The Apple Mafia were a famous Apple II cracking group from greater New York, founded in 1980 or 1981 and died in 1984. In past interviews they have claimed to be the first "warez" group, but this is likely to be hyperbolic. The early members were heavily into the New York phreaking community and the earliest electronic bulletin boards.
In a 1993 Phrack interview Lord Digital claimed The Apple Mafia was founded after meeting of like minded people who were attending the Applefest in Boston. He remembered it happening in 1980, but it was held in 1981, "The Boston Computer Society holds Applefest ’81, the first Apple-only trade show at the Boston Plaza Castle, on June 6-7."
Apparently, there was a fake rebuild in 1986. Some info about the groups can be found in applemaf.txt.
Crime And Punishment listed Creative Cracker, High Technology, The Godfather, Big Brother, Jacque Lafitte, Data Dragon, The Phantom, The Magnet, Silicon Scorpion, Sherlock Apple and Lord Digital as members.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE APPLE MAFIA.
FOUNDED IN 1980 BY THE GODFATHER AS
A JOKE. REDONE IN 1981 AS A SEMI
SERIOUS GROUP. KICKED SOME ASS IN
'82. BLEW EVERYONE AWAY IN 83, AND
WILL DO MUCH BETTER IN 84. SINCE
THE BEGINNING THE GROUP HAS DIED
OUT AND BEEN REBORN SEVERAL TIMES,
THIS TIME LETS KEEP IT GOING. IS
CURRENTLY THE OLDEST ACTIVE GROUP,
NEXT (OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD STILL BE
AROUND) ARE THE WARE LORDS ('83 I
BEILIEVE) AND THE 1200 CLUB ('83
ALSO, I THINK). THAT'S IT.
