Is The Mafia Still Alive And Well Around New York State?

Have you ever stopped and wonder if the Mafia is still active across New York State? We aren't just thinking New York City either.

Although the United States federal government made significant inroads with numerous prosecutions, and even getting the leaders of several groups to turn informant the past two decades, the Mafia is still a functioning entity in the country.

The Mafia is currently most active in the Northeastern United States, with the heaviest activity in New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Buffalo, and New England, in areas such as Boston, Providence and Hartford. Mafia families have previously existed to a greater extent and continue to exist to a lesser extent in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Dallas, Denver, New Orleans, Rochester, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, and Tampa."

Have You Ever Heard Of The Utica New York Crime Family?

Did you ever hear about a little-known mafia family in upstate New York? From 1970 to 1992, Salvatore and Joseph Falcone led organized crime in Utica:

This family went back to the late 1930s. They were a powerful crew of the Buffalo, NY Maggadino Family, also known as The Arm."

Utica was nicknamed the Empire State’s Sin City. You can actually read a very detailed history of Utica's mob between the 1970s and 1990s online here.

So What Does The Mafia Do Now?

The Mafia is still active but their criminal interests have changed and evolved. Experts say their crimes are far from The Godfather or Goodfellas movies. Their crimes are considered “white-collar crime” or “victimless crime.” Those can be described as embezzlement schemes, identity fraud, credit card fraud, money laundering and so on. According to The Washington Post,  the legendary “five families” still exist.

In some industries, such as gambling, drugs, restaurants and bars, they still have a significant influence. Are they in Upstate? Well, we may never know for sure because snitches get stitches.