Ricardo “Ric” Barzini is one of the oldest active members of the American Mafia. He got his start not too long after the creation of the American Mafia, however his youth and inexperience in his first few years caused him to lay low and observe the older wiseguys around him and through this time he absorbed as much knowledge as he could get. Ric’s low key demeanor and ability to blend in with the crowd led many to believe he was brand new when he finally decided to start making big moves.

It was roughly March 2014 when Ric joined the Barzini Crime Family, which had just been taken over by fellow Hall of Famer LeftyTwoGunz. Contrary to popular opinion, Ric and Lefty actually had a rocky start. After a back room argument between the two mobsters and Ric recognizing he had stepped out of line, he stood his ground and told Lefty that he knew he could very well face death for his actions and that if that was what Lefty chose he would not run and would take it like a man. This immediately impressed Lefty. Not only was Ric unafraid of death but he was clearly a stand up guy willing to admit when he was wrong and accept the punishment that came with it. Lefty quickly realized he had found a diamond in the rough and suggested to Ric that they clear the slate and start again fresh. From that point forward the two men never looked back and have since become one of the most infamous duos in American Mafia history.

Ric quickly rose through the ranks of the Barzini Crime Family eventually becoming Lefty’s Right Hand Man and most trusted advisor. He, along with Gunnz Lucchese, was one of the few men not afraid to give Lefty frank advice, even if it was something that Lefty may not want to hear. This along with Ric’s ability to network and form alliances helped Barzini grow into one of the most powerful Empires, if not the most powerful Empire, in American Mafia history. Eventually as Barzini grew it was rebranded an empire rather than just a family and Ric was quickly promoted to the #2 position in the entire empire sharing  the duties running the day to day operations of the Barzini Empire with Lefty and Gunnz (who was the Empire’s #3). Multiple times Ric was offered his own crew, which he refused to take since during that time Lefty was regularly out of the country expanding Barzini’s global reach and Ric refused to leave the main Barzini Headquarters unattended and only finally agreed to open his own crew once Lefty returned full time.

By this time Ric was recognized as a National Crime Syndicate Boss and he simultaneously opened his own crew and Empire which is still known as La Familigia Barzini. As Gunnz did before him, Ric requested to stay on as Barzini Empire Street Boss while at the same time running Famiglia Barzini as its Capo di Tutti Capi. Lefty happily agreed to this and Barzini’s influence continued to grow. Ric would eventually start to refer to Lefty as his mentor and would be handsomely rewarded for his loyalty. When Lefty stepped down after his first run as the player dubbed title of Kingpin he had pegged Ric to be the new Kingpin however at the time Ric preferred to stay behind the scenes so he let Frankie Calabrese take his place in the Kingpin chair. This would ultimately end up being a blessing in disguise because with Frankie’s rise to power Barzini soon found out who their true allies were and who had actually all along been enemies. Frankie’s reign as Kingpin did not last long and with his murder Ric finally ascended to the Throne of AM becoming Kingpin of the American Mafia. Ric’s reign as Kingpin was one of the most violent due in part to Frankie Calabrese’s allies declaring war on Barzini and their allies but this did not deter Ric and he eventually was able to lead the American Mafia through the warring and came out the other side the victor. Ric has since maintained a relatively low profile and continues to run the day to day activities of both the Barzini Empire and the Famiglia Barzini Empire. He can still be found to this day with his closest associates at his side, including Hall of Famers LeftyTwoGunz and Gunnz Lucchese as well as Barzini Ruling Panel members Lazarus Barzini, MrTexas, Ghost Lucchese. Ric has even taken on the role of mentor to his own protégé and is quickly turning Jiggz Barzini, his Right Hand Man, into a force to be reckoned with.

With everything Ric has been through and his close association with such hated Mobsters like LeftyTwoGunz among others, one would think Ric would have his own group of detractors but due to his stand up attitude and easy going personality Ric remains one of the most likeable and respected members of the American Mafia. From lowly associate, to Kingpin to running two of the largest Empires in American Mafia history Ric continues to add new accomplishments to his already long list.

With all that said, it is with great pride that we induct our newest American Mafia Hall of Fame and CURRENT oldest active player Ricardo “Ric” Barzini.

Congratulations!!