Instead, the word Mafia is an umbrella term that refers to any of several groups of gangsters who can trace their roots to Italy or Sicily. The Mafia is not an actual tax-paying, stock-selling organization. The position was made famous with Robert Duvall's portrayal of lawyer Tom Hagen, fictional consigliere to the Corleone family in two of "The Godfather" movies and the Mario Puzo novel upon which they were based. In reality, consiglieres are sometimes appointed and are not always impartial. This position is meant to be elected by the members of the family, not appointed by the boss. He is supposed to act as an adviser and make impartial decisions based on fairness and logic rather than personal feelings or vendettas. The consigliere is not supposed to be part of the family's hierarchy.
One other position within the family is somewhat legendary: the consigliere. An associate can include anyone from a burglar or drug dealer to a lawyer, investment banker, police officer or politician. They're not actual members of the Mafia, but they work with Mafia soldiers and capos on various criminal enterprises. In addition to soldiers, the Mafia uses associates. The number of soldiers under any given capo can vary tremendously. Soldiers are part of the family, but they hold little power and make relatively little money. A soldier is the lowest rank among made men. The capo keeps some of the money his rackets earn and passes the rest up to the underboss and boss. The key to being a successful capo is making money. The capo's territory may be defined geographically (as in, "everything west of 14th Street belongs to Louie 'The Key' DiBartolo") or by the rackets he operates ("Alfonze 'Big Al' Maggioli is in charge of illegal gambling"). He has specific activities that he operates. A capo acts like a lieutenant, leading his own section of the family. The number of capos varies depending on the overall size of the family. Some are groomed to replace the boss if he is old or in danger of going to jail.īeneath the underboss are the capos. Some underbosses resolve disputes without involving the boss. The underboss is the second in command, although the amount of power he wields varies. The boss's authority is used to resolve disputes and keep everyone in line. All major decisions are made by the don, and money made by the family ultimately flows to him. The leader of each family is known as the boss, or don. Wiseguy - Someone who is involved with the Mafia.Not everyone within a family is actually related, although it is common for relatives of mobsters to be inducted into the same family as their brothers or fathers. Family - Each individual gang within the Mafia is known as a family.Now, the capo is more like a lieutenant who serves the family boss. Capo - The capo was originally the head of a family in Sicily.Made man - A man who has been officially inducted into a Mafia family.
In time, La Cosa Nostra referred specifically to American members of the Mafia, differentiating them from "Old World" mobsters. They began using the term La Cosa Nostra (which is grammatically incorrect) to refer to the Mafia. When the Mafia moved to the United States, FBI agents listening in on wiretaps heard the term.
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