New York Membership Estimates (1980)

FBI membership estimates for the New York Families circa Spring 1980.

This is not intended to serve as an exact accounting of each Family's size, only to provide a snapshot of contemporary Federal intelligence on the subject. In the following years, with the return of widespread electronic eavesdropping as well as development of high-ranking members into cooperating witnesses, more accurate numbers were obtained.

In addition, the FBI requires identification from at least two verifiable sources prior to carrying an individual as a made member. As a result several newly inducted members were excluded from lists compiled at the time.

1. Bonanno: "Sources indicate the Family has 200 living members of whom approximately 135 have been identified." (While this appears to be a notably out of proportion estimate, it may explain a brief and puzzling remark made in court years later that the Family was brought 'back to 190' under Massino's leadership. It's also a possibility, however, that the court statement was transcribed incorrectly.)

2. Colombo: "Sources indicate the Family has 92 living members of whom 90 or so have been identified."

3. Gambino: "[Sources] have identified 190 living members."

4. Genovese: Rather than a straightforward estimate, two separate columns are shown: one indicating 169 living members and the other providing a regional breakdown of membership totaling 191, with 133 and 28 cited for New York and New Jersey respectively.

5. Lucchese: 85 members, also broken down by region: New York (71), New Jersey (5), Miami (8) and Italy (1).