Ranking The Top 10 Mafia Underbosses in 2026 (US)

Original Gangsters News with Scott Bernstein. >> Welcome to the Original Gangsters News Network and Podcast. I'm your host, Scott Bernstein. Today we're going to break down the top mafia under bosses in the United States in 2026. The top number two guys. And uh we're going to go uh in uh descending order um or I should say ascending order from 10 up to one. And we'll give uh some of the reasoning and uh a little bit of uh you know context and analysis to why we slotted each guy in what spot we have them in. And for the most part this is all OGs. Um, I think with the exception of maybe one guy, uh, all these guys are are old-timers, guys that were born and bred in the life, guys that represent what's still great about the life. Even though a lot of that mystique, a lot of the, you know, fundamental things that built LCN to where it was where it was its own like, you know, nation or where they, you know, uh, where they actually controlled huge parts of of our country's infrastructure, politics, business, you know, they got a presidentelected got a president and assassinated in the 1960s. So that's what kind of p you know what kind of power they had. They had a whole government in Cuba uh at their uh you know bending bending to their will for years controlled the teamsters union controlled the long shoreman's union so forth and so forth and there was something special about it. These guys for the most part are, you know, the last vestigages from of that era. Um, and and guys that live and breathe the life, guys that have LCN in every cellular ounce of their of their person. So, let's start at number 10. Charlie the Hat Stango, New Jersey decante mob under boss is a guy that uh was a copo in in the 2000s and 2010s. Went to prison and came out uh as a number two guy to Charlie big years. U this is a a guy that had been angling for an administrative administration post before he got incarcerated. and was infiltrated by Giovanni Roco in that FBI uh sting operation. And he would have been under boss a lot sooner than he actually got to the post if he hadn't have gotten busted in that case. But you know, Charlie is uh cold bloodooded man. Uh and a guy that's very connected in New Jersey, in New York, Florida, Vegas, LA. uh you can go anywhere and uh get get respect. He's a convicted killer. He's somebody that knows how to earn and knows how to get his hands and in a lot of pies that make money for the greater good of of the Dalvocantes. and uh is just someone again that represents the old school OG mindset. Um, before I go on to number nine, I'll say that, you know, last man cut from the top 10 and who could either be number 11 or number 10, you know, part two or or 10B is uh Sammy Catella out in Chicago. Uh, the under boss there, Mike Sarno's guy on the street. You know, the reason that I left him off is because you I don't know how how much actual overall weight, influence, and juice that Katadella has outside of Sarno. um a and his, you know, shadow shot calling from prison because don't believe the hype. I know that Mike and his attorneys are trying to tell everyone that uh he's on the he's on his deathbed, but FBI thinks a lot differently. and people that I talk to uh in the Chicago feds as well as guys on the street, you know, talk about although he is diminished healthwise and he's in a wheelchair and there has been legitimate ailments that he's fought and he's only in his 60s. But Mike Sarno is a looming presence in modern day outfit affairs. Even though he's been locked up for over a decade and a half, he's calling in on an almost daily basis to the Cicero headquarters. So on his own, I don't know what Sammy Sammy Cards, I don't know, uh, if it wasn't for Sarno, if it wasn't for guys like Albi and Rudy and, you know, all of the power in terms of future outfit leadership is being passed to Sarno's guys, like, you know, Sarnos boys, I call them, those two to three dozen guys that came in and that are specifically loyal to him, guys that he made between, you know, the mid200s and when he went away in 2010. So, unfortunately, Sammy got left off this list, but I wanted to explain why. All right, number nine, going to my hometown, Anthony Chicago, Tony Lapiana. You know, the the most underrated mafios mafioso in America. uh a guy that is the definition of smart, businesssavvy, connected LinkedIn to as many white collar boardroom stuff as you could ever imagine. Has the respect on the streets from his his days as a uh just as a button before he became a capo. has been under boss now for over a decade. He's the guy that's really steering the ship right now as the Detroit Mafia goes through a period of transition. And you know, Tony Tony Lop aka Chicago Tony comes from Chicago uh and then married into the Detroit LCN family in the 70s. Has been living in Detroit for over 50 years. And uh he's beloved everywhere. Chicago, Detroit, New York. He is somebody that uh people have the utmost trust and uh a guy that's made a lot of people a lot of money and a guy that if you believe the feds has put in work. Uh and a guy that's been able to really stay in the shadows, not take any major pinches. uh he hasn't been in handcuffs since the late 60s, but somebody that uh was mentored by Jack Toko, that was his uncle via marriage, the longtime Detroit mafia don. And he is everything that Jack Tokco wanted him to be. And that is stealth and that is make money, not headlines. Make a lot of money. So, uh, Chicago Tony probably could easily be higher on this list, but because, uh, you know, Detroit is a is a family that they just keep their head down. They turn and burn maybe that means he should be higher, but he's not as active as some of these other guys. Uh, and when I and it's not a a disc to him because he's got the cards to play. I just don't know in 2026 how many of those cards he's playing when the guys above him are playing those cards, but he has the cards if he wanted to play them. Okay, so let's go to uh number eight. Go out to New England specifically to Providence. Good looking Matty googly number two man in the Patriarchas is the uh the last word when it comes to Rhode Island and Connecticut. He is, you know, this is his DNA, man. He is an OG's OG, you know, a legend's legend and got his button in the has been a a made guy since the late 70s. became a capo by the late 80s, was groomed for leadership in the Patriarchas, you know, got schooled by the old guard by Raymond Patriarcha himself, Raymond Senior. Um, so, you know, good-looking Maddie, he might be slowing down a little a little bit physically. I know he walks kind of with a cane now. He's in his late 70s, but the guy wields a lot of power, has universal respect, and just does everything by the book, you know, is is a guy that stickler for the rules and has imparted a lot of that wisdom to a younger generation in the Providence area, guys that he's brought into the family to kind of infuse new blood uh into that into that organization. Uh these are guys and this kind of you know demonstrates the juice that he has that uh let's say over the last five years maybe a little bit more guys aren't having to go to Boston to get made. Maddie has the autonomy to to make him in Providence. And that, you know, that means that you got boss energy. You know, you you got the uh you got the total package and that's what that's what Mattiey's all about. Um he makes boss moves. So, uh, let's go to number six, and that is Bobby Snowball Panero, under boss of the Buffalo Magino crime family. There are some people that will tell you that he's not just under boss in Western New York, but he also has some official leadership capacity on the West Coast. And I know that's a little, you know, not abnormal and, you know, an outlier of a situation, but the mafia is different today than it's ever been. The the mafia on the West Coast is as um I guess as diminished as as it's ever been. and he's a guy that's been out in Las Vegas for a long time and has always had a presence in Southern California. And there are some people that will tell you that, you know, anything, not just Buffalo affairs on the West Coast, uh, that is Bobby's purview, but anything going on in the West Coast, whether it be Vegas, LA, Arizona, that ultimately Bobby has a piece of. That's I don't I can't confirm that, but I have talked to people that are you know, very uh very in the midst of LCN inner circles for multiple different groups that talk incredibly highly of Bobby Panero and somebody that kind of exceeds the power of a a regular number two guy, especially a number two guy from a non five family group. And I know Bobby is in his 80s. He's been around seemingly forever. Uh comes from a a lineage, gets his nickname Bobby Snowball because his family owned the Snowball Lounge uh back in the 50s and 60s, maybe in the 70s uh in Buffalo and uh goes back to, you know, the Magadino or the original Magadinos. So, uh, Bobby is, uh, definitely an OG and, uh, definitely he flies the flag for the Taros. Um, and and he is without question right now the number two guy in that family. Uh, I know him and Pizza Joe, Big Joe, Jot T, the reputed Don. Uh, him and Bobby have kind of a, you know, they're kind of fremies, lovehate relationship. They've always been rivals. Um, but they respect each other and that's why Old Man Tedaro made Bobby his number two when um when there was uh when the position opened up. So, and and Bobby had been spending more time in Buffalo in the 2020s and now I'm told he's back full-time in Vegas, but uh he's the number two guy in that in that group. and and Buffalo just kind of out [clears throat] of nowhere, I'm not going to go down this rabbit hole, but you know, putting him at the number six spot, I think also speaks to the resurgence of the Magadinos in Buffalo. Everybody had written them off the page, had written the obit, they were dead. There was no more mafia in Buffalo. And in reality, according to the government, uh Joe Teddaro Jr. and and guys like Bobby Pinaro brought it back and brought it back with a lot of force and a lot of momentum and uh have been making a a lot of money and uh extending their their grasp um beyond Western New York and doing it at a a clip that is reminiscent of the oldtime Buffalo Mafia that had a lot standing. Um, some people called them the six family at certain points. and that uh that group, you know, when old man uh original Tadaro led pipe Joe um when he was slowing down, there was some there was some uh you know, some issues in Buffalo where I think there was some complacency and there was a generational gap and things just you know weren't being handled the way they had been before. Leonard Fzone was uh Lenny the Cowzone was was running the street and I think he probably was a better number two or number three guy than he was a number one guy and by the time he passed and Joe Pizza kind of saw the state of the family. You know, I've I've talked about this before. You know, when you have guys that have the the lineage bloodlines where their dads built something that was, you know, impressive and and powerful and and had the the shine and the and the prestige and it lasted decades in some cases their their dynasties. I don't care how much legitimate money you're making. A lot of times these guys feel obligated to the legacies of their dads and their uncles and their grandpas to keep things moving and grooving. And Joe Pizza saw the state of the family 10 12 years ago and saw saw it fading and he him and Bobby Panero and some other people brought it back, you know, brought it back to life. So, Bobby was Snowball. I'm sorry. I I can't count that. Bobby Snowball was was uh uh was number seven. Now, we're going to get to number six. And uh number six is is Ralphie Belamo of the Genevese Crime Family. And he he you know, if this was a couple years from now, he he could be up into the top two or three, but he just kind of took the job in the last year. So, he's only been an under boss for a short period of time. And he is the last year and a half. And he is uh a younger guy. He's in his 50s, but mentored by Barney Balomo, close to Danny Pagano. And he's the future of that of that crime family. And uh he he is somebody that is a student of history and he's somebody that has a lot of ambition and a lot of talent and that space. Somebody that can uh make money uh can scare people and and can ingratiate himself with other powerful people and other groups. you know, in terms of being a politician, checks a lot of boxes for someone you want shephering your organization and has the has the faith of of the old-timers in that group, in that family. They want him and and Hippie and Mickey Reagusa to be the guys that are uh taking that family forward. And that's the that's the Ivy League. We talk about it. That's the most prestigious family. and you know being tapped as a future boss there uh is is a uh is a real compliment to you as a wise guy and it's a tribute to what uh force that you're viewed as. So again I don't want to make I want to make sure we're we're keeping this in order. So uh number 10 is Charlie Stango. Number nine is Chicago Tony Lop from Detroit. Uh number eight goodlook Maddie. I apologize if I said seven. Number seven, Bobby Snowball. Number six, Ralphie Belamo. Uh, number five, uh, Frankie Bones from the Luces. Um, we'll probably move to Consiliary at some point in the next couple years. But, uh, Frankie Pepagi, um, you know, mentored by Gas and Vic, a guy that has a a tremendous amount of influence on how that family is being run today. He's big Mike Dantis', you know, top guy, top Mike, it's it's Ralph, it's Boat. Vic, you know, is in prison essentially living out his his his last days and can only have so much say even though he's the official boss. Uh and and Ralphie Bones is, you know, he's not necessarily the the long-term future of that Borgata, but uh him, Ray Argentina, Georgie Neck, they'll probably be the the guys that are taking the family forward in of the in the immediate future. Boat, you know, he's in his late 80s now, probably retire soon. And big Mike DSantis has I think he's told people that uh you know he he's been in this acting boss role for a decade and I think he wants to kind of go into some type of semi-retirement and that's why they were looking to pass the baton of leadership to Georgie neck before he took his case and then Mike had to kind of stay in there. But Frankie Bones will be a major factor in taking this crime family forward and will kind of set the tone and you know he's the number two guy and uh could easily in another life or another family could be a could be a boss because he's got that uh that boss oral and he's he's got all the bonafides. All right, number four. Um, little Rob Denrio from the Columbos acting boss under boss. uh you know the great stabilizer, a great seat filler, somebody that has really helped Teddy Persico um Skinny Teddy as he's transitioned into into a leadership role being tapped the the air parent back in in 2020 2021 and then having to go do some time and and little Rob stepped in as the boss and he's a guy that everybody what he loves. Maybe with the exception of some guys in the Gambinos that he's beefing with over [snorts] his son-in-law, but uh you know, he he is uh I've I've heard the term the perfect gangster uh be uh bandied about on the internet lately and some of the podcasts, but uh Little Rob fits the bill. Um, he's quiet, he's understated, he's classy, he knows how to make money. Um, he knows how to, uh, play mafia chess, he knows how to bring people together and build consensus. So, you know, little Rob is been a lifesaver for for the for the Colombos. And uh I don't know how much um how much responsibility he wants when when Teddy comes home again. Is he is he dropped down to under boss just in the title? Because you know what we've reported and we know to be true is that Skinny Teddy wants his best friend BF Francis Gara to either have that under boss role in an acting capacity or official capacity. Little Rob will either be acting or official, but he's being aided heavily by by BF. Sally Terapusco. I'm hearing Tommy Shots is chiming in. Um, but you know, Joe Waverly at the Consiliary spot and uh you know, Little Rob is just the you know, he he's the gold standard when it comes to Brooklyn, when it comes to doing things the right way, when it comes to doing things kind of by the book and knowing how to, you know, keep your head down. Only talk to the, you know, to the right people. Don't waste your time with with uh with nonsense. He's a serious guy who believes in the life, believes in the oath, and he's somebody that is, I think, incredibly underrated. Um, but we're rating them high. We're rating them in the top five. Uh, going to the top three now. number three handsome Stevie Mazone. He's an under boss in title uh out of the Philly LCN group, but you know, he's made some big maneuverings in the last half year and has essentially taken control of the Bruno Scarle crime family. He is the under boss, I think, until he's off paper and then will take over Mikey Lance. Right now, Mikey Lancelotti is the official boss, but the puppeteer right now in Philly is is Stevie Mazone. So, he's probably the most powerful underboss in the country because of the fact that he's a boss in waiting or he's a a shadow boss. But, uh, you know, Stevie is, uh, very well supported in New York. He's got a lot of friends. He's impressed people by sticking to his principles these last couple years as his friend group has come under fire for all the Joey Marino podcasting controversy and how that Joey Marino camp has dealt with his his shelving and him being told that he's no longer uh meaning Marino no longer a part of LCN while acting as he's kind of still the boss and being treated in Philly as he's still the boss and this is something that Stevie He has sought to clean up and finally nip in the bud or I guess it wasn't nip in the bud. Uh has looked to fix a problem that's been lingering and Stevie has asserted himself and imposed his will and that family is his right now. So he's making boss moves. He's at number three. Now we get to the top two. You know, definition of an OG, baby. Number two, Lenny, the conductor, Di Maria from the Gambinos. Uh maybe the most respected, well-connected under boss in in the uh in the country. He is um he's, you know, he's in his 80s, but he's very spry. He's very uh pragmatic. He's somebody that can build or someone that has built bonds and built bridges and and and kept various factions of his own crime family that are kind of sizing each other up and things that with with a a lesser statesman of an underboss. things in that family I think could have turned violent in the last couple years with all the jockeying for power between the Sicilians, the old Gotti crew and little Nikki and his guys. And Lenny D Marie has been the maestro. you know, they call him the conductor because he used to be a a train conductor, but he's almost like a, you know, a symphony conductor with how he's kept that family moving forward and not devolving into um not devolving into anything that can't be fixed. Just, you know, keeping it verbal, not physical. And you know, Lenny also does a lot of troubleshooting and and uh politicking with other families. Every, you know, I'm told that all the uh all the bosses and all the other families uh have nothing but love for Lenny and respect him immensely and he is just, you know, he's a statesman. He uh he believes in the oath and he he knows how to administer um an administrate administer administration. Uh he he's somebody that is kind of the uh the consumate mob administrator for for the 2020s. somebody that was there in the in the glory days, 70s and 60s, 70s and 80s, and somebody that is, you know, carrying that torch for the way things were into today and and doing a a pretty amazing job with it. And I just have never heard anybody say a negative word about Lenny. So, as an underboss, he's incredibly respected, powerful, and beloved. Um, number one right now, I would say the number one underboss in the United States for the Lakos Nostra Network, a mafia, the American mob, Johnny Joe Sporto senior out of the Bananos. He is an underboss. He has an acting boss. He is the right hand number two in charge for Mikey Knows Manuso. And Johnny Joe, uh, since he's stepped into the role the last couple years, all the all the feedback I'm getting is kind of rave reviews for what he's been able to do. And he's a former tough guy who I don't know if people 20 years ago or 30 years ago viewed him as a future statesman, but uh, he's he's risen to the occasion. He's met the moment and has kept more so than what was going on in the Gambinos with all the posturing. You know, the Bananos have had some serious issues the last decade. Um, and issues that look like were in the past and then they flared up back in 2022, I think, um, with the funeral parlor brawl and you know, Manuso having to go back to jail for violating his supervised release and Johnny Joe has just fit in as a as a shot caller, as an under boss, acting boss perfectly and has kept that family stable and has [clears throat] has been a, you know, a Mikey nose whisperer, somebody that can talk sense to Mikey. You know, Mikey uh is one of these very power- hungry bosses and wants what he wants when he wants it. And sometimes you have to have guys that can talk talk those those those alphas, those big personalities that uh that sometimes their eyes kind of get really big and and sometimes they can border on being a little unhinged. And Johnny Johnny Joe has been able to really be be a voice of reason for Mikey knows and has uh was was integral in making sure that the whole Brooklyn Bronx rivalry didn't get more violent than it than it already did because we had some some uh some fights and some shootings. Luckily, nobody was injured, but Johnny Joe calmed the waters and right now uh with with Manuso being under a spotlight. Johnny Joe is is the uh face of the Bananos on the street speaks for for Mikey knows and as I said, everyone I talk to really uh lauds him and gives him accolades for what uh what he's been able to do. So, he's he's kind of a you know, he's an old-timer and then he's in his 60s, but uh is also kind of a rising star because nobody saw him, I think, sitting at the top of the lineup. No one nobody saw him hitting cleanup or uh you know they they viewed him as I think more of a uh you know a part of a of a of a bigger structure or somebody that was just kind of used for one thing like he would be Mikey Manuso's you know junkyard dog. I don't think a lot of people saw him doing what he's doing now, which is the being a a uh even keeled, focused, pragmatic leader and and and somebody who's galvanized people and and brought some people together that maybe you never thought could get brought together. That's what Johnny Joe's done and he gets uh a lot of credit for it from us here at the OG. That's our top 10 original gangsters news network and podcast top 10 American mafia under bosses. We touched on 12 guys. Um but we did a top 10 uh kind of special mention to to uh BF and a little special mention to um Sammy Cadella. I guess we also shouted out some of the other Columbbo administrators, Sally Fusco and Joe Joe Waverly and and uh and and Tommy Shots. But uh hope you I hope everybody enjoyed this. I like doing these rankings. I kind of enjoy, you know, taking these little snapshots these, you know, each year we kind of kind of reshuffle or or uh uh sometimes, you know, like a it's like a stock market. some guys their stocks are rising or their stocks are falling and then we can kind of all index it and and talk about it because that's what we love to do here at the OG is talk and dissect um all this kind of inside baseball uh Lacosa Nostra but also report um some of the larger news and uh some of the broader strokes. So everyone please like, share and subscribe original Gangsters News Network and Podcast. We're here 365 247 um breaking down all the latest news out of the North American underworld, American Mafia, 1% biker bosses, drug kingpins. We're here to give it to you raw and uncut. Uh we got our moles spread out all across North America, giving us information on an almost minute-by-minute basis that we're uh we vet and then we bring to you guys, give it to you exclusively. We're always going to be in front of the curve when it comes to reporting on organized crime. We're going to be, you know, months, if not years, in front of the mainstream media. So, it's been proven time and time again. So, roll with us. We got your true crime fix on tap whenever you need it. Tap in Original Gangsters News Network and Podcast. Uncovering the underworld, one city, one region, one country at a time. I'm out.