Carlo Piranio founded the Dallas faction in 1921. He was the boss of the family until 1930. His brother Joseph Piranio succeeded him and was in control of the family until 1956. Joe Civello succeeded him and was the most notorious of the Dallas bosses, mainly because of his involvement with Jack Ruby, the killer of Lee Harvey Oswald. Civello's family was always under the control of the New Orleans family which was led by Carlos Marcello. Marcello and Florida boss Santo Trafficante were the two mob bosses most likely to be involved in a conspiracy to kill President Kennedy, according to a 1978 report by the House Committee on Assassinations. Civello was in control of the nightclub that Ruby ran, and Ruby reported to him weekly on matters such as loan sharking and racketeering. After all of the publicity from the assassination of Kennedy, the family had to lay low, and the conviction of Marcello in Louisiana led to the demise of the Dallas family. According to the FBI, it is no longer active.

by Mario Machi