Sixth Family

Sixth Family is a term used to refer to a (usually Italian-American or Italian-Canadian) crime family or criminal organization that has become powerful or notable enough to rise to a level comparable or close to that of the Five Families of the New York City Italian-American Mafia. The implications of the term may vary depending on context; a criminal organization deemed a "Sixth Family" may rival the Five Families or, alternatively, work closely enough with the Five Families that it appears to be a peer or near coequal of the Families.

Criminal organizations deemed "Sixth Family"

Various criminal organizations have been deemed the "Sixth Family," often by the press or the criminal underworld. One of the more notable organizations to receive the designation of the "Sixth Family" is the Rizzuto crime family based out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, though the Rizzuto family does not refer to itself as the "Sixth Family." One of the most powerful North American Mafia families, the Rizzuto family has worked closely with the New York Five Families.

Other criminal organizations referred to as the "Sixth Family" include:

• East Harlem Purple Gang, a semi-independent gang of Italian American hit-men and heroin dealers who dominated heroin distribution in East Harlem and the Bronx during the late 1970s and early 1980s in New York City.
• Rudaj Organization, an Albanian mafia family in New York City.
• The Gallo crew/gang, an Italian-American Brooklyn Mafia crew led by mobster Joe Gallo.