Federal agents in New York have arrested the alleged leaders of the Lucchese crime family, a network of criminals who were the source of inspiration for the acclaimed mobster film Goodfellas.

Defendants with nicknames including "Paulie Roast Beef" and "Joey Glasses" were among 19 people charged.

Their crimes range from murder to the illegal sale of cigarettes, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said in a statement.

The most prominent defendants were:

Matthew Madonna, 81, a suspected street boss for the Lucchese family

Matthew Madonna, 81, a suspected street boss for the Lucchese family Steven Crea Sr, 69, also known as "Wonder Boy", who is a suspected underboss

Steven Crea Sr, 69, also known as "Wonder Boy", who is a suspected underboss Suspected consigliere Joseph DiNapoli, 81

Prosecutors said the trio make up the Lucchese family's administration, otherwise known as its top-ranking members.

The crimes were committed in connection to a larger racketeering scheme run out of New York and dating back at least 17 years, prosecutors said.

The Lucchese family is considered to be one of five long-established Mafia organisations that operate in New York City and New Jersey, also known as La Cosa Nostra, which originated in Italy.

"As today's charges demonstrate, La Cosa Nostra remains alive and active in New York City, but so does our commitment to eradicate the mob's parasitic presence," Acting US Attorney Joon Kim said in a statement.

Of the 19 defendants, 15 were taken into custody from neighbourhoods across New York and New Jersey, prosecutors said.

The four other defendants were already imprisoned on other charges.

Charges against Paul Cassano, 38, known as "Paulie Roast Beef" and Joseph Datello, 66, also called "Joey Glasses" or "Big Joe", include attempted murder.

"Their crimes aren't victimless, and this case proves they're willing to use murder and many other violent tactics to enforce their dominance," FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney Jr said in the same statement.

The Lucchese family was suspected of pulling off the notorious 1978 airport heist that inspired Martin Scorsese's 1990 Academy Award-winning film Goodfellas.

That $8 million heist remains one of the most infamous unsolved crimes in the United States.

Attorneys for the defendants could not immediately be reached for comment.

Reuters