Crime family

Unit of an organized crime syndicate

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A crime family is a unit of an organized crime syndicate, particularly in Italian organized crime and especially in the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia, often operating within a specific geographic territory or a specific set of activities. In its strictest sense, a family (or clan) is a criminal gang, operating either on a unitary basis or as an organized collection of smaller gangs (e.g., cells, factions, crews, etc.). In turn, a family can be a sole "enterprise" or part of a larger syndicate or cartel. Despite the name, most crime families are generally not based on or formed around actual familial connections, although they do tend to be ethnically based, and many members may in fact be related to one another. Crime "families" tend to be associated more directly with their respective territories than the individuals to whom their members may or may not be related.

## Origins

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The origins of the term come from the Sicilian Mafia. In the Sicilian language, the word cosca, which is the crown of spiny, closely folded leaves on plants such as the artichoke or the thistle, symbolizes the tightness of relationships between members. The word cosca is also used for clan. In the early days of the Mafia, loose groups of bandits organized themselves into associations that over time became more organized, and they adopted the term based on both of its meanings.

As the Mafia was imported into the United States in the late 19th century, the English translation of the word cosca was more at clan or family.

The term can be a point of confusion, especially in popular culture and Hollywood, because in the truest sense, crime families are not necessarily blood families who happen to be involved in criminal activity, and they are not necessarily based on blood relationships. In Sicily and America, most Mafia bosses are not related to their predecessors.[1][2] Films like The Godfather and a spate of late-1980s "Mafia princess" television movies underscore this confusion.

It can further be speculated that the Mafia was simply emulating, to a certain degree, a more medieval order in which a noble family would more or less serve as the power in a local village, in a sort of inverted hacienda culture.

The Calabrian 'Ndrangheta is, however, purported to be organized along familial lines as 'ndrine.

Nevertheless, the term stuck, both in the minds of popular culture as well as the national law enforcement community, and eventually began to be used to describe individual units of not only Sicilian gangsters, but those whose origins lie in other parts of Italy (e.g., the aforementioned 'Ndrangheta, the Neapolitan Camorra, the Apulian Sacra Corona Unita, etc.). Indeed, the "family" mystique persists to such a great degree that in the late 1990s, after many Camorra leaders were imprisoned during a large-scale crackdown in Naples, many of their wives, girlfriends, daughters, and even mothers took temporary control of their gangs, in a widespread phenomenon of Camorra "godmothers".

Sometimes the term is used to describe distinct units of crime syndicates of other ethnic and national origin, such as the Irish Mob, Japanese Yakuza, Chinese Tongs and Triads, Indian mafia, Colombian and Mexican drug cartels, Albanian mafia, Russian mafia. Although not necessarily the norm, some of these entities, like the 'Ndrangheta, may also be organized along blood-family lines.

## Crime families

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Main article: List of Italian Mafia crime families

## See also

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* Crime boss – Person in charge of a criminal organization
* Drug cartel – Group drug trafficking operations
* Drug lord – Person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drug trade
* Gun moll – Female companion of a male criminal
* List of crime bosses
* List of criminal enterprises, gangs and syndicates – List of groups engaged in illegal activitiesPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
* List of political families
* Mafia – Type of organized crime enterprise
* Organized crime – Groupings of highly centralized criminal enterprises

## Footnotes

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1. ^ Diego Gambetta. The Sicilian Mafia: The Business of Private Protection. 1993
2. ^ The Everything Mafia Book: True-life Accounts of Legendary Figures, Infamous Crime Families, and Nefarious Deeds. Scott M. Dietche. Everything Books, 2009. Page 80

## Bibliography

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* Gambetta, Diego (2009). Codes of the Underworld. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-11937-3

* v
* t
* e

Italian-American Mafia

* List of Mafia crime families
* Mafia bibliography

Families|

| Five Families of
New York City|

| Bonanno|

* Calabrian group
* Motion Lounge crew
* New Springville Boys
* Sicilian group

|

Colombo|

Colombo

Gambino|

* Baltimore Crew
* Ozone Park Boys

Genovese|

* 116th Street Crew
* Broadway Mob
* Greenwich Village Crew
* New Jersey faction
* Springfield faction

Lucchese|

* Brooklyn faction
* New Jersey faction
* Tanglewood Boys

East Coast|

* Buffalo
* DeCavalcante (Northern New Jersey)
* Patriarca (New England) (Angiulo's Boston crew)
* Philadelphia (10th & Oregon Crew)

Midwestern/Western|

* Chicago
* Detroit
* Kansas City
* Los Angeles

Mostly defunct|

* Bufalino (Northeastern Pennsylvania)
* Cleveland
* Colorado
* Dallas
* Genna (Chicago)
* Lanzetta (Philadelphia)
* Morello (Italian Harlem)
* D'Aquila (Little Italy, Manhattan)
* New Orleans
* Milwaukee
* Pittsburgh
* Rochester
* Rockford
* San Francisco
* San Jose
* St. Louis
* Trafficante (Tampa)

Structure|

| Chain of command|

* The Commission
* Boss
* Underboss
* Consigliere
* Caporegime
* Soldato
* Associate

|

Members (made men)|

* List of Italian-American mobsters
* List of Italian-American mobsters by organization

Terms|

* Initiation ritual
* Made man
* Bagman
* Black Hand
* Black Hand in Chicago
* Vendetta
* Capo dei capi (boss of bosses)
* Mustache Pete
* Omertà
* One-way ride
* Sixth Family
* Zips

Events|

| Meetings|

* Atlantic City Conference (1929)
* Havana Conference (1946)
* Apalachin meeting (1957)
* Palermo Mafia summit (1957)

|

Hearings|

* Kefauver Committee (1950–1951)
* Valachi hearings (1963)

Wars|

* Mafia–Camorra War (1914–1917)
* Castellammarese War (1929–1931)

Trials|

* Pizza Connection Trial (1985–1987)
* Mafia Commission Trial (1985–1986)

Closely related
and affiliated
organizations|

| Active|

* Camorra
* Colacurcio Organization
* Commisso 'ndrina
* Cotroni crime family
* Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan
* Inzerillo Mafia clan
* Jewish Mafia
* Luppino crime family
* Musitano crime family
* 'Ndrangheta
* Papalia crime family
* Philadelphia Greek Mob
* Rizzuto crime family
* Sacra Corona Unita
* Sicilian Mafia
* Siderno Group
* Stidda
* Velentzas Organization

|

Defunct|

* Broadway Mob
* Bugs and Meyer Mob
* Bumpy Johnson gang
* New York Camorra
* The Corporation
* The Council
* Dutch Schultz Mob
* East Harlem Purple Gang
* Five Points Gang
* Forty-Two Gang
* Italian-American National Union
* Maceo Organization
* Marat Balagula gang
* Murder, Inc.
* National Crime Syndicate
* New Springville Boys
* Rudaj Organization
* South Brooklyn Boys
* Tanglewood Boys
* Unione Corse
* Westies
* Winter Hill Gang

Other topics|

| Government
operations|

* Collaborations between the United States government and Italian Mafia
* Operation Family Secrets
* Operation Old Bridge
* Operation Solare
* Operation Underworld
* Operation Wasteland

|

Crimes|

* French Connection
* Hired Truck Program
* Lufthansa heist
* Saint Valentine's Day Massacre
* Rochester bombings

Related articles|

* Barrel murder
* Buster from Chicago
* Cement shoes
* Shotgun Man

Category

* v
* t
* e

Sicilian Mafia

Chain of command|

* Commission (Cupola)
* Interprovincial Commission
* Capo dei capi
* Family (Cosca)
* Boss (Capomandamento)
* Underboss (Sottocapo)
* Consigliere
* Capodecina (Caporegime)
* Soldato (Soldier)

Codes and terms|

* Made man
* Mandamento
* Omertà
* Faida
* Pizzo
* Pizzino

Clans|

* Corleonesi
* Galatolo
* Greco
* Minore
* Motisi
* Inzerillo
* Cuntrera-Caruana
* Graviano

Mandamenti|

| Agrigento Province|

* Agrigento
* Santa Elisabetta
* Porto Empedocle
* Canicattì
* Cianciana
* Ribera
* Sambuca di Sicilia
* Casteltermini
* Palma di Montechiaro
* Campobello di Licata

|

Caltanissetta Province|

* Gela
* Vallelunga Pratameno
* Riesi
* Mussomeli

Palermo|

* Porta Nuova
* Brancaccio
* Pagliarelli

Palermo Province|

* Camporeale
* Corleone
* Cinisi
* Bagheria
* Trabia
* Belmonte Mezzagno
* San Mauro Castelverde

Trapani Province|

* Castelvetrano
* Trapani
* Mazara del Vallo
* Alcamo

Other|

* Mistretta
* Sud Siracusa

Members|

* List of Sicilian Mafia members
* List of Sicilian Mafia members by city

Meetings|

* Grand Hotel et des Palmes Mafia meeting

Wars|

* First Mafia War (1962–1963)
* Second Mafia War (1981–1984)

Massacres
and bombings|

* Portella della Ginestra massacre (1947)
* Ciaculli bombing (1963)
* Viale Lazio massacre (1969)
* Circonvallazione massacre (1982)
* Via Carini massacre (1982)
* Via Federico Pipitone massacre (1983)
* Train 904 bombing (1984)
* Pizzolungo bombing (1985)
* Capaci bombing (1992)
* Via D'Amelio bombing (1992)
* Via dei Georgofili bombing (1993)
* Via Palestro massacre (1993)

Antimafia|

* Sangiorgi report (1898-1900)
* Italian Antimafia Commission (members)
* Direzione Investigativa Antimafia
* State-Mafia Pact
* Addiopizzo
* Pentito
* List of victims of the Sicilian Mafia

Trials|

* 1960s Sicilian Mafia trials
* Maxi Trial (1986–1992)
* Pizza Connection Trial (1985–1986)

Related|

* American Cosa Nostra
* Anonima sarda
* Article 41-bis prison regime
* Banda della Comasina
* Banda della Magliana
* Basilischi
* Beati Paoli
* Camorra
* Corsican mafia
* Unione Corse
* Garduña
* Italian brigandage (19th century)
* Sicilian brigandage and rebels (20th century)
* Mala del Brenta
* 'Ndrangheta
* Sacra Corona Unita
* Stidda
* Stuppagghiari
* Vendicatori

* American Cosa Nostra
* Organized crime in Italy
* Mafia bibliography

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