A made man, also known as a made guy, man of honor, or Mafioso (plural: Mafiosi), is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia (Cosa Nostra). They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy. However, that would be inexact, as those terms can also be used in reference to non-made members.
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Traditionally, in order to become a made member of the Mafia, the inductee had to be a male of full Southern Italian (preferably Sicilian) descent. Today, it is believed that this requirement has been loosened so that males of half Italian descent through their father's line can also be inducted. Other sources say that a half-Italian through his mother's line can also be acceptable if he has an Italian surname.[1] Because many third and fourth generation Italian Americans have non-Italian ancestry (due to the mixing of ethnic groups commonplace in the United States), having an Italian surname seems to have become the prerequisite for Mafia membership.
Some examples of made members who are not of full Italian descent include John A. Gotti, whose mother was of Russian descent, and "Cadillac" Frank Salemme, former boss of the Patriarca family in Providence, Rhode Island, who was half Irish. Another example was Johnny Rocco who was made under the Gambino crime family in 1952. Johnny adopted the name 'Rocco' in 1943 out of homage to his Italian employers; prior to that, Johnny was known under the name of Hing and had part German and Mongolian descent.
An associate of a crime family who was in the police force or attended a police academy cannot become a made member of the mafia. For example, DeMeo crew member Henry Borelli could never become a made man in the Gambino family, since he had taken the New York City Police Department entrance exam in the early 1970s. However, an exception to this rule includes Scarfo crime family capo Ron Previte, who was a former member of the Philadelphia police force.[2]
Before being inducted, a potential made man is required to carry out a contract killing; any murders committed for personal reasons "do not count" in this respect.[3] Committing one's first contracted killing is referred to as "making your bones."[3] Until the 1980s, one only had to be involved in a murder (such as driving the getaway car) in order to fulfill the requirements. It was not until the Donnie Brasco trials, which revealed that the Mafia was about to make undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone, that a rule was made that potential inductees must actually perform a killing.
When introducing one made man to another, the phrase "a friend of ours"[4] is used, indicating that he is a member and business can be discussed openly with him. If the person being introduced is an associate or civilian to whom business should not be mentioned, the phrase "a friend of mine" is used instead. Made men are the only ones who can rise through the ranks of Cosa Nostra, from soldier to caporegime ("capo" for short), "consigliere," "underboss" and "boss".
To become made, an associate would first have to be sponsored by a made man.[5] According to Pistone's accounts in his book The Way of the Wiseguy, a potential made man must now have at least two sponsors, rather than only one as in the time before the Brasco operation. The sponsor knows the associate and vouches for his good character and abilities. Although a capo or other senior member(s) will determine the prospective member's credibility, ultimately the decision lies with the boss of the family into which he will be inducted.
When the crime family "opens the books" (accepts new members), an associate will get a call telling him to get ready and dressed.[6] He will then be picked up and taken to the room where the ceremony will take place, alone or with other accepted candidates. An inductee will be required to take the oath of Omertà, the mafia code of silence. Though the ceremony varies from family to family, it usually involves the pricking of the trigger finger of the inductee, then dripping blood onto a picture of a Saint, typically St. Francis of Assisi or the Virgin Mary, which is then set alight in his hand and kept burning until the inductee has sworn the oath of loyalty to his new "family," e.g., "As this card burns, may my soul burn in Hell if I betray the oath of Omertà," or "As burns this saint, so will burn my soul. I enter alive and I will have to get out dead."[7]
After the ceremony the inductee is a made man and a full member of the mafia hierarchy. Inducted as a soldier (Italian: soldato), he is given certain responsibilities and privileges. The made man now enjoys the full protection and backing of the mafia establishment as long as he remains in favor and earns enough money, of which a percentage is passed up the hierarchy. A made man is traditionally seen as "untouchable" by the law and fellow criminals, a man to be respected and feared. To attack, let alone kill, a made man for any reason without the permission of mafiosi higher up in the organization is a cardinal sin normally met with severe retaliation, often regardless of whether the perpetrator had a legitimate grievance.[8] A made man, however, can be killed if a good enough reason is provided and the mafia bosses give permission.
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