Top 25 Mafia Capos in 2026 (US)

Original Gangsters News with Scott Bernstein. >> Welcome to the Original Gangsters News Network and Podcast. I'm your host, Scott Bernstein, and today we're going to break down the top 25 capos in the American Mafia in 2026. We're going to go 25, make our way to the number one most powerful capo in the Lakosenra in the United States, modern day. Let's break it down. Uh, so we start at number 25. We're going to start in my hometown, Detroit, Michigan. Jeppe Dana Joe the Hood. Dana, uh, leads the zip faction here. Is probably the most powerful skipper. controls the whole east side of Detroit. He's got connections uh you know in the United States, in Canada, in Europe. He's uh very influential and and transcontinental. Uh his uncle is the godfather of Terasini, Sicily, where uh is the town that most of the Detroit mob dating back a hundred years trace their trace their roots to. So Joe Hood, Joe the Hood checks in at number 25. Number 24, Tommy the Monk, Ceasano. Uh, one of the queens capos in the Gambinos, took over from the Truchios back in, uh, the late 2000s, early 2010s, uh, was around, you know, the Gotti regime. Him and Jean Gotti now kind of split Queens uh, in terms of uh, leadership for the Gambinos. And uh you know this is an OG, a guy that uh is a sleeper. Not a lot of people know about him in terms of uh you know media headlines. He's not a guy that is a household name in New York, but he is very powerful and his reputation rings burrow to burrow. He's a guy that uh needs no introduction and you know doors open for him all across New York City. He's a little bit, you know, stepped back in semi-retirement lately given uh the reigns back to according to our reporting back to Alrusio and uh Mike Rockforte. But Tommy the Monsano checks in at number 24. Number 23, Johnny Malbury of the Bananos. He is uh Mikey knows Manuso's kind of uh top capo. He's a guy that is uh both a strong arm as well as a money maker. A lot of respect. Speaks for Mikey the nose on the streets. Has helped, you know, kind of uh stewart that crime family during the Mikey Nose era. And is is isn't anybody to be trifled with Johnny Malbury at number 23. Let's go to um 22. And at 22, we're going to have the Pera Boys, the Lucesy Mob Capos in Jersey. We're going to kind of do a a two four here. Big Joe and Little Joe. First cousins, come from a a a long rich lineage of LCN in the New Jersey Leazi faction. Lots of Peras. And uh you know, the last name speaks for itself. It means uh respect. It means, you know, a high gangland IQ. It means somebody that is wellconed whether they're in Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, New England, all the peras uh are networkers and uh you know, both Big Joe and Little Joe are uh you know, facing cases right now. Big Joe, I believe out in his case. Little Joe is still dealing with his case. But uh despite the legal issues that they both have, they are both powerhouses and they check in at 22. Number 21 and number 20 are sleepers on the west side. Number 21, Alex the Iliaro, uh Genevese Mob Copo from Staten Islands. Got a lot of uh action in New Jersey as well. He is a guy that was schooled um by a kind of a a an all-star team of of you know stealthy big money earning respected Genevase elders um guys like little Larry Dantico Fritzy Giovanelli um Ninny Bruski Ali Shades. So, I mean, this is a guy that uh was taught the right way to do things. He's, you know, very plays things close to the vest. He's understated. Doesn't like his name being spoken about. People uh touch their right eye with their right index finger to indicate they're talking about Alex Killaro. And he's a guy that Paty Plloello I know leans on uh the the Genevese mob consiliary um leans on Alice Kigglarov as a sounding board you know as a as somebody that he goes to for counsel. So the counselor of the Genevase seeks counsel from the eye. Alex Kigliaro uh could easily be um higher on this list. Um number 20 another sleeper on the west side Jimmy T. Jimmy Tanaglia, uh, Staten Island Capo, right-hand man to Tony B Pal, Tony D. Palumbo and Danny Pagano. Uh, you know, comes from Brooklyn. started in the old motion lounge crew with the Bananos with Sunny Black and those guys, the Donnie Brasco era uh in the 70s and early 80s and then eventually uh through um through Jimmy Knap uh came over to the West Side and and hooked up with Danny and Tony D and has been a integral cog in in that uh in that power structure, especially more recently since Danny Bano stepped into to become the acting boss. Jimmy T has kind of been a chief of staff um arranging at meetings and relaying messages for for Danny. But, uh, Jimmy T is not a guy that gets a lot of lip service in terms of the chat forums and the social media accounts, but people that know, you know, people that have the pay grade to know who's who, everybody respects Jimmy T. And, uh, he's a guy, he's about to, I think he's about to be seven years old. Um, you know, he's done his time. He did he did a couple years in the feds in the 80s, but other than that, he's he's been able to, you know, be pretty slick and make a living and and, you know, not make a lot of headlines. So, Jimmy Taglia comes in at 20. Number 19, Joey Relay. Joey Lebrano, uh, he's a, uh, you know, a future Lucesy administrator, most likely was, uh, mentored by Stevie Wonder. Stevie Ka is uh another one of these guys that you know checks a lot of boxes in terms of being uh a tough guy, somebody that people fear in terms of being a earner in terms of somebody that can make money and uh somebody that a lot of the OGs have a ton of respect and faith and trust in they and they have since Joey Relay was in his 20s. Um, and he's a guy that's super connected andworked around all the different burrows and all the different crime families. Uh, Joey Relay comes in at 19. Number 18, uh, Phil the Wizard of Brammo, New Jersey Decalocante crime family, representing the the, uh, New York faction of that crew, you know, huge, huge earner, uh, a brilliant mind for for Wall Street. uh scams and and rackets. Uh is a guy that goes way back in the Decalantes. This is a guy that could easily be in the administration right now, but it's just a very powerful capo that I think, you know, he he's not an unofficial administrator, but he's like in that same orbit as all those administrators. I think for pino shifitty uh uh Philip Brammo was somebody that just like on the west side where Paty Pllo looks to someone like Alex Kunigliaro for as a sounding board. That's the that's the case with the Davocantes with Pino being the consiliary but Philip Brammo uh being a guy that the official consularary and Pino looks to for advice and counsel. So, uh, uh, Philip Rammo comes in at 18. Number 17, we're going to go out to New England. Uh, Anthony Champy, Buddy Champy, he's the future of that New England family. He runs the East Boston crew. He is a protege of Bobby Corrosa, who is the boss of the family right now. Um, everything that I've heard is that uh, Buddy Champy is slated as the Arab parent and that he will be taking over the patriarch of crime family at some point probably in the next 5 10 years. And uh, you know, it's been around for a long time. He he uh, held things down for the East Boston guys in the 90s when uh, J.R. Russo, Bobby Crosa, Bagio, um, Spuckyy, you know, when they all got into their various legal entanglements. Um, Buddy Champy was was there uh in the 90s minding the shop and he had to go to prison for a little bit, but since he uh came out, he has uh kept his head down and has risen up the food chain in the Patriarchas. Now, you know, the the family's future is is in Buddy Champy's front pocket right now and is a guy that uh has a lot of trust and uh a lot of respect from the old-timers. He's he's in his 60s. He's not a young guy, but uh his his time as a as a boss is on the horizon. So, buddy champion, uh, number 17, uh, at 16 and 15, we're go back to the west side. 16, Mike Reagusa. 17, Uncle Patty Falsetti. Um, two of the most powerful captains in New York City. They're guys that could easily be in the administration right now. They they have both in the past been administrators. uh Mike Regusa as street boss and acting under boss. Patty falsetti as acting consiliary for a period of time. Patty runs the 116th street crew and uh Mickey Regusa Mike Regusa is uh Ernie Muscarellera's uh you know his protege. Uh these are two guys that very easily could be, you know, in administration posts in the future and not in acting capacities. These guys both have the chops to be a boss. So uh you know, they're the type of guys that uh have a ton of say and influence. Um they're you know, connected. They are the type of guys that from a young age were tapped by a lot of the OGs on the west side as future capos, future administrators, and they've have lived up to the uh to those expectations. Um, you know, salt of the earth types, guys that the oath means something to them, the history of of uh the West Side means something to them. They're uh they're tried and true. They have a lot of pride and uh guys like Barney and Danny Pagano, Ernie Moscarella, Paty Pllo, guys like that uh think very highly of Patty and and Mike Regusa. Uh they could easily be higher on this uh on this ranking as well. So uh that brings us into our top 15. Number 14, we're going to go out to the Bruno Scar crime family um in their New Jersey wing. Joe Lacata, Joe Scoops. Um, you know, this is a guy that, uh, goes way back. Everybody loves Joe Scoops. He's very capable. Um, he's a guy that has that kind of quintessential rolodex. Knows everybody, can go anywhere and, uh, get meetings with anybody. somebody that has always been loyal and a faithful member of the Philadelphia mob representing um Newark and in North Jersey. He's uh somebody that uh could easily be an administrator. Uh there were rumors that he was consilary at a point. I don't think those were true, but uh you know, he's a guy that uh represents history, represents um durability, represents resilience, and uh you know, he his whole career in LCN has been making his way up the ladder in a crime family that was for for the last, you know, 40 years [clears throat] has been a crime family with a lot of violence and a lot of political maneuvering and a lot of alliances and um factions and and Joe Scoops has been able to kind of seamlessly work his way between all those factions and and and never really accumulate enemies. He's somebody that uh everybody gets along with and everybody respects. So, uh, Joe Scoops, you know, he gets the nickname because he always has the scoop. He knows what's going on. He's like, uh, uh, a one-man, uh, Elion newswire. He's somebody that people, uh, confide in and, uh, has a a strong head on his shoulders and is somebody that a lot of the younger guys over the last 20 years plus, uh, have uh, you know, leaned on. So, Joe Scoops, Lakata runs in uh, comes in in this ranking at 14. Number 13, back out to the west side. Rom Anthony Rammonelloo, the Queen skipper for the Genevese mob. He's in his 80s. Did a little prison time. Um, you know, didn't slow him down. He's an OG. you know, he took over for tough Tony Federici's crew and is very uh trusted by the the Genevese mobs administration. He's somebody that uh again has a lot of connections. I mean, I think that's a part of this list. Uh if you're a capo, uh you're going to get if you're a capo that [clears throat] you know whose word and whose reach stretch beyond stretches beyond their neighborhood or their burrow that's going to or their city or state that's going to um you know score you points in uh the way we did this ranking and Rahm uh probably will never become an administrator but uh has been a rockolid [snorts] skipper and you know he's a tough guy. He stands his ground. He has a lot of love for him coming from Barney the boys up top. So, uh Anthony Ramanella comes in at 13. Uh number 12, Dom Grande, baby Domar in Philly. He's only in his 40s. He's been a cappo for about 10 years. Uh got made young. He's a a guy that uh was viewed as a future leader back when he was in his 20s. And those uh you know those predictions about where he you know what the trajectory of his career was going to be were were spot on. Um is a guy that uh you know everybody loves Baby Dom. Baby Tom is uh you know fresh relatively uh fresh off of about a fiveyear prison sentence. Um looks good, looks trim, looks fit. Um you know he is the future of the of the Philly mob. You know this is his family. Um when when uh Stevie and Georgie and Mikey Lance and you know that that Joey Marino crew that's been around for been in power for three decades when those guys finally retire in 10 15 years it's going to be Dom Grand's family. Um and uh he's somebody that again uh died in wool as Jerry Capacy says. uh it's got uh that LCN DNA and knows knows the rules, is a stickler for the rules. um for a guy that is relatively young um was somebody that surrounded himself by OG's um has got that bloodline and uh is one of Stevie Mazone's nephews via marriage. Stevie uh has mentored him. Mikey Lance has mentored him. Anthony Nicodemo before he got locked up. Joey Molino's former bodyguard and driver has has mentored him. Joy Molino himself uh is the person I think has has said over, you know, before Joey even stepped down three years ago. Uh him, Stevie and Georgie were in lock step that the future of the family was Baby Dom. So Teflon Dom, baby Dom, he checks in at number 12. Number 11, Ronnie G. Ronnie G. Lonzo is a guy that's uh most likely the future of the Banano Klein family. Represents the Bananos in Queens. Comes from that uh Vineaso crew. And uh Ronnie G and Ernie Illo are the future of of the Banano clan. Uh they'll be running that family when Mikey Manuso uh is out of the picture. Ronnie G is tough as nails. Um, somebody that uh is just represents everything that the life has to offer. And I mean the life as in uh being a wise guy, being a good fellow. Uh, you know, he is the the the prototype. Um he's a blue chipper and he's somebody that uh has always been viewed as a guy that can push the needle and represent the old-timers the way they wanted to be represented and is a natural leader. And uh Ronnie G is uh you know again he's really what it's all about. Um, you know, for a guy that's only, I think, in his 50s, he acts and carries himself, you know, as a guy that, uh, could be in their 70s or 80s. That's the level of respect and knowledge that he has. So, let's go get into the top 10 now. Number 10, Ray Argentina from the Luces. Uh I'm told that he is most likely going to be uh uh you know in the administration at some point in the next couple years. He's been helping a lot with with Georgie Neck behind bars fighting his case. Um Ray Argentina is one of these if you know you know types. You know, again, not somebody that is in a lot of newspaper headlines, but somebody on the streets that anybody that knows that, you know, knows the knows the life, anybody that uh lives in the New York City LCN orbit, the New Jersey LCN orbit, Ray Argentina is a name that echoes and people immediately stand to attention when Ray when Ray Argentina's name is brought up. He uh puts a lot of fear into people uh but people respect him and he's the type of guy that uh the Luces are looking for to step up big with Georgie neck facing these these legal problems and rare Argentina has quietly been kind of one of those straws that stir the drink for the Luces for Big Mike and Frankie Bones and and uh Boat. Uh, you have a a situation with Ray Argentina where, you know, he might not be in the in the first list of names when you're talking about the most powerful copos in New York, but then you you start to, you know, do the listings and and start breaking things down, and it's like you can't you can't leave them out of the top 10. I mean, that's how um kind of what an underrated superpower Ray Argentina is. So, he he's in at number 10. Uh number nine, Andy Campos. We're talking about uh you know, future bosses. He's been, you know, tapped as a future boss of the Gambinos for a long time. Helps run their uh uh their operations out of the Bronx. you know, he's a guy that uh got uh got in trouble for a supervised release violation. Probably will have to go back and and do a little bit of time. But Andy Campos is, you know, you want to talk about, you know, it's like uh back in the day when you when at least when I did when I collected baseball cards, you would look for those uh rising rookies and [clears throat] you know, you people that have been following LCN in New York City, you've been hearing about Andy Campo since the 90s and he's only in his, you know, 50s or early 60s right now. uh you know he's been a guy that uh everybody has had big expectations for him and he has passed you know those those tests of whether or not he was going to be what people thought he was going to become. He's passed those tests with flying colors because Andy Campos uh is poised to at some point, you know, after uh the Sicilians, after Jean Gotti and little Nikki and um you know, when those guys time has has passed, uh Andy Campos is, you know, is going to be a guy that's probably, if not the leader, one of the leaders of the Gambinos going into the 2030s and 40s. So, uh, that's number nine. Number eight, we're going to stay with the Gambinos. Bo Filipelli, uh, the Gambinos CPO out New Jersey, another guy that's, you know, been around forever, but really isn't that old. Um, he's one of those, you know, what I call like kind of Triple Crown guys, trifecta guys, uh, loved, feared, and respected all at the same time. And uh you know he's somebody that has connections in the Gambinos. He has connections outside the Gambinos. He has connections in Eastern Europe. He's got connections uh in other parts of um you know other parts of the country, not just in New York and New Jersey. You go all up and down the east coast. And Bo Philip Pell is somebody that uh everybody knows and everybody respects. So, uh, Bo comes in at number eight. Number seven, Anthony Palumbo, Tony D., uh, the boss of Staten Island in New Jersey for the Genevese crime family. One of these, you know, types that could easily be a boss right now. Could be an administrator. You know, I'm told that the boss of New Jersey, uh, on the west side is officially considered an administrative post, but he's not in that, you know, the traditional administration right now. He was in the running to be under boss when Danny Pagano took over, but uh lost out to Ralphie Balsamo. [clears throat] But, you know, he's about to be I think he's in his late 70s. And uh Tony D could easily be a boss. He's definitely one of the most powerful and respected copos in New York City. Um Barney and Danny both look at Tony D as uh you know a critical part of their operation and a big reason that the West Side uh is such a welloiled machine is people like Tony De. So, um, let's go to, uh, number six. Stay in the Gambinos. Ernie Gillo. um probably one of the most underrated uh capos in in New York City when it comes to uh influence, when it comes to how far their word goes, when it comes to just pound-for-pound respect and admiration. Ernie Gillo is, you know, he he's he's right up there, uh, you know, in regards to the Gambinos. He might not be in the administration, but he he holds the kind of weight that administrators hold. And that that's a a big part of what this list is about. and these capos that are obviously they're they're skippers, but a lot of these guys have the type of presence, the type of um influence, the type of juice that administrators have. Uh, all right, let me get into the top five. And out of these five, you got three from New York, two from Chicago. So, let's uh jump in. Number five, Rudy Fred, Rudy the Chin, um old old oldtimer in the Chicago mob runs Elwood Park goes back to Tony Iardo he's in his 80s there's speculation that he may be consiliary or he might have been consiliary uh we know for sure he's the capo he he leads the Elwood Park faction of the Chicago outfit he has a bosslike presence >> [snorts] >> uh he carries himself as a godfather and he's treated as such in a lot of the places that he goes to. [snorts] Um he's a bit of a lightning rod. You know, he's got hardcore loyalists in Chicago. He's got, you know, handful of of uh naysayers, but for the most part, Rudy Fred is universally respected and feared and is kind of the consumate racketeer and somebody that was taught by the Mount Rushmore of the Chicago outfit, the Defonzos, Joe the Builder, Tony Accardo. These were the guys that taught uh Rudy Brad uh Rudy Fredo. So he comes in at number five. Number four, Albi the Falcon Vina, the most dangerous man in Chicago. who used to be the street boss. Now he's just a skipper uh running the Grand Avenue crew, the godfather of Grand Avenue. He's ran Grand Avenue for over 15 years. He was street boss for a period of time. Now he's back to just being um skipper uh on Grand Avenue. Albby Vina is, you know, [snorts] the prototype of of what a Chicago outfit button is. Um he's he's a little grimy, you know, he's unapologetic. He's he's gritty, but when he needs to, he can uh put on put on his best duds and go out and and look sharp. Um he's somebody that uh people fear. They definitely fear him. The government has him as a suspect in numerous gangland slains. He he beat a murder case in the 90s. He was mentored by Joy the Clown, Frank the German, Vince Solano, Lenny Patrick, Gus Alex. Again, you're talking about like a all-star team of outfit mentors and uh you know, right now I would say he he's the most powerful capo in Chicago. Could have easily been a boss. He was the street boss, but uh Albivina moves in at the number four spot. Number three, Little Nikki Corroso. You know, you look up OG in the dictionary and little Nikki's going to be there staring right back at you. Does everything the right way, been around forever, helped the Gottis, um run the family during the Gotti era, did his time, never complained about it, and now kind of has his own faction of the Gambinos that he's running. It's very likely he could be in in the administration either very soon. Um possibly he's in the administration now. We don't know. But uh little Nikki Corroso is the quintessential Gambino um nomad in that he he can go from Brooklyn to Queens to Florida and he's just as powerful no matter where uh no matter where he's stationed. And uh again goes way back and you know is is a legend. He's already a legend. He's already in the Hall of Fame. Number [snorts] two, Jeene Gotti, the last of the uh of the Gotti regime. He's about 80 years old. Controls most of Queens. What else can you say? He's Jean Gotti. I mean, [laughter] uh he he's a he's a Titan. He's a a guy that lived in his brother's shadow. And I if if you really know the lay of the land and you study it and you talk to a lot of people, this is no disrespect to John Gotti, but uh Jean is really without question. Um, if you're judging or analyzing mobsters, gangsters, LCM members, Jean is is the is the real star, the standout in the Gotti family. Now, he was never a boss like his brother John or his other brother Pete, but easily could have been if if circumstances had been different. He had to go do a lot of time behind bars. Uh, and Jean Gotti is has the best qualities of his brothers John and Peter uh, and not really any of their shortcomings. So, in terms of a Gotti gangster, you know, Jean Gotti is is where they broke the mold. Then, not with John or with Pete. Um, let's so move on to number one. And uh it's hot in here, man. It's in Detroit. We're uh we're in the 90s and and my AC again is giving me problems. So I apologize if my brow is uh is my brow is sweating. Uh but finish up uh number one on this list really needs uh uh you know, give me the drum roll here. is a guy that uh you know is the definitive guy behind the guy behind the guy. Alons, Ali Shades, Malangone. Um he's he's running Manhattan. All the skippers in in Manhattan report to Alli Shades. He is without question in my mind the most powerful cappell regime in New York City LCN which makes him the most powerful cappo regime in American LCN. He's almost 90 years old. Uh it was never a boss but easily could be a boss. Bosses not just in the Genevese but bosses in other families look to him for counsel. Uh he is, you know, quintessential LCN shot caller. Somebody that uh is a relic, you know, is a guy that goes way back. Sanitation, uh on the docks, bookmaking, lone sharking, Wall Street rackets, you know, he knows how to make money. natural leader, sharp as attack, even if his his, you know, body has been failing a little bit. I know that he uh gets around either in a wheelchair or a walker right now, but you know, he's like Yoda, you know, like in Star Wars. That's who Alli Shades is, and that's why he's number one on this list. So, uh, that's the top 25 American LCN copos in 2026. I'm Scott Bernstein, original gangsters news network and podcast. Uncovering the underworld, one city, one region, one country at a time. Please like, share, and subscribe. We'll be back with some great uh underworld content very soon, very shortly. Whenever you come to the OG Pod, you're going to get uh the the latest breaking news when it comes to all underworld activity in North America. We're always going to be in front of the curve. We're always going to be giving uh you know giving you information five 10 steps ahead of uh mainstream media and other people in this genre. We have the type of analysis and access and perspective that you're only going to get here. None of the drama, only facts, only hardnose investigative reporting. And uh we love doing it. We love bringing you your OC fix. I'm Scott Bernstein. We'll see you next time on OG Pod.