reason, the Luccheses have had virtually no presence in Florida for years now.

In more recent years, the Genovese have had the most activity but that's been mostly their bookmaking operations extending down there.

[Amershire_Ed]

Law enforcement at the federal and local level in Southern California is almost 1000% dedicated to black and Hispanic gang activity and the Cartels. You’d think Cosa Nostra would be able to fly under the radar a bit if they made a go of it.

[JoeCamel]

There are hints that the Gambinos have quite a decent presence out there. Whether or not they run it as a family or it’s structure who knows. Tommy Gambino who was recently arrested seemed to be in charge out there.

Wrong Tommy gambino. I follow info on him. Thomas Gambino (Tommy’s cousin) was arrested last year in Italy. Rosario Gambinos son Tommy (who John stanfa asked for backing in the 90s if you recall, and Roger Clinton took money from for parole consideration and a possible pardon) is legit to all outward appearances in 2020. He and his wife have a house in LA, NYC, and Swampscott MA and he has a wine company. Still young, and who knows maybe he’s the LA boss but it seems to me he’s doing well enough on legit money that he doesn’t have to commit much crime. Still an inducted LCN member, but that isn’t against the law

[Wiseguy]

Law enforcement at the federal and local level in Southern California is almost 1000% dedicated to black and Hispanic gang activity and the Cartels. You’d think Cosa Nostra would be able to fly under the radar a bit if they made a go of it.

Theoretically speaking, what would they make a go of?

There are hints that the Gambinos have quite a decent presence out there. Whether or not they run it as a family or it’s structure who knows. Tommy Gambino who was recently arrested seemed to be in charge out there.

Wrong Tommy gambino. I follow info on him. Thomas Gambino (Tommy’s cousin) was arrested last year in Italy. Rosario Gambinos son Tommy (who John stanfa asked for backing in the 90s if you recall, and Roger Clinton took money from for parole consideration and a possible pardon) is legit to all outward appearances in 2020. He and his wife have a house in LA, NYC, and Swampscott MA and he has a wine company. Still young, and who knows maybe he’s the LA boss but it seems to me he’s doing well enough on legit money that he doesn’t have to commit much crime. Still an inducted LCN member, but that isn’t against the law

LA Tommy seems to have been making a legit go of it for the past 20 years or so now. There would be nothing for him to be the boss of. Probably same reason why Louie Caruso runs an AC company in Phoenix.