How the mafia killed people. The Sicilian mafia in the modern world: a fresh look

Capo di Capi, don, boss, sometimes "godfather" - the head of the "family". Gets information about each case carried out by any member of the "family". The boss is elected by the capo's vote; in the event of a tie in the number of votes, the deputy boss must also vote. Until the 1950s, all family members generally participated in voting, but then this practice was stopped because it attracted too much attention.

Henchman or deputy boss - appointed by the boss himself and is the second person in the family. The henchman is responsible for all the capos of the family. In the event of the arrest or death of the boss, the henchman himself usually becomes the acting boss.

Between the "assistant" and the "leader" stands the "adviser" (Consigliere). Consigliere is the advisor to the family. He is invited as a mediator to resolve disputes or as a representative of the family at meetings with other families. They usually engage in more or less legal activities (gambling or extortion). Often consiglieres are lawyers or stockbrokers whom the boss can trust and even have close friendships with. They usually do not have their own team, but they have significant influence in the family. Consigliere often act as diplomats.

A caporegime or capo, sometimes a captain, is the head of a team of enforcement soldiers who reports to the underboss or the boss himself and is responsible for certain areas of territory or types of criminal activity. There are usually 6-9 such teams in a family, each of which consists of up to 10 soldiers. Thus, the kapo heads his small family, but is completely subject to all the restrictions and laws set by the boss of a large family, and pays him a share of his income. Submission to the capo makes the boss's assistant, but usually the boss appoints the capo personally.

The soldier is a family member of exclusively Italian origin. At the beginning of his journey, the soldier is an accomplice and must prove his need for the family. When space becomes available, one or more kapos may recommend that a proven accomplice be promoted to soldier. In the case when there are several such proposals, but only one person can be accepted into the family, the boss has the last word. Once selected, a soldier usually ends up on the team whose capo recommended him.

An accomplice is not yet a family member, but no longer an "errand boy". He usually acts as an intermediary in drug deals, acts as a bribed union representative or businessman, etc. Non-Italians are almost never accepted into the family and remain such accomplices (although there have been exceptions - for example, Joe Watts, a close partner of John Gotti).

The current structure of the mafia and the way they operate is largely determined by Salvatore Maranzano - the "boss of bosses" of the mafia in the United States (who, however, was killed by Lucky Luciano six months after being elected). The latest trend in family organization is the emergence of two new positions - street boss and family messenger - coined by former Genovese family boss Vincent Gigante.

Scheme

First level
Boss-don
Second level
Consigliere - advisor
Underboss - don's assistant (handy)
Third level
Caporegime - captain of a squad of soldiers

A separate group in the structure of the mafia
Soldiers and associates - personal soldiers of the boss.

Koska

Koska is the highest management level in the organization of mafia management, which is
the union of several families of mafiosi. The word "koska" is translated as "celery, artichoke or lettuce". With the help of a scythe, mafioso expand their sphere of influence. According to the requirements of the criminal environment, the mafiosi must have their own possession - "land", the association of families of one locality into a coscus gives the mafiosi the opportunity to play their personal possessions as a trump card, primarily in relation to the private property of non-mafia members, that is, the vast majority of society.
Koska is organized at a higher level and as a patriarchal family, so inside her independence of an individual mafia is minimal. In the outside world, the koska exercises supreme power. Mafiosi of other koskas must ask for permission if their interests compel them to operate in the territory of a koska of which they are not members. Relations between different koskas are, as a rule, friendly, business-like, and sometimes have the character of mutual assistance. However, when war breaks out between them,
especially if there are controversial issues in determining the boundaries of the respective territories, the koski lead it to the complete destruction of rivals. This is how the mafia wars began.

Despite the relentless use of mafia images by Hollywood that have long become cliches, there are still illegal gangs in the world that control industry, engage in smuggling, cybercrime, and even shape the global economy of countries.

So where are they located and which ones are the most famous in the world?

Yakuza

This is not a myth, they exist and, by the way, were among the first to make significant efforts to help after the tsunami in Japan in 2011. The traditional areas of interest of the yakuza are underground gambling, prostitution, drug trafficking, arms and ammunition trafficking, racketeering, the production or sale of counterfeit products, car theft and smuggling. More sophisticated gangsters trade in financial fraud. Members of the group are distinguished by beautiful tattoos, which are usually hidden under clothing.

Mungiki

This is one of the most aggressive sects in Kenya, which arose in 1985 in the settlements of the Kikuyu people in the central part of the country. The Kikuyu gathered their own militia in order to protect the Masai lands from government militants who wanted to crush the resistance of the recalcitrant tribe. The sect, in essence, was a street gang. Later, large detachments were formed in Nairobi, which engaged in racketeering of local transport companies that transport passengers around the city (taxi firms, car parks). Then they switched to garbage collection and disposal. Each slum dweller was also required to pay the representatives of the sect a certain amount in exchange for a quiet life in their own shack.

Russian Mafia

It is officially the most feared organized crime group in the world. Former FBI special agents call the Russian mafia "the most dangerous people on Earth." In the West, the term "Russian mafia" can mean any criminal organization, both Russian itself and from other states of the post-Soviet space, or from the immigration environment in the far abroad. Some get hierarchical tattoos, often use military tactics and perform contract killings.

Hell's Angels

Considered an organized crime group in the United States. This is one of the largest motorcycle clubs in the world (Hells Angels Motorcycle Club), which has an almost mythical history and branches all over the world. According to the legend posted on the official website of the motorcycle club, during the Second World War, the US Air Force had the 303rd heavy bomber squadron with the name "Hell's Angels". After the end of the war and the disbandment of the unit, the pilots were left without work. They believe that their homeland betrayed them and left them to the mercy of fate. They had no choice but to go against their "cruel country, get on motorcycles, join motorcycle clubs and rebel." Along with legal activities (motorcycle dealerships, motorcycle repair shops, sale of goods with symbols), the Hells Angels are known for illegal activities (sale of weapons, drugs, racketeering, prostitution control, and so on).

Sicilian Mafia: La Cosa Nostra

The organization began its activities in the second half of the 19th century, when the Sicilian and American mafia were the strongest. Initially, Cosa Nostra was engaged in the protection (including the most cruel methods) of the owners of orange plantations and nobles who owned large land plots. By the beginning of the 20th century, it had turned into an international criminal group, whose main activity was banditry. The organization has a clear hierarchical structure. Its members often resort to highly ritualistic methods of revenge, and also have a series of elaborate rites of initiation for males into the group. They also have their own code of silence and secrecy.

Albanian mafia

There are 15 clans in Albania that control most of the Albanian organized crime. They keep drug trafficking under their control, they are engaged in trafficking in people and weapons. They also coordinate the supply of large quantities of heroin to Europe.

Serbian mafia

Various criminal gangs based in Serbia and Montenegro, consisting of ethnic Serbs and Montenegrins. Their activities are quite diverse: drug trafficking, smuggling, racketeering, contract killings, gambling and information trafficking. To date, there are about 30-40 active criminal groups in Serbia.

Montreal Mafia Rizzuto

The Rizzuto are a crime family primarily based in Montreal but running the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. They once merged with families in New York, which eventually led to the mafia wars in Montreal in the late 70s. Rizzuto owns hundreds of millions of dollars of real estate in different countries. They own hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, construction, food, service and trading companies. In Italy, they own firms for the production of furniture and Italian delicacies.

Mexican drug cartels

Mexican drug cartels have existed for several decades; since the 1970s, certain state structures of Mexico have been assisting their activities. Mexican drug cartels intensified after the collapse in the 1990s of the Colombian drug cartels - Medellin and. It is currently the main foreign supplier of cannabis, cocaine and methamphetamine in Mexico, and Mexican drug cartels dominate the wholesale illicit drug market.

Mara Salvatrucha

Slang for "Salvadorian roaming ant brigade" and is often shortened to MS-13. This gang is mainly based in Central America and is based in Los Angeles (although they operate in other parts of North America and Mexico). According to various estimates, the number of this cruel criminal syndicate ranges from 50 to 300 thousand people. Mara Salvatrucha is involved in many types of criminal business, including drug trafficking, arms and human trafficking, robbery, racketeering, contract killings, kidnapping for ransom, car theft, money laundering and fraud. A distinctive feature of the members of the group are tattoos all over the body, including on the face and the inside of the lips. They not only show a person's belonging to a gang, but also tell in their details about his criminal biography, influence and status in the community.

Colombian drug cartels

Naturally, in the book and movie, all the names have been changed and have nothing to do with the real names of the crime families.

The 5 Families themselves were formed after the so-called Castellammar Mafia War between two Sicilian families, Salvatore Maranzano and Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria, for dominance in the criminal world of New York. The fact is that, in the hierarchy of the Italian mafia, its highest level is the title of capo di tutti capi, the literal translation into Russian is the head of all chapters, the highest rank in the mafia structure of Cosa Nostra. Only two dons managed to use this title in the entire history of the Italian-American mafia, and both did not live long at all.

The adoption of Prohibition in the United States led to the rapid growth of the Italian mafia structure, the Sicilian Cosa Nostra gradually seized power in the Little Italy region, and the Neapolitan Camorra flourished in Brooklyn. The rapid enrichment of families allowed them to penetrate into all spheres of life in the city. And if initially families treated each other more or less loyally, like compatriots, however, the clash of business interests of families gradually began to lead to conflicts between them. Against the background of the general rapid enrichment, two families of Salvatore Maranzano and Joe Masseria especially stood out.

The dons of both families had great authority in the city and both claimed the highest title in the mafia organization. After declaring himself the "boss of bosses" Joe Masseria, the Castallammar War (1929-1931, named after the native Sicilian city of Salvatore Maranzano) for spheres of influence flared up quite long by mafia standards. The war was accompanied by constant skirmishes, kidnappings and murders on both sides. In the end, Joe Masseria was killed, as a result of a conspiracy between Salvatore Maranzano and capos from the Misseria family, Lucky Luciano and Vito Genovese. By order of the capo, during lunch in one of the restaurants, Joe Masseria received about 20 gunshot wounds, after which he died and the Castellammarian War was over. Subsequently, one of the five families will be named Genovese.

After defeating Masseria, Maranzano became the next "boss of bosses". However, he sat in this post for no more than half a year and was killed by the same Lucky Luciano, who betrayed his don and took his place in the family. Despite such actions, Lucky Luciano enjoyed great authority in the underworld and after the murder of Maranzano acted much wiser than his predecessors. It was he who came up with the idea of ​​​​creating the "Commission", a meeting of all the bosses to solve problems that arise between families. Such a meeting was described in the book The Godfather. Since then and to this day, no one else dared to assume the title of capo di tutti capi, and in New York, 5 families of governors have formed in the city so far.

Genovese family

After the murder of Masseria, Luciano became don, and Genovese became the underboss in the family (amer. underboss). By the way, many people mistakenly believe that Vito "Don Vito" Genovese became the prototype of Vito Corleone from The Godfather, although this is not true. Genovese was distinguished by incredible cruelty and unscrupulousness in the struggle for power, did not shun drug trafficking and adultery. After the detention of Luciano, according to some reports, not without the help of Genovese, Vito becomes the official don of the family and occupies one of the leading positions in the "Commission". However, in 1937 he was forced to leave for Italy in order to avoid imprisonment. His place is taken by another authoritative gangster, Frank Costello, who received the nickname "Prime Minister of the Mafia."

After the charges against Genovese were dropped in 1946, Vito returned to America, but did not receive practically any authoritative place in the family. Vito, realizing that he does not have enough strength for a direct confrontation with Costello, expressing visible devotion to him, begins to slowly subdue the capos of the family, especially those associated with robbery and protecting prostitution. Gradual pressure on Costello led to his overthrow, Costello himself handed over the reins of the family in favor of Genovese. This happened after an attempt on his life, although Costello was only wounded, he recognized the attacker as a Genovese man. In order to avoid further assassination attempts and the inevitable war, he himself resigned.

Gambino family

The man who eventually gave the family's surname Carlo Gambino, as well as Vito Genovese, was originally in the Joe Masseria family. Belonged to a branch of one of the oldest Italian-American families. The first don of the family was Salvatore De Aquila, who died before the outbreak of the Castellammarese War in 1928. Then Vincent Mangano took his place and, after the end of the mafia war, took a place in one of the 5 families of New York. The capo in the Mangano family was Albert (Italian Umberto) "The Executioner" Anastasia, a man of incredible cruelty and was Carlo Gambino's henchman. Mangano and Anastasia constantly clashed, and as a result, Anastasia killed Mangano.

After the advice of the “Commission”, they decided to leave Albert as a family don, one after receiving the title, Anastasia finally went crazy, he began to kill too much and for no particular reason. Gambino took advantage of this, in collusion with Genovese, on the advice of the "Commission", a decision is made to kill Anastasia and Carlo Gambino becomes the don of the family. Genovese had no idea that Gambino would do the same to him later.

Lucchese family

Gaetano "Tommy" Lucchese, the man who gave the family's surname, worked with Gambino for a long time, helped him become a don. As a result, in 1962 they practically usurped power in the "Commission" and continued to control it almost until their death. Together with Gambino, Genovese was removed from power. Currently one of the most influential groups in the 5 families.

Colombo family

Joe Profaci is the first boss of this family, the family was formed only in 1930, despite its youth, thanks to its leader, it immediately took its place in the 5 most influential families. Profaci actively cooperated with Gambino, he knew perfectly well that it was better to have close relations with such an insidious person. However, the family received the surname from Joseph Colombo, he became a don only in 1962, not without the help of Gambino. Gambino then already had undeniable authority in the Commission and could put the person he needed anywhere. Although in fairness it must be said that Profaci did disproportionately more than Colombo for the family. In 1971, Colombo received 3 bullets in the head, but despite this he survived and spent the next 7 years in a coma until his death.

Bonanno family

Joseph Bonanno, along with Carlo Gambino, the long-liver at the post of don stayed right up to 1964, when he suddenly disappeared and returned 2 years later and again began to claim the place of family boss. In this regard, a local civil war broke out in the family, which lasted until 1968 and was nicknamed "Banana Split" in the press. The war ended after Bananno suffered a massive heart attack and retired for health reasons. However, despite this, he received the honorary status of “senior judge” in the family. After the death of Bonanno, the family's affairs did not go well; from 1981 to 2004, the family was completely removed from the Commission.

If you ask which state is the birthplace of the mafia from the first person you meet, then even the uninformed will give the right answer without much thought: Italy. This country can actually be called the “flower garden” of the mafia, which has become one of the favorite topics in history and cinema textbooks.

It cannot be said that the mafiosi have done something positive and outstanding, but many still admire the unsurpassed talent of the most famous criminals, most of whom, of course, have Italian roots.

Al Capone (Al 'Capone), of course, this name is "on hearing" not only in the sunniest country located on the Apennine Peninsula, but throughout the world. The name of the infamous gangster is probably the most recognizable. And no wonder: several films were made about Capone, the most popular of which was the 1987 film The Untouchables with Robert De Niro in the title role.

Born in Brooklyn in 1889, after his family had migrated to the United States, the story of the notorious mobster begins in 1919, when he entered the service of Johnny Torii. In 1925, he became head of the Torii family, and since then, his "criminal" career has skyrocketed. Soon, Capone was no longer afraid of anyone and nothing: his people were engaged in gambling, drug sales and prostitution. He earned a reputation as an honest, intelligent, but endlessly cruel man.

One need only recall the famous massacre on Valentine's Day, when a group led by a gangster destroyed many mafia leaders.

When the police were lucky enough to detain the great criminal, they simply could not show him anything other than tax evasion. However, in the end, Al Capone still ended up behind bars: he was in the famous Alcatraz prison, from where he came out seven years later with a fatal illness and soon died.

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Bernardo Provenzano

Bernardo Provenzano, a native of a small village that is located on, was simply destined to become one of the members of the group of the same name. Already in his youth, he got into the Corleone clan, and after a couple of years he already killed several people and turned a lot of illegal deals. For 10 years, the name Provenzano hung in police stations at the Wanted stand, but the local carabinieri did not even try to find this dangerous criminal. Meanwhile, he continued to move up the career ladder and gain authority for himself. It was rumored that Provenzano for some time controlled the entire illegal business in Palermo, from the sale of drugs to prostitution. He was known for his intransigence and stubbornness, for which he received the nickname Bulldozer.

Many years later, the police managed to detain the criminal: they saw a thin old man in ordinary jeans and a T-shirt. Provenzano will spend the rest of his days in prison.

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Albert Anastasia

Like many of his other colleagues, Albert Anastasia was born in sunny Italy (the city of Tropea), but soon after birth he migrated with his parents to America. The first time he went to prison was when he was a teenager, when he killed a longshoreman in Brooklyn. He was sentenced to several years, but after some time the main witness in the Anastasia case died under mysterious circumstances, and the criminal himself was released.

Albert Anastasia has made a name for himself as one of America's most ruthless killers.

He was in the Masseria gang, but over time he went over to the side of his boss's competitors, and after a couple of years he was completely present at the murder of his former boss. After that, Anastasia became the head of a gang of highly professional killers "Murder Inc.", the Gambino clan. Police say the group was involved in at least 400 deaths. The killer himself was killed by order of one of the American mafiosi.

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Therefore, initially, when the mafia appeared, in particular in the United States, in the local underworld, the Italians were perceived with some irony, because. were engaged in petty robbery and racketeering, which they are accustomed to in Italy, without any particular aspirations in controlling large business structures. At that time, Jewish and Irish criminal gangs dominated major American cities.

However, almost unquestioning loyalty to the code of honor - omerta, immediate vendetta (blood feud) against family offenders, discipline and loyalty to the family and incredible cruelty allowed the Italian group to quickly take the main roles in the criminal world of America.

Capture and subdue almost all areas of business, bribe most of the largest judges and officials of the country. To kill competition in many industries, for example, the "twin towers" were forced to pay, controlled by the Italians, garbage disposal companies of 1 million 100 thousand dollars a year (in those years, this was a huge amount). Moreover, the mafiosi did not do any intimidation, they simply did not allow other companies to enter this market, this company was the only such company in the New York market!

Gambino mafia family

Loyalty to tradition in the Italian mafia

Loyalty to traditions left its bright imprint on the criminal code of honor, so for the most part all family members were exemplary family men and cases of betrayal were quite rare, even though the mafia controlled almost all entertainment businesses: prostitution, gambling, alcohol and cigarettes. Cheating on his wife was perceived by the family as a slap in the face and was brutally suppressed, of course, in the modern age everything has changed a lot, but this tradition has existed for a long time. Showing signs of attention to the wives of friends and family members was the strictest taboo.

Due to the fact that the profession of members of the mafia was accompanied by a certain risk to life, each member of the family knew very well that in the event of his death, his family would be taken care of financially no worse than when he was alive.

Long years of oppression of the Sicilians by the predatory government have led to the fact that the word "policeman" can still be slapped in the face in Sicily. One of the most important points of the omerta is the complete absence of contacts with the police, let alone cooperation with them. A person will never be accepted into a family if his close relative serves in the police, even the appearance on the street in the company of policemen was punished, sometimes at the highest level - by death.

This tradition allowed the mafia to exist for a very long time without any problems with the US government. The US government did not recognize the existence of the Italian mafia until the middle of the 20th century, due to insufficient information about the structure and extent of the penetration of organized crime into business and politics.

Mafia clans in the USA

Alcoholism and drug addiction were considered a vice, but despite the ban, many family members were fond of both, one of the least respected laws of omerta, however, drunken and stabbed family members, as a rule, did not live for a long time and died at the hands of their own comrades.

No person can enter the family by introducing himself as a kapo or mafia don, the only way to get into the family is the recommendation of a family member and his willingness to introduce you to the family. There are no other ways.

The strictest punctuality, one should not be late for any of the meetings, this is considered bad form. The same rule includes showing respect for any meetings, including meetings with enemies. There shouldn't be any killings during them. One of the reasons why numerous wars between different families and clans of the Italian mafia quickly subsided, at meetings a truce was announced and often dons of families found a common language and solved the accumulated problems.

When talking with any of the family members, even the smallest lie is considered a betrayal, the duty of each family member in response to a question to tell the truth, no matter what it is, naturally, the rule applies only to members of one criminal group. The strictness of execution, in fact, was monitored at the lower levels of the hierarchical structure, naturally, in the upper layers of the hierarchy, lies and betrayal existed until the murder of the head of the family with the right hand.

Do not lead an idle lifestyle, full observance of moral principles

No member of the family had the right to engage in looting and robbery without the approval of the boss or capo. Visiting places of entertainment without the need or direct order was strictly prohibited. The law also allowed the mafia to be in the shadows, because. an intoxicated family member could blurt out a lot, where this information could cause significant damage to the family.

The appropriation of other people's money without any instructions from the head of the family was a strict taboo. From childhood, young men were brought up within the framework of the laws of devotion to the family, that it is a great shame to be a renegade, that without a family, a person’s life has no meaning. In this regard, in the circles of the Italian mafia, “loner wolves” were very, very rare, and if they came across, they did not live for a long time, such behavior was punished by immediate death.

Vendetta - blood feud

As justice for not fulfilling the laws of the omerta, a vendetta awaited the violator, which in different clans could be accompanied by various rituals. By the way, blood feud against a family member, as well as any other offender or enemy of the family, should have been quick and without unnecessary torment of the victim, such as: a shot in the head or heart, a knife wound in the heart, etc. Those. the victim did not have to suffer all according to the "Christian" canons, however, after death with the body of the victim, they could already act in a barbaric way and with fair cruelty to intimidate the enemy or educate other family members.

There were also different traditions in different clans, for excessive talkativeness a cobblestone was inserted into the mouth of a corpse, a rose was placed on the body for adultery, a wallet with a thorn on the body of the victim meant that the murdered person appropriated other people's money. About this, you can hear a lot of different tales, now it is already difficult to make out where the truth is and where the lie is.

An interesting fact is that the laws of omerta fell into the hands of the police and journalists only in 2007 during the arrest of Salvatore La Piccola, one of the bosses of Cosa Nostra, they were found among the documents found during the search and poetically called in the press "10 Commandments of Cosa Nostra". Up to this point, no documentary evidence of the rules of the code of honor of the Italian mafiosi existed, the criminal network was so secretly organized.

It is not surprising that such an organizational structure has taken root throughout Europe, North and South America, but oddly enough, the only European country where the Italian mafia does not have any serious influence is Russia and the countries of the former USSR. It is difficult to imagine what this is connected with, here is the lack of emigrants of Italian origin, the language barrier and slightly different moral standards of the local population, and a fairly strong local criminal network.