What Was the Third Colombo War? The Family That Ate Itself, Explained
Mobsters DailyThe Third Colombo War was the 1991–93 shooting war between imprisoned boss Carmine Persico's loyalists and acting boss Victor Orena's rebels, fought over who truly owned the Colombo family. Twelve people were killed, including innocent bystanders, before arrests and convictions ended it — and gutted the family.
A stand-in who would not stand down
Orena, appointed to run the family while Persico served life, sought recognition as permanent boss in 1991. Persico loyalists tried to kill him that June and missed, hitting others instead. Both factions fielded crews across Brooklyn and Long Island. The family's most dangerous soldier, profiled in the Greg Scarpa story, worked the Persico side while secretly informing for the FBI.
By 1991 the Colombo war was Sopranos material in real life — except the bystanders were real too. The Tony Soprano Ugly Christmas Sweater leans into that world for the holidays — Tony in black-and-white stencil, gabagool energy, built for November and December parties.
The porch shooting and the FBI finish
The war's lowest moment came when gunmen shot at a rival's home and grievously wounded bystanders, including an elderly woman on her porch — the kind of recklessness that destroyed public tolerance. The FBI, fed by informants, arrested leaders on both sides. Orena got life in 1992, and trials rolled on for years, a collapse chronicled in why the Mafia fell.
Frequently asked questions
How many died in the Third Colombo War? Twelve people were killed between 1991 and 1993, including bystanders caught in ambushes.
Who won the war? The Persico faction kept the family name, but arrests and life sentences left the Colombos permanently weakened.
When did the war end? Major violence ended by late 1993 after Orena's conviction and mass arrests on both sides.
Keep reading: The Five Families · How the Commission Trial Broke the Mob · How Valachi Broke the Code of Silence · 'Wild Bill' Cutolo
From the shop: Shadows of the Underworld — real mafia history, the bosses and wars behind the fiction.
Join the conversation
Still thinking about this one? That is exactly what The Social Club is for. It is the MobstersDaily Discord, and it is the best Sopranos community on the internet: serious Sopranos talk, meme wars, Friday movie nights, a casino, and an arcade, all run by fans who never stopped rewatching. If you want to be part of the Sopranos community, this is where it lives.
