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US Mafia HistoryMafia groups in the United States first became influential in the New York City area, gradually progressing from small neighborhood operations to citywide and even international organizations. Five families dominated, named for prominent early members - the Bonanno family, the Colombo family, the Gambino family, the Genovese family, and the Lucchese family. Each family was ultimately controlled by a boss, who was insulated from actual operations by several layers of authority. The boss' closest and most trusted advisor was referred to as the consigliore ("counselor" in Italian). An underboss was possible as well. There were then a number of regimes with a varying number of soldiers who conducted actual operations.Each regime was headed by a capo regime, who reported to the boss. When the boss made a decision, he never issued orders directly to the soldiers who would carry it out, but instead passed instructions down through the chain of command. In this way, the higher levels of the organization were effectively insulated from incrimination if a lower level member should be captured by law enforcement.Initiation rituals were secret and passed down via oral tradition, though they are rumored to involve burning a card with the picture of a saint on it and tossing the flaming pieces from hand to hand. Members initiated into this organization were referred to as made men and were under the protection of their family. A hit, or assassination, of a made man had to be pre-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 - rent vacant apartments and have a number of soldiers sleeping on mattresses on the floor in shifts, with the others ready at the windows to fire at rival family members. |
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