Pavano Family

GANG Pavano Family
Games:	GTA IV
Locations:	Alderney City, Alderney Little Italy, Algonquin Uptown Algonquin; Liberty City
Leader:	Maria Valvona
Type:	Italian-American Mafia family
Enemies:	Pegorino Family
Affiliations:	North Holland Hustlers
Vehicles:	Sentinel XS Sports PMP 600 Coquette Turismo Sultan
Weapons:	Knife, Pistol, SMG, Uzi and Combat Shotgun
Businesses:	Auto Sales, Bookmarking, Gambling
Fronts:	Auto Eroticar
Members:	Maria Valvona, Arthur Zepulla, Joe Corrola, Mario Venturella, Vito Menotti

The Pavano crime family, also called the Pavano Crime Syndicate, is the second-most powerful of the Cosa Nostra Commission families of Liberty City is primarily based in Algonquin. The family is said to be controlled by 60 year old Maria Valvona, along with her 40-year-old ex-lover Arthur Zepulla who is the family's official consigliere. Maria Valvona and Zepulla are suspects in the murder of her former husband and boss Mario Valvona in the 1990s. The Street boss was Joe Corrola until his death in 2008 he was in charge of the family's heroin distribution ring. Mario Venturella is the longest lasting lovers of Maria and is an Algonquin based cat-burglar. Vito Menotti, a former Pavano hitman turned states against them in 2008.

Pavano vs Pegorino War

Jimmy Pegorino looked at the Pavanos as a way of getting a seat in the Commission, so he organised a sit down with them at an old refinery, where he took Niko Bellic along to watch over the meet with a sniper rifle after he was recommended to Pegorino by Phil Bell. The sit down was a set up and the Pavanos attempted to whack Pegorino, who was saved by Niko. The Pavanos later suffered for their actions when Pegorino hired Bellic to wipe out one of their crews that was meeting at Auto Eroticar in Alderney.

Members

• Maria Valvona - 60 year old female boss (or Front boss), after her husband Mario's death (she was suspected to have poisoned him, but no one knows for sure). Most of the top-ranking members are her lovers, all at least 20 and usually even 40 years younger than her.
• Arthur Zepulla - 40-year-old, ex-lover of Maria Valvona, in the early 90s Maria paid for him to go to law school and he might possible be involved in the murder of former boss Mario Valvona. Currently the family's consigliere, he could also be the unofficial boss of the family, allowing Maria to take the media attention as the Front boss.

• Joe Corrola - Maria's 38-year-old lover who was in charge of the family's heroin distribution ring before he died in 2008.
• Mario Venturella - Maria's 21-year-old lover, a cat-burglar based in Algonquin.

Government Informants

• Vito "Dog Meat" Menotti - a top-ranking hitman for the Pavanos since the 1990s, who is now turning states against them.

Notes

• The Pavano family is similar to a Italian Camorra organization, which once had a female boss named Rosetta Cutolo.
• Mary Valvona, could be based on Rockstar games interpretation of Cathy Moriarty-Gentile character Patti LoPresti from the film Analyze That were she was a female Mafia Boss in New York City. No Italian-American crime families in New York City or the United States ever had any female members. Females have only stayed as associates or "Comare" (name for mafia mistress).

• The Pavano family could also be loosely based on the Genovese crime family. The Pavano's are operating in some of the same areas as the Genovese's, in Manhattan (Algonquin) neighborhoods of Harlem (North Holland), and Central Park (Middle Park) the family also maintains a strong presence in New Jersey (Alderney). The Pavano family is ranked as the second-most powerful family in GTA IV, while the Genovese crime family is ranked as America's most powerful mafia family. In the Liberty Tree the Pavano's are rival enemies of the Gambetti's (Gambino family), similar to the real Genovese-Gambino rivalry.

Trivia

• The family's main/favorite car is probably the Sultan because many appear in Pegorino's Pride.
• In the mission Payback, some goons fighting Niko are actually Irish Mob.

Gangs in the Grand Theft Auto series