The Lucchese Family: A Look into Organized Crime's Past and Present

The Lucchese crime family, one of the infamous "Five Families" of New York and New Jersey, has been making headlines again. Recently, 14 people were arrested for their alleged involvement in an illegal sports betting ring. This isn't the first time the Lucchese family has been in the news. Back in April, 39 people, including members of the Lucchese family, were charged with running a large-scale illegal gambling operation. The Lucchese family is part of a larger structure known as the Commission, which was established in 1931 to govern mob activities in the U. S. The Five Families—Lucchese, Bonnano, Colombo, Gambino, and Genovese—each controlled specific territories and used tactics like extortion, loan sharking, and infiltrating labor unions to gain money and influence. The hierarchy within these families is strict. At the top is the boss, or don, followed by the consigliere, who advises the boss. The underboss is next in line, often a family member who could take over. Then come the capos, who lead groups of soldiers. Soldiers are fully initiated members, while associates perform lesser roles. Four of the recent suspects are high-ranking members of the Lucchese family. George Zappola is part of the family's ruling panel, Joseph Perna is a captain, and his brother John Perna, along with Wayne Cross, are soldiers. The Lucchese family is notorious for the Lufthansa heist in 1978, where about $5 million in cash and $800, 000 in jewels were stolen from JFK Airport. No one was hurt, but many connected to the heist disappeared or were killed. Henry Hill, one of the heist's participants, later became an FBI informant and inspired the movie "Goodfellas. " In 1970, the RICO Act was passed to enhance penalties for organized crime. While it reduced the influence of the Five Families, violent crime linked to the mob hasn't disappeared.