Stefano Magaddino, “the old man” who lived in a nondescript ranch house in Lewiston, once ruled the mob in Buffalo and Niagara Falls with an iron fist.

One signal to his underbosses – raising his hand above his head at the mention of a name – and Magaddino had men killed. As many as 26 during just one short period of time, according to one retired investigator whose expertise was the Mafia.

The local mob raked in millions of dollars every year through gambling, prostitution, loansharking, pornography, extortion, robbery, burglary and other crimes that touched thousands of families all over Western New York, federal and state agents said.

Magaddino died almost 43 years ago at age 82.

Now, the Mafia itself is all but dead in Western New York.

The local FBI once had a large squad of agents working full time on mob cases, but the agency no longer considers the Mafia a presence in this region, according to Adam S. Cohen, special agent in charge of the Buffalo FBI office.

“Some of the individuals who were leaders of the Mafia are still around,” Cohen said. “But their organized crime activities don’t exist anymore. Some of them have legitimate businesses that we know of.”