Cuneo Crime Family is a fictional Crime family in the Godfather films.
The Family that controlled upper New York State, that arranged smuggling of Italian immigrants from Canada, all upstate gambling and exercised veto power on state licensing of racing tracks, was headed by Carmine Cuneo. This was a completely disarming man with the face of a jolly round peasant baker, whose legitimate activity was one of the big milk companies. Cuneo was one of those men who loved children and carried a pocket full of sweets in the hopes of being able to please one of his many grandchildren or the small offspring of his associates. He was one of the few Dons who had never been arrested and whose true activities had never been suspected. So much so that he has served on civic committees and had been voted as “Businessman of the Year for the State of New York” by the Chamber of Commerce. This was due to the Cuneos cutting the tongues out of anyone who suggested that anything other than milk was stored in their warehouses. The Cuneos are masters of the weapon trade and take great pride in the old-established rackets they run throughout Hell’s Kitchen. Don Cuneo also deals in smuggled cigars from his restaurants and venues. In their territory of dusty tenements, they maintain a monopoly on the small-time gambling and prostitution here, though their gun running and black market contacts provide the income majority for Cuneo. Their kingdom is a desperate hole, a depressing collection of back-streets, doss houses, slums and dirty alleys. Burned-out warehouses, shells of businesses, and shady hotels all jostle for position. Due to the close communities and poor living arrangements, the Cuneo Family has developed a sense of fierce pride and honour, defending those under them with bravery and skill. They see themselves as ‘ancient warrior princes of Sicily’. Don Cuneo and his associates have a reputation for honesty and are trusted by the other Families because of their neutrality and professionalism in business and warfare. However, they are no pushovers, as many have learned, and will relentlessly pursue those that cross them.
Cuneo gangsters are fighters who are combative, skilled, honourable, deadly, and neutral, but relentless when scorned.
