The Messina Crime Family is the third most-powerful of the Mafia families based in Liberty City that appears in Grand Theft Auto IV, Episodes from Liberty City and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.
Description[]
The Messina syndicate is based in Algonquin and Dukes, but also controls Little Italy alongside the other families. The family is believed to be led by Harvey Noto, who was able to establish himself at the top of the organization after a long and bloody power struggle. Mark Volpe is a Capo whilst Fredo Volpe, another Capo and brother of Mark, has been a police informant since 1998. Harry Hall is the Underboss/Consigliere of the Messina family.
History[]
Events of Grand Theft Auto IV and Episodes from Liberty City[]
In 2008, the Messina Family prevented Yusuf Amir from continuing constructing by the labor union. However, Playboy X saw a potential business relationship with Amir, and he therefore hired Niko Bellic to take down all union workers at Amir's construction site.
Sometime later in the same year, Rocco Pelosi of the Ancelotti Crime Family kidnapped a Union Official and had Luis Lopez torture him by hitting him with golfballs. The union official revealed that the head of the LTA was working for the Messina's. He later revealed more information to Rocco, and he ordered Lopez' boss "Gay" Tony Prince to blow up all of the LTA officials with ties to the Messina family with Sticky Bombs. Lopez himself took care of the job, resulting in a construction crane, LTA train and a private jet being blown up.
Harvey Noto, the boss of the family owns the upper class Majestic Hotel in Algonquin. Hary Hall runs a high class prostitution ring in the hotel. The Jewish Mob hired a few rooms in the hotel, hinting the fact that they may be allies with the Messina family, but they are never seen together.
Events of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars[]
In 2009, Rudy D'Avanzo tricked the Triad member Huang Lee to believe that his rival Jimmy Capra was an undercover police informant (in fact he was a Messina Made Man) and was revealing information about the Triads to the LCPD. Rudy told Huang that he had bugged Capra's car and he ordered Huang to steal Capra's car from a Messina-owned parking lot in North Bohan.
They later went to a meeting with Capra, where lots of Messina gangsters were killed, except Capra. They have connection with the Jaoming Family. But after the events of GTA Chinatown Wars it is most likely their friendship has ended.
Their dealers sell Ecstasy and buy Coke. They can be spotted in Little Italy, with black clothing. They attack the player with Micro SMG's and are very tough when fighting on the streets. They are not hostile against the player unless he attacks them. In the GTA Chinatown Wars drug dealing minigame they have two dealers named: Ricci and Vicini, who like to buy Coke and sell many Ecstasy bags at a low price. They are described as the Mob, which could possibly be the Messina Crime Family. When doing many deals with the dealers of the Mob, it will most likely attract police presence.
The Messinas are the gang with the most cars in GTA Chinatown Wars, having a full count of 3 vehicles: grey Turismos and light and dark grey Cognoscentis as well as dark gang Burritos.
Members[]
- Harvey Noto - Boss of the Messina crime family, and close friend of Jon Gravelli.
- Harry Hall - Underboss/Consigliere for Harvey and owns a few prostitution rings.
- Mark Volpe - Caporegime and a suspected police informant
- Fredo Volpe - Capo and brother of Mark. He is the true informant and has been since 1998.
- Jimmy Capra - Member and "Made Man" of the Messina crime family.
- Union Official - Affiliate, knew the Messina business and had to give evidence as he was extorted by Rocco Pelosi.
Mission Appearances[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
The Lost and Damned[]
The Ballad of Gay Tony[]
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars[]
Influence[]
They are possibly based on the Bonanno crime family in New York City which is one of the Five Families. They share a similar history of bloody infighting and each received help from another family in the commission: The Messina's from the Gambetti's and the Bonanno's from the Gambetti's counterparts, the Gambinos.
Gallery[]
