Scranton, PA
and Pittston
This Mafia family sprang up in the Pennsylvania coalmining communities. From Pittston, Scranton and Wilkes Barre, the group spread into adjoining New York State, establishing a presence at Binghamton, Elmira and Apalachin. At times, the family encroached on the territory of the Buffalo family and might have been used by New York's Genovese clan to check the expansion of Buffalo Mafiosi on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border.
Map approximates the territory of the Scranton family.
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1902 - Tomasso Petto (? to 1905). Fleeing prosecution for New York City's "barrel murder," Petto moved to the Scranton area and engaged in black hand extortion.
1905 - Santo Caressi (? to ?). Petto was murdered, apparently in retaliation for the barrel murder. Extortion victims and underworld rivals might also have had a hand in his death. At the time, Santo Caressi led a band of robbers and extortionists in the Scranton area.
1908 - Santo Volpe (1880 to 1933). Volpe appears to have led a criminal organization in the northern Pennsylvania mining communities. He might have been related to the Volpe clan in the Pittsburgh area and was suspected of avenging the 1932 deaths of James, Arthur and John Volpe by planning the murder of Pittsburgh boss John Bazzano.
1933 - Giacomo Sciandra (? to 1940). Sciandra took the leadership of the Scranton group after the death of Volpe in 1933. The Scranton family appears to have been operating under the auspices of New York's Luciano-Genovese family.
 1940 - Giuseppe Barbara (Aug. 9, 1905, to June 17,1959). Barbara took over the Scranton-centered Mafia unit in 1940 when John Sciandra was killed. Some believe Barbara was directly responsible for Sciandra's death. Barbara became wealthy as he gained control of drink distribution operations in western New York State (Binghamton region).
1956 - Rosario Bufalino (1903 to 1989). Joe Barbara experienced a heart attack, and "Russell" Bufalino became acting boss for the Scranton area about 1956.
1957 - New York's Vito Genovese called a national Mafia convention at Joe Barbara's Apalachin, NY, estate. Police crashed the party, took down names and license plate numbers and established links between Mafia groups in different U.S. regions.
 1959 - Rosario Bufalino (1903 to 1989). Upon Barbara's death, "Russell" Bufalino became boss of the Scranton family.
1960s - Russell Bufalino's family began to emerge from under the Genovese family shadow (creating serious concerns within the New York area underworld). The Scranton organization started to move into the Buffalo, NY, region and into Canada. 1970s - Bufalino was one of the U.S. Mafia's most influential characters until his death in 1989. He is widely believed to have had a part in the disappearance of former Teamster President Jimmy Hoffa.
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