Cosa Nostra
(La) Cosa Nostra ("our thing" or "this thing of ours" in
Italian) is a worldwide
alliance of criminals, linked through both familial and conspiratorial ties, that is dedicated to pursuing crime and protecting its members. The Cosa Nostra consists of different "
families" or groups that are generally arranged geographically and engaged in significant and organized racketeering activity. It is also known as the original
Mafia, although this term is also used to describe other organized crime groups.
In
1986, according to government reports, it was estimated there are 1,700 members of "La Cosa Nostra" and thousands of associate members. Reports also are said to include the Italian-American Mafia as the largest organized crime group in the United States and continues to hold dominance over the
National Crime Syndicate, despite the increasing numbers of street gangs and other organizations of neither Italian nor Sicilian ethnicity.
The Cosa Nostra may also be used to refer to the Sicilian Mafia or a certain crime family (not necessarily the whole organization).
The Cosa Nostra is most active in the
New York metropolitan area,
Philadelphia,
New England,
Detroit, and
Chicago but has members in many other major cities around the United States and also participates in international criminal activities.
The
American Mafia, specifically the
Five Families, has its roots in Italian Cosa Nostra or Mafia, but it has been a separate organization in the United States for many years. Today, Cosa Nostra cooperates in various criminal activities with the different IOC groups which are headquartered in
Italy.
Giuseppe Esposito was the first known
Sicilian Mafia member to emigrate to the
United States. He and six other Sicilians fled to
New York after murdering eleven wealthy landowners, the chancellor, and a vice chancellor of a Sicilian province. He was arrested in
New Orleans in 1881 and extradited to
Italy.
New Orleans was also the site of the first
Mafia incident in the
United States which received both national and international attention. On October 15, 1890,
New Orleans Police Superintendent
David Hennessey was murdered execution-style. Hundreds of Sicilians were arrested, and nineteen were eventually indicted for the murder. An acquittal followed and with it rumors of bribed and intimidated witnesses. The outraged citizens of
New Orleans organized a lynch mob and proceeded to kill eleven of the nineteen defendants. Two were hanged, nine were shot, and the remaining eight escaped.
The American Cosa Nostra has undergone many changes. From the
Black Hand gangs around 1900 and the
Five Points Gang in the 1910s and 1920s in
New York City, to
Al Capone's Syndicate in 1920s
Chicago. By the end of the 1920s, two factions of
organized crime had emerged causing the
Castellamarese war for control of
organized crime in
New York City. With the murder of
Joseph Masseria, the leader of one of the factions, the war ended uniting the two sides back into one organization now dubbed Cosa Nostra.
Salvatore Maranzano, the first leader of American Mafia, was himself murdered within six months and
Charles "Lucky" Luciano became the new leader.
Maranzano had established the code of conduct for the organization, set up the "
family" divisions and structure, and established procedures for resolving disputes.
Luciano set up the "
Commission" to rule their activities. The
Commission included bosses from six or seven families.
In 1951, a U.S. Senate Committee, led by Democratic Tennessee Senator
Estes Kefauver, determined that a "sinister criminal organization" also known as the
Mafia operated around the
United States.
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. This gathering has become known as the
Apalachin Conference. Many of the attendees were arrested and this event was the catalyst that changed the way law enforcement battles
organized crime. This war continues today.
In 1963,
Joseph 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 US Senate McClellan Committee, 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.
Today Cosa Nostra is involved in a broad spectrum of illegal activities. These include
murder,
extortion,
drug trafficking, corruption of public officials,
gambling, infiltration of legitimate businesses, labor
racketeering,
loan sharking,
prostitution,
pornography,
tax fraud schemes, and most notably today,
stock manipulation schemes.
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Boss - 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 that large attracted too much attention.
[Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002]*
Underboss - The Underboss, usually appointed by the Boss, is the second in command of the family. The Underboss is considered the Boss that is in charge of all of the other Capos, who is controlled by the Boss. The Underboss is usually first in line to become Acting Boss if the Boss is imprisoned or dies.
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Consigliere - Consigliere is an advisor to the family. They are often low profile gangsters that can be trusted. They are used as a mediator of disputes or representatives or aids in meetings with other Families. They often keep the Family looking as legitimate as possible, and are, themselves, legitimate apart from some minor gambling or loan sharking. Often Consiglieres are lawyers or stock brokers, are trusted and have a close friendship or relationship with the Don. They usually do not have crew of their own, but still wield great power in the Family. They are also often the liaison between the Don and important 'bought' figures, such as politicians or Judges.
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Caporegime (or
Capo)- A Capo (sometimes called a
Captain) is in charge of a crew. There are usually four to six crews in each family, possibly even seven to nine crews, each one consisting of up to ten Soldiers. Capos run their own small family, but must follow the limitations and guidelines created by the Boss, as well as pay him his cut of their profits. Capos are nominated by the Underboss, but typically chosen by the Boss himself.
*
Soldier - Soldiers are members of the family, and can only be of Italian or Sicilian background. Soldiers start as Associates that have proven themselves. When the books are open, meaning that there is an open spot in the family, a Capo (or several Capos) may recommend an up-and-coming Associate to be a new member. In the case that there is only one slot and multiple recommendations, the Boss will decide. The new member usually becomes part of the Capo's crew that recommended him.
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Associate - An Associate is not a member of the mob, but more of an errand boy. They're usually a go-between or sometimes deal in drugs to keep the heat off of the actual members. In other cases, an associate might be a corrupt
labor union delegate or businessman.
[Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002] Non-Italians will never go any further than this. However, occasionally an associate will become powerful within his own family, for example Joe Watts, a close associate of
John Gotti.
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Mafia*
Italian Organized Crime*
Capeci, Jerry.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002.
*
Cosa Nostra - Rebranding the Mafia
