The Commission (Cosa Nostra)

Overview

The Commission is the governing body of the American Mafia, created to oversee the families' activities and settle disputes between them. In Liberty City its meetings are held in Little Italy, Algonquin. Its seats belong to the city's five families: the Gambetti family under Jon Gravelli, the Pavano family under Mary Valvona, the Messina family under Harvey Noto, the Lupisella family under Mark Lupisella and the Ancelotti family under Giovanni Ancelotti. The five are modeled on New York's real Five Families, and the Commission itself is only ever mentioned, never shown in session.

History

In GTA IV, Jimmy Pegorino's Alderney-based family spends the story trying to earn a seat, doing favors for the Pavanos and fighting a small war against the Ancelottis, but the established families look down on it and its chances fade by the end of the game. Ancelotti underboss Charles Matteo often represents his family at meetings, and in Trespass he threatens to report Phil Bell to the Commission before Niko Bellic kills him. In The Lost and Damned, the five families are among the rival gangs Johnny Klebitz and The Lost MC fight in Gang Wars. In The Ballad of Gay Tony, their crews are targets in Luis Lopez's Drug Wars, and the Messinas are shown at war with the Ancelottis.

Territory and activities

The families run drug trafficking, extortion, gambling, bribery, loan sharking, racketeering, fencing, robbery, hijacking and murder. Their fronts include fruit markets, waste management, construction companies, labor unions, Algonquin nightclubs, Auto Eroticar, Honkers Gentlemen's Club and Drusilla's. Soldiers carry pistols, Micro SMGs, pump and combat shotguns, assault rifles and even grenade launchers. The Ancelottis hire the Albanian Mob as muscle and partner with the Russians on cocaine.

Trivia

• During Gang Wars, Clay Simons may tell the crew to show the mobsters it is no longer the seventies.
• A Liberty Tree article recalls old wars between the Pavanos and the Gambettis and between the Ancelottis and the Lupisellas.