Crime family

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A crime family is a term used to describe a unit of an organized crime syndicate, often operating within a specific geographic territory. The most well-known example of this is the group of Five Families of New York, a group of five distinct units of the Italian-American Mafia, each operating in one of the five boroughs of New York City.

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[edit] Origins

The origins of the term come from the Sicilian Mafia. In the Sicilian dialect, the word cosca, which literally translates into artichoke (a multi-layered vegetable surrounding a vital core), 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 1800s, 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 not necessarily based on blood relationships. The Godfather films as well as a spate of "Mafia princess" made-for-TV-movies in the late 1980s underscores 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.

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, etc.). Indeed, the "family" mystique is 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, Colombian drug cartels, and the Eastern European and Russian Mafia (it should be noted here that some of these entities, like the 'Ndrangheta, may also be organized along blood-family lines).

[edit] La Cosa Nostra (Italian) Crime Families

[edit] North America

There are many criminal organizations which encompass members from various ethnic groups, ranging from giant powers with international influence like the Outfit and Gambino Family to small-size groups with only about 30-50 made members.

The whole Cosa Nostra in the United States was believed to have about 2,500 - 3,000 made members across the country. Despite its relatively small membership, its power was greatly influential.

  • New York has 5 Families established the Commission in the 1930s, which decided on the rules for the entire American Mafia. This ruling board was established shortly after the end of the bloodiest war in U.S. mob world, the Castellammarese War. One of its most famous founders was Lucky Luciano, which inherited the giant turf of Joe Masseria - his former boss whom he had killed. The most powerful of the all of the Families' boss is called the Capo di tutti Capo, in English, 'The boss of bosses'. Probably the only Capo di tutti capi to reign over significant period was Carlo Gambino.
The families are:
New York has been the topic of most discussion, in recent years, on the U.S. Mafia, because it holds most power in all respects. Films like GoodFellas and The Godfather mainly focus on New York's mafia.
  • Chicago (associated with Las Vegas) has the "Chicago Outfit," which runs operations in Chicago, but also extends its interests to Las Vegas, running many of the town's gambling establishments. The Outfit was the only non-New York mafia Family, which holds such power that nearly equalizes them with the New York Families. It holds much turf in Rockford, Illinois and other cities, as well.
  • New Jersey has the smaller and less powerful DeCavalcante crime family, which mostly holds control over turf in North Jersey, such as Newark. The family was seriously harmed in a crackdown from 1997-2000. It has spanned several decades and is allegedly the inspiration for HBO's hit series The Sopranos.
  • The Florida Mafia: The Florida Cosa Nostra once thrived under the leadership of Santo Trafficante Jr. The Florida Mafia continues to operate on a much lesser level, mostly in numbers and drug trafficking. It holds most of its influence in Tampa and Miami.
  • New England (Boston and Providence) Mafia: The most widely known New England crime family is the Patriarca crime family, which is based in Boston and named after its leader, Raymond Patriarca. The Italian Patriarca Family was in decline by late 1970s as its Irish rival mobsters had a desperate attempt to take it down by snitching on it. However, the Patricia family continues to operate, and it still rivals with the Irish Mob. The Italian Mafia also has much influence in Providence, Rhode Island and some other New England cities.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

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