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American Mafia
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This article is about a criminal organization in the United States. For other uses, see Mafia (disambiguation).
Italian-American Mafia

Founding location
Origins in Sicily; founded in New Orleans and New York City
Years active
Late 19th century–present
Territory
United States; active in most parts of the country during its peak, currently active mainly in the northeast, Chicago, Detroit and Florida.
Ethnicity
Full members (made men) are of Italian descent, other criminals of any ethnicity are employed as "associates".
Membership
1100 made members, many more associates
Criminal activities
Racketeering, counterfeiting, human trafficking, weapons trafficking, drug trafficking, extortion, fencing, illegal gambling, murder, prostitution, blackmailing, loan sharking, money laundering, fraud, contract killing, bribery, cigarette smuggling, robbery, tax evasion, assault
Allies
Sicilian, Calabrian, Neapolitan, Russian, and Corsican mafias
Rivals
Other organized crime groups and street gangs in the United States


 This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (July 2014)
The American Mafia, commonly known as the Mafia, Italian Mafia, Italian Mob, or the Mob in the United States, is an Italian American criminal society. Similar to the Sicilian Mafia, the Italian-American Mafia is a secret criminal society without a formal name. Its members usually refer to it as Cosa Nostra (Italian pronunciation: [kɔza nɔstra], Italian for "our thing"). The press has also coined the name "National Crime Syndicate" to refer to the entire network of U.S. organized crime, including the Mafia.
The Mafia emerged in New York's Lower East Side, other areas of the East Coast of the United States, and several other major metropolitan areas (such as New Orleans[1]) during the late 19th century and early 20th Century following waves of Italian immigration, especially from Sicily. It has its roots in the Sicilian Mafia, but is a separate organization in the United States. Neapolitan, Calabrian, and other Italian criminal groups, as well as independent Italian-American criminals, eventually merged with the Sicilians to create the modern pan-Italian Mafia in North America. Today, the American Mafia cooperates in various criminal activities with the Sicilian Mafia and other Italian organized crime groups, such as Camorra, 'Ndrangheta, and Sacra Corona Unita. The most important unit of the American Mafia is that of a "family" as the various criminal organizations that make up the Mafia are known. Despite the name of "family" to describe the various units, succession is not necessarily hereditary, though it can be.
The Mafia is currently most active in New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia, New England, Detroit, and Chicago;[2] with smaller families, associates, and crews in places such as Florida, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Texas. There have been at least 26 cities around the United States with Cosa Nostra families, with many more offshoots, splinter groups and associates in other cities. There are five main New York City Mafia families, known as the Five Families: the Gambino, Lucchese, Genovese, Bonanno and Colombo families. At its peak, the Mafia dominated organized crime in the U.S. While each crime family operates independently, nationwide coordination is provided by the Commission, which consists of the bosses of each of the strongest families.
Law enforcement still considers the Mafia the largest organized crime group in the United States. It has maintained control over much of the organized crime activity in the United States and certain parts of Canada (See Rizzuto crime family). Today most of the Mafia's activities are contained to the Northeastern United States and Chicago where they continue to dominate organized crime despite the increasing numbers of street gangs and other organizations that are not of Italian origin.[3]


Contents  [hide]
1 Usage of the term Mafia
2 History 2.1 Origins: The Black Hand
2.2 Prohibition era
2.3 The Commission
2.4 RICO Act
3 Structure
4 Rituals 4.1 Mafia rules and customs
4.2 Symbolism in murders
5 List of Mafia families
6 Cooperation with the U.S. government 6.1 During World War II
6.2 Plots to assassinate Fidel Castro
6.3 Recovery of murdered Mississippi civil rights workers
7 Law enforcement and the Mafia 7.1 Kefauver Committee
7.2 Apalachin Meeting
7.3 Valachi hearings
7.4 RICO Act
7.5 2011 indictments
8 In popular culture 8.1 Games
8.2 Films
8.3 Music
8.4 Novels
8.5 Television series
9 See also
10 Notes
11 References
12 Further reading
13 External links

Usage of the term Mafia[edit]
Further information: Sicilian Mafia#Etymology
The term Mafia was originally used in Italy by the media and law enforcement to describe criminal groups in Sicily. The origins of the term are debatable. Like the Sicilian Mafia, the American Mafia did not use the term "Mafia" to describe itself. Neither group has a formal name and instead used the term Cosa Nostra (Italian for our thing) when referring to themselves. When Italian immigrants started forming organized crime groups in the United States, the American press borrowed the term Mafia from Italy and it became the predominant name used by law enforcement and the public.[citation needed]
"Mafia" properly refers to either the Sicilian or American Mafia. In modern usage, when referring to the Mafia, there may be several meanings, including a local area's Italian organized crime element, the Mafia family of a major city, the entire Mafia of the United States, or the original Sicilian Mafia. Widespread recognition of the word has led to its use in the names of other criminal organizations, such as the Jewish Mafia, Mexican Mafia, or Russian Mafia,[citation needed] as well as non-criminal organizations, such as John F. Kennedy's political team, referred to as the "Irish Mafia"[4] (not to be confused with the Irish Mob).
History[edit]
Origins: The Black Hand[edit]
Main article: Black Hand (extortion)
The first published account of what would evolve into the Mafia in the United States came in the spring of 1869. The New Orleans Times reported that the city's Second District had become overrun by "well-known and notorious Sicilian murderers, counterfeiters and burglars, who, in the last month, have formed a sort of general co-partnership or stock company for the plunder and disturbance of the city." Emigration from southern Italy to the Americas was primarily to Brazil and Argentina, and New Orleans had a heavy volume of port traffic to and from both locales.
Mafia groups in the United States first became influential in the New York City area, gradually progressing from small neighborhood operations in Italian ghettos to citywide and eventually national organizations. The Black Hand was a name given to an extortion method used in Italian neighborhoods at the turn of the 20th century. It has been sometimes mistaken for the Mafia itself, which it is not. Although the Black Hand was a criminal society, there were many small Black Hand gangs. Black Hand extortion was often (wrongly) viewed as the activity of a single organization because Black Hand criminals in Italian communities throughout the United States used the same methods of extortion.[5] Giuseppe Esposito was the first known Mafia member to immigrate to the United States.[2] He and six other Sicilians fled to New York after murdering eleven wealthy landowners, and the chancellor and a vice chancellor of a Sicilian province.[2] He was arrested in New Orleans in 1881 and extradited to Italy.[2]
New Orleans was also the site of the first Mafia incident in the United States that received both national and international attention.[2] On October 15, 1890, New Orleans Police Superintendent David Hennessy was murdered execution-style. It is still unclear whether Italian immigrants actually killed him or whether it was a frame-up by nativists against the reviled underclass immigrants.[2] Hundreds of Sicilians were arrested on mostly baseless charges, and nineteen were eventually indicted for the murder. An acquittal followed, with rumors of bribed and intimidated witnesses.[2] The outraged citizens of New Orleans organized a lynch mob after the acquittal, and proceeded to kill eleven of the nineteen defendants. Two were hanged, nine were shot, and the remaining eight escaped. The lynching was the largest mass lynching in American history.[6][7][8]
From the 1890s to the 1900s (decade) in New York City, the Sicilian Mafia developed into the Five Points Gang and were very powerful in the Little Italy of the Lower East Side. They were often in conflict with the Jewish Eastmans of the same area. There was also an influential Mafia family in East Harlem. The Neapolitan Camorra was also very active in Brooklyn. In Chicago, the 19th Ward, which was an Italian neighborhood, became known as the "Bloody Nineteenth" due to the frequent violence in the ward, mostly as a result of Mafia activity, feuds, and vendettas.
Prohibition era[edit]



Al Capone's violent rise to power in Chicago and the media attention it brought made him a lasting figure of the prohibition era and organized crime in general.
On January 17, 1920, Prohibition began in the United States with the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution making it illegal to manufacture, transport or sell alcohol. Despite these bans, there was still a very high demand for it from the public. This created an atmosphere that tolerated crime as a means to provide liquor to the public, even among the police and city politicians. The profits that could be made from selling and distributing alcohol were worth the risk of punishment from the government, which had a difficult time enforcing prohibition. There were over 900,000 cases of liquor shipped to the borders of American cities.[9] Criminal gangs and politicians saw the opportunity to make fortunes and began shipping larger quantities of alcohol to American cities. The majority of the alcohol was imported from Canada,[10][11] the Caribbean, and the American Midwest where stills manufactured illegal alcohol.
In the early 1920s, fascist Benito Mussolini took control of Italy and waves of Italian immigrants fled to the United States. Sicilian Mafia members also fled to the United States as Mussolini cracked down on Mafia activities in Italy.[12] Most Italian immigrants resided in tenement buildings. As a way to escape the poor life style some Italian immigrants chose to join the American Mafia.
The Mafia took advantage of prohibition and began selling illegal alcohol. The profits from bootlegging far exceeded the traditional crimes of protection, extortion, gambling and prostitution. Prohibition allowed Mafia families to make fortunes.[13][14][15] As prohibition continued victorious factions would go on to dominate organized crime in their respective cities, setting up the family structure of each city. Since gangs hijacked each other's alcohol shipments, forcing rivals to pay them for "protection" to leave their operations alone, armed guards almost invariably accompanied the caravans that delivered the liquor.[16][17]
In the 1920s, Italian Mafia families began waging wars for absolute control over lucrative bootlegging rackets. As the violence erupted, Italians fought Irish and Jewish ethnic gangs for control of bootlegging in their respective territories. In New York City, Frankie Yale waged war with the Irish American White Hand Gang. In Chicago Al Capone and his family massacred the North Side Gang, another Irish American outfit.[14][18] In New York City, by the end of the 1920s two factions of organized crime had emerged to fight for control of the criminal underworld: one led by Joe Masseria and the other by Salvatore Maranzano.[2] This caused the Castellammarese War, which led to Masseria's murder in 1931. Maranzano then divided New York City into five families.[2] Maranzano, the first leader of the American Mafia, established the code of conduct for the organization, set up the "family" divisions and structure, and established procedures for resolving disputes.[2] In an unprecedented move, Maranzano set himself up as boss of all bosses and required all families to pay tribute to him. This new role was received negatively, and Maranzano was murdered within six months on the orders of Charles "Lucky" Luciano. Luciano was a former Masseria underling who had switched sides to Maranzano and orchestrated the killing of Masseria.
After prohibition ended in 1933, organized crime groups were confronted with an impasse and needed other ways to maintain the high profits they had acquired throughout the 1920s. The smarter of the organized crime groups acted prudently and expanded into other ventures such as: unions, construction, sanitation, and drug trafficking. On the other hand, those Mafia families that neglected the need to change eventually lost power and influence and were ultimately absorbed by other groups.[19]
The Commission[edit]
Further information: The Commission (mafia)



FBI chart of American Mafia bosses across the country in 1963.
As an alternative to the boss of all bosses, Luciano set up the Commission,[2] where the bosses of the most powerful families would have equal say and vote on important matters and solve disputes between families. This group ruled over the National Crime Syndicate and brought in an era of peace and prosperity for the American Mafia.[20] By mid-century, there were 26 official Commission-sanctioned Mafia crime families, each based in a different city (except for the Five Families which were all based in New York).[21] Each family operated independently from the others and generally had exclusive territory it controlled.[2] As opposed to the older generation of "Mustache Petes" such as Maranzano and Masseria, who usually worked only with fellow Italians, the "Young Turks" led by Luciano were more open to working with other groups, most notably the Jewish-American criminal syndicates to achieve greater profits. The Mafia thrived by following a strict set of rules that originated in Sicily that called for an organized hierarchical structure and a code of silence that forbade its members from cooperating with the police (Omertà). Failure to follow any of these rules is punishable by death.
The rise of power that the Mafia acquired during Prohibition would continue long after alcohol was made legal again. Criminal empires which had expanded on bootleg money would find other avenues to continue making large sums of money. When alcohol ceased to be prohibited in 1933, the Mafia diversified its money-making criminal actives to include (both old and new): illegal gambling operations, loan sharking, extortion, protection rackets, drug trafficking, fencing, and labor racketeering through control of labor unions. In the mid-20th century, the Mafia was reputed to have infiltrated many labor unions in the United States, most notably the Teamsters and International Longshoremen's Association.[2] This allowed crime families to make inroads into very profitable legitimate businesses such as construction, demolition, waste management, trucking, and in the waterfront and garment industry.[22] In addition they could raid the unions' health and pension funds, extort businesses with threats of a workers' strike and participate in bid rigging. In New York City, most construction projects could not be performed without the Five Families' approval. In the port and loading dock industries, the Mafia bribed union members to tip them off to valuable items being brought in. Mobsters would then steal these products and fence the stolen merchandise.



Charles "Lucky" Luciano in 1948
Meyer Lansky made inroads into the casino industry in Cuba during the 1930s while the Mafia was already involved in exporting Cuban sugar and rum.[23] When his friend Fulgencio Batista became president of Cuba in 1952, several Mafia bosses were able to make legitimate investments in legalized casinos. One estimate of the number of casinos mobsters owned was no less than 19.[23] However, when Batista was overthrown following the Cuban Revolution, his successor Fidel Castro banned American investment in the country, putting an end to the Mafia's presence in Cuba.[23] Las Vegas was seen as an "open city" where any family can work. Once Nevada legalized gambling, mobsters were quick to take advantage and the casino industry became very popular in Las Vegas. Since the 1940s, Mafia families from New York, Cleveland, Kansas City, Milwaukee and Chicago had interests in Las Vegas casinos. They got loans from the Teamsters' pension fund, a union they effectively controlled, and used legitimate front men to build casinos.[24] When money came into the counting room, hired men skimmed cash before it was recorded, then delivered it to their respective bosses.[24] This money went unrecorded, but the amount is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Operating in the shadows, the Mafia faced little opposition from law enforcement. Local law enforcement agencies did not have the resources or knowledge to effectively combat organized crime committed by a secret society they were unaware existed.[22] Many people within police forces and courts were simply bribed, while witness intimidation was also common.[22] In 1951, a U.S. Senate committee called the Kefauver Hearings determined that a "sinister criminal organization" known as the Mafia operated in the nation.[2] Many suspected mobsters were subpoenaed for questioning, but few testified and none gave any meaningful information. In 1957, New York State Police uncovered a meeting and arrested major figures from around the country in Apalachin, New York. The event (dubbed the "Apalachin Meeting") forced the FBI to recognize organized crime as a serious problem in the United States and changed the way law enforcement investigated it.[2] In 1963, Joe Valachi became the first Mafia member to turn state's evidence, and provided detailed information of its inner workings and secrets. More importantly, he revealed Mafia's existence to the law, which enabled the Federal Bureau of Investigations to begin an aggressive assault on the Mafia's National Crime Syndicate.[25] Following Valachi's testimony, the Mafia could no longer operate completely in the shadows. The FBI put a lot more effort and resources into organized crime actives nation-wide and created the Organized Crime Strike Force in various cities. However, while all this created more pressure on the Mafia, it did little to curb their criminal activities. Success was made by the beginning of the 1980s, when the FBI was able to rid Las Vegas casinos of Mafia control and made a determined effort to loosen the Mafia's stronghold on labor unions.
RICO Act[edit]



Sammy Gravano
When the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO Act) became federal law in 1970, it became a highly effective tool in prosecuting mobsters. It provides for extended criminal penalties for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. Violation of the act is punishable by up to 20 years in prison per count. The RICO Act has proven to be a very powerful weapon, because it attacks the entire corrupt entity instead of individuals who can easily be replaced with other organized crime members.[2] Between 1981 and 1992, 23 bosses from around the country were convicted under the law while between 1981 and 1988, 13 underbosses and 43 captains were convicted.[22] While this significantly crippled many Mafia families around the country, the most powerful families continued to dominate crime in their territories, even if the new laws put more mobsters in jail and made it harder to operate. With Sammy Gravano agreeing to cooperate with the FBI and turn state's evidence in 1991, he helped the FBI convict top Mafia leaders in New York. Although not the first Mafia member to testify against his peers, such a powerful mobster agreeing to do so set a precedent for waves of mobsters thereafter to break the code of silence to do the same; giving up information and testifying in exchange for immunity from prosecution for their crimes.[12][26] Aside from avoiding long prison stretches, the FBI could put mobsters in the United States Federal Witness Protection Program, changing their identities and supporting them financially for life. This led to dozens of mobsters testifying and providing information during the 1990s, which led to the imprisonment of hundreds of mobsters. As a result, the Mafia has seen a major decline in its power and influence in organized crime since the 1990s.
In the 21st century, the Mafia has continued to be involved in a broad spectrum of illegal activities. These include murder, extortion, corruption of public officials, gambling, infiltration of legitimate businesses, labor racketeering, loan sharking, tax fraud schemes and stock manipulation schemes.[27] Another factor contributing to the Mafia's downfall is the assimilation of Italian Americans, which left a shallower recruitment pool of new mobsters. Although the Mafia used to be nationwide, today most of its activities are confined to the Northeast and Chicago.[3] While other criminal organizations such as Russian Mafia, Chinese Triad, Mexican drug cartels and others have all grabbed a share of criminal activities, the Mafia continues to be the dominant criminal organization in these regions, partly due to its strict hierarchical structure.[3] Law enforcement is concerned with the possible resurgence of the Mafia as it regroups from the turmoil of the 1990s and the FBI and local law enforcement agencies focus more on homeland security and away from organized crime since the September 11 attacks.[28][29] In 2002 the FBI estimated that the Mafia earns $50–$90 billion a year.[30] To avoid FBI attention and prosecution, the modern Mafia also outsources a lot of its work to other criminal groups, such as motorcycle gangs.[3]
Structure[edit]
Mafia family structure tree.en.svg
The American Mafia operates on a strict hierarchical structure. While similar to its Sicilian origins, the American Mafia's modern organizational structure was created by Salvatore Maranzano in 1931. All inducted members of the Mafia are called "made" men. This signifies that they are untouchable in the criminal underworld and any harm brought to them will be met with retaliation. With the exception of associates, all mobsters are "made" official members of a crime family. The three highest positions make up the administration. Below the administration, there are factions each headed by a caporegime (captain), who lead a crew of soldiers and associates. They report to the administration and can be seen as equivalent to managers in a business. When a boss makes a decision, he rarely issues orders directly to workers who would carry it out, but instead passed instructions down through the chain of command. This way, the higher levels of the organization are insulated from law enforcement attention if the lower level members who actually commit the crime should be captured or investigated. This provides what the intelligence community calls plausible deniability.
There are occasionally other positions in the family leadership. Frequently, ruling panels have been set up when a boss goes to jail to divide the responsibility of the family (these usually consist of three or five members). This also helps divert police attention from any one member. The family messenger and street boss were positions created by former Genovese family leader Vincent Gigante.
##Boss – The boss is the head of the family, usually reigning as a dictator, sometimes called the Don or "Godfather". The boss receives a cut of every operation taken on by every member of his family. Depending on the family, the boss may be chosen by a vote from the caporegimes of the family. In the event of a tie, the underboss must vote. In the past, all the members of a family voted on the boss, but by the late 1950s, any gathering such as that usually attracted too much attention.[31] In practice, many of these elections are seen as having an inevitable result, such as that of John Gotti in 1986. According to Sammy Gravano, a meeting was held in a basement during which all capos were searched and Gotti's men stood ominously behind them. Gotti was then proclaimed boss.
##Underboss – The underboss, usually appointed by the boss, is the second in command of the family. The underboss often runs the day-to-day responsibilities of the family or oversees its most lucrative rackets. He usually gets a percentage of the family's income from the boss's cut. The underboss is usually first in line to become acting boss if the boss is imprisoned, and is also frequently seen as a logical successor.
##Consigliere – The consigliere is an advisor to the family and sometimes seen as the boss's "right-hand man". He is used as a mediator of disputes, and a representative or aide in meetings with other families. In practice the consigliere is normally the third ranking member of the administration of a family and was traditionally a senior member familiar with how the organization is run. A boss will often appoint a trusted close associate as his consigliere.
##Caporegime (or capo) – A caporegime (also captain or skipper) is in charge of a crew, a group of soldiers who report directly to him. Each crew usually contains 10–20 soldiers and many more associates. A capo is appointed by the boss and reports to him or the underboss. A captain gives a percentage of his (and his underlings') earnings to the boss and is also responsible for any tasks assigned, including murder. In labor racketeering, it is usually a capo who controls the infiltration of union locals. If a capo becomes powerful enough, he can sometimes wield more power than some of his superiors. In cases like Anthony Corallo they might even bypass the normal Mafia structure and lead the family when the boss dies.
##Soldier (Soldato in Italian) – A soldier is a member of the family, and traditionally can only be of full Italian background (although today many families require men to be of only half Italian descent, on their father's side). Once a member is made he is untouchable, meaning permission from a soldier's boss must be given before he is murdered. When the books are open, meaning that a family is accepting new members, a made man may recommend an up-and-coming associate to be a new soldier. Soldiers are the main workers of the family, usually committing crimes like assault, murder, extortion, intimidation, etc. In return, they are given profitable rackets to run by their superiors and have full access to their family's connections and power.



 Although a Jewish associate, Meyer Lansky's (right) close association with Lucky Luciano made him an important figure in developing the American Mafia.##Associate – An associate is not a member of the Mafia, but works for a crime family nonetheless. Associates can include a wide range of people who work for the family. An associate can have a wide range of duties from virtually carrying out the same duties as a soldier to being a simple errand boy. This is where prospective mobsters ("connected guys") start out to prove their worth. Once a crime family is accepting new members, the best associates are evaluated and picked to become soldiers. An associate can also be a criminal who serves as a go-between or sometimes deals in drugs to keep police attention off the actual members, or they can be people the family does business with (restaurant owners, etc.) In other cases, an associate might be a corrupt labor union delegate or businessman.[31] Non-Italians will never go any further than this, although many non-Italians like Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, Murray Humphreys, and James Burke wielded extreme power within their respective crime families and carried the respect of actual members.
Rituals[edit]
The initiation ritual emerged from various sources, such as Roman Catholic confraternities and Masonic Lodges in mid-19th century Sicily[32] and has hardly changed to this day. The Chief of Police of Palermo in 1875 reported that the man of honor to be initiated would be led into the presence of a group of bosses and underbosses. One of these men would prick the initiate's arm or hand and tell him to smear the blood onto a sacred image, usually a saint. The oath of loyalty would be taken as the image was burned and scattered, thus symbolising the annihilation of traitors. This was confirmed by the first pentito, Tommaso Buscetta.
A hit, or murder, of a "made" man had to be approved by the leadership of his family, or retaliatory hits would be made, possibly inciting a war. In a state of war, families would "go to the mattresses" — an Italian phrase which roughly meant to go into battle.[33]
Mafia rules and customs[edit]
In order to be invited into the American Mafia and become a member one must perform a series of tasks, such as committing murder for the family and not for one's own personal benefit. When the boss decides to let a member into the family one will be part of a ceremony, involving the drawing of blood, swearing an oath over a gun or holy picture, and obeying the rules of the organization. In New York City, the Mafia created customs and traditions which the members have to follow. If one breaks any of the rules they can be killed by another member of the family and usually the murder is committed by the people closest to that person.[34][35]
1."Omertà" – is the oath or "code of silence", never talk to the authorities.
2."Ethnicity" – only men of Italian descent are allowed to become full members (made men). Associates, partners, allies etc. have no ethnic limits.
3."Family secrets" – members are not allowed to talk about family business to non-members.
4."Blood for blood" – if a family member is killed (by another member) no one can commit murder (in revenge) until the boss gives permission.
5."No fighting among members" – from fist fights to knife fights.
6."Tribute" – every month; members must pay the boss; also giving the boss a cut on any side deals.
7."Adultery" – members are not allowed to commit adultery with another family member's wife.
8."No facial hair" – members were not allowed to grow mustaches; part of the Mustache Pete way.[36][37]
Homosexuality is reportedly incompatible with the American Mafia code of conduct. In 1992, John D'Amato, acting boss of the DeCavalcante family, was killed when the family learned of his sexual relationships with other men.[38]
Symbolism in murders[edit]
##In 1981, for allowing undercover FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone, alias Donnie Brasco, to infiltrate the Bonanno crime family caporegime Dominic Napolitano, also known as Sonny Black, had his hands severed after he was killed. This was because he had Pistone shake hands and introduced to others as a "friend of ours" or a made man when he was not.[citation needed]
##In the 1990 murder of Lucchese crime family soldier Bruno Facciolo, a dead canary was stuffed into his mouth after he was shot to death. He had also been stabbed and shot in both eyes.[39][40][41]
##On April 18, 1980, Philadelphia Mafia consigliere Antonio Caponigro had Angelo Bruno killed without the The Commission's approval. Caponigro and his brother-in-law Alfred Salerno were taken to an isolated house in upstate New York and tortured before being killed. Salerno had been shot three times behind the right ear and once behind the left ear. The autopsy showed that a rope had been tied around his neck, wrists, and ankles, and most of his neck and face bones shattered. Caponigro had been suffocated, beaten, repeatedly stabbed and shot, and was found in a garbage bag. Around $300 was stuffed up Caponigro's rectum as a sign that he had become greedy.[42]
List of Mafia families[edit]
Main article: List of Mafia crime families
See also: List of Italian American mobsters and List of American mobsters by organization
The following is a list of all the 24 Mafia families that have been active in America. Note that some families have members and associates working in other regions as well. The organization is not limited to these regions.



"Don Vito" Genovese became leader of the Genovese crime family. Genovese served as mentor to the future boss of the Genovese crime family Vincent "Chin" Gigante.[43]##Buffalo, New York (Magaddino crime family)
##Chicago, Illinois (Chicago Outfit)
##Cleveland, Ohio (Cleveland crime family)
##Dallas, Texas (Dallas crime family)
##Denver, Colorado (Denver crime family)
##Detroit, Michigan (Detroit Partnership)
##Kansas City, Missouri (Kansas City crime family)
##Los Angeles, California (Los Angeles crime family)
##Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Milwaukee crime family)
##New England (Patriarca crime family)
##New Jersey (DeCavalcante crime family)
##New Orleans, Louisiana (New Orleans crime family)
##New York, New York (The Five Families) ##Bonanno crime family
##Colombo crime family
##Gambino crime family
##Genovese crime family
##Lucchese crime family
##Northeastern Pennsylvania (Bufalino crime family)
##Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia crime family)
##Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh crime family)
##Rochester, New York (Rochester crime family)
##San Francisco, California (San Francisco crime family)
##San Jose, California (San Jose crime family)
##St. Louis, Missouri (St. Louis crime family)
##Tampa, Florida (Trafficante crime family)
Cooperation with the U.S. government[edit]
During World War II[edit]
U.S. Naval Intelligence entered into an agreement with Lucky Luciano to gain his assistance in keeping the New York waterfront free from saboteurs after the destruction of the SS Normandie.[44] It took a spectacular disaster to get both sides talking seriously about protecting America’s East Coast and this happened on the afternoon of February 9th, 1942. While it was in the process of being converted into a troopship, the luxury ocean liner, Normandie, mysteriously burst into flames with 1,500 sailors and civilians on board. All but one escaped but 128 were injured and by the next day it was a smoking hulk. In his report, twelve years later, William B. Herlands, Commissioner of Investigation, made the case f­or the US government talking to top criminals stating "The Intelligence authorities were greatly concerned with the problems of sabotage and espionage ... Suspicions were rife with respect to the leaking of information about convoy movements. The Normandie, which was being converted to war use as the Navy auxiliary Lafayette, had burned at the pier in the North River, New York City. Sabotage was suspected."[45]
Plots to assassinate Fidel Castro[edit]
In August 1960, Colonel Sheffield Edwards, director of the Office of Security of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), proposed the assassination of Cuban head of state Fidel Castro by Mafia assassins. Between August 1960 and April 1961, the CIA, with the help of the Mafia, pursued a series of plots to poison or shoot Castro.[46] Those allegedly involved included Sam Giancana, Carlos Marcello, Santo Trafficante, Jr., and John Roselli.[47]
Recovery of murdered Mississippi civil rights workers[edit]
In 2007, Linda Schiro testified in an unrelated court case that her late boyfriend, Gregory Scarpa Sr., a capo in the Colombo family, had been recruited by the FBI to help find the bodies of three civil rights workers who had been murdered in Mississippi in 1964 by the Ku Klux Klan. She said that she had been with Scarpa in Mississippi at the time and had witnessed him being given a gun, and later a cash payment, by FBI agents. She testified that Scarpa had threatened a Klansman by placing a gun in the Klansman's mouth, forcing the Klansman to reveal the location of the bodies. Similar stories of Mafia involvement in recovering the bodies had been circulating for years, and had been previously published in the New York Daily News, but had never before been introduced in court.[48][49]
Law enforcement and the Mafia[edit]
In several Mafia families, killing a state authority is forbidden due to the possibility of extreme police retaliation. In some rare strict cases, conspiring to commit such a murder is punishable by death. The Jewish mobster Dutch Schultz was reportedly killed by his Italian peers out of fear that he would carry out a plan to kill New York City prosecutor Thomas Dewey. The Mafia did carry out hits on law enforcement in its earlier history. New York police officer Joe Petrosino was shot by Sicilian mobsters while on duty in Sicily. A statue of him was later erected across the street from a Lucchese hangout.[50]
Kefauver Committee[edit]
In 1951, a U.S. Senate special committee, chaired by Democratic Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver, determined that a "sinister criminal organization" known as the Mafia operated around the United States. The United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce (known as the "Kefauver Hearings"), televised nationwide, captured the attention of the American people and forced the FBI to recognize the existence of organized crime. In 1953, the FBI initiated the "Top Hoodlum Program". The purpose of the program was to have agents collect information on the mobsters in their territories and report it regularly to Washington to maintain a centralized collection of intelligence on racketeers.[51]
Apalachin Meeting[edit]
Main article: Apalachin Meeting
In 1957, the New York State Police uncovered a meeting of major American Cosa Nostra figures from around the country in the small upstate New York town of Apalachin (near Binghamton, New York). This gathering has become known as the "Apalachin Meeting". Many of the attendees were arrested, and this event was the catalyst that changed the way law enforcement battled organized crime.
The establishment of the United States Organized Crime Strike Force facilitated efforts to prosecute members of the Mafia. The Strike Force was established in the 1960s through a joint congressional effort led by Robert Kennedy. It was under the Office of the Inspector General in the Department of Labor. It was later disbanded at the national level, but continues at the state and local level today. It was responsible for investigating and eventually helping to bring down high-level Mafiosi such as Joseph Aiuppa of the Chicago Outfit, Anthony Salerno of the Genovese crime family of New York and Paul Castellano of the Gambino Family. Also, the Strike Force eliminated much of the organized crime in the Teamsters across the country.
Valachi hearings[edit]
Main article: Valachi hearings
In 1963, Joe Valachi became the first American Cosa Nostra member to provide a detailed look at the inside of the organization. Having been recruited by FBI special agents, and testifying before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate Committee on Government Operations, Valachi exposed the name, structure, power bases, codes, swearing-in ceremony, and members of this organization. All of this had been secret up to this point.
RICO Act[edit]
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO Act), passed as part of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, made it a crime to belong to an organization that performed illegal acts. The witness protection program was also enhanced by the same legislation. Frequent use of the act began during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Charges of racketeering were successfully pressed against scores of mobsters, including three of New York's Godfathers, Anthony Corallo, Carmine Persico and Philip Rastelli during the Mafia Commission Trial in 1985. Others like Anthony 'Fat Tony' Salerno, was thought of as the Genovese Godfather but was only a front-boss while Gambino boss Paul Castellano was murdered before the trial began. The act continues to be used to great effect today and has hurt the Mob severely.
2011 indictments[edit]
On January 20, 2011, the United States Justice Department issued 16 indictments against northeast American Mafia families resulting in 127 charged defendants[52] and more than 110 arrests.[53] The charges included murder, murder conspiracy, loansharking, arson, robbery, narcotics trafficking, extortion, illegal gambling and labor racketeering. It has been described as the largest operation against the Mafia in US history.[54] Families that have been affected included the Five Families of New York as well as the DeCavalcante crime family of New Jersey and Patriarca crime family of New England.[55]
In popular culture[edit]

Question book-new.svg
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The Mafia has provided the setting, characters, and themes for many well-regarded films and television shows, as well as novels and games. Additionally, members of the music industry have adopted Mafia monikers.
Games[edit]
The American Mafia has been popularized in video games such as the Grand Theft Auto series, The Godfather: The Game, The Godfather II, and the Mafia series.
Films[edit]
Many Mafia films have been produced in cinema history. Early gangster films depicting organized crime in the United States include The Public Enemy (1931), Little Caesar (1931), and Scarface (1932), the latter loosely based on the story of Al Capone.[56]
Following such events as the Kefauver hearings and Joseph Valachi's testimony before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, public awareness of the inner workings of mafia organizations grew, in turn inspiring more and more movies depicting (life in) organized crime and its infamous criminals, such as 1951's The Enforcer, a fictional account of Murder, Inc.. Eliot Ness' memoir The Untouchables inspired a television-series of the same name a few years later. Its pilot episode was later marketed as a stand-alone movie called "The Scarface Mob" and dealt with Ness's crusade to put Al Capone (played by Neville Brand in prison. Rod Steiger was the first to play Capone in an American theatrical film in 1959's Al Capone, which was followed in the 1960s by a few more films based on true mafia-related stories, such as Murder, Inc. and The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, in which Jack Nicholson played an uncredited role as a hitman.
Paramount Pictures released the film The Brotherhood starring Kirk Douglas as a mafia don. While it was a financial flop, Paramount's production chief Robert Evans commissioned Mario Puzo to finish a novel with similar themes and plot elements, and bought the screen rights. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather became a huge success, both critically and financially (it won the Best Picture Oscar and for a year was the highest grossing film ever made). It immediately inspired other mafia-related films, including a direct sequel, The Godfather Part II (1974), also (partly) based on Puzo's novel, and yet another big winner at the Academy Awards, as well as films based on real mafiosi like Honor Thy Father and Lucky Luciano (both in 1973) and Lepke and Capone (both in 1975). An ambitious 13-part miniseries by NBC called The Gangster Chronicles based on the rise of many major crime bosses of the 1920s and 1930s, aired in 1981.
The many Mafia-related convictions in the 1980s resulted in widespread demystification of organized crime, a sentiment which has been present in Mafia movies ever since. A high profile movie-version of The Untouchables focused primarily on the law enforcement's efforts to bring down Al Capone; Martin Scorsese's films, Goodfellas (1990) and Casino (1995) were based on true stories and further deglamorized Mafia life. Similar approaches were used in the made-for-TV film Witness to the Mob (1998) and Donnie Brasco (1997). Sidney Lumet's Find Me Guilty specifically dealt with a (real life) Mafia trial. There was also room for mafia comedies like Prizzi's Honor (1985), Oscar (1991), Bullets over Broadway (1994), Mickey Blue Eyes (1999), and Analyze This (1999) and its sequel Analyze That (2002).
Many more biographical features have been made throughout the 1990s and 2000s, including Mobsters (1990), Bugsy (1991), Gotti (1996), Hoodlum (1997), Lansky (TV-film, 1999), Boss of Bosses (TV-film, 2001).
American Mafiosi also appear in supporting roles in other films, such as Once Upon a Time in America (1984), A Bronx Tale (1993), True Romance (1993), Carlito's Way (1993), Road to Perdition (2002), The Departed (2006), Smokin' Aces (2006), and American Gangster (2007).
Music[edit]
Numerous music industry members have adopted Mafia-related monikers, such as Irv Gotti, hip hop and R&B record producer and founder of The Inc record label; Three Six Mafia, a Southern hip hop group from Memphis, Kebo Gotti, a Southern rapper from Atlanta; Juan Gotti, a Mexican American rapper; Mwata Mitchell, "Gotti" of the rap duo Boo & Gotti; Yo Gotti, a Southern rapper from Memphis; 808 Mafia, a southern hip hop production group and Kurupt Young Gotti, a West Coast rapper also known as Kurupt. Others include the Memphis Mafia, a group of associates of Elvis Presley from 1954 until he died, the Tejano band La Mafia, the Romanian rap group B.U.G. Mafia (or simply Mafia), which released the album Mafia in 1995. Black Label Society also released an album with that title in 2005. In 2011, music group Pomplamoose released the song 'Bust Your Knee Caps' about the Godfather's daughter's boyfriend, who wants out of the family.
Novels[edit]
The Mafia is also the topic of many popular novels, most notably in the works of author Mario Puzo, which include The Godfather, The Sicilian (1984), The Last Don (1997), and Omertà (2000), as well as James Ellroy's L.A. Quartet (first editions published 1987–1992) and Underworld USA Trilogy (first editions published 1995–2009).
Author Don Pendleton and his best-selling series of original novels The Executioner, revolved around Mack Bolan's one-man war against the Mafia. The first book, War Against the Mafia, was published in 1969, and the 38th book, Satan’s Sabbath in 1980.
Television series[edit]
While many TV shows like The Untouchables (1959–1963), Crime Story (1986–1988), and Wiseguy (1987–1990) have told fictional accounts of the Mafia, by far the most popular[citation needed] TV series has been HBO's The Sopranos (1999–2007). The show, set in Northern New Jersey, portrays fictional New Jersey Mafia boss Tony Soprano, the DiMeo crime family he heads, and its close affiliation with the Brooklyn-based Lupertazzi crime family of the New York Mafia. HBO followed up this hit series with the 1920s-setting period drama Boardwalk Empire (2010-), based in Atlantic City. Based on the life of Enoch L. Johnson, it portrays several early-era Mafia members in supporting roles. Also a new TV series called Mob City (2013–present).
Many television shows have mafia-related characters. Monty Python's Flying Circus character Luigi Vercotti, the Sons of Anarchy's Cacuzza Crime Family, and The Simpsons character Fat Tony are notable examples.
See also[edit]
##Atlantic City Conference
##Chechen mafia
##Havana Conference
##Jewish mafia
##Russian mafia
##Serbian mafia
##Sindikato ("Filipino Mafia")
##Sicilian Mafia Commission
##Timeline of organized crime
##Triad ("Chinese Mafia")
##Unione Corse ("Corsican Mafia")
##Yakuza
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Mike Dash (2009). First Family.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Italian Organized Crime". Organized Crime. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Archived from the original on October 10, 2010. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d Barret, Devlin; Gardiner, Sean (January 21, 2011). "Structure Keeps Mafia Atop Crime Heap". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
4.Jump up ^ Bart Barnes (March 28, 1998). "JFK Aide David Francis Powers Dies at 85". The Washington Posr. p. B05.
5.Jump up ^ "Sagepub.com" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-11-21.
6.Jump up ^ Pontchartrain, Blake. "New Orleans Know-It-All". Bestofneworleans.com. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
7.Jump up ^ "Under Attack". American Memory, Library of Congress. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
8.Jump up ^ "1891 New Orleans prejudice and discrimination results in lynching of 11 Italians, the largest mass lynching in United States history", Milestones of the Italian American Experience, National Italian American Foundation. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
9.Jump up ^ Gervais, C.H, The Rum runners A Prohibition Scrapbook. 1980. Thornhill: Firefly Books. Pg 9
10.Jump up ^ , Phillip. Rum running and The Roaring Twenties. . 1995. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. Pg 16
11.Jump up ^ Butts, Edward, Outlaws of The Lakes – Bootlegging and Smuggling from Colonial Times To Prohibition. 2004.Toronto: Linx Images Inc. Pg 110.
12.^ Jump up to: a b Burrough, Bryan (2005-09-11). "'Five Families': Made Men in America". The New York Times.
13.Jump up ^ Butts, Edward, Outlaws of The Lakes – Bootlegging and Smuggling from Colonial Times To Prohibition. 2004.Toronto: Linx Images Inc. Pg 109
14.^ Jump up to: a b "Organized Crime – American Mafia – York, Families, Mob, Family, Bosses, and Prison". Law.jrank.org. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
15.Jump up ^ Hallowell, Prohbition In Ontario, 1919-1923.1972. Ottawa: Love Printing Service. Pg ix
16.Jump up ^ Mason, Phillip. Rum running and The Roaring Twenties. 1995. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. Pg 42
17.Jump up ^ Butts, Edward, Outlaws of The Lakes – Bootlegging and Smuggling from Colonial Times To Prohibition. 2004.Toronto: Linx Images Inc. Pg 230
18.Jump up ^ Gervais, C.H, The Rum runners A Prohibition Scrapbook. 1980. Thornhill: Firefly Books. Pg10
19.Jump up ^ Dubro, James. Mob Rule – Inside the Canadian Mafia. 1985. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada. Pg, 277
20.Jump up ^ King of the Godfathers: Big Joey Massino and the Fall of the Bonanno Crime Family By Anthony M. DeStefano. Kensington Publishing Corp., 2008
21.Jump up ^ "Rick Porrello's AmericanMafia.com – 26 Mafia Families and Their Cities". Americanmafia.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
22.^ Jump up to: a b c d Busting the Mob: United States v. Cosa Nostra" James B. Jacobs, Christopher Panarella, Jay Worthington. NYU Press, 1996. ISBN 978-0-8147-4230-3. pages 3–5
23.^ Jump up to: a b c Salinger, Lawrence M. (2005). Title Encyclopedia of white-collar & corporate crime: A – I, Volume 1 Encyclopedia of white-collar & corporate crime: A – I, Volume 1. SAGE Publications. p. 234. ISBN 978-0-7619-3004-4. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
24.^ Jump up to: a b Mannion, James (2003). The Everything Mafia Book: True-Life Accounts of Legendary Figures, Infamous Crime Families, and Chilling Events. Everything series (illustrated ed.). Everything Books. p. 94. ISBN 978-1-58062-864-8.
25.Jump up ^ "The Dying of the Light: The Joseph Valachi Story — Prologue — Crime Library on". Trutv.com. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
26.Jump up ^ Sammy "The Bull" Gravano By Allan May. TruTV
27.Jump up ^ "FBI — Italian/Mafia". Fbi.gov. Archived from the original on 16 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
28.Jump up ^ Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires by Selwyn Raab. 2005
29.Jump up ^ Mafia is like a chronic disease, never cured By Edwin Stier. January 22, 2011
30.Jump up ^ "Mob Money". News on News. 2010-06-03. Archived from the original on 18 December 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
31.^ Jump up to: a b Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002
32.Jump up ^ "Mafia's arcane rituals, and much of the organization's structure, were based largely on those of the Catholic confraternities and even Freemasonry, colored by Sicilian familial traditions and even certain customs associated with military-religious orders of chivalry like the Order of Malta." The Mafia from bestofsicily.com
33.Jump up ^ "Go to the mattresses" from http://www.phrases.org.uk
34.Jump up ^ Mafia: A history of its rise to power. Thomas Reppetto. Macmillan. 2005-01-28. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
35.Jump up ^ Rabb, Selwyn. Five Families: The Rise, Decline and Resurgence of Americas Most Powerful Mafia Empires. (pp. 7–8) books.google.com
36.Jump up ^ Frankie Saggio and Fred Rosen. Born to the mob: the true-life story of the only man to work for all five of New York's Mafia Families. 2004 Thunder's Mouth Press publishing (pg.12)
37.Jump up ^ Garcia,Joaquin and Levin, Michael. Making Jack Falcone: An Undercover FBI Agent Takes Down a Mafia Family 2008 Pocket Star Books Publishing (pg.121)
38.Jump up ^ "Gay mobsters cower in the closet". PageOneQ. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
39.Jump up ^ "The Case of the Stuffed Canary (471 F. 3d 371 – United States v. Daidone); Louie Bagels Sentenced to Life for Racketeering and Murder". Open Jurist: Federal Bureau of Investigation website.
40.Jump up ^ Gearty, Robert (30 June 2004). "Court Boils Louie Bagels". New York Daily News.
41.Jump up ^ Bruno, Anthony. "The Lucchese Family: A Revolving Door". TruTV Crime Library. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
42.Jump up ^ "History". The Nevada Observer. August 22, 2006.
43.Jump up ^ DeVico, Peter J. "The Mafia Made Easy: The Anatomy and Culture of La Cosa Nostra". (p. 186).
44.Jump up ^ Tim Newark Mafia Allies, p. 288, 292, MBI Publishing Co., 2007 ISBN 978-0-7603-2457-8
45.Jump up ^ Newark, Tim. "Pact With the Devil?". History Today Volume: 57 Issue: 4 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
46.Jump up ^ Michael Evans. "''Bay of Pigs Chronology'', The National Security Archive (at The George Washington University)". Gwu.edu. Archived from the original on 5 February 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
47.Jump up ^ Ambrose & Immerman Ike's Spies, p. 303, 1999 ISBN 978-1-57806-207-2
48.Jump up ^ Brick, Michael (October 30, 2007). "At Trial of Ex-F.B.I. Supervisor, How to Love a Mobster". The New York Times. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
49.Jump up ^ "Witness: FBI used mob muscle to crack ’64 case", MSNBC.com, October 29, 2007. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
50.Jump up ^ Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires
51.Jump up ^ "FBI — Using Intel to Stop the Mob, Pt. 2". Fbi.gov. 1963-10-01. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
52.Jump up ^ "91 Leaders, Members and Associates of La Cosa Nostra Families in Four Districts Charged with Racketeering and Related Crimes, Including Murder and Extortion". Justice.gov. 2011-01-20. Archived from the original on 26 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
53.Jump up ^ Moore, Martha T. (2011-01-21). "Feds nab nearly 130 in Mafia crackdown". Usatoday.Com. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
54.Jump up ^ "US & Canada – FBI arrests 127 mafia suspects". Ft.com. 2011-01-20. Archived from the original on 27 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
55.Jump up ^ ny fbi press release 2011.1.11. The release mentioned the 'New England LCN', but follow the article for Luigi Manocchio to see the Patriarca name
56.Jump up ^ "Scarface". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-11-21.
References[edit]
##Arlacchi, Pino (1988). Mafia Business. The Mafia Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Oxford: Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-285197-7
##Chubb, Judith (1989). The Mafia and Politics, Cornell Studies in International Affairs, Occasional Papers No. 23.
##Critchley, David. The Origin of Organized Crime: The New York City Mafia, 1891–1931. New York, Routledge, 2008.
##Dash, Mike. The First Family: Terror, Extortion and the Birth of the American Mafia. London, Simon & Schuster, 2009.
##Servadio, Gaia (1976), Mafioso. A history of the Mafia from its origins to the present day, London: Secker & Warburg ISBN 0-436-44700-2
Further reading[edit]
##Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002. ISBN 0-02-864225-2
##Reuter, Peter. "The decline of the American Mafia." (Archive, Info page, Archive) National Affairs. Issue No. 120, Summer (Northern Hemisphere) 1995, pp. 89–99.
##United States. Congress. Senate. Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field Publication. 1959. Investigation of Improper Activities in the Labor Or Management Field. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
##United States. Congress. Senate. Commerce. 1972. Effects of organized criminal activity on interstate and foreign commerce. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
##United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. 1980. Organized Crime and Use of Violence: hearings before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
##United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Organized crime: 25 years after Valachi : hearings before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2011-01-26. For sale by the Supt. of Docs., Congressional Sales Office, U.S. G.P.O., 1988.
External links[edit]
##Gangrule, American Mafia history
##Italian Mafia Terms Defined
##The 26 Original American Mafia Families – AmericanMafia.com
##Mafia Today daily updated mafia news site and Mafia resource


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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Mafia







Sicilian Mafia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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"Cosa Nostra" redirects here. For the American counterpart, see American Mafia.
Sicilian Mafia
Sicilian mafia 1901 maxi trial.jpg
Sketch of the 1901 maxi trial of suspected mafiosi in Palermo. From the newspaper L'Ora, May 1901

Founding location
Sicily, Italy
Years active
mid 1800s–present
Territory
Italy, mostly Sicily; Quebec and Ontario in Canada; Victoria in Australia; United Kingdom and Germany in all Europe; Venezuela, Argentine, Brazil and Colombia in all Latin America; South Africa in Africa
Ethnicity
"Made men" are Italians, mostly Sicilians, with some associates of various ethnicities
Membership
at least 5000-8000
Criminal activities
Racketeering, drug trafficking, murder, corruption, human trafficking, fraud, illegal waste management, extortion, assault, smuggling, gambling, terrorism, weapons trafficking, loan sharking, prostitution, money laundering, fencing, construction management and robbery
Allies
Camorra, 'Ndrangheta, American mafia, Corsican mafia Colombian drug cartels,[citation needed] and, formerly, the Banda della Magliana and Mala del Brenta
Rivals
Various Camorra clans, 'Ndrangheta[citation needed]
The Sicilian Mafia (also known as Cosa Nostra, in English "Our Thing") is a criminal syndicate in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering. Each group, known as a "family", "clan", or "cosca", claims sovereignty over a territory, usually a town or village or a neighbourhood (borgata) of a larger city, in which it operates its rackets. Its members call themselves "men of honour", although the public often refers to them as "mafiosi".
The American Mafia arose from offshoots of the Mafia that emerged in the United States during the late nineteenth century, following waves of emigration from Italy. There were similar offshoots in Canada among Italian Canadians. The same has been claimed of organised crime among Italians in Australia.[1]


Contents  [hide]
1 Etymology 1.1 "Cosa Nostra" and other names
2 History 2.1 Post-feudal Sicily
2.2 Fascist suppression
2.3 Post-Fascist revival
2.4 Sack of Palermo
2.5 First Mafia War
2.6 Smuggling boom
2.7 Second Mafia War
2.8 Maxi trial and war against the government
2.9 Provenzano years
2.10 Modern Mafia in Italy
3 Definition
4 Structure and composition 4.1 Clan hierarchy
4.2 Membership
4.3 Commission
5 Rituals and codes of conduct 5.1 Initiation ceremony
5.2 Introductions
5.3 Etiquette
5.4 Ten Commandments
5.5 Omertà
6 Protection rackets 6.1 Protection from theft
6.2 Protection from competition
6.3 Client relations
6.4 Protection territories
7 Other activities 7.1 Vote buying
7.2 Smuggling
7.3 Bid rigging
7.4 Loan sharking
7.5 Forbidden crimes
8 Violence and reputation 8.1 Murder
8.2 Reputation
9 Notable Sicilian mafiosi 9.1 Informants and witness
10 See also
11 References
12 Sources
13 External links

Etymology[edit]
In reference to a man, mafiusu in 19th century Sicily was ambiguous, signifying a bully, arrogant but also fearless, enterprising, and proud, according to scholar Diego Gambetta.[2] In reference to a woman, however, the feminine-form adjective "mafiusa" means beautiful and attractive.
Possible origins from Arabic include:
mahyas (مهياص) = aggressive boasting, bragging
marfud (مرفوض) = rejected.
maha = quarry, cave[3]
mu'afa = safety, protection[3]
The public's association of the word with the criminal secret society was perhaps inspired by the 1863 play I Mafiusi di la Vicaria ("The Mafiosi of the Vicaria") by Giuseppe Rizzotto and Gaetano Mosca. The words "Mafia" and "mafiusi" are never mentioned in the play; "mafiusi" was probably put in the title to add a local flair. The play is about a Palermo prison gang with traits similar to the Mafia: a boss, an initiation ritual, and talk of "umirtà" (omertà or code of silence) and "pizzu" (a codeword for extortion money).[4] The play had great success throughout Italy. Soon after, the use of the term "mafia" began appearing in the Italian state's early reports on the phenomenon. The word made its first official appearance in 1865 in a report by the prefect of Palermo, Filippo Antonio Gualterio.[5]
According to legend, the word Mafia was first used in the Sicilian revolt – the Sicilian Vespers – against rule of the Capetian House of Anjou on 30 March 1282. In this legend, Mafia is the acronym for "Morte Alla Francia, Italia Avanti" (Italian for "Death to France, Italy Forward!"), or "Morte Alla Francia, Italia Anela" (Italian for "Death to France, Italy Begs!").[6] However, this version is now discarded by most serious historians.[2]
The term "mafia" has become a generic term for any organized criminal network with similar structure, methods, and interests. Giovanni Falcone, the anti-Mafia judge murdered by the Mafia in 1992, however, objected to the conflation of the term "Mafia" with organized crime in general:

While there was a time when people were reluctant to pronounce the word "Mafia" ... nowadays people have gone so far in the opposite direction that it has become an overused term ... I am no longer willing to accept the habit of speaking of the Mafia in descriptive and all-inclusive terms that make it possible to stack up phenomena that are indeed related to the field of organized crime but that have little or nothing in common with the Mafia.[7]
—Giovanni Falcone, 1990



"Cosa Nostra" and other names[edit]
According to Mafia turncoats (pentiti), the real name of the Mafia is "Cosa Nostra" ("Our Thing"). When the Italian-American mafioso Joseph Valachi testified before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate Committee on Government Operations in 1963 (known as the Valachi hearings), he revealed that American mafiosi referred to their organization by the term cosa nostra ("our thing" or "this thing of ours").[8][9][10] At the time, it was understood as a proper name, fostered by the FBI and disseminated by the media. The FBI even added the article la to the term, calling it La Cosa Nostra (in Italy, the article la is not used when referring to Cosa Nostra).
In 1984, the Mafia turncoat Tommaso Buscetta revealed to the anti-mafia magistrate Giovanni Falcone that the term was used by the Sicilian Mafia as well.[11] Buscetta dismissed the word "mafia" as a mere literary creation. Other defectors, such as Antonino Calderone and Salvatore Contorno, confirmed the use of Cosa Nostra to describe the Mafia.[12] Mafiosi introduce known members to each other as belonging to cosa nostra ("our thing") or la stessa cosa ("the same thing"), meaning "he is the same thing, a mafioso, as you".
The Sicilian Mafia has used other names to describe itself throughout its history, such as "The Honoured Society". Mafiosi are known among themselves as "men of honour" or "men of respect".
Cosa Nostra should not be confused with other mafia-type organizations in Italy such as the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria, the Camorra in Campania, or the Sacra Corona Unita in Apulia.
History[edit]
The genesis of Cosa Nostra is hard to trace because mafiosi are very secretive and do not keep historical records of their own. In fact, they have been known to spread deliberate lies about their past, and sometimes come to believe in their own myths.[13]
Post-feudal Sicily[edit]



 The Brigand family, 19th century
Modern scholars believe that the Mafia's seeds were planted in the upheaval of Sicily's transition out of feudalism in 1812 and its later annexation by mainland Italy in 1860. Under feudalism, the nobility owned most of the land and enforced law and order through their private armies. After 1812, the feudal barons steadily sold off or rented their lands to private citizens. Primogeniture was abolished, land could no longer be seized to settle debts, and one fifth of the land was to become private property of the peasants.[14] After Italy annexed Sicily in 1860, it redistributed a large share of public and church land to private citizens. The result was a huge boom in landowners: from 2,000 in 1812 to 20,000 by 1861.[15] The nobles also released their private armies to let the state take over the task of law enforcement. However, the authorities were incapable of properly enforcing property rights and contracts, largely due to their inexperience with free market capitalism.[16] Lack of manpower was also a problem: there were often less than 350 active policemen for the entire island. Some towns did not have any permanent police force, only visited every few months by some troops to collect malcontents, leaving criminals to operate with impunity from the law in the interim.[17] With more property owners and commercial activity came more disputes that needed settling, contracts that needed enforcing, transactions that needed oversight, and properties that needed protecting. Because the authorities were undermanned and unreliable, property owners turned to extralegal arbitrators and protectors. These extralegal protectors would eventually organize themselves into the first Mafia clans.
The oldest reference to Mafia groups in Sicily dates back to 1838, in a report of the General Prosecutor of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, although the term "mafia" was not used. Historian Salvatore Lupo described the phenomenon as proto-Mafia.[18] The report described the phenomenon rather than the name: "In many villages, there are unions or fraternities – kinds of sects – which are called partiti, with no political colour or goal, with no meeting places, and with no other bond but that of dependency on a chief."[6][19][20][21]
Banditry was a serious problem at the time. Rising food prices,[15] the loss of public and church lands,[14] and the loss of feudal common rights pushed many desperate peasants to banditry. With no police to call upon, local elites in countryside towns recruited young men into "companies-at-arms" to hunt down thieves and negotiate the return of stolen property, in exchange for a pardon for the thieves and a fee from the victims.[22] These companies-at-arms were often made up of former bandits and criminals, usually the most skilled and violent of them.[15] While this saved communities the trouble of training their own policemen, it may have made the companies-at-arms more inclined to collude with their former brethren rather than destroy them.[15]
There was little Mafia activity in the eastern half of Sicily. This did not mean there was little violence; the most violent conflicts over land took place in the east, but they did not involve mafiosi.[22] In the east, the ruling elites were more cohesive and active during the transition from feudalism to capitalism. They maintained their large stables of enforcers, and were able to absorb or suppress any emerging violent groups.[23] Furthermore, the land in the east was generally divided into a smaller number of large estates, so there were fewer landowners and their large estates often required its guardians to patrol it full-time. This meant that guardians of such estates tended to be bound to a single employer, giving them little autonomy or leverage to demand high payments.[24]
Mafia activity was most prevalent in the most prosperous areas of western Sicily, especially Palermo, where the dense concentrations of landowners and merchants offered ample opportunities for protection racketeering and extortion. There, the estates tended to be smaller than in the east, and thus did not require the total, round-the-clock attention of a protector. A protector could thus afford to serve multiple clients, giving him greater independence. The greater number of clients demanding protection also allowed him to charge high prices.[24] The landowners in this region were also frequently absent and could not watch over their properties should the mafioso withdraw protection, further increasing his bargaining power.[25]
The lucrative citrus orchards around Palermo were a favorite target of extortionists and protection racketeers, as they had a fragile production system that made them quite vulnerable to sabotage.[26] Mafia clans forced landowners to hire their members as custodians by scaring away unaffiliated applicants.[27] Cattle ranchers were also very vulnerable to thieves, and so they too needed mafioso protection.
In 1864, Niccolò Turrisi Colonna, leader of the Palermo National Guard, wrote of a "sect of thieves" that operated across Sicily. This "sect" was mostly rural, composed of cattle thieves, smugglers, wealthy farmers and their guards.[19][28] The sect made "affiliates every day of the brightest young people coming from the rural class, of the guardians of the fields in the Palermitan countryside, and of the large number of smugglers; a sect which gives and receives protection to and from certain men who make a living on traffic and internal commerce. It is a sect with little or no fear of public bodies, because its members believe that they can easily elude this."[29] It had special signals to recognize each other, offered protection services, scorned the law and had a code of loyalty and non-interaction with the police known as umirtà ("code of silence").[28][30] Colonna warned in his report that the Italian government's brutal and clumsy attempts to crush unlawfulness only made the problem worse by alienating the populace. An 1865 dispatch from the prefect of Palermo to Rome first officially described the phenomenon as a "Mafia".[5][31] An 1876 police report makes the earliest known description of the familiar initiation ritual.[32]



 1900 map of Mafia presence in Sicily. Towns with Mafia activity are marked as red dots. The Mafia operated mostly in the west, in areas of rich agricultural productivity.
Mafiosi meddled in politics early on, bullying voters into voting for candidates they favoured. At this period in history, only a small fraction of the Sicilian population could vote, so a single mafia boss could control a sizeable chunk of the electorate and thus wield considerable political leverage.[33] Mafiosi used their allies in government to avoid prosecution as well as persecute less well-connected rivals. The highly fragmented and shaky Italian political system allowed cliques of Mafia-friendly politicians to exert a lot of influence.[11]
In a series of reports between 1898 and 1900, Ermanno Sangiorgi, the police chief of Palermo, identified 670 mafiosi belonging to eight Mafia clans that went through alternating phases of cooperation and conflict.[34] The report mentioned initiation rituals and codes of conduct, as well as criminal activities that included counterfeiting, ransom kidnappings, robbery, murder and witness intimidation. The Mafia also maintained funds to support the families of imprisoned members and pay defense lawyers.[35]
Fascist suppression[edit]
In 1925, Benito Mussolini initiated a campaign to destroy the Mafia and assert Fascist control over Sicilian life. The Mafia threatened and undermined his power in Sicily, and a successful campaign would strengthen him as the new leader, legitimizing and empowering his rule.[36] Not only would this be a great propaganda coup for Fascism, but it would also provide an excuse to suppress his political opponents on the island, since many Sicilian politicians had Mafia links.
As prime minister, he visited Sicily in May 1924 and passed through Piana dei Greci where he was received by the mayor/Mafia boss Francesco Cuccia. At some point Cuccia expressed surprise at Mussolini’s police escort and whispered in his ear: "You are with me, you are under my protection. What do you need all these cops for?" After Mussolini rejected Cuccia's offer of protection, the sindaco, feeling he had been slighted, instructed the townsfolk to not attend the duce's speech. Mussolini felt humiliated and outraged.[37][38]
Cuccia’s careless remark has passed into history as the catalyst for Mussolini’s war on the Mafia. When Mussolini firmly established his power in January 1925, he appointed Cesare Mori as the Prefect of Palermo in October 1925 and granted him special powers to fight the Mafia.[37] Mori formed a small army of policemen, carabinieri and militiamen, which went from town to town, rounding up suspects. To force suspects to surrender, they would take their families hostage, sell off their property,[39] or publicly slaughter their livestock.[40] By 1928, over 11,000 suspects were arrested.[41] Confessions were sometimes extracted through beatings and torture. Some mafiosi who had been on the losing end of Mafia feuds voluntarily cooperated with prosecutors,[42] perhaps as a way of obtaining protection and revenge. Charges of Mafia association were typically leveled at poor peasants and gabellotti (farm leaseholders), but were avoided when dealing with major landowners.[43] Many were tried en masse.[44][45] More than 1,200 were convicted and imprisoned,[46] and many others were internally exiled without trial.[47]
Mori's campaign ended in June 1929 when Mussolini recalled him to Rome. Although he did not permanently crush the Mafia as the Fascist press proclaimed, his campaign was nonetheless very successful at suppressing it. As the Mafia informant Antonino Calderone reminisced: "The music changed. Mafiosi had a hard life. [...] After the war the mafia hardly existed anymore. The Sicilian Families had all been broken up."[47]
Sicily's murder rate sharply declined.[48] Landowners were able to raise the legal rents on their lands; sometimes as much as ten-thousandfold.[42] Many mafiosi fled to the United States. Among these were Carlo Gambino and Joseph Bonanno, who would go on to become powerful Mafia bosses in New York City.
Post-Fascist revival[edit]
In 1943, nearly half a million Allied troops invaded Sicily. Crime soared in the upheaval and chaos. Many inmates escaped from their prisons, banditry returned and the black market thrived.[11] During the first six months of Allied occupation, party politics in Sicily were banned.[49] Most institutions, with the exception of the police and carabinieri,[50] were destroyed, and the American occupiers had to build a new order from scratch. As Fascist mayors were deposed, the Allied Military Government of Occupied Territories (AMGOT) simply appointed replacements. Many turned out to be mafiosi, such as Calogero Vizzini and Giuseppe Genco Russo.[51][52] They could easily present themselves as political dissidents,[53] and their anti-communist position gave them additional credibility. Mafia bosses reformed their clans, absorbing some of the marauding bandits into their ranks.[54]
The changing economic landscape of Sicily would shift the Mafia's power base from rural to the urban areas. The Minister of Agriculture – a communist – pushed for reforms in which peasants were to get larger shares of produce, be allowed to form cooperatives and take over badly used land, and remove the system by which leaseholders (known as "gabelloti") could rent land from landowners for their own short-term use.[55] Owners of especially large estates were to be forced to sell off some of their land. The Mafia, which had connections to many landowners, murdered many socialist reformers. The most notorious attack was the Portella della Ginestra massacre, when 11 persons were killed and 33 wounded during May Day celebrations on May 1, 1947. The bloodbath was perpetrated by the bandit Salvatore Giuliano who was possibly backed by local Mafia bosses.[56][57] In the end, though, they couldn't stop the process, and many landowners chose to sell their land to mafiosi, who offered more money than the government.[58]
In the 1950s, a crackdown in the United States on drug trafficking led to the imprisonment of many American mafiosi. Furthermore, Cuba, a major hub for drug smuggling, fell to Fidel Castro. This prompted the American mafia boss Joseph Bonanno to return to Sicily in 1957 to franchise out his heroin operations to the Sicilian clans. Anticipating rivalries for the lucrative American drug market, he negotiated the establishment of a Sicilian Mafia Commission to mediate disputes.[59]
Sack of Palermo[edit]
Main article: Sack of Palermo
The post-war period saw a huge building boom in Palermo. Allied bombing in World War II had left more than 14,000 people homeless, and migrants were pouring in from the countryside,[60] so there was a huge demand for new homes. Much of this construction was subsidized by public money. In 1956, two Mafia-connected officials, Vito Ciancimino and Salvatore Lima, took control of Palermo's Office of Public Works. Between 1959 and 1963, about 80 percent of building permits were given to just five people, none of whom represented major construction firms and were probably Mafia frontmen.[61] Construction companies unconnected with the Mafia were forced to pay protection money. Many buildings were illegally constructed before the city's planning was finalized. Mafiosi scared off anyone who dared to question the illegal building. The result of this unregulated building was the demolition of many historic buildings and the erection of apartment blocks, many of which were not up to standard.

Mafia organizations entirely control the building sector in Palermo – the quarries where aggregates are mined, site clearance firms, cement plants, metal depots for the construction industry, wholesalers for sanitary fixtures, and so on.
—Giovanni Falcone, 1982[62]
First Mafia War[edit]
Main article: Ciaculli massacre
The First Mafia War was the first high-profile conflict between Mafia clans in post-war Italy (the Sicilian Mafia has a long history of violent rivalries).
In 1962, the mafia boss Cesare Manzella organized a drug shipment to America with the help of two Sicilian clans, the Grecos and the La Barberas. Manzella entrusted another boss, Calcedonio Di Pisa, to handle the heroin. When the shipment arrived in America, however, the American buyers claimed some heroin was missing, and paid Di Pisa a commensurately lower sum. Di Pisa accused the Americans of defrauding him, while the La Barberas accused Di Pisa of embezzling the missing heroin. The Sicilian Mafia Commission sided with Di Pisa, to the open anger of the La Barberas. The La Barberas murdered Di Pisa and Manzella, triggering a war.[63]
Many non-mafiosi were killed in the crossfire. In April 1963, several bystanders were wounded during a shootout in Palermo.[64] In May, Angelo La Barbera survived a murder attempt in Milan. In June, six military officers and a policeman in Ciaculli were killed while trying to dispose of a car bomb. These incidents provoked national outrage and a crackdown in which nearly 2,000 arrests were made. Mafia activity fell as clans disbanded and mafiosi went into hiding. The Sicilian Mafia Commission was dissolved; it would not reform until 1969.[65] 117 suspects were put on trial in 1968, but most were acquitted or received light sentences.[66] The inactivity plus money lost to legal fees and so forth reduced most mafiosi to poverty.[67]
Smuggling boom[edit]
The 1950s and 1960s were difficult times for the mafia, but in the 1970s their rackets grew considerably more lucrative, particularly smuggling. The most lucrative racket of the 1970s was cigarette smuggling.[68] Sicilian and Neapolitan crime bosses negotiated a joint monopoly over the smuggling of cigarettes to Naples.
When heroin refineries operated by Corsican gangsters in Marseilles were shut down by French authorities, morphine traffickers looked to Sicily. Starting in 1975, Cosa Nostra set up heroin refineries across the island.[69] As well as refining heroin, Cosa Nostra also sought to control its distribution. Sicilian mafiosi moved to the United States to personally control distribution networks there, often at the expense of their U.S. counterparts. Heroin addiction in Europe and North America surged,[citation needed] and seizures by police increased dramatically. By 1982, the Sicilian Mafia controlled about 80 percent of the heroin trade in the north-eastern United States.[70] Heroin was often distributed to street dealers from Mafia-owned pizzerias, and the revenues could be passed off as restaurant profits (the so-called Pizza Connection).
Second Mafia War[edit]
Main article: Second Mafia War
In the early 1970s, Luciano Leggio, boss of the Corleone clan and member of the Sicilian Mafia Commission, forged a coalition of mafia clans known as the Corleonesi, with himself as its leader. He initiated a campaign to dominate Cosa Nostra and its narcotics trade. Because Leggio was imprisoned in 1974, he acted through his deputy, Salvatore Riina, to whom he would eventually hand over control. The Corleonesi bribed cash-strapped Palermo clans into the fold, subverted members of other clans and secretly recruited new members.[71] In 1977, the Corleonesi had Gaetano Badalamenti expelled from the Commission on trumped-up charges of hiding drug revenues.[72] In April 1981, the Corleonesi murdered another rival member of the Commission, Stefano Bontade, and the Second Mafia War began in earnest.[73] Hundreds of enemy mafiosi and their relatives were murdered,[74] sometimes by traitors in their own clans. By manipulating the Mafia's rules and eliminating rivals, the Corleonesi came to completely dominate the Commission. Riina used his power over the Commission to replace the bosses of certain clans with hand-picked regents.[75] In the end, the Corleonesi faction won and Riina effectively became the "boss of bosses" of the Sicilian Mafia.
At the same time the Corleonesi waged their campaign to dominate Cosa Nostra, they also waged a campaign of murder against journalists, officials and policemen who dared cross them. The police were frustrated with the lack of help they were receiving from witnesses and politicians. At the funeral of a policeman murdered by mafiosi in 1985, policemen insulted and spat at two attending politicians, and a fight broke out between them and military police.[76]
Maxi trial and war against the government[edit]



 Buscetta (in sunglasses) is led into court at the Maxi Trial, circa 1986.
In the early 1980s, the magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino began a campaign against Cosa Nostra. Their big break came with the arrest of Tommaso Buscetta, a mafioso who chose to turn informant in exchange for protection from the Corleonesi, who had already murdered many of his friends and relatives. Other mafiosi followed his example. Falcone and Borsellino compiled their testimonies and organized the Maxi Trial, which lasted from February 1986 to December 1987. It was held in a fortified courthouse specially built for the occasion. 474 mafiosi were put on trial, of whom 342 were convicted. In January 1992 the Italian Supreme Court confirmed these convictions.
The Mafia retaliated violently. In 1988, they murdered a Palermo judge and his son; three years later a prosecutor and an anti-mafia businessman were also murdered. Salvatore Lima, a close political ally of the Mafia, was murdered for failing to reverse the convictions as promised. Falcone and Borsellino were killed by bombs in 1992. This led to a public outcry and a massive government crackdown, resulting in the arrest of Salvatore Riina in January 1993. More and more defectors emerged. Many would pay a high price for their cooperation, usually through the murder of relatives. For example, Francesco Marino Mannoia's mother, aunt and sister were murdered.[77]
After Riina's arrest, the Mafia began a campaign of terrorism on the Italian mainland. Tourist spots such as the Via dei Georgofili in Florence, Via Palestro in Milan, and the Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano and Via San Teodoro in Rome were attacked, leaving 10 dead and 93 injured and causing severe damage to cultural heritage such as the Uffizi Gallery. When the Catholic Church openly condemned the Mafia, two churches were bombed and an anti-Mafia priest shot dead in Rome.[78]
After Riina's capture, leadership of the Mafia was briefly held by Leoluca Bagarella, then passed to Bernardo Provenzano when the former was himself captured in 1995.[79] Provenzano halted the campaign of violence and replaced it with a campaign of quietness known as pax mafiosa.
Provenzano years[edit]
Under Bernardo Provenzano's leadership, murders of state officials were halted. He also halted the policy of murdering informants and their families, with a view instead to getting them to retract their testimonies and return to the fold.[80] He also restored the common support fund for imprisoned mafiosi.
The tide of defectors was greatly stemmed. The Mafia preferred to initiate relatives of existing mafiosi, believing them to be less prone to defection. Provenzano was arrested in 2006, after 43 years on the run. His successor as boss is Messina Denaro.
Modern Mafia in Italy[edit]
The incarcerated bosses are currently subjected to harsh controls on their contact with the outside world, limiting their ability to run their operations from behind bars under the article 41-bis prison regime. Antonino Giuffrè – a close confidant of Provenzano, turned pentito shortly after his capture in 2002 – alleges that in 1993 Cosa Nostra had direct contact with representatives of Silvio Berlusconi who was then planning the birth of Forza Italia.[81][82][83]
The alleged deal included a repeal of 41 bis, among other anti-Mafia laws in return for electoral support in Sicily. Nevertheless, Giuffrè's declarations have not yet been confirmed. The Italian Parliament, with the full support of Forza Italia reinforced the provisions of the 41 bis, which was to expire in 2002 but has been prolonged for another four years and extended to other crimes such as terrorism. However, according to one of Italy’s leading magazines, L'Espresso, 119 mafiosi – one-fifth of those incarcerated under the 41 bis regime – have been released on an individual basis.[84] The human rights group Amnesty International has expressed concern that the 41-bis regime could in some circumstances amount to "cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment" for prisoners.[citation needed]
In addition to Salvatore Lima, mentioned above, the recently deceased politician Giulio Andreotti and the High Court judge Corrado Carnevale have long been suspected of having ties to the Mafia.[85]
By the late 1990s, the weakened Cosa Nostra had to yield most of the illegal drug trade to the 'Ndrangheta crime organization from Calabria. In 2006, the latter was estimated to control 80 percent of the cocaine imported to Europe.[86] In 2012, it was reported that the Mafia had joined forces with the Mexican drug cartels.[87]
Definition[edit]
It is difficult to define exactly, the single function, or goal, of the phenomenon of the Mafia. Until the early 1980s, mafia was generally considered a unique Sicilian cultural attitude and form of power, excluding any corporate or organisational dimension.[88] Some even used it as a defensive attempt to render the Mafia benign and romantic: not a criminal association, but the sum of Sicilian values that outsiders never will understand.[89]
Leopoldo Franchetti, an Italian deputy who travelled to Sicily and who wrote one of the first authoritative reports on the mafia in 1876, saw the Mafia as an "industry of violence" and described the designation of the term "mafia":

the term mafia found a class of violent criminals ready and waiting for a name to define them, and, given their special character and importance in Sicilian society, they had the right to a different name from that defining vulgar criminals in other countries.
—Leopoldo Franchetti, 1876[90]
Franchetti saw the Mafia as deeply rooted in Sicilian society and impossible to quench unless the very structure of the island's social institutions were to undergo a fundamental change.[91]
Some observers saw "mafia" as a set of attributes deeply rooted in popular culture, as a "way of being", as illustrated in the definition by the Sicilian ethnographer, Giuseppe Pitrè:

Mafia is the consciousness of one's own worth, the exaggerated concept of individual force as the sole arbiter of every conflict, of every clash of interests or ideas.
—Giuseppe Pitrè, 1889[92]
Like Pitrè, many scholars viewed mafiosi as individuals behaving according to specific subcultural codes, but did not consider the Mafia a formal organisation. Judicial investigations and scientific research in the 1980s provided solid proof of the existence of well-structured Mafia groups with entrepreneurial characteristics. The Mafia was seen as an enterprise and its economic activities became the focus of academic analyses.[88] Ignoring the cultural aspects, the Mafia is often erroneously seen as similar to other non-Sicilian organized criminal associations.[93]
However, these two paradigms missed essential aspects of the Mafia that became clear when investigators were confronted with the testimonies of Mafia turncoats, like those of Buscetta to judge Falcone at the Maxi Trial. The economic approach to explain the Mafia did illustrate the development and operations of the Mafia business, but neglected the cultural symbols and codes by which the Mafia legitimized its existence and by which it rooted itself into Sicilian society.[88]
The economic paradigm was prevalent when the Italian Penal Code definition of criminal conspiracy (Article 416) was extended by Pio La Torre. Article 416 bis defines an association as being of Mafia-type nature "when those belonging to the association exploit the potential for intimidation which their membership gives them, and the compliance and omerta which membership entails and which lead to the committing of crimes, the direct or indirect assumption of management or control of financial activities, concessions, permissions, enterprises and public services for the purpose of deriving profit or wrongful advantages for themselves or others."[94] The term Mafia-type organisations is used to clearly distinguish the uniquely Sicilian Mafia from other criminal organisations – such as the Camorra, the 'Ndrangheta, the Sacra Corona Unita – that are structured like the Mafia, but are not the Mafia. According to historian Salvatore Lupo, “if everything is Mafia, nothing is Mafia.”[93]
There are several lines of interpretation, often blended to some extent, to define the Mafia: it has been viewed as a mirror of traditional Sicilian society; as an enterprise or type of criminal industry; as a more or less centralized secret society; and/or as a juridical ordering that is parallel to that of the state – a kind of anti-state. The Mafia is all of these but none of these exclusively.[95]
Structure and composition[edit]
Cosa Nostra is not a monolithic organization, but rather a loose confederation of about one hundred groups known alternately as "families", "cosche", "borgatas" or "clans" (despite the name, their members are generally not related by blood), each of which claims sovereignty over a territory, usually a town or village or a neighborhood of a larger city, though without ever fully conquering and legitimizing its monopoly of violence. For many years, the power apparatuses of the single families were the sole ruling bodies within the two associations, and they have remained the real centers of power even after superordinate bodies were created in the Cosa Nostra beginning in the late 1950s (the Sicilian Mafia Commission).[96]
The Italian journalist Mauro De Mauro kidnapped by the mafia on the evening of September 16, 1970 was the first to publish a detailed map of the Sicilian Mafia, which was confirmed 22 years later by the Mafia pentito (turncoat) Tommaso Buscetta in his testimony to Judge Giovanni Falcone.[97]
Today, according to the Chief Prosecutor of Palermo, Francesco Messineo, there are 94 Mafia clans in Sicily subject to 29 mandamenti,[98] with a total of at least 3,500 to 4,000 full members.[99] Most are based in western Sicily, almost half of them in the province of Palermo.[11]
Clan hierarchy[edit]



 Hierarchy of a Cosa Nostra clan.
In 1984, the mafioso informant Tommaso Buscetta explained to prosecutors the command structure of a typical clan.[11] A clan is led by a "boss" (capofamiglia or rappresentante), who is aided by an underboss (capo bastone or sotto capo) and supervised by one or more advisers (consigliere). Under his command are groups (decina) of about ten "soldiers" (soldati, operai, or picciotti). Each decina is led by a capodecina.
The actual structure of any given clan can vary. Despite the name decina, they do not necessarily have ten soldiers, but can have anything from five to thirty.[100] Some clans are so small that they don't even have decinas and capodecinas, and even in large clans certain soldiers may report directly to the boss.[101]
The boss of a clan is typically elected by the rank-and-file soldiers (though violent successions do happen). Due to the small size of most Sicilian clans, the boss of a clan has intimate contact with all members, and doesn't receive much in the way of privileges or rewards as he would in larger organizations (such as the larger Five Families of New York).[102] His tenure is also frequently short: elections are yearly, and he might be deposed sooner for misconduct or incompetence.[103]
The underboss is usually appointed by the boss. He is the boss' most trusted right-hand man and second-in-command. If the boss is killed or imprisoned, he takes over as leader.
The consigliere ("counselor") of the clan is also elected on a yearly basis. One of his jobs is to supervise the actions of the boss and his immediate underlings, particularly in financial matters (e.g. preventing embezzlement).[104] He also serves as an impartial adviser to the boss and mediator in internal disputes. To fulfill this role, the consigliere must be impartial, devoid of conflict of interest and ambition.[105]
Other than its members, Cosa Nostra makes extensive use of "associates". These are people who work for or aid a clan (or even multiple clans) but are not treated as true members. These include corrupt officials and prospective mafiosi. An associate is considered by the mafiosi nothing more than a tool, someone that they can "use", or "nothing mixed with nil."[11]
The media has often made reference to a "capo di tutti capi" or "boss of bosses" that allegedly "commands all of Cosa Nostra". Calogero Vizzini, Salvatore Riina, and Bernardo Provenzano were especially influential bosses who have each been described by the media and law enforcement as being the "boss of bosses" of their times. While a powerful boss may exert great influence over his neighbors, the position does not formally exist, according to Mafia turncoats such as Buscetta.[106][107] According to Mafia historian Salvatore Lupo "the emphasis of the media on the definition of a 'capo di tutti capi' is without any foundation".[107]
Membership[edit]
Membership in Cosa Nostra is open only to Sicilian men. A candidate cannot be a relative or have any close links with a lawman, such as a policeman or a judge. There is no strict age limit: boys as young as sixteen have been initiated.[108] A prospective mafioso is carefully tested for obedience, discretion, courage, ruthlessness and skill at espionage.[11][108] He is almost always required to commit murder as his ultimate trial,[11] even if he doesn't plan to be a career assassin. The act of murder is to prove his sincerity (i.e. he is not an undercover policeman) and to bind him into silence (i.e. he cannot break omertà without facing murder charges himself).
To be part of the Mafia is highly desirable for many street criminals. For one, mafiosi receive a great deal of respect, for everyone knows that to offend a mafioso is to risk lethal retribution from him or his colleagues. Mafiosi have an easier time getting away with crimes, negotiating deals, and demanding privileges. A full member also gains more freedom to participate in certain rackets which the Mafia controls (particularly protection racketeering).
Traditionally, only men can become mafiosi, though in recent times there have been reports of women assuming the responsibilities of imprisoned mafiosi relatives.[109][110]
Although clans are also called "families", their members are usually not related by blood. The Mafia actually has rules designed to prevent nepotism. Membership and rank in the Mafia are not hereditary. Most new bosses are not related to their predecessor. The Commission forbids relatives from holding positions in inter-clan bodies at the same time.[111] That said, mafiosi frequently bring their sons into the trade. They have an easier time entering, because the son bears his father's seal of approval and is familiar with the traditions and requirements of Cosa Nostra.
A mafioso's legitimate occupation, if any, generally does not affect his prestige within Cosa Nostra.[112] Historically, most mafiosi were employed in menial jobs, and many bosses did not work at all.[112] Professionals such as lawyers and doctors do exist within the organization, and are employed according to whatever useful skills they have.[108]
Commission[edit]
Main article: Sicilian Mafia Commission
Since the 1950s, the Mafia has maintained multiple commissions to resolve disputes and promote cooperation among clans. Each province of Sicily has its own Commission. Clans are organized into districts (mandamenti) of three or four geographically adjacent clans. Each district elects a representative (capo mandamento) to sit on its Provincial Commission.[113]
Contrary to popular belief, the commissions do not serve as a centralized government for the Mafia. The power of the commissions are limited and clans are autonomous and independent. Rather, each Commission serves as a representative mechanism for consultation of independent clans who decide by consensus. "Contrary to the wide-spread image presented by the media, these superordinate bodies of coordination cannot be compared with the executive boards of major legal firms. Their power is intentionally limited. And it would be entirely wrong to see in the Cosa Nostra a centrally managed, internationally active Mafia holding company," according to criminologist Letizia Paoli.[114]
A major function of the Commission is to regulate the use of violence.[113][115] For instance, a mafioso who wants to commit a murder in another clan's territory must ask the permission of the local boss; the commission enforces this rule.[115] Any murder of a mafioso or prominent individual (police, lawyers, politicians, journalists, etc.) must be approved by the commission.[116] Such acts can potentially upset other clans and spark a war, so the Commission provides a means by which to obtain their approval.[117]
The Commission also deals with matters of succession. When a boss dies or retires, his clan's reputation often crumbles with his departure. This can cause clients to abandon the clan and turn to neighboring clans for protection. These clans would grow greatly in status and power relative to their rivals, potentially destabilizing the region and precipitating war.[118] The Commission may choose to divide up the clan's territory and members among its neighbors. Alternatively, the commission has the power to appoint a regent for the clan until it can elect a new boss.[118][119]
Rituals and codes of conduct[edit]
Initiation ceremony[edit]
One of the first accounts of an initiation ceremony into the Mafia was given by Bernardino Verro, a leader of the Fasci Siciliani, a popular movement of democratic and socialist inspiration, which arose in Sicily in the early 1890s. In order to give the movement teeth and to protect himself from harm, Verro became a member of a Mafia group in Corleone, the Fratuzzi (Little Brothers). In a memoir written many years later, he described the initiation ritual he underwent in the spring of 1893:

[I] was invited to take part in a secret meeting of the Fratuzzi. I entered a mysterious room where there were many men armed with guns sitting around a table. In the center of the table there was a skull drawn on a piece of paper and a knife. In order to be admitted to the Fratuzzi, [I] had to undergo an initiation consisting of some trials of loyalty and the pricking of the lower lip with the tip of the knife: the blood from the wound soaked the skull.
—Bernardino Verro[120][121]
After his arrest, the mafioso Giovanni Brusca described the ceremony in which he was formally made a full member of Cosa Nostra. In 1976 he was invited to a "banquet" at a country house. He was brought into a room where several mafiosi were sitting around a table upon which sat a pistol, a dagger and piece of paper bearing the image of a saint. They questioned his commitment and his feelings regarding criminality and murder (despite him already having a history of such acts). When he affirmed himself, Salvatore Riina, then the most powerful boss of Cosa Nostra, took a needle and pricked Brusca's finger. Brusca smeared his blood on the image of the saint, which he held in his cupped hands as Riina set it alight. As Brusca juggled the burning image in his hands, Riina said to him: "If you betray Cosa Nostra, your flesh will burn like this saint."[11]
The elements of the ceremony have changed little over the Mafia's history.[122] These elements have been the subject of much curiosity and speculation. The sociologist Diego Gambetta points out that the Mafia, being a secretive criminal organization, cannot keep written records and thus cannot have its recruits sign application forms and written contracts as legitimate institutions do. Thus they rely on the old-fashioned ritual ceremony. The elements of the ceremony are made deliberately specific, bizarre and painful so that the event is both memorable and unambiguous, and the ceremony is witnessed by a number of senior mafiosi. The participants may not even care about what the symbols mean, and they may indeed have no intrinsic meaning. The real point of the ritual is to leave no doubt about the mafioso's new status so that it cannot be denied or revoked on a whim.[123]
Introductions[edit]
A mafioso is not supposed to introduce himself to another mafioso he does not personally know, even if both mafiosi know of each other through reputation, because there is a risk that the mafioso might accidentally expose himself to an outsider or undercover policeman. If he wants to establish a relationship, he must ask a third mafioso whom they both personally know to introduce them to each other in a face-to-face meeting. This intermediary can vouch that neither of the two is an impostor.
This tradition is upheld very scrupulously, often to the detriment of efficient operation. For instance, when the mafioso Indelicato Amedeo returned to Sicily following his initiation in America in the 1950s, he could not introduce himself to his own mafioso father, but had to wait for a mafioso from America who knew of his induction to come to Sicily.[124]
Etiquette[edit]
Mafiosi of equal status sometimes call each other "compare", while inferiors call their superiors "padrino".[125] "Padrino" is the Italian term for "godfather".
Ten Commandments[edit]
In November 2007 Sicilian police reported discovery of a list of "Ten Commandments" in the hideout of mafia boss Salvatore Lo Piccolo, thought to be guidelines on good, respectful and honourable conduct for a mafioso.[126]
1.No one can present himself directly to another of our friends. There must be a third person to do it.
2.Never look at the wives of friends.
3.Never be seen with cops.
4.Don't go to pubs and clubs.
5.Always being available for Cosa Nostra is a duty - even if your wife is about to give birth.
6.Appointments must absolutely be respected. (probably refers to formal rank and authority.[127])
7.Wives must be treated with respect.
8.When asked for any information, the answer must be the truth.
9.Money cannot be appropriated if it belongs to others or to other families.
10.People who can't be part of Cosa Nostra: anyone who has a close relative in the police, anyone with a two-timing relative in the family, anyone who behaves badly and doesn't hold to moral values.
The pentito Antonino Calderone recounted similar Commandments in his 1987 testimony:

These rules are not to touch the women of other men of honour; not to steal from other men of honour or, in general, from anyone; not to exploit prostitution; not to kill other men of honour unless strictly necessary; to avoid passing information to the police; not to quarrel with other men of honour; to maintain proper behavior; to keep silent about Cosa Nostra around outsiders; to avoid under all circumstances introducing oneself to other men of honour.[128]
Omertà[edit]
Main article: Omertà
Omertà is a code of silence and secrecy that forbids mafiosi from betraying their comrades to the authorities. The penalty for transgression is death, and relatives of the turncoat may also be murdered. Mafiosi generally do not associate with police (aside perhaps from corrupting individual officers as necessary). For instance, a mafioso will not call the police when he is a victim of a crime. He is expected to take care of the problem himself. To do otherwise would undermine his reputation as a capable protector of others (see below), and his enemies may see him as weak and vulnerable.
The need for secrecy and inconspicuousness deeply colors the traditions and mannerisms of mafiosi. Mafiosi are discouraged from consuming alcohol or other drugs, as in an inebriated state they are more likely to blurt out sensitive information. They also frequently adopt self-effacing attitudes to strangers so as to avoid unwanted attention.[129] Whereas most Sicilians tend to be very verbose and expressive, mafiosi tend to be more terse and subdued. Mafiosi are also forbidden from writing down anything about their activities, lest such evidence be discovered by police.[130]
To a degree, mafiosi also impose omertà on the general population. Civilians who buy their protection or make other deals are expected to be discreet, on pain of death. Witness intimidation is also common.
Protection rackets[edit]
Protection racketeering is one of the Sicilian Mafia's core activities. This aspect of the Mafia is often overlooked in the media because, unlike drug dealing and extortion, it is often not reported to the police. But many scholars, such as Diego Gambetta and Leopold Franchetti, see it as the Mafia's defining characteristic, the source of their power and place in Sicilian society. Gambetta describes the Mafia as a cartel of "private protection firms" who act as guarantors of trust and security in areas of the economy where such things are scarce and fragile. In exchange for money or favors, mafiosi use the credible threat of violence to protect their clients from fraudsters, thieves, and competitors.[131]
For example: suppose a meat wholesaler wishes to sell some meat to a supermarket without paying taxes. Neither the seller nor buyer can turn to the police or the courts for help should something go wrong, such as the seller supplying rotten meat or the buyer not paying up. The law does not enforce black market agreements; it punishes them. Without the arbitration of the law, the seller could cheat the buyer with impunity or vice versa. If the parties both do not trust each other, they cannot do business and they could both lose out on a profitable deal. Instead, the parties can approach the local mafia clan to supervise their illegal deal. In exchange for a commission, the mafioso promises to both the buyer and seller that if either of them tries to cheat the other, the cheater can expect to be assaulted or have his property vandalized. Such is the mafioso's reputation for viciousness and reliability that neither the buyer nor the seller would consider cheating. Only a fool would dare cheat somebody protected by the Mafia. With the traders satisfied that this mafioso can discourage cheating, the transaction proceeds smoothly and all parties leave satisfied.[131] The Mafia's protection is not restricted to illegal activities. Shopkeepers often pay the Mafia to protect them from thieves. If a shopkeeper enters into a protection contract with a mafioso, the mafioso will make it publicly known that if any thief were foolish enough to rob his client's shop, he would track down the thief, beat him up, and, if possible, recover the stolen merchandise (mafiosi make it their business to know all the fences in their territory).[131]
Mafiosi have protected a great variety of clients over the years: landowners, plantation owners, politicians, shopkeepers, drug dealers, etc. Whilst some people are coerced into buying protection and some do not receive any actual protection for their money (extortion), by and large there are many clients who actively seek and benefit from mafioso protection. This is one of the main reasons why the Mafia has resisted more than a century of government efforts to destroy it: the people who willingly solicit these services protect the Mafia from the authorities. If you are enjoying the benefits of Mafia protection, you do not want the police arresting your mafioso.[131]
It is estimated that the Sicilian Mafia costs the Sicilian economy more than €10 billion a year through protection rackets.[132] Roughly 70 percent of Sicilian businesses pay protection money to Cosa Nostra.[133] Monthly payments can range from €200 for a small shop or bar to €5,000 for a supermarket.[134][135][136] In Sicily, protection money is known as pizzo; the anti-extortion support group Addiopizzo derives its name from this. Mafiosi might sometimes ask for favors instead of money, such as assistance in committing a crime.
Protection from theft[edit]
Protection from theft is one service that the Mafia provides to paying "clients". Mafiosi themselves are generally forbidden from committing theft[137] (though in practice they are merely forbidden from stealing from anyone connected to the Mafia).[138] Instead, mafiosi make it their business to know all the thieves and fences operating within their territory. If a protected business is robbed, the clan will use these contacts to track down and return the stolen goods and punish the thieves, usually by beating them up.[139] Since the pursuit of thieves and their loot often goes into territories of other clans, clans routinely cooperate with each other on this matter, providing information and blocking the sale of the loot if they can.[139]
Protection from competition[edit]
Mafiosi sometimes protect businessmen from competitors by threatening their competitors with violence. If two businessmen are competing for a government contract, the protected can ask his mafioso friends to bully his rival out of the bidding process. In another example, a mafioso acting on behalf of a coffee supplier might pressure local bars into serving only his client's coffee.
The primary method by which the Mafia stifles competition, however, is the overseeing and enforcement of collusive agreements between businessmen. Mafia-enforced collusion typically appear in markets where collusion is both desirable (inelastic demand, lack of product differentiation, etc.) and difficult to set up (numerous competitors, low barriers to entry).[140] Industries which fit this description include garbage collection.
Client relations[edit]
Mafiosi approach potential clients in an aggressive but friendly manner, like a door-to-door salesman.[141] They may even offer a few free favors as enticement. If a client rejects their overtures, mafiosi sometimes coerce them by vandalizing their property or other forms of harassment. Physical assault is rare; clients may be murdered for breaching agreements or talking to the police, but not for simply refusing protection.[142]
In many situations, mafia bosses prefer to establish an indefinite long-term bond with a client, rather than make one-off contracts. The boss can then publicly declare the client to be under his permanent protection (his "friend", in Sicilian parlance). This leaves little public confusion as to who is and isn't protected, so thieves and other predators will be deterred from attacking a protected client and prey only on the unprotected.[143]
Mafiosi generally do not involve themselves in the management of the businesses they protect or arbitrate. Lack of competence is a common reason, but mostly it is to divest themselves of any interests that may conflict with their roles as protectors and arbitrators. This makes them more trusted by their clients, who need not fear their businesses being taken over.
Protection territories[edit]
A protection racketeer cannot tolerate competition within his sphere of influence from another racketeer. If a dispute erupted between two clients protected by rival racketeers, the two racketeers would have to fight each other to win the dispute for their respective client. The outcomes of such fights can be unpredictable (not to mention bloody), and neither racketeer could guarantee a victory for his client. This would make their protection unreliable and of little value. Their clients might dismiss them and settle the dispute by other means, and their reputations would suffer. To prevent this, mafia clans negotiate territories in which they can monopolize the use of violence in settling disputes.[144] This is not always done peacefully, and disputes over protection territories are at the root of most Mafia wars.[145]
Other activities[edit]
Vote buying[edit]
Politicians court mafiosi to obtain votes during elections. A mafioso's mere endorsement of a certain candidate can be enough for his clients, relatives and associates to vote for said candidate. A particularly influential mafioso can bring in thousands of votes for a candidate; such is the respect a mafioso can command.[146] The Italian Parliament has a huge number of seats (945, roughly 1 per 64,000 citizens) and a large number of political parties competing for them, meaning a candidate can win with only a few thousand votes. A mafia clan's support can thus be decisive for his success.

Politicians have always sought us out because we can provide votes. [...] between friends and family, each man of honor can muster up forty to fifty other people. There are between 1,500 and 2,000 men of honor in Palermo province. Multiply that by fifty and you get a nice package of 75,000 to 100,000 votes to go to friendly parties and candidates.[147]
—Antonino Calderone
Politicians usually repay this support with favours, such as sabotaging police investigations or giving contracts and permits.[148]
Although they are not ideological themselves, mafiosi have traditionally opposed extreme parties such as Fascists and Communists, and favoured centre candidates.[148]
Smuggling[edit]
Mafiosi provide protection and invest capital in smuggling gangs. Smuggling operations require large investments (goods, boats, crews, etc.) but few people would trust their money to criminal gangs. It is mafiosi who raise the necessary money from investors and ensure all parties act in good faith. They also ensure that the smugglers operate in safety.[149]
Mafiosi rarely directly involve themselves in smuggling operations. When they do, it is usually when the operations are especially risky. In this case, they may induct smugglers into their clans in the hope of binding them more firmly.[150] This was the case with heroin smuggling, where the volumes and profits involved were too large to keep the operations at arm's length.
Bid rigging[edit]
The Sicilian Mafia in Italy is believed to have a turnover of €6.5 billion through control of public and private contracts.[151] Mafiosi use threats of violence and vandalism to muscle out competitors and win contracts for the companies they control.[112] They rarely manage the businesses they control themselves, but take a cut of their profits, usually through payoffs (Pizzo).[152]
Loan sharking[edit]
In a 2007 publication, the Italian small-business association Confesercenti reported that about 25.2 percent of Sicilian businesses were indebted to loan sharks, who collected around €1.4 billion a year in payments.[153] This figure has risen during the late-2000s recession, as tighter lending by banks forces the desperate to borrow from the Mafia.[154][155]
Forbidden crimes[edit]
Certain types of crimes are forbidden by Cosa Nostra, either by members or freelance criminals within their domains. Mafiosi are generally forbidden from committing theft (burglary, mugging, etc.). Kidnapping is also generally forbidden, even by non-mafiosi, as it attracts a great deal of public hostility and police attention. These rules have been violated from time to time, both with and without the permission of senior mafiosi.[156]
Violence and reputation[edit]
Murder[edit]



 Sheets commemorating murdered Antimafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. They read: "You did not kill them: their ideas walk on our legs".
Murders are almost always carried out by members. It is very rare for the Mafia to recruit an outsider for a single job, and such people are liable to be eliminated soon afterwards because they become expendable liabilities.[157] Mafia violence is most commonly directed at other Mafia families competing for territory and business.[158] Violence is more common in the Sicilian Mafia than the American Mafia because Mafia families in Sicily are smaller and more numerous, creating a more volatile atmosphere.[159]
Reputation[edit]
The Mafia's power comes from its reputation to commit violence, particularly murder, against virtually anyone. Through reputation, mafiosi deter their enemies and enemies of their clients. It allows mafiosi to protect a client without being physically present (e.g. as bodyguards or watchmen), which in turn allows them to protect many clients at once.[160][161]
Compared to other occupations, reputation is especially valuable for a mafioso, as his primary product is protection through intimidation. The reputation of a mafioso is dichotomous: he is either a good protector or a bad one; there is no mediocrity. This is because a mafioso can only either succeed at an act of violence or fail utterly. There is no spectrum of quality when it comes to violent protection.[162] Consequently, a series of failures can completely ruin a mafioso's reputation, and with it his business.
The more fearsome a mafioso's reputation is, the more he can win disputes without having recourse to violence. It can even happen that a mafioso who loses his means to commit violence (e.g. his soldiers are all in prison) can still use his reputation to intimidate and provide protection if everyone is unaware of his weakness and still believes in his power.[163] However, in the tough world of the Mafia, such bluffs generally do not last long, as his rivals will soon sense his weakness and challenge him.[164]
When a Mafia boss retires from leadership (or is killed), his clan's reputation as effective protectors and enforcers often goes with him. If his replacement has a weaker reputation, clients may lose confidence in the clan and defect to its neighbours, causing a shift in the balance of power and possible conflict. Ideally, the successor to the boss will have built a strong reputation of his own as he worked his way up the ranks, giving the clan a reputable new leader.[165] In this way, established Mafia clans have a powerful edge over newcomers who start from scratch; joining a clan as a soldier offers an aspiring mafioso a chance to build up his own reputation under the guidance and protection of senior mafiosi.
Notable Sicilian mafiosi[edit]
Main article: List of Sicilian mafiosi
Vito Cascioferro (1862–1943 or 1945), often depicted as the "boss of bosses", although such a position does not exist in the loose structure of Cosa Nostra in Sicily, imprisoned by Cesare Mori.
Calogero Vizzini (1877–1954), boss of Villalba, was considered to be one of the most influential Mafia bosses of Sicily after World War II until his death in 1954.
Giuseppe Genco Russo (1893–1976), boss of Mussomeli, considered to be the heir of Calogero Vizzini.
Michele Navarra (1905–1958), boss of the Corleone clan from 1940s to 1958.
Salvatore "Ciaschiteddu" Greco (1923–1978), boss of the Greco clan, he was the first "secretary" of the first Sicilian Mafia Commission that was formed somewhere in 1958.
Alfredo Al Chiacig (1948–), boss of the Cosa Nostra in Friuli from 1972s to present.
Gaetano Badalamenti (1923–2004), boss of the Badalamenti clan.
Angelo La Barbera (1924–1975) boss of the La Barbera clan.
Michele Greco (1924–2008), boss of the Greco clan.
Luciano Leggio (1925–1993), boss of the Corleone clan and instigator of the Second Mafia War.
Salvatore Riina (born 1930), also known as Totò Riina, emerged from the Second Mafia War as the "boss of bosses" until his arrest in 1993.
Bernardo Provenzano (born 1933), successor of Riina as head of the Corleonesi faction and as such was considered one of the most powerful bosses of the Sicilian Mafia. Provenzano was a fugitive from justice since 1963. He was captured on 11 April 2006 in Sicily.[166] Before capture, authorities had reportedly been "close" to capturing him for 10 years.
Stefano Bontade (1939–1981), boss of the Bontade clan. His murder by the Corleonesi in 1981 inaugurated the Second Mafia War.
Leoluca Bagarella (born 1941), member of the Corleone clan arrested in 1995.
Salvatore Lo Piccolo (born 1942), considered to be one of the successors of Provenzano.
Salvatore Inzerillo (1944–1981), boss of the Inzerillo clan.
Matteo Messina Denaro (born 1962), boss of Denaro clan considered to be one of the successors of Provenzano.
Informants and witness[edit]
Tommaso Buscetta (1928–2000), a mafioso who turned informant in 1984. Buscetta's evidence was used to great effect during the Maxi-Trials.
Salvatore Contorno (born 1946), member of the Bontade clan, who turned informant in 1984. He was involved another in 1997 and 2004 in the drug trafficking and extortion.
Gaspare Mutolo (born 1940), member of the Riccobono clan. He was became informant in 1991, for revenge against the Corleonesi.
Leonardo Messina (born 1955), member of the San Cataldo clan, who was became informant in 1992. He was the greater accuser of Giulio Andreotti.
Giovanni 'Lo Scannacristiani' Brusca (born 1957), who was involved in the murder of Giovanni Falcone. Became informant in 2000.
Antonino Giuffrè, boss of Caccamo and member of Corleonesi, turned informant in 2002, after the jail.
Gaspare Spatuzza (born 1964), member or the Graviano clan, who turned informant in 2008.
See also[edit]

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Sicilian Center of Documentation



References[edit]
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2.^ Jump up to: a b This etymology is based on the books Mafioso by Gaia Servadio; The Sicilian Mafia by Diego Gambetta; and Cosa Nostra by John Dickie (see Books below).
3.^ Jump up to: a b Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia. pp. 259-261.
4.Jump up ^ Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia, p. 136.
5.^ Jump up to: a b Lupo, The History of the Mafia, p. 3.
6.^ Jump up to: a b Hess, Mafia & Mafiosi, pp. 2-3.
7.Jump up ^ Lupo, History of the Mafia, pp. 1–2
8.Jump up ^ Their Thing, Time, 16 August 1963.
9.Jump up ^ Killers in Prison, Time, 4 October 1963.
10.Jump up ^ "The Smell of It", Time, 11 October 1963.
11.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i John Dickie. Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia. ISBN 0-349-93526-2.
12.Jump up ^ Paoli, Mafia Brotherhoods, p. 24.
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15.^ Jump up to: a b c d Oriana Bandiera, Private States and the Enforcement of Property Rights: Theory and evidence on the origins of the Sicilian mafia, 2001, pp. 8-10
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19.^ Jump up to: a b Paoli, Mafia Brotherhoods, p. 33
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21.Jump up ^ Lupo, History of the Mafia, p. 37
22.^ Jump up to: a b Lupo, History of the Mafia, p. 34
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24.^ Jump up to: a b Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia, p. 87.
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26.Jump up ^ Dickie, Cosa Nostra, p. 39
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28.^ Jump up to: a b Lupo, History of the Mafia, p. 47
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30.Jump up ^ Dickie, Cosa Nostra, pp. 39-46
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33.Jump up ^ Dickie, Cosa Nostra, p. 96.
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37.^ Jump up to: a b Dickie, Cosa Nostra, p. 152
38.Jump up ^ Duggan, The Force of Destiny, p. 451-52
39.Jump up ^ Lupo, History of the Mafia, p. 175
40.Jump up ^ Dickie, Cosa Nostra, p. 173
41.Jump up ^ Lupo, History of the Mafia, p. 174
42.^ Jump up to: a b Lupo, History of the Mafia, p. 182
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48.Jump up ^ Lupo, History of the Mafia, p. 186
49.Jump up ^ Dickie. Cosa Nostra. p. 243
50.Jump up ^ Lupo. History of the Mafia. p. 188
51.Jump up ^ Servadio, Mafioso, p. 91
52.Jump up ^ Fighting the Mafia in World War Two, by Tim Newark, May 2007
53.Jump up ^ Dickie. Cosa Nostra. p. 240
54.Jump up ^ Lupo. History of the Mafia. p. 189
55.Jump up ^ Dickie. Cosa Nostra. p. 245
56.Jump up ^ (Italian) Petrotta, La strage e i depistaggi, p. 97
57.Jump up ^ (Italian) Portella, fu strage di mafia, La Sicilia, November 22, 2009
58.Jump up ^ The Sack of Palermo and the Concrete Business of the Sicilian Mafia, Florence Newspaper
59.Jump up ^ Dickie, Cosa Nostra, pp. 293-297
60.Jump up ^ Dickie. Cosa Nostra. p. 278
61.Jump up ^ Dickie. Cosa Nostra. p. 281
62.Jump up ^ Paoli. Mafia Brotherhoods. p. 167
63.Jump up ^ Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia, pp. 237-238
64.Jump up ^ Dickie, Cosa Nostra, p. 312
65.Jump up ^ Dickie, Cosa Nostra, p. 318
66.Jump up ^ Dickie, Cosa Nostra, p. 325
67.Jump up ^ Arlacchi, Men of Dishonor, p. 93
68.Jump up ^ Arlacchi. Men of Dishonour. p. 120
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71.Jump up ^ Dickie. Cosa Nostra. pp. 369-370
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73.Jump up ^ Dickie. Cosa Nostra. p. 373
74.Jump up ^ Dearth of honour. The Guardian. February 21, 2004.
75.Jump up ^ Paoli. Mafia Brotherhoods. p. 54
76.Jump up ^ Dickie. Cosa Nostra. pp. 389-390
77.Jump up ^ Dickie, Cosa Nostra, p. ??
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82.Jump up ^ "Berlusconi aide 'struck deal with mafia'", The Guardian, January 8, 2003
83.Jump up ^ "Mafia supergrass fingers Berlusconi" by Philip Willan, The Observer, January 12, 2003
84.Jump up ^ (Italian) Caserta, revocato 41 bis a figlio Bidognetti: lo dice ancora l'Espresso, Casertasete, January , 2006
85.Jump up ^ All the prime minister's men, by Alexander Stille, The Independent, September 24, 1995
86.Jump up ^ Move over, Cosa Nostra, The Guardian, June 8, 2006
87.Jump up ^ "Mexican Drug Cartels Join Forces with Italian Mafia to Supply Cocaine to Europe". Fox News Latino. June 21, 2012. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
88.^ Jump up to: a b c Paoli, Mafia Brotherhoods, p. 15
89.Jump up ^ Schneider & Schneider, Reversible Destiny, p. 39
90.Jump up ^ Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia, p. 137
91.Jump up ^ Servadio, Mafioso, p. 42-43
92.Jump up ^ Giuseppe Pitrè, Usi e costumi, credenze e pregiudizi del popolo siciliano, Palermo 1889
93.^ Jump up to: a b Lupo, The History of the Mafia, pp. 1-3
94.Jump up ^ Seindal, Mafia: money and politics in Sicily, p. 20
95.Jump up ^ Lupo, The History of the Mafia, p. 7
96.Jump up ^ Review of Paoli, Mafia Brotherhoods by Klaus Von Lampe
97.Jump up ^ (Italian) De Mauro, l'ultima pista, La Repubblica, February 19, 2009
98.Jump up ^ (Italian) Radiografia della mafia di oggi; Cosa nostra influenza 300 mila voti, La Repubblica (Palermo edition), July 20, 2010
99.Jump up ^ Paoli, Mafia Brotherhoods, p. 32
100.Jump up ^ Arlacchi. Men of Dishonour. p. 33
101.Jump up ^ Gambetta. The Sicilian Mafia. p. 111
102.Jump up ^ Paoli, Mafia Brotherhoods, pp. 41
103.Jump up ^ Paoli, Mafia Brotherhoods, pp. 42
104.Jump up ^ Paoli. Mafia Brotherhoods. p. 42
105.Jump up ^ Capeci. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. p. 9
106.Jump up ^ Arlacchi, Addio Cosa nostra, p. 106
107.^ Jump up to: a b (Italian) Zu Binnu? Non è il superboss, Intervista a Salvatore Lupo di Marco Nebiolo, Narcomafie, April 2006
108.^ Jump up to: a b c Gambetta. The Sicilian Mafia. p. 67
109.Jump up ^ Warrant for British "Mafia wife, BBC News, January 8, 2007
110.Jump up ^ Meet the Modern Mob, TIME Magazine, June 2, 2002
111.Jump up ^ Diego Gambetta. Codes of the Underworld. pp. 206-208
112.^ Jump up to: a b c Diego Gambetta. The Sicilian Mafia: The Business of Private Protection. 1993
113.^ Jump up to: a b Paoli, Mafia Brotherhoods, p. 53
114.Jump up ^ Crisis among the "Men of Honour", interview with Letizia Paoli, Max Planck Research, February 2004
115.^ Jump up to: a b Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia, p. 114
116.Jump up ^ Paoli, Mafia Brotherhoods, pp. 53-54
117.Jump up ^ Arlacchi, Men of Dishonor, p. 126
118.^ Jump up to: a b Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia, p. 115
119.Jump up ^ Paoli, Mafia Brotherhoods, p. 54
120.Jump up ^ Alcorn, Revolutionary Mafiosi.
121.Jump up ^ Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia, p. 263
122.Jump up ^ Gambetta. The Sicilian Mafia. p. 151
123.Jump up ^ Gambetta. The Sicilian Mafia. p. 152
124.Jump up ^ Diego Gambetta. Codes of the Underworld. Princeton. ISBN 978-0-691-11937-3
125.Jump up ^ Stille. Excellent Cadavers. chpt 16
126.Jump up ^ Mafia's 'Ten Commandments' found, BBC News, November 9, 2007
127.Jump up ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCrZR87wlTA#t=9m09s
128.Jump up ^ Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia, pp. 147, 268
129.Jump up ^ Paoli. Mafia Brotherhoods. p. 111
130.Jump up ^ Paoli. Mafia Brotherhoods. p. 112
131.^ Jump up to: a b c d Diego Gambetta. The Siclian Mafa: The Business of Private Protection."
132.Jump up ^ Sicilian businessmen fight Mafia, BBC News, September 3, 2007
133.Jump up ^ (Italian) "Le mani della criminalità sulle imprese (The grip of criminality on enterprises)". confesercenti.it. November 2008. p. 17.
134.Jump up ^ (Italian) "Le mani della criminalità sulle imprese (The grip of criminality on enterprises)". confesercenti.it. November 2008.
135.Jump up ^ Fighting the Sicilian mafia through tourism, The Guardian, May 17, 2008
136.Jump up ^ Heroes in business suits stand up to fight back against Mafia, The Times, November 3, 2007
137.Jump up ^ Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia, pp. 171-72
138.Jump up ^ Arlacchi. Men of Dishonor. p. 70
139.^ Jump up to: a b Gambetta. The Sicilian Mafia. p 173
140.Jump up ^ Gambetta. The Sicilian Mafia. p 197
141.Jump up ^ Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia, p. 47
142.Jump up ^ Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia, p. 54
143.Jump up ^ Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia, pp. 57
144.Jump up ^ Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia, pp. 68-71
145.Jump up ^ Lupo, History of the Mafia, pp. 15
146.Jump up ^ Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia, pp. 184
147.Jump up ^ Arlacchi. Men of Dishnor. p. 201
148.^ Jump up to: a b Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia, pp. 185
149.Jump up ^ Gambetta. The Sicilian Mafia. p. 230
150.Jump up ^ Gambetta. The Sicilian Mafia. p. 231
151.Jump up ^ Patients die as Sicilian mafia buys into the hospital service, The Guardian, January 1, 2007
152.Jump up ^ Diego Gambetta. Codes of the Underworld. 2008
153.Jump up ^ (Italian) "Le mani della criminalità sulle imprese (The grip of criminality on enterprises)". confesercenti.it. October 22, 2007. The statistics in the report were obtained from the Italian Ministry of the Interior.
154.Jump up ^ Italian Mafia cashes in on recession, Euranet, March 9, 2009
155.Jump up ^ Italian firms may be tempted by offers they can't refuse - from the mafia, The Guardian, July 23, 2009
156.Jump up ^ Diego Gambetta. The Sicilian Mafia: The Business of Private Protection. p. 177
157.Jump up ^ Gambetta. The Sicilian Mafia. p. 66
158.Jump up ^ Gambetta. The Siclian Mafia. p. 40
159.Jump up ^ Gambetta. The Siclian Mafia. p. 42
160.Jump up ^ Gambetta. The Sicilian Mafia. p. 87
161.Jump up ^ Oriana Bandiera. Land Reform, the Market for Protection and the Origins of the Sicilian Mafia: Theory and Evidence. p. 13
162.Jump up ^ Gambetta. The Sicilian Mafia. p. 46
163.Jump up ^ Gambetta. The Sicilian Mafia. p. 44
164.Jump up ^ Gambetta. Codes of the Underworld. p. 193
165.Jump up ^ Gambetta. The Siclian Mafia. p. 61
166.Jump up ^ 'Top Mafia boss' caught in Italy, BBC News, April 11, 2006
Sources[edit]
Alcorn, John (2004). Revolutionary Mafiosi: Voice and Exit in the 1890s, in: Paolo Viola & Titti Morello (eds.), L’associazionismo a Corleone: Un’inchiesta storica e sociologica (Istituto Gramsci Siciliano, Palermo, 2004)
Arlacchi, Pino (1988). Mafia Business. The Mafia Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Oxford: Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-285197-7
Arlacchi, Pino (1993). Men of Dishonor: Inside the Sicilian Mafia, Morrow. ISBN 0-688-04574-X
(Italian) Arlacchi, Pino (1994). Addio Cosa nostra: La vita di Tommaso Buscetta, Milan: Rizzoli ISBN 88-17-84299-0
Chubb, Judith (1989). The Mafia and Politics, Cornell Studies in International Affairs, Occasional Papers No. 23.
Dickie, John (2007). Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia, Hodder. ISBN 978-0-340-93526-2
Duggan, Christopher (1989). Fascism and the Mafia, New Haven: Yale University Press ISBN 0-300-04372-4
Duggan, Christopher (2008). The Force of Destiny: A History of Italy Since 1796, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ISBN 0-618-35367-4
Fijnaut, Cyrille & Letizia Paoli (2004), Organised crime in Europe: concepts, patterns, and control policies in the European Union and beyond, Springer, ISBN 1-4020-2615-3
Gambetta, Diego (1993). The Sicilian Mafia: The Business of Private Protection. London: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-80742-1
Gambetta, Diego (2009). Codes of the Underworld. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-11937-3
Hess, Henner (1998). Mafia & Mafiosi: Origin, Power, and Myth, London: Hurst & Co Publishers, ISBN 1-85065-500-6
Lupo, Salvatore (2009). The History of the Mafia, New York: Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0-231-13134-6
Paoli, Letizia (2003). Mafia Brotherhoods: Organized Crime, Italian Style, New York: Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-515724-9 (Review by Klaus Von Lampe) (Review by Alexandra V. Orlova)
Raab, Selwyn (2005). Five Families. The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires, New York: Thomas Dunne Books, ISBN 978-1-86105-952-9
Schneider, Jane T. & Peter T. Schneider (2003). Reversible Destiny: Mafia, Antimafia, and the Struggle for Palermo, Berkeley: University of California Press ISBN 0-520-23609-2
Seindal, René (1998). Mafia: money and politics in Sicily, 1950-1997, Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, ISBN 87-7289-455-5
Servadio, Gaia (1976), Mafioso. A history of the Mafia from its origins to the present day, London: Secker & Warburg ISBN 0-436-44700-2
Bandiera, Oriana (2002). Land Reform, the Market for Protection and the Origins of the Sicilian Mafia: Theory and Evidence. Journal of Law, Economics, & Organization, Vol. 19, No. 1 (Apr., 2003), pp. 218–244.
External links[edit]
 Media related to Mafia at Wikimedia Commons
Direzione Investigativa Antimafia (Italian)
The Mafia in Sicilian History
Cosa Nostra – Rebranding the Mafia
Mafia Today daily updated mafia news site and Mafia resource


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Five Families
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 This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2013)



Charles "Lucky" Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime and is responsible for splitting New York into five different families
The Five Families are the five original Italian American Mafia crime families of New York City which have dominated organized crime in the United States since 1931.
The families are: Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese.


Contents  [hide]
1 History
2 Names
3 Mafia boss succession
4 Current bosses
5 Territories
6 Popular culture
7 See also
8 References

History[edit]
The Five Families originated out of New York City Sicilian Mafia gangs. They were formally organized in the summer of 1931 by Salvatore Maranzano after the April 15, 1931, murder of Giuseppe Masseria, in what has become known as the Castellammarese War. Maranzano also introduced the now-familiar Mafia hierarchy: boss (capofamiglia), underboss (sotto capo), advisor (consigliere), captain (caporegime), soldier (soldato), and associate; and declared himself capo di tutti capi (boss of bosses). By declaring himself "boss of bosses," Maranzano reneged on the deal he had made with Lucky Luciano. In that deal, it was agreed that after Luciano was to help murder Masseria, the two bosses were to be equals. When Maranzano was murdered just months after Masseria on September 10, 1931, the "boss of bosses" position was eliminated in favor of The Commission, a council which demarcated territory among the previously warring factions and governs American Mafia activities in the United States and Canada.
Names[edit]
The Five Families were publicly named in the 1963 Valachi hearings based on their bosses at the time: Tommy Lucchese, Vito Genovese, Carlo Gambino, Joseph Bonanno and the recently deceased Joseph Profaci. For the most part the names stuck, but the "Profaci family" would be renamed the "Colombo family", as a reference to boss Joseph Colombo.[1][2]
Mafia boss succession[edit]

Crystal Clear app kedit.svg
 This article may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. You can help. The discussion page may contain suggestions. (April 2013)
Bonanno Family:
1931 – Salvatore "Caesar" Maranzano is murdered at the end of the Castellamarese War, and underboss Joseph "Don Peppino" Bonanno takes over his family.
1979 – After a major power struggle, which involved Joe Bonanno's forced retirement by the Commission and the assassination of acting boss Carmine "Lilo" Galante, Philip "Rusty" Rastelli becomes boss.
1991 – Rastelli dies of cancer and underboss Joseph Massino becomes boss. Massino eventually changes the family's name to the Massino crime family.
2003–2004 – Massino is arrested and convicted of racketeering and murder charges. Massino became a federal witness, testifying against 60 fellow mobsters, so acting bosses Anthony "Tony Green" Urzo and Michael "Mikey Nose" Mancuso, both of whom were themselves jailed, controlled the family briefly.
2005–present – Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano moves up from acting boss to become boss. Authorities contend that Basciano continues to lead the family from prison in Colorado, where he is serving two life sentences for murder convictions in 2006 and 2011.
Profaci/Colombo Family:
1931 – Joseph Profaci has his Brooklyn-based gang formally recognized as a family.
1962 – Profaci dies of cancer, and underboss Joseph Magliocco succeeds him.
1964 – Magliocco is forced to retire after taking part in Bonanno's plot to take over the Commission. Joseph Colombo becomes new boss with Commission support and changes the family's name.
1971 – Colombo is shot and paralyzed at a civil rights rally he organized. Colombo's activism drew unwanted publicity and attention towards the Mafia, and made other Mafia leaders, such as Carlo Gambino, uneasy. The first rally Colombo organized attracted over 50,000 people with Gambino's support; the second rally barely drew 10,000 people without Gambino's blessing. It was theorized that the Commission authorized Colombo's murder to take pressure off of the Mob. The most likely candidate, though, was Joseph "Crazy Joe" Gallo.
1972 – Carmine "the Snake" Persico becomes the new boss.
1986 – Persico is convicted on racketeering charges and sentenced to life in prison.
1986–2004 – Persico tries to run the family from prison until his son, Alphonse "Little Allie Boy" Persico, can succeed him. Persico's son is convicted and put in jail.[3]
Mangano/Gambino Family:
1931 – Vincent Mangano becomes boss of the newly formed Mangano crime family.
1951 – Mangano disappears, presumably murdered by underboss Albert "the Executioner" Anastasia. With Commission support, Anastasia then assumes title of boss, and the family assumes his name. Vito Genovese, underboss of the Luciano family, believed that Anastasia had broken a cardinal Mafia rule by murdering Mangano. However, war was avoided between the two families due to the efforts of Joe Bonanno. Genovese still resented Anastasia, though, and Genovese would cultivate the sympathies of Anastasia's underboss Carlo Gambino.
1957 – Anastasia is assassinated by gunmen in a barber shop, with Genovese and Gambino being prime suspects for orchestrating the murder. Gambino takes over as boss, and the family assumes his name.
1976 – Gambino dies of a heart attack; he is succeeded as boss by his brother-in-law "Big" Paul Castellano.
1985 – Castellano is gunned down and John Gotti, the man responsible for planning Castellano's assassination, becomes boss.
2002 – Gotti dies of cancer in prison after being convicted of RICO charges in 1992. His brother, Peter, succeeds him as boss.
2003–2004 – Peter Gotti is convicted on racketeering charges.
2011 – Sicilian mobster Domenico Cefalu is appointed boss in a return to tradition.
Luciano/Genovese Family:
1931 – Joe "The Boss" Masseria is murdered at the end of the Castellammarese War after his underboss, Charles "Lucky" Luciano, secretly betrays him. Luciano takes over the family.
1937 – Luciano is convicted of compulsory prostitution charges; succeeded by Frank "the Prime Minister" Costello.
1957 – Costello goes into retirement after a failed assassination attempt orchestrated by Vito Genovese. Genovese then replaces Costello and renames the family. Genovese's motive for removing Costello had to do with the fact that Genovese was Luciano's underboss and, in his mind, the rightful heir to Luciano's position. Genovese, however, fled to Italy to evade murder charges, making him an unsuitable candidate for the title of boss, which left Luciano no choice but to bestow the title on Costello.
1969 – Genovese dies in prison still as boss after being convicted of narcotics trafficking charges in 1959, and Philip "Benny Squint" Lombardo becomes new Genovese boss.
1980s – Lombardo retires and is replaced by Vincent "Chin" Gigante, the man who attempted to assassinate Frank Costello in 1957.
1997–2005 – Gigante is convicted on racketeering charges and dies in prison.
Lucchese Family:
1922 – Gaetano "Tommy" Reina.
1930 – Bonaventura "Joseph" Pinzolo takes over after Reina is murdered on February 26.
1930 – Tommy Gagliano assumes the position as boss after the murder of Pinzolo on September 5.
1951 – A very ill Gagliano appoints his underboss, Tommy "Three-Finger Brown" Lucchese, as the new leader and the family adopts his name.
1967 – Lucchese dies of a brain tumor, temporarily leaving the family leaderless. The Commission selects Carmine Tramunti to fill in as acting boss until the leading candidate for the position of boss, Anthony Corallo, was released from prison.
1970 – Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo becomes the new boss. Some contend that the position was not formalized until 1973, when Tramunti was imprisoned, and that between 1970 and 1973, Tramunti remained family boss, but only in name, with Corallo actually in control.
1986 – Corallo implicates himself and many other mobsters in recorded conversations. He is convicted of RICO charges, along with top mobsters of the Genovese, Gambino, and Colombo families, and sentenced to life in prison. Before being incarcerated, Corallo selected Vittorio "Little Vic" Amuso and Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso as the two candidates most deserving of the title of boss.
1987 – Amuso becomes boss after being nominated by Casso, but Casso, as underboss, is viewed as the man who makes important decisions and has control of the family.
1992 – Amuso is sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of racketeering charges.
1998 – Casso is sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to racketeering and murder charges. Louis "Louie Bagels" Daidone becomes acting boss.
2004 – When acting boss Daidone is convicted on murder charges and with Daidone's successor Steven "Wonderboy" Crea beginning a two-to-six year term for state charges, Amuso appoints a "Ruling Panel" of senior capos (Aniello "Neil" Migliore, Matthew "Matt" Madonna and Joseph "Joey Dee" DiNapoli) to control the family.
2006 – Crea is released from prison after 34 months, but is precluded by the terms of his probation from associating with the mob again until 2009.
2009 – Ruling Panel members Madonna and DiNapoli are indicted on labor racketeering, illegal gambling, and extortion charges, leaving Migliore reputedly the most powerful mobster in the family.
2012 – Amuso resigns as boss from prison and Crea is named to succeed him.
Current bosses[edit]
Bonanno: boss – Michael Mancuso [4]
Colombo: boss – Carmine Persico,[5] (acting boss – Andrew Russo)
Gambino: boss – Domenico Cefalu[6]
Genovese: boss – unknown, (acting boss: Daniel Leo)
Lucchese: boss – Steven Crea
Territories[edit]
The Five Families operate throughout the New York Metropolitan area, but mainly within New York City's five boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island. In the state of New York the families have increased their criminal rackets in Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk) and the counties of Westchester, Rockland and Albany. The Five Families maintain a strong presence in the state of New Jersey.[7] The crime families are also active in South Florida, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Las Vegas.
The Bonanno crime family operates mainly in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island. The family also maintains influence in Manhattan, The Bronx, Westchester County, New Jersey, California, Florida and have ties to the Montreal Mafia in Quebec. Bath Avenue Crew operated in Bensonhurst Brooklyn in New York.
The Colombo crime family operates mainly in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island. The family also maintains influence in Staten Island, Manhattan, The Bronx, New Jersey and Florida.
The Gambino crime family operates mainly in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and Long Island. The family also maintains influence in The Bronx, New Jersey, Westchester County, Connecticut, Florida and Los Angeles. The Ozone Park Boys operate in Queens and Long Island
The Genovese crime family operates mainly in Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn and New Jersey. The family also maintains influence in Queens, Staten Island, Long Island, Westchester County, Rockland County, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Florida. 116th Street Crew operates in Upper Manhattan and The Bronx
Greenwich Village Crew operates in Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan
Genovese crime family New Jersey faction operates throughout the state of New Jersey[7]
The Lucchese crime family operates mainly in The Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey. The family also maintains influence in Queens, Long Island, Staten Island, Westchester County and Florida. Cutaia Crew operates in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island
The Jersey Crew operates throughout New Jersey
The Tanglewood Boys was a recruitment gang that operated in Westchester County, The Bronx and Manhattan.

Popular culture[edit]
Factual and fictional details of the history of the Five Families have been used in a vast array of media, specifically;
The 1972 film The Godfather, the Five Families are represented by the Godfather Five Families, namely the Corleones, the Tattaglias, the Barzinis, the Cuneos and the Straccis.
In the HBO series The Sopranos, the DiMeo crime family (based on DeCavalcante family [8]) works with the Lupertazzi crime family of Brooklyn, one of the five families in New York.
In the video game series Grand Theft Auto, the Five Families are represented by the Leone, Sindacco and Forelli families. In Grand Theft Auto IV, the Five Families are represented by the Gambetti, Ancelotti, Messina, Pavano and Lupisella.
See also[edit]
American Mafia
The Commission
Chicago Outfit
DeCavalcante crime family (New Jersey crime family)
Rizzuto crime family (Montreal crime family, the "Sixth Family")
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Capeci, Jerry (2004). The Complete Idiot's Guide To The Mafia (2nd ed.). New York: Alpha Books. pp. 48–49. ISBN 1-59257-305-3.
2.Jump up ^ Raab, p. 186
3.Jump up ^ Raab, Selwyn. (2006). Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York, N.Y.: St. Martin's Press. pp. 732–734. ISBN 978-0-312-36181-5.
4.Jump up ^ "Jerry Capeci: Mob Murder In Montreal Could Trigger Bloodshed In New York". Huffingtonpost.com. 2010-01-11. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
5.Jump up ^ COLOMBO ORGANIZED CRIME FAMILY ACTING BOSS, UNDERBOSS, AND TEN OTHER MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES INDICTED (archived from the original on 2010-05-27), U.S. Department of Justice, June 4, 2008.
6.Jump up ^ "Sicilian Wiseguy Domenico Cefalu becomes Boss of the Gambino crime family once ruled by Gottis." June 29, 2011, Five Families of New York City.
7.^ Jump up to: a b The Changing Face of Organized in New Jersey A Status Report. May 2004. (pg 105–114)
8.Jump up ^ "New Charges for Mob Family as U.S. Indictment Names 20", New York Times April 20, 2001
Raab, Selwyn. Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. New York, N.Y.: St. Martins Press, 2006.


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Corleone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the Sicilian town. For the fictional family from the town, see Corleone family. For the 1978 Italian film, see Corleone (film). For the tv series, see Il Capo dei Capi.

Corleone
Comune
Città di Corleone
Corleone.jpg
Coat of arms of Corleone
Coat of arms




Corleone is located in Italy
Corleone
Corleone
Location of Corleone in Italy
Coordinates: 37°49′N 13°18′E
Country
Italy
Region
Sicily
Province
Palermo (PA)
Frazioni
Ficuzza
Government

 • Mayor
Leoluchina Savona[1]
Area

 • Total
229 km2 (88 sq mi)
Elevation
600 m (2,000 ft)
Population (31 December 2010)

 • Total
11,373
 • Density
50/km2 (130/sq mi)
Demonym
Corleonesi
Time zone
CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST)
CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code
90034
Dialing code
091
Patron saint
St. Leoluca
Website
Official website
Corleone (Sicilian: Cunigghiuni) is a small town and comune of approximately 12,000 inhabitants in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy.
Several Mafia bosses have come from Corleone, including Tommy Gagliano, Jack Dragna, Giuseppe Morello, Michele Navarra, Luciano Leggio, Leoluca Bagarella, Salvatore Riina and Bernardo Provenzano. It is also the birthplace of several fictional characters in The Godfather, most notably Vito (Andolini) Corleone.
The local mafia clan, the Corleonesi, led the Mafia in the 1980s and 1990s, and were the most violent and ruthless Mafia clan ever to take control of the organization.


Contents  [hide]
1 Territory
2 Gorges of the dragon
3 Cascata delle due Rocche
4 History 4.1 Antiquity
4.2 Middle Ages
4.3 Modern history
4.4 Contemporary history
5 Main sights
6 In literature and film
7 References
8 See also

Territory[edit]
Corleone municipality has an area of 22,912 hectares (56,620 acres) with a population density of 49 inhabitants per square kilometer. It is located in an inland area of the mountain, in the valley between the " Rocca ri Maschi ", the "Castello Soprano" and the " Castello Sottano". Corleone is located at 542 metres (1,778 ft).
Many interesting from the point of view of nature are the "Gorges of the dragon" in the vicinity of the Ficuzza forest and the "Due rocche" waterfalls .
Gorges of the dragon[edit]
Along the road that connects Corleone with Ficuzza, following the old railway line connecting Palermo to San Carlo ( Chiusa Sclafani) (now the bike path ), we arrive at an old bridge where the river Frattina streams and jumps between the limestone rocks almost to be swallowed . It can be seen as this river, through the erosive action of water and karst, has plowed over time the rock forming chasms, reels and small waterfalls where the water abundant, first disappears and then reappears in the boulders and lush vegetation. Of considerable size are the "pots of the Giants ", i.e. cylindrical and deep holes where the water takes on a swirling pattern. Old mulberry trees, oranges, pomegranates and figs are the living testimony of the site that once stood here to manage the mill . In the section where the slope is gentler, have formed pools with clear water where you can bathe in the bracken, the maidenhair fern, willows and elms, and in the company of a tortoise, fish, and colorful dragonflies. The walls that enclose the slopes are clad rock plants of great botanical interest as wood spurge, cabbage mountain, the carnation, capers etc. ... Among the crevices of the rock shelter are pigeons, jackdaws and birds of prey such as kestrels and the peregrine falcon . On tour you can get up to the main tank where you can sit in the shade of the big willows and poplars. From here the river Frattina down to the Belice and takes on a less torrential, donning the typical vegetation.
Cascata delle due Rocche[edit]
Within the territory of Corleone, a short walk from the historic center of the city is the " Natural Park of the cascade of two fortresses ." After going through a series of narrow streets in the district San Giuliano you come in front of a small church dedicated to Our Lady of precisely two fortresses . To the left of this church ' winds a path that leads between the poplars, willows and elms to the falls. Comfortably seated on the ancient square blocks in the shade of mulberry trees, nuts and frassinisi can see the enchanting view of the waterfall. The jump of the water of the river has, with its erosive action, formed a large puddle among rocks calcoarenitiche . The water gets frothy considerable steam that turns into the sun shimmering rainbows . All around the rocks glauconitic, brought to life by the erosion in their yellow- green, are occupied by rocky vegetation . Looking good the walls are the remains of an ancient aqueduct. Before you jump into this point, the river upstream has exerted a strong action of excavation along the rocky sides forming the canyon. "( From Corleone SottoSopra ) climate
History[edit]
The etymology of the name is uncertain, undergoing various modifications from the Ancient Greek Kouroullounè to the Arabic Kurulliùn\Qurlayun of the Emirate of Sicily, from Latin Curilionum to the Norman Coraigliòn, from the Aragonese Conillon, Coriglione from which the Sicilian Cunigghiuni originated. The modern name ascend from 1556.
Antiquity[edit]
The territory of Corleone is inhabited since prehistoric times. Recent research has identified several settlements distributed around two main poles: Pietralunga and "The Old ". This name refers to a mountain that rises to about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) and is about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from today's town. The site of Pietralunga is occupied from the final Neolithic to the Bronze Age (the presence of a glass bell decorated pointillé) while the site of "The Old ", was inhabited even since the Middle Ages (the presence of an imposing castle with towers, recently identified), but the biggest part of the settlement was built in the archaic and classical period. "The few materials relating to the Hellenistic period found at the site have supported the identification of the ancient town situated on "the Old" with the ancient town of "Schera", cited by Cicero, Cluverio and Ptolemy, although the archaeological remains of which is based this theory are still too unstable " (D'Angelo - Spatafora) .
Middle Ages[edit]
In the Middle Ages, "The Old" formed the alter ego of the town of Corleone and was probably ideal refuge for Muslim rebels of the district, then deported to Lucera in Puglia in 1225 after the bloody repression of Frederick II of Sicily. In 1080 it was conquered by the Normans and in 1095 was annexed to the Diocese of Palermo. About a hundred years after it was annexed to the new diocese of Monreale. The city already enfeoffed in 1180 to the church of Monreale an it was largely repopulated by Ghibellines from Alessandria (modern Piedmont), Brescia and elsewhere - "Lombards" led by one Oddone de Camerana - when it became obvious that emperor Frederick II of Sicily could not prevail over the Guelph-leaning Lombard communes in the middle of the 13th century. . However, in 1249 Frederick II of Sicily, revoking the previous privilege, gave the city to the royal property, though the migration of the inhabitants from the Po Valley continued until the beginning of the Sicilian Vespers. Another Camerana, named Boniface, distinguished himself in the revolution of the Sicilian Vespers, leaded the insurretion vs the Angevins of about three thousand people from Corleone, helping for first the city of Palermo. So th Senate of Palermo called Corleone " soror mea " (my sister).
During the reign of Frederick IV of Sicily, said The Simply, the city rebelled against the crown, but was recaptured in 1355. Corleone was besieged from Ventimiglia in 1358. During the reign of the four vicars, Corleone became property of the powerful Chiaramonte family but in 1391 was donated by Mary Queen of Sicily to Berardo Queralt, canon of Lerida, but it never took possession. So it was occupied by Nicholas Peralta, vicar William's son, but King Martin the Younger returned to the royal property, confirming the privileges in 1397 and giving it some tax relief.
Modern history[edit]
In March of 1434, King Alfonso the Magnanimous went in Corleone and so conceded some tolls to the city with the aim of restoring the walls and to meet the need, promising also the inalienability of the city to which he gave the title of " Animosa Civitas " (brave city). However Corleone, in 1440, was sold to Federico Ventimiglia for 19000 florins. The concession was revoked in May 1447 by the King Alfonso to be rebuilt in the same year to a certain John of Bologna. In 1452 the city was finally granted attorney James Pilaya. In 1516, Corleone joined the revolutionary movements of Palermo against the viceroy Moncada. The revolt of Corleone, led by Fabio La Porta, assumed popular character and had as purpose the request for tax relief. However, was violently repressed by the troops of the viceroy led by the Vicar General Gerardo Bonanno. Towards the end of the same century the social conditions in the city worsened further because of the plague of 1575–77 and the famine of 1592. On June 3, 1625, Corleone was sold, with other cities, to some Genoese merchants from whom Corleone redeemed itself upon payment of 15.2 thousand ounces . The terms of sale were, however, very serious. In 1648, the city was sold for 16,400 to the jurist Joseph Sgarlata, who then accepted the redemption upon payment.
Remarkable demographic growth was reported in the 15th and 16th centuries, following the arrival of several religious orders.
Contemporary history[edit]
Corleone contributed to the events of the Italian Risorgimento with the revolutionary action of Francesco Bentivegna, who after participating in the riots of 1848, captained an insurrection against the Bourbons in the surrounding cities until when was arrested and then shot in Mezzojuso on December 20, 1856. On May 27, 1860 the city was the scene of a fierce battle between the column of followers of Garibaldi led by Colonel Vincenzo Giordano Orsini and the bulk of the Bourbon army led by General Von Meckel, diverted from Palermo with a ploy hatched by the same Garibaldi. On that occasion formed a team of volunteers (Picciotti) which, led by Ferdinand Firmaturi, joined the march of Garibaldi in Palermo. The nineteenth century ended with the social action by Bernardino Verro, a leader of the social movement colled "Fasci Siciliani", who, after founding on the April 3, 1893 the "Fascio of Corleone", was the founder of the new Farm Lease that were entered into between farmers and agricultural Sicilian gabelloti in Congress on July 30, 1893, held in Corleone, so much so that the city began to assume the title of "Capital peasant". Corleone contributed to the Great War with 105 deaths and numerous injuries on the field. After World War II, took place the rise of the peasant movement to the occupation of vacant lands, led by trade unionist Placido Rizzotto, who was killed by the Mafia.
In 1943, the Duke of Aosta created the title of Count of Corleone, awarded to Arturo Faini for his merits in the Italian occupation of Ethiopia.
Since World War II, the Corleone has become notorious for having given birth to some dangerous bandits and mobsters (including Michael Navarra, Luciano Leggio, Bernardo Provenzano, Salvatore Riina and his brothers Calogero and Leoluca Bagarella), which were protagonists of a violent and bloody mafia power war. Linked to the Corleone clan was also the mayor of Palermo, Vito Ciancimino, born in Corleone.
Main sights[edit]
The Chiesa Madre ("Mother Church"), dedicated to the 4th Century French Bishop St. Martin of Tours, was started in the late 14th century. Its appearance today has been influenced by numerous changes and renovations. Its interior has a nave and aisles divided into various chapels containing precious artwork, including a wooden statue representing San Filippo d'Agira from the 17th century, a statue representing San Biagio (Saint Blaise) (16th century), and a fine marble panel depicting the Baptism of Christ from this same period.
The Chiesa dell'Addolorata is a church of the 18th century, dedicated to the Basilian abbot and patron saint San Leoluca, the Chiesa di Santa Rosalia, and the small Sant'Andrea (the latter two from the 17th century), all with important frescoes and paintings, are notable landmarks. The Santuario della Madonna del Rosario di Tagliavia, a religious building from the 19th century, is now a destination for pilgrims on Ascension Day.
The C.I.D.M.A. was inaugurated on December 12, 2000, in the presence of the highest authorities of the state, including the President of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Pino Arlacchi, on behalf of Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Culture, Progress and Legality are the objectives that the CIDMA intends to pursue. In the C.I.D.M.A. you can have a walk through the Room of the folders of the MAXI-PROCESS, the "Room of the messages", "Room of pain" and the final room dedicate to Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa. The first one contains Maxi-Trial documents, which marked a milestone in the fight against Cosa Nostra. The documents, given to Corleone by the Criminal Chamber of the Court of Palermo, are testimony to the work of magistrates like Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, who paid with their lives for their commitment to the fight against the Mafia. Among the folders there are the confessions of the famous “pentito” Tommaso Buscetta to Judge Falcone.
In the second room, the one of the messages,you can see the significant photos of Letizia Battaglia, well-known photographer in Sicily, who had the courage to go on site to capture tragic Mafia murders: the photographer was able to capture significant details that make his shots real documents of the mode of action of the Mafia in the 70s - 80s. The different positions of the bodies allow us to reconstruct the communicative strategy of the Mafia.
The room of pain houses a permanent exhibition of Shobha, Letizia Battaglia’s daughter, who followed her mother's footsteps, taking photos of the dismay, of the feeling of helplessness, of the despair felt by those who have lost someone because of the Mafia. In the room there are also photos of Letizia Battaglia documenting crimes of the Mafia, captured in their dramatic rawness. The approach allows us to understand the cause-effect relationships that exist between the crimes and the consequences they produce in the lives of affected families and of the entire community.
The Room "Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa"is dedicated to General Dalla Chiesa, the room contains photos of some of the main bosses of the Mafia, placed side by side with those of some great men of justice, who fought tenaciously organized crime.
To make more meaningful the visit there will be a local guide who, with his stories, will give voice to the photos
In literature and film[edit]
The name of the town was used as the adopted surname of the title character in Mario Puzo's book and Francis Ford Coppola's film The Godfather. In the novel, Vito Andolini emigrates from the village of Corleone. In the cinematic release of The Godfather, Part II, young Vito is assigned the Corleone surname while passing through immigration at Ellis Island. Shy and unable to speak English, Vito is unable to respond when asked for his proper name and is given the last name Corleone by an immigration official. Throughout the film series, various members of the Corleone family visit the town. In the films the towns of Savoca and Forza d'Agrò were used as locations for those scenes set in Corleone. Michael Corleone is played by Al Pacino, whose real-life maternal grandparents were Corleonese.
The adaptation of the town's name into the name of criminal gang leader in The Godfather is however predated by Graham Greene's 1938 novel Brighton Rock, which was made into a popular film in 1947. The leading character crosses the rival gang leader 'Colleoni' in the English seaside town of Brighton.[2]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Comune di Corleone - Sito Ufficiale". Comune.corleone.pa.it. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
2.Jump up ^ "Colleoni (Character) on IMDB". Retrieved 19 July 2014. "Brighton Rock - Colleoni's Men Jumps Spicer & Pinkie". 1947. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Corleone.

See also[edit]
##People from Corleone
##Mafia members from Corleone





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The Godfather Effect
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The Godfather Effect
Godfather Effect.jpg
Author
Tom Santopietro
Country
United States
Language
English
Genre
Non-fiction
Publisher
St. Martin’s Press

Publication date
 February, 2012
Media type
Print (Hardcover)
ISBN
978-1-250-00513-7
The Godfather Effect is a 2012 critically acclaimed study of the Godfather films - as well as Mario Puzo's novel - and their effect on American culture.[1][2] Written by biographer Tom Santopietro, the book demonstrates how The Godfather was a turning point in American cultural consciousness. With its emphasis on proud ethnicity, The Godfather changed not just the way Italian-Americans saw themselves, but how Americans of all backgrounds viewed their individual and national self-identities, their possibilities, and attendant disappointments.[3]
The "Godfather Effect" had a broader philosophical dimension, as well. As noted by Santopietro, "what Puzo delivered - brilliantly - was nothing less than a disquisition on the madness, glory, and failure of the American dream."[4] Early in the novel, Amerigo Bonasera declares “I believe in America.” The novel then depicts a nation where Mafia and big business are two sides of the same coin: both are corrupt, tell the truth selectively, and do exactly as they wish.[5]
This insight is bluntly stated by Michael Corleone, who recommends that Italian-Americans “must learn from the philanthropists like the Rockefellers – first you rob everybody, then you give to the poor.”[6]


Contents  [hide]
1 Reception
2 Author
3 External links
4 References

Reception[edit]
The Godfather Effect was widely reviewed, and well received by the press. The Hollywood Reporter called it "a beautiful narrative of the way pop culture shapes our self-image."[7]
The Wall Street Journal declared that "part memoir, part devotional film essay and part reflection on the meaning of ethnicity in American life, The Godfather Effect defines how the Godfather movies, along with the 1969 Mario Puzo novel from which they were adapted, reflected the madness, glory and failure of the American dream. By exploring that dream in distinctly Italian-American terms, the movies succeeded in delivering nothing less than the Italianization of American culture. In other words, they were so cool that everyone wanted to seem a little Italian."[8]
Newsday appreciated the personal dimension in Santopietro's book, noting, "In the end, it's the personal moments, such as Santopietro taking his aging dad to revisit the field where he played baseball as a child, that are most rewarding. The films make up the shell of The Godfather Effect, but it's the connections with family that give it a center as sweet as cannoli cream."[9]
The New York Journal of Books found that Santopietro “capably weaves together the memoirist elements, the history, and the analyses of the formal and thematic aspects of the films.”[10]
The book was recognized for its historical value by Smithsonian Magazine, the official publication of the Smithsonian Institution.[11]
Author[edit]
External video
 You can watch a video of Tom Santopietro discussing The Godfather Effect here
An acclaimed biographer,[12] Tom Santopietro wrote in-depth studies of several Hollywood icons, each of whom reflected and defined the American cultural landscape. These included Doris Day (Considering Doris Day),[13] Barbra Streisand (The Importance of Being Barbra),[14] and the definitive account of Frank Sinatra's Hollywood film career (Sinatra in Hollywood).[15]
External links[edit]
Macmillan Official Publisher Page
The Godfather Effect
Official website
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Hollywood Reporter
2.Jump up ^ Wall Street Journal
3.Jump up ^ The Godfather Effect, p. 83; by Tom Santopietro; St. Martins Press pub.; February 2012, ISBN 978-1-250-00513-7
4.Jump up ^ The Godfather Effect, p. 7; by Tom Santopietro; St. Martins Press pub.; February 2012, ISBN 978-1-250-00513-7
5.Jump up ^ The Godfather Effect, p. 81; by Tom Santopietro; St. Martins Press pub.; February 2012, ISBN 978-1-250-00513-7
6.Jump up ^ The Godfather Effect, p. 72; by Tom Santopietro; St. Martins Press pub.; February 2012, ISBN 978-1-250-00513-7
7.Jump up ^ Hollywood Reporter
8.Jump up ^ Wall Street Journal
9.Jump up ^ Newsday
10.Jump up ^ New York Journal of Books
11.Jump up ^ Smithsonian Magazine
12.Jump up ^ The Importance of Being Barbara; New York Post (by Liz Smith)
13.Jump up ^ Considering Doris Day by Tom Santopietro
14.Jump up ^ The Importance of Being Barbra; New York Post (by Liz Smith)
15.Jump up ^ Sinatra in Hollywood by Tom Santopietro | Kirkus Book Reviews


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The Godfather (soundtrack) ·
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Francis Ford Coppola ·
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The Godfather Papers and Other Confessions
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 First edition (publ. Putnam)
The Godfather Papers and Other Confessions is a collective autobiography written by Mario Puzo, on his journey through writing The Godfather.

"I was forty-five years old and tired of being an artist. Besides, I owed $20,000 to relatives, finance companies, banks and assorted bookmakers and shylocks. It was really time to grow up and sell out as Lenny Bruce once advised. So I told my editors, OK, I'll write a book about the Mafia...."
It explains Puzo's reasons for writing The Godfather . . .

"I have written three novels. The Godfather is not as good as the preceding two; I wrote it to make money...."


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The Sicilian (film)
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The Sicilian
Thesiciliandvd.jpg
Artisan Region 1 DVD cover

Directed by
Michael Cimino
Produced by
Joann Carelli
 Michael Cimino
Bruce McNall
 Sidney Beckerman (executive producer)
Screenplay by
Steve Shagan
Gore Vidal (uncredited)
Based on
The Sicilian by
Mario Puzo
Starring
Christopher Lambert
John Turturro
Joss Ackland
Barbara Sukowa
Terence Stamp
Music by
David Mansfield
Cinematography
Alex Thomson
Edited by
Françoise Bonnot
Production
   company
Gladden Entertainment
Distributed by
20th Century Fox (theatrical)
MGM (current)
Release date(s)
October 23, 1987

Running time
115 minutes (theatrical)
 146 minutes (director's cut)
Country
United States
Language
English
 Italian
Budget
$16.5 million (Estimated)[a 1]
Box office
$5,406,879 (Domestic)[1]
The Sicilian is a 1987 action film based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo. It was directed by Michael Cimino and stars Christopher Lambert, Joss Ackland and Terence Stamp.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Shooting
3.3 Post-production
4 Lawsuit
5 Release
6 Reception
7 Novel
8 Alternative versions
9 See also
10 References 10.1 Annotations
10.2 Notes
10.3 Bibliography
11 Further reading
12 External links

Plot[edit]
Salvatore Giuliano, the infamous bandit, together with his rag-tag band of guerrillas, attempted to liberate early 1950s Sicily from Italian rule and make it an American state. Giuliano robs from the rich conservative landowners to give to the peasants, who in turn hail him as their savior. As his popularity grows, so does his ego, and he eventually thinks he is above the power of his backer, Mafia Don Masino Croce. The Don, in turn, sets out to kill the upstart by convincing his cousin and closest adviser Gaspare to assassinate him.
Cast[edit]
Christopher Lambert as Salvatore Giuliano
Terence Stamp as Prince Borsa. The role of Prince Borsa was offered to Dirk Bogarde.[2]
Joss Ackland as Don Masino Croce
John Turturro as Gaspare "Aspanu" Pisciotta
Barbara Sukowa as Camilla, Duchess of Crotone
Richard Bauer as Hector Adonis
Giulia Boschi as Giovanna Ferra
Ray McAnally as Trezza
Barry Miller as Dr. Nattore
Andreas Katsulas as Passatempa
Michael Wincott as Cpl. Silvestro Canio
Ramon Bieri as Quintana
Oliver Cotton as Cmdr. Roccofino
Joe Regalbuto as Father Doldana
Aldo Ray as Don Siano of Bisacquino
Derrick Branche as Terranova
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
Due to the huge success of The Godfather, Mario Puzo was given $1 million for the movie rights to his novel The Sicilian.[3] David Begelman, head of Gladden Entertainment at the time, hired Michael Cimino to direct.[3] When producer Bruce McNall met with Cimino at a dinner in Los Angeles, he complained loudly about the script and Begelman's interference with casting.[4] Cimino wanted Christopher Lambert for the lead role and Begelman was concerned about a French actor starring in a movie about an Italian hero in an English-speaking movie.[4] To move forward, Begelman and McNall gave Cimino what he wanted with regards to the script and casting.[5]
Gore Vidal did some uncredited rewrite work on the film. Vidal sued both screenwriter Steve Shagan and the Writer's Guild of America to receive screenplay credit. "I was defrauded of my work."[6] Vidal eventually won the suit against WGA.[7] In the DVD commentary of Year of the Dragon, Cimino said he learned a lot from working with Vidal.[8]
Shooting[edit]
The film was shot on location in Sicily in the spring and summer of 1986.[3] In late April 1986, Begelman and McNall discovered that the film was over budget and behind schedule. The problems involved mostly hang-ups with personnel and equipment, nothing on the scale of Cimino's Heaven's Gate. One exception was some low-level Mafia men who controlled certain locations and union workers. Cimino suggested that Begelman and McNall meet with Mafia men to overcome the impasse. Upon meeting them in a restaurant off the main piazza, the producers discovered that the Mafia men wanted to appear in the film. "Once we all understood," wrote McNall, "the fix was easy. There were plenty of little roles for walk-ons and extras. And if a real role didn't exist, we could pretend to involve some of the guys and throw them a day's pay." Once the problem was solved, Cimino had access to the countryside and the local labor pool.[5]
Post-production[edit]
After location work was finished, Cimino took the footage straight to his editing room to begin cutting. Cimino did not report any of his progress on the editing as the months passed until he delivered a 150-minute cut of the film and declared that he was done. Under his contract with the producers, Cimino had the right to final cut as long as the film was under 120 minutes long. Cimino insisted that no more cuts could be made and pressed Begelman and McNall to present the current version to 20th Century Fox, the film's domestic distributor. Before viewing the film, the Fox executives said to the producers that the film was so long that it limited the number of showings a theater could present each day. It had to be trimmed or Fox wouldn't release it.[9]
When Begelman and McNall relayed Fox's ruling to Cimino, he exploded. "I've been cutting for six months. There's nothing more to take out!" he shouted. The producers responded that there had to be a way to tell the story in 120 minutes. Cimino answered, "Fine! You want it shorter, you got it." A few days later, Cimino delivered a new version of the film in which all of the action scenes were cut out. "In the script a big wedding scene in the mountains is followed by an attack on the wedding party." wrote McNall. "In what we saw the wedding was followed by a scene at a hospital, where all the people in nice clothes were being treated for their wounds. He just cut out the battle." Begelman did not wait till the film ended to get on the phone and immediately called Cimino. Cimino said that his contract allowed him final cut in a 120 minute film and what he gave them qualified.[9]
Lawsuit[edit]
As a result of the impasse with Cimino, the producers went to arbitration. "Every day that passed without the film being complete cost us and our partners—Fox and Dino DeLaurentiis—money." wrote McNall. "The judge in the arbitration acknowledged that problem and gave us a speedy hearing." Bert Fields represented the producers. Cimino's lawyers used a precedent established by Fields in an earlier case: Fields aided Warren Beatty's win in a dispute over final cut with the producers of the movie Reds, a finding that stated a contract granting a director final cut was absolutely binding. The producers challenged the claim that Cimino's 120-minute version of the film was a legitimate piece of work. "It was an act of bad faith," argued McNall, "no matter what the contract said."[10]
Dino DeLaurentiis was called in to testify as an expert witness. DeLaurentiis had overseen Cimino's Year of the Dragon, set the precedent for giving Cimino final cut in the contract for that film and even gave Cimino a positive recommendation to Begelman for The Sicilian.[10] However, when DeLaurentiis took the stand:

"Final cut? I no give-a him final cut," he declared.

"But we've seen the contract," said Fields.

"Have you seen the side letter?" asked DeLaurentiis.[10]
A subsequently unearthed side letter stated that notwithstanding the contract, Cimino did not have the right to final cut on Year of the Dragon. Fields argued that by withholding the side letter, Cimino defrauded the producers. The judge agreed. Begelman personally trimmed the film to 115 minutes.[10]
Release[edit]
Fox released The Sicilian on October 23, 1987 in 370 theaters. The film opened at #7 on the box office charts, grossing $1,720,351 and averaging $4,649 per theater. The film's domestic box office gross eventually totaled $5,406,879.[1] According to McNall, the losses on The Sicilian were offset by the profits from Gladden's other 1987 release Mannequin,[11] which unlike The Sicilian, became a box office hit.
Reception[edit]
Critical reaction to the film was fairly negative. Many critics criticized the film's incoherent narrative, muddy visual style, and the casting of Lambert in the lead as Guliano. Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert gave The Sicilian "two thumbs down". Ebert complained about the cinematography: "The film alternates between scenes that are backlit where you can't see the faces and other scenes that were so murky that you couldn't see who was talking." Siskel attacked the film's star, "Let me just go after Christopher Lambert... because here is the center of the film. This would be as if the Al Pacino character in The Godfather were played by a member of the walking dead."[12] In his Chicago Sun-Times review, Ebert claimed The Sicilian continues director Michael Cimino's "record of making an incomprehensible mess out of every other film he directs."[13]
Vincent Canby of The New York Times said, "Cimino's fondness for amber lighting and great, sweeping camera movements are evident from time to time, but the film is mostly a garbled synopsis of the Puzo novel."[14] Variety added "Cimino seems to be aiming for an operatic telling of the short career of the violent 20th-century folk hero [based on Mario Puzo's novel], but falls into an uncomfortable middle ground between European artfulness and stock Hollywood conventions."[15] Hal Hinson of the Washington Post felt it was "unambiguously atrocious, but in that very special, howlingly grandiose manner that only a filmmaker with visions of epic greatness working on a large scale with a multinational cast can achieve."[16] Leonard Maltin rated the film a "BOMB", calling it a "militantly lugubrious bio of Salvatore Guliano".[17]
Producer McNall was personally disappointed by the film. "Given that The Sicilian was a descendant of Puzo's The Godfather," wrote McNall, "I had expected something with the same beauty, drama, and emotion. Cimino had shown with The Deer Hunter that he was capable of making such a movie. But he had failed." McNall even quoted Ebert's review in his appraisal of The Sicilian, "Ebert criticized the cast, the cinematography, the script, even the sound quality. He was right about all of it."[11]
Rotten Tomatoes gives The Sicilian a 13% "Rotten" rating, based on eight reviews.[18]
Novel[edit]
The novel is a spin-off of The Godfather (set during Michael's exile in Sicily). However, all references to the Corleones are omitted from the film due to copyright issues.[citation needed]
Alternative versions[edit]
A 146-minute director's cut is available on video[19] and at least in Europe as a region 2 DVD.[20] Maltin gave the director's cut of The Sicilian two stars out of four, writing that the film "seems shorter, thanks to more coherency and Sukowa's strengthened role. Neither version, though, can overcome two chief liabilities: Cimino's missing sense of humor and Lambert's laughably stone-faced performance."[17]
See also[edit]
Salvatore Giuliano, a 1962 Italian film directed by Francesco Rosi.
References[edit]
Annotations[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Estimate based on: "Total American gross at the box office was $5.5 million, about a third of our production costs." (3 x 5.5 = 16.5). McNall & D'Antonio, Pg. 115.
Notes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b The Sicilian. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
2.Jump up ^ The Sicilian (1987) - Trivia. IMDb. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c McNall & D'Antonio, Pg. 103
4.^ Jump up to: a b McNall & D'Antonio, Pg. 104
5.^ Jump up to: a b McNall & D'Antonio, Pg. 105
6.Jump up ^ Mann, Roderick (February 14, 1987). "Vidal Sues to Get Credit on 'Sicilian'". Los Angeles Times. pp. 1, 10.
7.Jump up ^ "L.A. Ruling Favors Vidal in WGA/'Sicilian' Suit". Variety (329). November 11, 1987. p. 6.
8.Jump up ^ Feature-length commentary on Year of the Dragon by director Michael Cimino. Located on the Region 1 DVD.
9.^ Jump up to: a b McNall & D'Antonio, Pg. 113
10.^ Jump up to: a b c d McNall & D'Antonio, Pg. 114
11.^ Jump up to: a b McNall & D'Antonio, Pg. 115
12.Jump up ^ Roger Ebert & Gene Siskel (hosts) (October 23, 1987). Siskel & Ebert At The Movies: The Sicilian. Chicago, IL: Buena Vista Television. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
13.Jump up ^ Ebert, Roger (October 23, 1987). "The Sicilian". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2010-09-08.
14.Jump up ^ Canby, Vincent (October 23, 1987). "Movie Review - The Sicilian (1987)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
15.Jump up ^ Variety Staff (1987-01-01). "The Sicilian". Variety. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
16.Jump up ^ Hinson, Hal (October 24, 1987). "'The Sicilian' (R)". Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-09-08.
17.^ Jump up to: a b Maltin, Leonard (August 2008). Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide. New York, NY: Penguin Group. p. 1246. ISBN 978-0-452-28978-9.
18.Jump up ^ The Sicilian. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
19.Jump up ^ "The Sicilian VHS". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
20.Jump up ^ "The Sicilian Region 2 DVD". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
Bibliography[edit]
McNall, Bruce; D'Antonio, Michael (July 9, 2003). Fun While It Lasted: My Rise and Fall In the Land of Fame and Fortune (1st ed.). New York, NY: Hyperion. ISBN 978-0-7868-6864-3.
Further reading[edit]
Hess, John (February 1988). "Matewan. The Sicilian: History, Politics, Style, and Genre". Jump Cut: a Review of Contemporary Media (n33). Retrieved 2010-09-12.
Katsahnias, Iannis (November 1987). "La colère d'Achille". Cahiers du cinéma (in French) (n401).
Katz, Pamela (November 13, 1987). "Gore Goes to War". American Film: a Journal of the Film and Television Arts.
Stanbrook, Alexander (February 1988). "The Sicilian". Films and Filming (n386).
Stevens, Brad (Fall 1992). "Not Just a Bandit: Michael Cimino's ‘The Sicilian.’". CineAction! (n29).
Thirard, P.L. (December 1987). "Le Sicilien". Positif (n322).
External links[edit]
The Sicilian at the Internet Movie Database
The Sicilian at Box Office Mojo
The Sicilian on MichaelCimino.fr (French)
Trailer for The Sicilian on YouTube


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Categories: 1987 films
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The Freshman (1990 film)
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The Freshman
Freshman imp.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Andrew Bergman
Produced by
Mike Lobell
Written by
Andrew Bergman
Starring
Marlon Brando
Matthew Broderick
Bruno Kirby
Penelope Ann Miller
Music by
David Newman
Cinematography
William A. Fraker
Edited by
Barry Malkin
Distributed by
TriStar Pictures
Release date(s)
July 20, 1990
Running time
102 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Box office
$21,460,601
The Freshman is a 1990 American crime comedy film starring Marlon Brando and Matthew Broderick, in which Brando parodies his portrayal of Vito Corleone in The Godfather.
It is written and directed by Andrew Bergman. The plot revolves around a young New York film student's entanglement into an illicit business of offering exotic and endangered animals as specialty food items, including his being tasked with delivering a Komodo Dragon for this purpose.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links

Plot[edit]
Clark Kellogg (Matthew Broderick) leaves his mother (Pamela Payton-Wright) and environmental activist stepfather Dwight (Kenneth Welsh) in Vermont to go to New York University (NYU) to study film. After arriving at Grand Central Terminal, he's approached by Victor Ray (Bruno Kirby), who at first offers to carry Clark's bags, then offers a ride. As soon as Clark steps out of the car, Victor drives off with Clark's luggage still in the trunk.
Clark tells his professor, Professor Fleeber (Paul Benedict), who uses books he has written as required study, about losing his books. Clark notices Victor walking by and gives chase. Victor vows to give his luggage back in return for a favor. Clark is introduced to Victor's uncle, Carmine Sabatini (Marlon Brando). In a running gag, Clark mentions how much Carmine looks, sounds and acts like The Godfather — though no one will tell Carmine this to his face. Victor explains that Brando's character in The Godfather, Vito Corleone, was based on Carmine.
Carmine offers Clark the opportunity to make a lot of money just for running small errands. The first is to pick up a Komodo dragon from JFK Airport and transport it to a specific address. Clark enlists the help of his roommate Steve Bushak (Frank Whaley) to pick up the animal and deliver it to Larry London (Maximilian Schell) and his assistant, Edward (BD Wong).
Clark is also introduced to Carmine's daughter, Tina (Penelope Ann Miller), who takes an immediate shine to him. Tina talks as if the two are soon to be married. A distracted Clark tries to pay attention in Fleeber's film class (where the professor shows clips of The Godfather Part II) but he's soon being chased by two agents of the Department of Justice.
Upon being caught, Clark is told that Carmine—also known as "Jimmy The Toucan"—is not only a Mafia figure, he runs the Fabulous Gourmet Club. It is an illicit and nomadic establishment, never holding its festivities in the same place twice, where for enormous prices endangered animals are served as the main course, specially prepared by Larry London. Clark is told that "for the privilege of eating the very last of a species," a million dollars is charged.
Clark finds out that his activist stepfather listened in on a conversation with his mother. Right after Clark mentioned the Komodo dragon, Dwight contacted the Department of Justice. Carmine admits that the Gourmet Club exists, but tells Clark that the two DOJ agents are being bribed by a rival crime family that wants both Carmine and Clark dead. While driving to the Gourmet Club, a plan is hatched to get Carmine out of the exotic animal business for good and to clear Clark.
At the Gourmet Club's dinner, longtime Miss America pageant host Bert Parks sings a version of "There She Is" when the Komodo dragon is revealed. Clark steps outside to signal the DOJ agents, who raid the club. Carmine is upset that Clark has ratted him out. Carmine pulls a gun, the two wrestle and a shot fells Carmine.
The two DOJ agents, who do indeed turn out to be corrupt, leave with a duffel bag filled with money, though they're soon caught by real FBI agents and arrested. Clark berates his stepfather, who leaves. Carmine then gets up off the floor, having faked his death. Larry London reveals tonight's expensive and exotic dinner is actually Hawaiian tigerfish mixed with smoked turkey from Virginia, not endangered species (a long-running con of Carmine's, swindling the rich out of their money). Clark was hand-picked by Carmine, working with the FBI, because they knew Clark's stepfather would contact the corrupt agents once he found out about Clark's "job."
Tina's aggressive interest was an act as well, but she and Clark clearly now have a mutual interest. Carmine and Clark take the Komodo dragon for a walk, Carmine promising it will be taken safely to a new habitat at the zoo. He offers to help Clark make it in Hollywood, having a few connections there. Clark says, "Thanks, but no thanks."
Cast[edit]
Marlon Brando as Carmine Sabatini
Matthew Broderick as Clark Kellogg
Bruno Kirby as Victor Ray
Penelope Ann Miller as Tina Sabatini
Frank Whaley as Steve Bushak
Jon Polito as Chuck Greenwald
Paul Benedict as Arthur Fleeber
Richard Gant as Lloyd Simpson
Kenneth Welsh as Dwight Armstrong
Pamela Payton-Wright as Liz Armstrong
BD Wong as Edward
Maximilian Schell as Larry London
Reception[edit]
The film was well reviewed, with Janet Maslin describing it in The New York Times as "witty and enchanted".[1] In his original review, Roger Ebert wrote, "There have been a lot of movies where stars have repeated the triumphs of their parts - but has any star ever done it more triumphantly than Marlon Brando does in The Freshman?"[2] Variety also praised Brando's performance as Sabatini and noted, "Marlon Brando's sublime comedy performance elevates The Freshman from screwball comedy to a quirky niche in film history."[3] On the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, The Freshman has a 94% "Certified Fresh" with "Average Rating" of 7.4/10. The consensus is "Buoyed by the charm of Matthew Broderick in the title role and Marlon Brando as a caricature of his Godfather persona, The Freshman benefits from solid casting, a clever premise, and sweet humor."[4]
American Film Institute recognition:
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs - Nominated[5]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "The Freshman -- Review/Film; Marlon Brando as Importer, Or Whatever It Is He Does" Janet Maslin, New York Times, July 20, 1990
2.Jump up ^ The Freshman: BY ROGER EBERT / July 27, 1990
3.Jump up ^ The Freshman
4.Jump up ^ The Freshman (1990): Rotten Tomatoes.
5.Jump up ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs Nominees
External links[edit]
The Freshman at the Internet Movie Database
The Freshman at Box Office Mojo
The Freshman at Rotten Tomatoes


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The Godfather Saga
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Jump to: navigation, search


The Godfather Saga

Directed by
Francis Ford Coppola
Produced by
Albert S. Ruddy
 Francis Ford Coppola
Written by
Mario Puzo
 Francis Ford Coppola
Starring
Marlon Brando
Al Pacino
Robert Duvall
James Caan
Diane Keaton
Robert De Niro
John Cazale
Talia Shire
Music by
Nino Rota
Carmine Coppola
Cinematography
Gordon Willis
Edited by
Barry Malkin
Distributed by
NBC
Release date(s)
November 1977
Running time
434 min.
Language
English
The Godfather Saga is a TV miniseries that combines The Godfather and The Godfather Part II into one film. It originally aired on NBC over four consecutive nights (one three-hour segment and three two-hour segments) in November 1977. The Godfather Saga is also known as The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television, The Godfather: A Novel for Television, and The Godfather Novella. The television version was the basis for a shorter, 1981 video release known as The Godfather 1902–1959: The Complete Epic. Following the release of The Godfather Part III in 1990, a third unified version was released to video in 1992 entitled The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980.


Contents  [hide]
1 Film structure 1.1 Nielsen ratings
1.2 Re-release
2 The Godfather 1902–1959: The Complete Epic
3 The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980
4 Additional scenes 4.1 The Godfather additional scenes
4.2 The Godfather Part II additional scenes
4.3 The Godfather Part III additional scenes
5 References
6 External links

Film structure[edit]
Francis Ford Coppola asked his editor Barry Malkin to make a seven-hour version for television; Coppola reportedly did this project to raise money for Apocalypse Now, which was severely over-budget at the time.[1] The resulting film was in chronological order. The Godfather Part II had cut back and forth between scenes in the early 1900s and contemporary scenes, and was therefore both a prequel and a sequel to The Godfather.[2] Malkin also toned down the violence, sex, and language for a television audience.[3]
The television film incorporated additional footage not included in the original films, including Don Fanucci being attacked by street thugs, Vito Corleone's first encounter with Hyman Roth, Vito killing two of the mafiosi who worked for Don Ciccio and were instrumental in his family's death, Michael Corleone's reunion with his father after his return from Sicily, and Sonny Corleone's taking charge of the family after his father is severely wounded. The previously deleted scenes totaled almost 75 minutes.[3]
Hal Erickson summarized the results as follows, "While this rearrangement was reasonably coherent, the rhythm and pacing of the original theatrical versions of the two films was severely damaged. The inclusion of scenes previously removed from the theatrical prints also stretched out what was already an overlong project. Even allowing for the achievement of pulling off this gargantuan editing assignment, The Godfather Saga is a lumpy affair which seems to stop and start at irregular intervals and never truly picks up momentum. "[1]
Nielsen ratings[edit]
According to the entry in Les Brown's Encyclopedia of Television, the Nielsen ratings for the special were supposedly not as high as expected, possibly because both films had already aired (albeit separately) on NBC in previous years.
Re-release[edit]
On March 3, 2012, the American cable television channel AMC marked the 40th anniversary of the original theatrical release of The Godfather by re-broadcasting The Godfather Saga. It marked the first time the Saga was broadcast in high definition.[4]
The Godfather 1902–1959: The Complete Epic[edit]
The Godfather 1902–1959: The Complete Epic is a reduced, 386 minute version of The Godfather Saga (434 minutes) that was released to video in 1981.[5][6] Lucia Bozzola wrote of this version, "With the freedom of home video, The Complete Epic reinstated the violence that had been edited for television; free of commercial breaks, the narrative drive of Part I was mostly restored, but the impact of Part II was still muted by the separation of Vito's rise from Michael's descent."[7]
The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980[edit]

The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980

Directed by
Francis Ford Coppola
Produced by
Albert S. Ruddy
 Francis Ford Coppola
Written by
Mario Puzo
 Francis Ford Coppola
Starring
Marlon Brando
Al Pacino
Robert Duvall
James Caan
Diane Keaton
Robert De Niro
John Cazale
Talia Shire
Music by
Nino Rota
Carmine Coppola
Cinematography
Gordon Willis
Edited by
Barry Malkin
Walter Murch
Release date(s)
1992
Running time
583 minutes
Language
English
Following the release of The Godfather Part III in 1990, Coppola, Barry Malkin, and Walter Murch edited the three Godfather movies into chronological order to make the film The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980. As had the earlier compilations, this film incorporated scenes that are not part of the theatrical releases.[8] It was released on VHS and laserdisc in 1992; it has not been released on DVD, and is now rare.[8] The total run time for this version is 583 minutes (9 hours, 43 minutes). Reviews of this version of the film were favorable.[9][10] An unsigned Time review reads, "This trilogy has a novelistic density, a rueful, unhurried lyricism and a depth that, singly, the films could not achieve. Altogether glorious. "[10]
Additional scenes[edit]
Several additional scenes not shown in theaters were added to the Saga, Epic, and Trilogy.[11]
The Godfather additional scenes[edit]
After Vito agrees to help Amerigo Bonasera avenge the beating of his daughter, Vito whistles to Sonny and asks if he was paying attention. (Exclusive to the Saga only)
After Vito tells Hagen to go to California, Hagen tells him that the hospital called and the dying Genco Abbandando will not last the night. Vito tells Sonny he wants all his sons to pay their respects to Genco and for Fredo to drive the big car. (Saga and Trilogy only)
After Connie's wedding reception, Vito, his sons, and Johnny Fontane go to the hospital to visit Genco, where Vito calls Michael’s military decorations “Christmas ribbons”. Genco asks that Vito stay with him and scare away death to which Vito says that he has no such power. (Saga and Trilogy only)
Before Hagen and Jack Woltz start talking, Woltz presents a young girl, Janie, with a pony for her birthday. Her mother is there. After Tom leaves Woltz, he's walking to the exit and sees Janie, crying at the top of the staircase, being retrieved by her mother; the implication is that Woltz molested her. (Saga and Trilogy only)
There is additional footage of Tom, Sonny and Vito discussing the Woltz situation before the horse head scene. Vito calls Woltz’s pedophilia an "infamita". (Saga and Trilogy only)
Michael and Kay pretend to be in New Hampshire to get away, even though they are in New York. The scene is the two of them in a hotel bed, getting a wake-up call at 3 p.m. They're supposed to go to the Corleone residence, but Michael does not want to go yet. He calls the mansion and Kay pretends to be the long distance operator. Michael tells Hagen that they're "stuck in New Hampshire". This scene occurs before Fredo gets the car for Vito.
There is some short extra footage of Luca Brasi walking through the hotel hallways before meeting with the Tattaglias. He sees a neon sign turn off, which signals him it is OK to enter the bar. (Saga and Trilogy only)
After the Don is shot, Sonny gets a phone call from a detective telling him about it. Sonny then tries to call Tom, but Theresa says he is not home. (Saga and Trilogy only)
After Sonny gets the call from Virgil Sollozzo ("We have Tom Hagen"), he goes to tell his mother that Vito has been shot. He then calls Sal Tessio to get 50 of his men over. He tries to call Brasi, but he's not there. (Saga and Trilogy only)
After Michael calls Sonny about Vito’s shooting, there is additional footage near the phone booth of Michael telling Kay to go back the hotel. (Saga and Trilogy only)
There is some short extra footage of Michael in the car arriving at the mall. (Saga and Trilogy only)
After Michael meets Peter Clemenza, he asks Hagen's wife Theresa how he is. The two of them go in to see Sonny (who's with Tessio). After discussing how Paulie Gatto, not Clemenza, was the traitor, Hagen enters the room. (Saga and Trilogy only)
Before Clemenza leaves the house with Paulie, he and Rocco Lampone talk about Clemenza's car with the wooden bumpers. Clemenza gives Rocco the gun he's to use to "make his bones" by killing Gatto. (Saga and Trilogy only)
After they leave Clemenza's driveway, we see them make a stop "to call Sonny". Clemenza eats a meal and buys cannoli while Lampone and Gatto wait in the car. (Saga and Trilogy only)
When Michael is hiding in Sicily, there is a scene in which his bodyguard Fabrizio asks him about New York, and whether it is true that he is the son of a Mafia boss. Fabrizio then asks Michael if he could be his bodyguard in America. This scene happens just before they meet Apollonia.
In Sicily, after Michael tells Don Tommasino that they're going to Corleone, Michael and his bodyguards see a procession of what appears to be Communists marching through the hills. (Saga and Trilogy only)
There is some short extra footage of Michael and bodyguards walking through Corleone, before he says "where have all the men gone?"
Before they're on the road as the G.I.s pass by, Michael visits his father's birthplace and he asks a woman if there are any family/friends of the Andolini family around. She says they've all left and gone overseas. (Saga and Trilogy only)
After Hagen makes the call to Bonasera following Sonny’s murder, we see Bonasera getting dressed and contemplating what task Vito is going to ask him to do. (Exclusive to the Saga only)
After Apollonia is killed in the explosion, there's a short scene of Michael, in shock and in bed, muttering to Tommasino and Apollonia's mother: "Apollonia..?" / Tommasino: "Dead" / Michael: "Fabrizio..? Get me Fabrizio..."
After Connie hangs up the phone following a fight with her husband Carlo Rizzi, she walks into the bathroom where Carlo is showering. She confronts him about the "whore"; he ignores the comment and tells her to make him dinner. The subsequent footage is slightly tailored to fit the standard scene, and a couple of extra lines are added where they were not before. (Saga and Trilogy only)
Before Hagen asks Michael why he is being replaced as consigliere, there's some short extra footage. There is also some after Michael says "You're out Tom." These two short scenes talk about Al Neri. (Saga and Trilogy only)
After Hagen leaves the room, Vito takes Michael out to the garden though the French doors in the study. (Exclusive to the Saga only)
The original ending of the film showed Kay praying at an altar while the credits were shown. The scene though faithful to the original novel was used only as a final of The Godfather Saga.
The Godfather Part II additional scenes[edit]
The following scenes are listed chronologically.
After Vito's brother Paolo is shot, two of Don Ciccio's thugs arrive at the Andolini home looking for Vito. His mother says she'll take him herself.
When Vito and Genco go backstage at the theater, there is additional footage before and after the scene where Don Fanucci grabs a young girl. Fanucci tells the theater owner that he should have more Sicilian songs and begins to sing. (Exclusive to the Saga only)
There is a scene before Vito gets fired from Abbandando’s Grosseria: While Vito is delivering groceries, he sees three punks over on 9th Street assaulting Fanucci, and they cut his throat "from ear to ear...to scare him". Genco and Vito discuss how much power Fanucci actually has.
There is added footage at the beginning of the scene where young Vito and Clemenza are drinking coffee, talking about the carpet Vito is to steal. (Saga and Trilogy only)
After the new carpet is installed, Vito, Clemenza, and Tessio meet up with a gunsmith, Augustino Coppola, and his young son, Carmine Coppola. This is where Clemenza sells his guns.
We then see young Clemenza hocking stolen dresses door-to-door for $5 a piece. He makes one married woman an offer (two for one), and presumably has sex with her. Clemenza tells Vito to bring the rest of the dresses to Dadine's Store, where Dadine will turn it over to the wholesaler. While they are driving, Fanucci hops aboard Vito’s truck.
There is added footage at the end of Fanucci's talk with Vito in the truck. (Saga and Trilogy only)
There is added footage at the beginning of the scene where Vito, Clemenza and Tessio are eating spaghetti at Vito's house discussing how to pay Fanucci. (Saga and Trilogy only)
There is added footage at the beginning of Vito's meeting with Signora Colombo. (Saga and Trilogy only)
There is added footage during Vito's talk with Signor Roberto on the street. (Saga and Trilogy only)
There is added footage before we see Signor Roberto at Vito's office. He is seen entering through the garage area where he carefully asks for “Don Vito Corleone”.
After Signor Roberto lowers Signora Colombo's rent, Vito sees Clemenza, who has found "a kid good with cars", to fix the truck. His name is Hyman Suchowsky, but Clemenza calls him "Johnny Lips." Vito suggests that Suchowsky change his name; Suchowsky then begins calling himself Hyman Roth.
In a trip back to Sicily, there is additional footage of Vito’s family exiting the train and walking with a small band. (Saga and Trilogy only)
While in Sicily, Vito finds and kills two of Don Ciccio's retainers (Strollo and an unnamed man) before he goes with Tommasino to kill Don Ciccio.
There is additional footage of Vito and his family at the train station leaving Sicily. (Exclusive to the Saga only)
There is footage of Michael walking on pier in Lake Tahoe playing with a dog. (Exclusive to the Saga only)
There is footage of Anthony's First Communion ceremony. (Saga and Epic only)
At the beginning of Anthony's party, there is added footage of singing on the grandstand, and in the parking lot. We also see Anthony walking up to the button men, and stopping as Kay calls after him. (Saga and Trilogy only)
There is a scene of Fredo and his wife Deanna in the parking lot. Deanna is already drunk and Fredo does not want Michael to see her that way. (Saga and Trilogy only)
At the communion party, Sonny's daughter, Francesca, comes to see Michael for his blessing to marry Gardner Shaw, of whom Michael approves. He also asks Francesca how her brother Santino Jr. is doing in football.
There is a scene (after Michael's meeting with Sen. Pat Geary) in which Al Neri is talking to Michael (with Hagen and Lampone) and they are looking at pictures of Fabrizio. They explain that he was brought over illegally from Sicily by Don Barzini.
After Michael and Kay are dancing in the communion party, we see Fabrizio ("Fred Vincent"), leaving his pizzeria in Buffalo, New York, and getting into his car, which explodes. He stumbles out of the car, before he dies.
There is added footage leading up to Frank Pentangeli drinking from the garden hose when he asked a waiter for canapés. (Saga and Trilogy only)
When the family sits down to eat, we see Pentangeli sitting and drinking wine with Anthony. He gives Anthony a $100 bill. (Saga and Trilogy only)
There is footage of Al Neri visiting Klingman at the casino, and kicking him out. (Saga and Trilogy only)
The Godfather Part III additional scenes[edit]
The original introductory scene showed Michael in meeting with Archbishop Gilday about buying International Immobiliare in the same tonic that same introductory scene from The Godfather on meeting Bonasera and Vito. As is known the scene was moved in the final editing in final cut showing the Corleone house in Lake Tahoe in ruins. (Saga and Trilogy only)
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Erickson, Hal. "The Godfather Saga: Critics' Reviews". AllMovie Guide.
2.Jump up ^ Phillips, Gene D. (2004). Godfather: The Intimate Francis Ford Coppola. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 129–130. ISBN 978-0-8131-2304-2. "Coppola points out in his DVD commentary on Godfather II that when the film was edited for TV in straight chronology, according to his specific instructions, the story of the young Vito and the story of Michael were not as compelling alone as when they were intercut in the original movie. ... It is the juxtaposition of scenes like these that caused Coppola to decide to 'keep the parallel structure in Godfather II ever since, even now when the three films make one saga. '"
3.^ Jump up to: a b Cowie, Peter (1994). Coppola: A Biography. Da Capo Press. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-306-80598-1.
4.Jump up ^ "An Offer You Shouldn't Refuse - The Godfather Saga in HD on AMC". AMC Blog. AMCtv.com. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
5.Jump up ^ Maltin, Leonard, ed. (October 2003). Leonard Maltin's 2004 Movie & Video Guide. p. 538. Reports a runtime of 386 minutes.
6.Jump up ^ Malta, J. Geoff (2006). "The Godfather 1902–1959: The Complete Epic". Copies of the credits and other materials that accompanied the video release.
7.Jump up ^ Bozzola, Lucia. "The Godfather 1902–1959: The Complete Epic: Critics' Reviews". All Movie Guide. msn.com. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Malta, J. Geoff (2006). "The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980". Archived from the original on 2008-03-28. This webpage reproduces material originally distributed with the "home video" release.
9.Jump up ^ Burr, Ty (October 30, 1992). "Video Review: The Godfather Trilogy 1901–1980 (1992)". Entertainment Weekly.
10.^ Jump up to: a b "Short Takes". Time Magazine. March 1, 1993.
11.Jump up ^ http://www.thegodfathertrilogy.com/
External links[edit]
The Godfather Saga at the Internet Movie Database
The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980 at the Internet Movie Database


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Omertà (novel)
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Omertà
Omerta-novel-cover.jpg
First edition

Author
Mario Puzo
Country
United States
Language
English
Series
The Godfather
Genre
Thriller, Crime
Publisher
Random House

Publication date
 2000[1]
Media type
Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages
321 p.
ISBN
0-375-50568-7
OCLC
00028082

Dewey Decimal
 813/.54 21
LC Class
PS3566.U9 O46 2000b
Preceded by
The Sicilian
Omertà is a novel by Mario Puzo, published posthumously in 2000. It was first published by Ballantine Books. Omertà follows the story of Don Aprile's adopted "nephew" Astorre Viola. This is the final book in Puzo's mafia trilogy. The first two were The Godfather and The Last Don.


Contents  [hide]
1 Publication
2 Plot summary
3 Reception
4 References

Publication[edit]
Puzo never saw the publication of Omertà, but the manuscript was finished before his death, as was the manuscript for The Family. In a review originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Jules Siegel, who had worked closely with Puzo at Magazine Management Company, speculated that Omertà may have been completed by "some talentless hack." Siegel also acknowledges the temptation to "rationalize avoiding what is probably the correct analysis – that [Puzo] wrote it and it is terrible."[2]
Plot summary[edit]
The book begins with the death of Don Zeno in Sicily. Don Zeno left his infant son, Astorre, with Don Raymonde Aprile. Don Aprile lives in New York, where he is known as a fair but merciless Mafia head. Aprile is a widower who does not want his children to follow him in illicit business. To save them, he sends them to private boarding schools and only sees them on holidays. Astorre is the favorite of his children, Aprile considering him his nephew, and Astorre is picked as the one who must protect the family after Aprile dies.
Aprile decides to take Astorre, a young and bright child, to Sicily one summer. One day while the Don and Astorre are walking the streets of Sicily, a small cosca kidnaps them. The captors treat the Don and Astorre well, but they want a ransom. Aprile warns the kidnappers to let him go. "The rest of your lives will be miserable if you do not." The cosca does not realize how powerful Aprile is. In the middle of the night, Bianco, a friend of the Don, rescues Aprile and Astorre. Aprile wants to kill the kidnappers, but Astorre asks him not to. Aprile gives in, but makes the men his loyal servants.
When Astorre turns 16, he has a romantic affair with Nicole, the Don's youngest child and only daughter. Aprile orders the boy to move to London, to attend college and stop the affair. Nicole is upset by this, but Astorre obeys his uncle without argument. Astorre stays in London for a year with Mr. Pryor, a banker friend of the Don, and then returns to Sicily, staying for ten years and serving under Don Bianco, an old friend and protector of Aprile. During his time in London, he meets a young woman named Rosie, with whom he begins a romantic relationship, which he continues during his time in Sicily, until he finds out that she has not been faithful to him.
When Astorre comes back, having completed his training, Aprile decides it is time to retire from his dangerous business. He settles all his accounts and pays off all of his associates keeping only his ten international banks, which are completely legitimate. Aprile instructs Astorre that when he dies the banks should not be sold. Aprile writes in his will that Astorre owns 51% of all voting stock in the bank, with the Don's children owning the rest. The interests from the bank will go to Astorre and the children evenly. In the meanwhile, Aprile starts a macaroni importing business for Astorre.
Valerius, Aprile's oldest son, invites his family to his son's communion. After the communion commences two men execute Aprile in a drive-by shooting. Without any public authorities securing the area, the killers are able to escape and, in spite of Aprile's power, there is no subsequent investigation into his death. Timmona Portella, controlling the only significant criminal organization remaining in New York, along with his international partners, tries to negotiate with the Don's children and Astorre to purchase the banks from them in order to launder drug money. However, Astorre, holding the majority share, consistently declines their offers, following the Don's instructions and claiming that he has found a love for the banking industry.
At first, Aprile's children want to be as removed as possible and want to sell the banks thinking Astorre naive and innocent due to his good-natured and friendly demeanor, and while baffled that their father left him the majority share, want to protect him. As time passes, though, they come to see that their father had meant for his banks to secure their futures in their respective careers, and that they had done so thus far, with Valerius a high-ranking military officer, Marcantonio a prolific TV producer, and Nicole a successful lawyer in a prominent law firm. They also start to see that there is more to their "cousin" than they thought, and begin to suspect the reason why Aprile left him in charge.
Drawing upon his years of training, Astorre methodically seeks each of the people responsible for the death of his uncle and had been trying to get control of his banks, consulting old friends of Aprile for advice. At times during these consultations, the friends suggest selling the banks to avoid all the trouble that Astorre is going through even to stay alive, but are impressed when he politely rejects the idea, seeing in him determination and strength that they themselves lacked. Astorre finds each of the people involved in Aprile's murder, from the hitmen to those who ordered the attack, and is able to eliminate them without detection by the authorities.
Two years later, Nicole has taken over as general manager of the banks, and her brothers are working on a film for TV recounting the life of their father, with Astorre as a consultant to help them with some of the details. Astorre eventually decides to move to Sicily permanently, and there marries Rosie, They have their first child, whom they name Raymonde Zeno, after Astorre's two fathers, and they consider the day that they will bring their son back to America.
Reception[edit]
The novel received varying reviews. Time magazine said "This posthumously published novel by the author of The Godfather has more tasty twists than a plate of fusilli", and "this deft and passionate last novel by the Balzac of the Mafia",[3] while The New York Times said "Fact is, the more I think about it, the more this book gives me agita. God forbid that I should criticize the author of the great GF, but I gotta be honest with you: the man has lost his touch."[4]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Omerta". WorldCat. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
2.Jump up ^ Jules Siegel (July 9, 2000). "Book@arts". Cafecancun.com. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
3.Jump up ^ Sheppard, R. Z. (July 17, 2000). "Omerta". Time Magazine Online. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
4.Jump up ^ Kakutani, Michiko (June 27, 2000). "Goodfellas Goin' Bad Or What, Capeesh?". The New York Times. Retrieved June 14, 2010.


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