Ray is the owner of Carney's Furniture on 125th Street in Harlem and a recent recipient of a regional dealer award. He operates a double life, maintaining his legitimate business while intermittently working as a highly competent fence for stolen goods. Ray interprets his experiences through the systems of the furniture trade. He continually balances his ambition for middle-class respectability against the chaotic pull of his criminal connections.

Uncle Rich is a legendary Harlem criminal mastermind who faked his death years ago to escape the city's criminal scene. He operates under a strict philosophy of anonymity, likening his ideal criminal practice to a "muskrat" that gets the job done without seeking credit. He returns to New York to complete a final series of scores before retiring. He draws Ray into his ambitious plans.

Pepper is Ray Carney’s longtime associate and an aging, brutally effective enforcer. Suffering from persistent stomach ailments and the physical toll of his long career, he retains his stoic demeanor and old-school professional discipline. He makes his way through unfamiliar territories, such as the downtown art scene. He relies on his sharp instincts and deep-seated loyalty to the Carney family.

Elizabeth is Ray’s ambitious and perceptive wife, successfully running her own business, Carney Travel. She works through the systemic racial and gender discrimination of the 1980s banking system to secure financing for her agency's expansion. Though she remains largely unaware of the specifics of her husband's criminal dealings, she exercises keen judgment and recognizes the signs of his hidden struggles.

Buzz is a ruthless, professional thief with a vindictive streak and a long memory. After double-crossing Uncle Rich during a lucrative heist years prior, Buzz was subsequently outwitted and robbed of his stash. He remains aggressively determined to reclaim what he considers his and seeks violent retribution against his former partner.

Known to his friends as Herb, this professional assassin is employed by a powerful collector to recover a stolen African artifact. A methodical killer for hire, he is plagued by deep-seated melancholy, racial resentment, and insecurity. He holds a disturbing reputation for removing the faces of his victims.

Robert is Ray's nephew and the son of his deceased cousin Freddie. Lacking a settled professional direction, he works for a corrupt Queens lawyer until a violent encounter forces him to go on the run. His sudden involvement in a dangerous mob dispute revives the burden of his family's history, testing his uncle's loyalty.

The Rabbit is an experienced, pragmatic Mafia enforcer trying to enjoy his retirement. He has spent years managing the violent and reckless mistakes of his ambitious nephew. Tasked with cleaning up an unsanctioned murder during a period of intense federal scrutiny, he must weigh his family loyalty against the survival of his organization.

Junior is a reckless, ambitious mobster connected to the Bonanno crime family. Operating a cable-installation company involved in corrupt municipal contracts, his violent impulses often create dangerous liabilities for his family during a time of heavy federal crackdowns.

Ned is a corrupt Queens lawyer heavily involved in the city's network of political patronage and bribery. Acting as a middleman for lucrative cable-installation contracts, his business dealings tie him directly to both political scandals and organized crime.

LJ is a young woman with a mohawk deeply involved in the downtown New York art scene. Working as an assistant to a filmmaker, she is fiercely dedicated to the repatriation of looted African artifacts. She forms an unlikely, reciprocal alliance with Pepper as they conduct the dangerous search for a stolen mask.

Aaron, who goes by the name Zippo, is a filmmaker with a sprawling SoHo loft. Driven by guilt over his past commercial projects, he leverages the black market to recover stolen African art and return the artifacts to their countries of origin.

Dee Void is a young man operating in the Alphabet City club scene. Working as a gallery assistant and musician, his opportunism leads him to hijack a high-stakes cash transaction for a rare mask. This places him in the crosshairs of dangerous individuals.

Nando is the nervous, drug-fueled owner of Zilch Gallery. Operating at the intersection of legitimate art dealing and the black market, he facilitates transactions for looted artifacts. This draws deadly consequences when a rare piece goes missing from his safe.

Wade is a wealthy agricultural machinery distributor and art collector from Indianapolis. A client of Elizabeth Carney’s travel agency, he travels to New York with a large sum of cash to illicitly purchase an African artifact.

Freddie is Ray Carney’s deceased cousin whose memory continues to haunt him. Appearing in a series of vivid visitations, Freddie represents the lingering burden of Ray's past and the criminal history that continues to influence his decisions regarding family loyalty.

Rita is a young member of Uncle Rich's criminal crew. Capable and quick-thinking in a crisis, she assists in high-stakes heists and helps Ray safely exit violent ambushes when their operations are compromised.

Jeff is Rita's brother and a skilled member of Uncle Rich's crew. He specializes in disabling security systems, cracking safes, and managing the technical aspects of the group's ambitious robberies.

Martin is an associate and broker for Ray Carney. Working out of a downtown office, his involvement in fencing a valuable sapphire pulls him and Ray into a dangerous conflict with heavily armed enforcers.

Daily Newz is an elusive street artist whose cryptic "Headlines" appear across New York City. His spray-painted aphorisms bridge the gap between street vandalism and gallery art. It reflects the city's shifting cultural environment.

Ellen is the mother of Robert Dupree. Distressed by her son's sudden disappearance and the police scrutiny surrounding him, she turns to Ray for help in locating and protecting him.

Marie is the loyal, long-time office manager at Carney’s Furniture. Preparing for her retirement, she represents the stability and respectability of Ray's legitimate business life.

Henry is the son of Ray's late friend. He serves as an informant for Ray, providing critical details regarding the city's corruption scandal and the political ties connected to municipal bribery.

John is Ray and Elizabeth's adult son. During conversations with his father, he explains the origins of rap music and sampling, drawing connections between the city's history of looting and its creative evolution.

May is Ray and Elizabeth's adult daughter. Raised away from the criminal elements of her father's past, she represents the successful, respectable family life Ray has worked hard to establish.

Big Mike is Ray Carney’s deceased father. Remembered as a career criminal, his legacy continues to shadow Ray's understanding of himself and the inherited tendencies of his family.