| Founded by | Peter "Pete the Greek" Kourakos [1] |
|---|---|
| Named after | Spyredon "Spiro the Greek" Velentzas [1] |
| Founding location | New York City |
| Years active | 1950s–present |
| Territory | Astoria, Queens and New York City |
| Ethnicity | Greeks as "made members", other ethnicities, mainly Italians and Albanians as associates |
| Membership (est.) | 30[2] (1992) |
| Leader(s) | Spyredon Velentzas, Peter Kourakos, Fotios Dimopoulos |
| Criminal activities | Racketeering, loansharking, extortion, and gambling |
| Allies | Lucchese crime family, Philadelphia Greek Mob |
| Rivals | Rudaj Organization, Gambino crime family |
The Velentzas Organization, also known as the Velentzas crime family, or the Greek crew is a Greek-American criminal organization operating in the New York City area.[1] During the 1980s and into the early 1990s, the Greek organization controlled a number of illegal gambling operations in and around the New York City area. After the organization's leader, Spyredon "Spiro the Greek" Velentzas was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison in 1992. The organization gradually declined in power.