Buffalo crime family
Named after Stefano Magaddino
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| Founded by | Angelo Palmeri |
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| Founding location | Buffalo, New York, United States |
| Years active | c. 1910–present |
| Territory | Buffalo, throughout the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area, Syracuse, Rochester, Utica, the Canadian province of Ontario, Northwest Pennsylvania and Las Vegas |
| Ethnicity | Italian, Italian-American, Sicilian people, Sicilian American made men and other ethnicities as "associates" |
| Membership (est.) | 20+ made men, 100+ associates |
| Criminal activities | Extortion, bookmaking, drug trafficking, loan-sharking, prostitution, gambling, racketeering, labor racketeering, conspiracy and murder |
| Allies | Five Families, Chicago |
| Rivals | various gangs in the Buffalo area |
The Buffalo crime family also known as the Magaddino crime family and The Arm, is an Italian American Mafia crime family based in Buffalo, United States. The family operates throughout Western New York, Ontario, Canada and Erie, Pennsylvania.
The Buffalo crime family, gained power during the Prohibition era through bootlegging. In 1931, family boss Stefano Magaddino became an original member of The Commission, and his family remained relatively peaceful until the 1960s when his leadership was challenged. The family broke into separate factions as they tried to assassinate Magaddino who died of natural causes on July 19, 1974. Following Magaddino's death the family continued its war until the early 1980s when Joseph Todaro became the boss. Todaro united the family and retired in 2006, leaving many in law-enforcement to believe Leonard Falzone as the current boss. Others believe he was only acting as the "front boss" for the Todaro's and that Joe Todaro, Jr. unofficially became the boss in 2006 leaving his father as the senior statesman for the family.
Buffalo's early Italian Americans
Buffalo, New York, is located at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the southern head of the Niagara River, directly across from the Canadian border town of Fort Erie, Ontario. Buffalo saw a huge influx of Italian immigrants from the 1890s through the 1920s, as the area provided abundant jobs for immigrants willing to do manual labor. The local mills and factories flourished as they made use of the hydro-electric power gained from nearby Niagara Falls. The opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1957 provided additional employment opportunities on Buffalo's busy waterfront. Buffalo is the state's second largest city after New York and was one of the first American cities to have electricity.
Like many other cities, such as New York, Chicago, Boston, Detroit and Pittsburgh, the West Side of Buffalo saw the growth of a "Little Italy" neighborhood in the early 20th century. The East Side neighborhood of Lovejoy also had a small Italian immigrant community. In the 1980s the demographics of the West Side shifted, becoming a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood, and now the North Side near Hertel Ave. is home to the largest Italian-American community in Buffalo.
The early history of what became the Buffalo family was controlled by two different men: Angelo Palmeri and Joseph DiCarlo. The two groups merged, becoming a crime family.
Buffalo faction
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