Which real-life crime family is the DiMeo family loosely based on?

The fictional DiMeo crime family is loosely based on the real-life DeCavalcante crime family.

The DeCavalcantes were an Italian-American Mafia organization centered in North Jersey, especially around Elizabeth and Newark. Their location across the Hudson River from New York’s Five Families, their connections to New York organized crime, and their involvement in racketeering made them a natural real-world parallel for the fictional New Jersey organization in The Sopranos.

The resemblance is not exact. The DiMeo family combines elements from several real people, crews, and Mafia families, while Tony Soprano and the show’s other characters are fictional creations. The DeCavalcante family therefore served as an important inspiration rather than a one-to-one model for every character or storyline.

The alternative answers are prominent New York crime families, but they are less fitting geographically. The Lucchese, Genovese, and Gambino families operated primarily from New York, whereas the DeCavalcantes were specifically associated with North Jersey. That New Jersey connection is the key clue behind the answer.