John Sciandra

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John "Johnny" Sciandra (1899 - 1940) was the notorious boss of the Bufalino crime family from 1933 up until his death in 1940.

Very little is known about Sciandra. He was an enforcer for the previous mob boss Santo Volpe and a notorious bootlegger. Like so many crime families, they are built upon blood ties, long standing friendships and various powerful arms. The Bufalino crime family would have four very powerful members who pulled all the strings. These included Santo "King of The Knights" Volpe, Angelo Polizzi, Giuseppe "Joe The Barber" Barbara and John "Johnny" Sciandra. Following the death of Volpe, Sciandra was nominated boss over Scranton and surrounding areas. Polizzi was believed to have been his consigliere, maintaining this role until his death in 1957 and Barbara being his underboss.

Something happened in 1940 or possibly before, alluding to a conspiracy between Polizzi and Barbara against Sciandra. In that year Sciandra was found murdered. What is known about Sciandra's death is that his death was most certainly approved by the ruling crime board known as the Commission, which shows a lack of backing and support for Sciandra as a boss.