Faustin Family

The Faustin Family is a gang featured throughout the Grand Theft Auto IV story arc, appearing as the main antagonist gang until the Stillwater Agency steps in.

Info
The foundation of the Faustin Family dates back to the late 1980's. The mob's founder, Mikhail Faustin, befriended Eric Borlinghathen after coming to America from Soviet Union, with both getting along despite the large differences in their political views. Faustin and Borlinghathen soon began their criminal activities by selling hash to tourists on the streets of New York City. Despite their connections, due to Eric's family being a political dynasty and strong believers of capital and presumably death sentence, Eric never made it to the ranks of Faustin's mob. It was enough already that Eric's father, Lucas Borlinghathen had to pay the cops to look the other way at their activities.

Eventually, in 1998, Faustin married with a Russian woman named Ilyena and had a daughter. They settled in Hover Beach in NY, where Faustin formed his own Russian crime outfit, soon to be known as the Faustin Family despite not operating exactly the same way a crime family should. But in Hover Beach resided another Russian mafia: the Petrović Mob, led by the then-strongest Russian mobster in the city, Sebo Petrović. The two gangs managed to co-exist, although the relationship between the two worsened as Mikhail began to suffer from drug addiction and paranoia.

Around the years of 2008 and 2017 (depending on the timeline) several men joined the ranks of Faustin's Family, including Vladimir Papkov, Ivan Bichkov, Sergei and Andrei. Using his money, Faustin opened a nightclub and Comrades Bar as fronts for his mafia members, the latter being directly managed by Vladimir. Faustin also got shares from a sex shop and a strip club.

In 2017, Papkov begins employing Niko Bellic as his hired gun, as Niko's cousin, Roman, owes money for Vlad. Niko is forced to do several missions for the loan-shark, including collecting protection money from a Chinese shop and a laundromat and stealing a Riddler. However, upon discovering that Vlad slept with Roman's girlfriend, Niko chases down and kills Vlad since "no one messes with his family".

Vlad's death is eventually discovered by Faustin, who sends Andrei to capture the Bellic cousins. Faustin executes Andrei in rage for bringing the two to his house while his wife was watching TV, while giving Niko a choice to work for him, to which Niko agrees so Roman is allowed to breathe. At this point, Eric sees Niko's pretty usefulness to help him get rid of Faustin and create an agency for himself.

Fall of Faustin
After several missions, Mikhail orders Niko to assassinate Vinko Petrović, mob lord Sebo's son, much to Borlinghathen's dismay, as such act will cause an all-out war between the two factions. Eric fails to stop Faustin while Niko successfully kills the kid, causing Petrović to call a hit on Faustin. Meanwhile, Mikhail ignores Petrović's threats and sends Niko to do one final attack against the Russian kingpin; destroy one of Petrović's fronts in Bohan.

Seeing this as an opportunity to weaken or possibly destroy the organisation, Eric makes a deal with Petrović as a way to spare both him and Niko; Faustin has to be assassinated by Vinko's own murderer - Niko himself as redemption for what he had done. Niko then storms into Faustin's nightclub like a race car, eliminates his worthless guards and executes poor Faustin on the club's roof with a shoot in the chest that sends him flying down on the street, but not before Mikhail warns Niko of Eric's eventual betrayal but Niko would have none of that.

The Family eventually disbands sometime after Faustin's death.

Known members

 * Don/Leader - Mikhail Faustin (killed)
 * Underboss - Unknown (possibly killed)
 * Capo - Vladimir Papkov (killed)
 * Soldiers - Ivan Bichkov, Sergei (killed)
 * Spy - Andrei (killed)
 * Assassin - Niko Bellic (unofficial)
 * Wise Guy - Maximilian (killed)

Trivia

 * Like almost every gang in Grand Theft Auto IV, if the player runs into a member, hits a member with a car or his fist, aims a weapon at them or shoots a weapon in their territory they will often react with hostility. However, during the time Niko Bellic worked for Faustin, the mob defended him.