Mercanti crime family

The Mercanti Crime Family of Los Santos was an Italian-American mafia active in southern San Andreas during the 1980s until the early 2010s. Formed primarily by multiple Italian-American gangsters in the early 1980s, it was headed during its entirety by Aldo Mercanti, who was later assassinated on December 2, 2016, with sources debating the attempt was carried out by a splinter group of the Mercanti or the Sabatino Family. Following his assassination, the small organization fell into tatters, with several members going on to join other organizations and splinter groups, many of which would also collapse soon after.

The power of the Mercanti family peaked in 2014 and 2015, when it had a large stake in the prostitution, extortion and hijacking rackets in southern San Andreas, particularly in the Los Santos metropolitan area. However, by late 2016, the organization encountered turmoil due to several FBI investigations, along with in-fighting between senior members, and fell into a state of decline which was further hastened by the loss of Street Boss Anthony Scaletta earlier in the year, on February 20.

Don Aldo Mercanti was assassinated 10 months after the death of his Street Boss at his Chumash home. His son, Vinnie, was also found in the remains of the home after it was fire-bombed, meaning he had stayed behind to fend off the attack on his family's home or he could not escape the inferno that was caused by his father's killers.

Organized crime experts debate whether or not the Mercanti crime family should be considered part of the American Mafia. To the knowledge of FBI investigators, the Mercanti family had little-to-no ties to the Commission in Liberty City, though some informants claim the initiation ceremony of La Cosa Nostra was practiced regularly, although no concrete proof exists.

A notable trait of the Mercanti was Don Aldo Mercanti's willingness to personally involve himself in most high-octane jobs, sources claim. It was reportedly not unusual to spot Aldo on the front lines of a job with fellow Mercanti soldiers.

Many researchers consider the Mercanti Family to have been a mafia-hybrid organization in its structure due to the usage of their Street Crews, organizations which varied in formation, style and MO, but later operated callously and without the typical clandestine tactics found in other organizations in the area - tactics which eventually led to the syndicate's downfall. The organization was also known for working heavily with outside ethnic groups, which was a source of conflict between senior members who believed in pure Italian supremacy.

The Mercanti Crime Family was loosely considered part of the Los Santos mafia.

## Structure

Despite having a singular head of the Mercanti Family, the operations of the the mafia was delegated between several "Street Crews" inside of the family's ranks. The Street Crews of the Mercanti worked with different styles and played into modern gangland tactics with a varied mix of criminals, from bikers to gang-bangers. Many of the members were recruited into Street Crews when they became known as muscle for the Mercanti.

These Street Crews were traditionally ran by a "Shot-Caller" and a "Point-Man" who controlled Mercanti business in a certain district of the cities where Mercanti operated. Their headquarters and stash houses were generally close to the areas of operations, which was a double-edged sword for when they frequently fought law enforcement or other Street Crews in time of warfare.

Despite their honor to serve Aldo Mercanti, many Street Crews' leaders would cultivate a culture of suspicion and distrust against the other Street Crews, which led to many civil wars between the Mercanti ranks. The most famous of which was nicknamed *The Purge,* in which many members of the Mercanti Crime Family were executed or removed from power with no need of Aldo's permission. Although no sources can agree on the number of Purge-related deaths, the number has been averaged between 30-40 associates and members of the Mercanti lost their lives.

### Elysian Island Earls

    *Wise and cunning strategists, these cold-blooded and calculated heavy hitters specialize in teamwork and planning. They are able to execute great scores and heists while remaining under-the-radar, a truly old-school Street Crew. They drive dark sedans and enforce their agenda with these two signature weapons; the silenced Vintage Pistol and the Calvery Dagger. Blue is their color and in their free time they usually sharpen their skills by working their aim at the shooting gallery, or helping the other Street Crews make someone talk with their long, sharp blades.*

*The Earls are involved in all manner of criminal activity, but mainly specialize in smuggling. They normally wear dark attire to blend in with their blue-collared neighbors of the piers, but they're not afraid to wear the occasional suit at the ports. It's suggested that you can spot an Earl based on if they're wearing a flat cap or not. Again, they're real old-school mafiasos.*

### La Puerta Dukes

    *Strong and confident, members of this Street Crew feel at home on the streets and like to mix it up in some of Los Santos' tougher neighborhoods. Dukes are known to drive black SUVs through the hoods to make their pressure on the streets certainly known. Out of the all the Mercanti Street Crews, the Dukes are the most like a run-of-the-mill street gang, rivaling the Ballas and the Chamberlain Gang over turf and drug profits. These street-smart Mercantis mean nothing but business. Their signature weapons are the Automatic Pistol, and keeping up with their hardy backgrounds, are known for fighting with their bare hands, broken bottles, or whatever they can get at the time of the fight. Their colors are all kinds of red.*

*They operate in areas concerning street operations and specialize in drug-related activities. They wear a range of clothes in the usual "gang chic" such as white singlets, t-shirts and track pants. Dukes cannot go a day without wearing their signature hat - the bandana. In their free time they're known to group up and hit the town causing general trouble and seeing what they can get up too. They are known for their skills in dealing with enemies of the Mercanti and living that "gangsta life".*

### Rockford Hills Viceroys

    *Smart flashy and determined to get filthy rich, the members of this Street Crew are known to show off their wealth and have been known to party with the rich and famous, however, do not let that fool you as these Mercanti are as tough as the rest, using their seemingly-legitimate facade is a front for their criminal activities to flourish. They can be seen on the Golf Course or driving their sports classics around Rockford Hills. Their signature weapons are golf clubs (particularly 9-Irons), and the SNS Pistol, which they keep nearby at all times. Their color is gray.*

*Viceroys, usually, wear formal attire and flashy or gray suits topped with their signature fedoras. They are known for their ability to rack up cash and assets, and have an extensive collection of cars and clothing. In general they like to enjoy life and and make money without getting their hands dirty too often.*

### Del Perro Barons

    *Vastly-ambitious and fast-paced. Members of this Street Crew enjoy living the life while making their bones and earning respect on the mean beaches of Del Perro. They enjoy being seen as mafioso and are involved in all levels of crime, particularly extortion. Their color of choice is orange. Barons can be seen riding all vehicles at the beach, or driving their favorite sports car. Their weapons of choice are baseball bats and Heavy Pistols. They usually wear lighter, more casual clothing such as polo shirts, shorts and boat shoes, but they still have a love for their signature hat - the "Pork Pie". They are known to be hustlers and good drivers.*

### La Mesa Counts

    *Dark and Mysterious. Members of this Street Crew get on with business and are always searching for ways to make money and gain power. They stay out of the spotlight, unless being seen driving one of their notorious muscle cars which they spend their free time tuning and modding. No one really knows exactly what they get up to, but they are Mercanti through and through and are a mix of traditional mafia values with modern mafia practices.*

*They are involved in many areas of crime but specialize in automobile theft and other stealth-related robberies. They are a reliable bunch, particularly when using their signature weapons, ranging from silenced pistols to crowbars. They wear mostly dark clothing such as a t-shirts, work pants and dark sport shoes. Their signature hat is the beanie, and most carve eyeholes into theirs to use as a make-shift ski mask for their crimes. Their Crew's color is purple and they're known to be stealthy and difficult to pin down when their back is up against the wall. They are hard working men and women of few words but numerous actions.*

### Alta Knights

    *Brave and energetic, "Danger" is their middle name. From daring heists to high-speed chases, members of this Street Crew are always up for a job or a bit of excitment. They can be seen speeding through traffic on their sportsbikes, or you can even catch them diving into pools from rooftops during the summer just for the thrill. Green is their color which can almost never be seperated from a Knight under any circumstances. Their weapons of choice are the sawn-off Shotgun and machetes.*

*They're involved in all types of crime but specializing in armed robbery. They wear "ex-biker" clothing, mainly meaning leather jackets and t-shirts, rugged jeans and boots. Their signature hats range from the many branded caps you can see in any shop window, as long as the brand isn't known for terrible bikes that offend these connoisseurs. They are known for being good with a gun and wanting to be the Don's go-to Street Crew for street matters, such as enforcement. They're brave, and maybe sometime fool-hardy, men and women who seek fame and fortune in the Mercanti Family.*

## Traditions and History

### Recruitment

Mercanti in the late 1980s. Some of the earliest members shared this one vehicle. (Pictured Left-Right: Tony Calvetti, Jake Leonardi (Unseen), Vinnie Vici and Don Aldo Mercanti.)Mercanti in the 1990s outside of the Vanilla Unicorn. (Pictured: Gino Rossi, Vittorè Belmónte, Vito Gotti, Manfred Kingsley, Joseph DiNapoli and Mike "Lich" Cipriani.)Christiano De Santa and Tommy De Santa, an example of the Mercanti's tradition of reaching out to family members as potential members.The Farlo Family, another example of a family that gained infamy through its size and membership inside of the Mercanti's ranks.Due to the Mercanti's heavy belief in teamwork, it was not uncommon for a Mercanti member's family to join the ranks of the Mercanti (i.e. the Vario Family), however, more oddly, the Mercanti was also known to frequently recruit women into their ranks in an odd display of diversity. It was also very common for non-Italians in the Mercanti to progress through the ranks and some of those considered *Honored* in Mercanti mythology were of mixed heritage.

### Death

Death in the Mercanti was common, primarily due to the nature of the work and the later-developing culture of suspicion that was heightened near the fall of the Mercanti. However, during these times, it was a common theme for members of the deceased's family to come to the Mercanti in search for revenge or employment.

### Capo's Curse

The *Capo's Curse* was the myth that any Mercanti to take up Aldo's job of Caporegime was doomed to perish or be exposed as a traitor. There are countless cases where a new Capo of the Mercanti would be dead within two weeks of accepting the position. The myth, however, was considered broken by Anthony Scaletta when he not only survived the role of Caporegime, but was promoted to Aldo's first Street Boss, leaving behind his Street Crew in the process to become Don Mercanti's personal advisor.

However, modern beliefs stem that Anthony Scaletta was not the only survivor, and that the myth of the curse was widly blown out of proportion.

### Political Marriage

With both male and female Mercanti members, marriage between the two to elevate careers were not uncommon, and some families made their foundations off this fact. For most people into the idea of political marriages, their goal was to try marry into the Mercanti family to gain favor with Aldo Mercanti, or to marry into many of the senior members' families to forge alliances between each other.

Rarely, ironically, a child would be birthed from these marriages as both partners of the Mercanti would still be considerately-active members.

## Leaders and known membership

### Administration

* **Boss** - Aldo Mercanti †
* **Street Boss** - Anthony Scaletta †

### Honored Members

* Adrian Valento
* Adone Fanucci
* Ashley Vercetti
* Carmine Balrone
* Carmicheal "Ombra" Bordello
* Chris "XP" Gallo
* Danny "Fubu" Scarcello
* Fresh "Ace"
* Gavin "Ice" Marcello
* Glarke
* J. Altieri
* "Old" Jake Leonardi
* Jason Law
* "Phoenix" Jay
* Jay D.
* Joe "The Wolf" Carter
* Kodi "Gas" Torello
* Lucy Ross
* Marco Worthington
* Robert "Eagle" Aquila
* Samuel Pepper
* Thomas Ernesto "The Cuban" Vercetti †
* Tom Manzoni
* Vito Federici
* Vito Scaletta †

### Caporegimes

* Andre DiMartino
* Callum Vanzetti
* Carlo Mercanti
* Charles "Smiley" Farlo
* James Vario
* Jarno Genovese
* Marco Stinto †
* Mickey Worthington
* Samuel Vario

### Members

* Alexander Cederlof
* Andre "Prince" Scarcello
* Anthony "Highwayman" Palermo
* Anthony Vendito
* Archimeudo Worthington
* Ben Sherman
* Blain Allen
* Blayke Hannigan
* Blaze Crawford
* Calvin St. Claire
* Charles Blackwell †
* Christopher D'Amato
* Chris Johnson
* Connor Vario
* Danny Neves
* Dario "Grim" Caruso
* Dino DiMartino
* Dominic Vario
* Draco "The Bat" Bonaducce
* Earl Jaeger
* Frank Petrazzi
* Frank "Bishop" Tubionis
* Furio Stinto †
* Giacobbe Martelli
* Giovanni Leclussio
* Gino Rossi †
* Han Shaw
* Ivan "Ghost" Zakhrar
* J. Caplo
* James "Mac" McNamara
* Jack Rushton
* Jason Shaw
* Joey Caplo
* Joseph DiNapoli
* Joseph "Joey" Leonardi †
* Jones Wade
* Kray Blackwell †
* Lio De'Soto
* Luka Mercanti
* Manfred Kingsley
* Matthew Matos †
* Michael Caleone
* Michael Vario
* Nico "Chibs" Haggerty †
* Patrick O'Sheefe
* Paul Mercanti
* Ricki Hudson
* Robert Cagnoli
* Sean Scaletta †
* Tony Animarum
* Tony Pompeii
* Vera Valentino
* Victor "Ace" O'Connor
* Vincent Tomasino
* Vincent Knight
* Vinny Mercanti
* Vito Gotti
* Vittorè Belmónte

### Traitors

* Abbi "The Fox" Scaletta †
* Adelaide Caleone Calvetti †
* Antonio Calvetti †
* Azrael Rizzo †
* Bradley Porter †
* Cristiano M. De Santa
* Dino Moretti
* Don Riccardi †
* Flynn Worthington †
* Lorenzo Rizzo †
* Lorne Malvo †
* Michael "Lich" Cipriani
* Nick Xero
* Sam Alfredo
* Tommy S. De Santa
* Tony Animarum †
* Tony Malvo †
* Oliver Dowbiggins †
* Vinnie Vici †