ASixth Family is a crime familyorcriminal organization, usually an Italian-AmericanorItalian-Canadian crime group, that has become powerful or notable enough to rise to a level comparable to that of the Five Families of the New York City Italian-American Mafia. A criminal organization deemed a "Sixth Family" may rival the Five Families or, alternatively, may work closely enough with the Five Families that it appears to be a peer or near coequal of the families.
Various criminal organizations have been deemed the "Sixth Family", often by the press or the criminal underworld. One organization to receive the designation is the Rizzuto crime family based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, though the Rizzuto family does not refer to itself as the "Sixth Family".[1] The Rizzuto family has allegedly worked closely with the Bonanno crime family out of all five New York Five Families.[1] The DeCavalcante crime family, which is based in North Jersey, across the Hudson River from the Five Families, and famously served as the inspiration for the hit TV show The Sopranos, are at times also referred to as the “Sixth Family.”[2][3]
Other criminal organizations referred to as the "Sixth Family" include: