What is the Mafia? Some believe the word Mafia was the battle cry of an Italian rebellious group- this battle of cry was the following: "Morte all Francia Italia anelia!" (Italian for "death to the French is Italy's cry!") (www. gambino.com). Others defined the Mafia as, name for loose association of criminal groups, sometimes bound by blood oath and sworn to secrecy. (Microsoft Encarta 97). Despite both of these definitions the Mafia has evolved into a very complex and organized society of crime. Present time it doesn't represent Italian gangs, (even though that's what most people picture) it also includes Russian, Japanese and Chinese gangs just to mention a few. The purpose of this work is to describe some of the aspects of the Mafia. Throughout the course of this work I will use the Italian Mafia as my subject in order to exhibit my views more clearly.
The history of the Mafia is sketchy but many believe that the Mafia was born in order to protect and help the less fortunate. The methods used to help and protect were, and still remain illegal. Today, the organization still continues to practice these acts or "rituals." The difference between early Mafia and modern Mafia, is that during late 1800's to early 1900's, the Mafia used these illicit crimes to help their families and the noble good less fortunate, now they abuse their power and distribute the "dirty money" in abundance amongst themselves. (keep in mind that the Mafia was born in Sicily, in a time where authorities weren't accessible).
The Mafia also has a very organized family tree. This tree includes everything from bosses to soldiers. Soldiers usually belong in the bottom. Followed by these are called "enforcers". They usually serve as bodyguards or bouncers who watch and protect their establishment. These enforcers are able to have their own gambling or other financial establishment. They are also able to hire others to carry out tasks. Above enforcers are commissioners. They control the area of the city and are more widespread. Next is "The Boss". He controls one of the several organizations. Ultimately these are controlled by the godfather. Many times these Mafiosi have what is notoriously known as "Murders Inc" (Italian Mafia). This group of individuals specialize in murders. They consist of a small group of heartless individuals who kill whenever ordered to.
In order for an individual to join the Mafia he would pledge the following: "I (name given) want to enter this secret organization to protect my family and to protect my brothers. "Morte alla Francia Italia Anelia!." With my blood (a knife is used to place a cut in the index finger or band) and the blood of all the saints and the soul of my children. (the sign of the cross is made) I swear not to divulge this secret and obey with love and amerta. I enter alive in this organization and leave only in death! (www.gambino.com). Within this pledge there are many clues which reveal the lifestyle of a "Mafioso."
A person who belongs to the Mafia, or Mafioso is a very secretive person. This is because if any information is revealed which may harm another Mafioso, they be punished by death. The value of silence is a requirement of any Mafiosi, it is a norm of those who participate in criminal activities and those who violate it will be punished according to the grade of the offense. Depending on the offense he may have to prove himself to his boss, may be "out on the street" (the American Mafia) or if it was extremely important information, he would be killed. This information is kept within their own families (fellow gangsters) and is discussed amongst themselves despite the fact that there are several other families (chapters) within the same are or state. The reason for this is mainly concerned with financial situation.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Our tour of SoHo/NoHo takes you past the Ravenite Social Club - headquarters of the famous 80's mafia Don John Gotti. In 1986, Gotti organized the assassination of Paul Castellano and took over leadership of the Gambino crime family. The audacity of the crime - which occurred right outside Spark's Steakhouse on 46th St - together with his love of the limelight, made Gotti an instant celebrity.
Always smiling (see photo), The Dapper Don - so named for his $2000 suits - drove the authorities crazy. After defeating prosecutors in federal court for the third time in five years, they changed his nickname to The Teflon Don.
But eventually, in an apartment above the Ravenite, the FBI caught him on tape giving orders to his lieutenants “Frankie Loc” LoCascio and “Sammy the Bull” Gravano. Gravano then testified against Gotti about the murders they'd carried out, and Gotti got life without parole. In 2002, Gotti died of cancer in prison.
Mafia in America
During the glory days of Prohibition, organized crime in New York consolidated under two men - Joe ‘The Boss' Maseria and Salvatore Maranzano. Both were Sicilian, and they lost no time in transplanting their criminal organizations here on virgin shores. Given the influx of Southern Italian and Sicilian immigrants to the US during those years, it was easy to find recruits.
All the future mob leaders of the 40's, 50's, and 60's were already in place by the mid-20's - Charlie ‘Lucky' Lucciano, Bugsy Siegal, Meyer Lansky, Joe ‘Bananas' Bonano, Carlo Gambino, Vito Genovese. These men were all part of a legendary generation of mobsters.
In 1928, the Castellammarese War erupted between the forces of Maseria and Maranzano. It would prove to be the seminal event in the history of the America mafia. Dozens of assassinations were carried out all over the five boroughs of New York. In 1931, first Maseria and then Maranzano would be killed by their own lieutenants, and the era of the five families would begin.
Both Maseria and Maranzano had sought to become the boss of all bosses - il capo di tutti capi. But the revolt of their Young Turk lieutenants left power in many hands, so it was decided to form a Commission to peacefully regulate the activities of the separate parties. The Commission even had an executive branch called Murder, Inc., that carried out executions for the benefit of all.
By the end of the 30's, representation in the Commission had been reduced to five seats - one for each of the five families who carried the names of their founders: Gambino, Genovese, Luchese, Bonano and Colombo. For the next 50 years, these organizations would oversee organized crime in America.
The mobster Frank Sinatra most admired was slaughtered - his head blown apart by a bullet: The singer's dangerous flirtation with the Mafia
The plausibility of author Mario Puzo was to blame.
In his book and film of The Godfather, the flagging career of a singer named Johnny Fontane is rescued when he gets an important film part — thanks to a blood-dripping racehorse’s head left by the Mafia as a warning in the studio boss’s bed.
To many people, Fontane just had to be a dead ringer for Frank Sinatra.
The photo that apparently links Frank Sinatra to the Mafia: Pictured with the singer are Tommy 'Fatso' Marson, Don Carlo Gambino 'The Godfather', and Jimmy 'The Weasel' Fratianno
The photo that apparently links Frank Sinatra to the Mafia: Pictured with the singer are Tommy 'Fatso' Marson, Don Carlo Gambino 'The Godfather', and Jimmy 'The Weasel' Fratianno
Everyone knew Sinatra’s casting in the 1953 film From Here To Eternity led to a desperately needed revival of his fortunes. Everyone had heard the rumours of his Mafia connections. Puzo was of southern-Italian ancestry and steeped in his subject. His take in The Godfather, though fictional, seemed confirmation of a sort.
Numerous writers have put considerable effort into cobbling up a case that the Mob really was behind Frank getting the Oscar-winning part. In reality, though, he got it by a different sort of graft — his sheer persistence in pestering the studio, the producer, the director and the screen writer with a non-stop flood of telegrams over many months staking his claim.
His Italian origins helped only to the extent that he looked and sounded the part of the skinny, wise-cracking Private Angelo Maggio more than did his rival, the Jewish actor Eli Wallach. Oh, and Sinatra was so desperate for a break he also offered to waive his fee and work for an expenses-only deal of $1,000 a week.
As crazy as a bedbug: Sinatra would speak with awe about notorious Mafia hitman Bugsy Siegel
As crazy as a bedbug: Sinatra would speak with awe about notorious Mafia hitman Bugsy Siegel
So, no Mafia involvement there. But if the suspicion continued to hang over Sinatra, it was no one’s fault but his own. He did have a real connection with the Mob and had done since childhood.
Growing up where and when he did, it would have been impossible not to come into contact with organised crime. In those days of Prohibition and the Depression, his hometown of Hoboken, New Jersey, was pretty mobbed-up.
Some say the little place his parents ran was a Mafia hotbed, frequented by big Mob names like Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, Dutch Schultz and Lucky Luciano, born in the same Sicilian village as Frank’s grandfather.
The link between these big cheeses of organised crime and the small-time Sinatras of Hoboken was liquor. Marty Sinatra bought bootleg booze from their lieutenants and at least once he rode shotgun on a shipment.
Then there were Frank’s uncles, Dominick and Lawrence, his mother Dolly’s brothers, who dabbled in crime. And in Dolly herself — ambitious, abusive, violent and vengeful — he had his own model for a Mafia chief.
Small wonder that when he met the real thing, he felt an instant pull. Small wonder too that when the real mafiosi met him, they smiled as they shook his hand.
It wasn’t just his celebrity; in their world celebrities were a dime a dozen. They also recognised the part of Dolly that he always carried with him — his own inner godfather. He wanted to be one of them and — in spirit and in part — he really was. As a result, the Mob would be a constant in his life.
We should not over-emphasise this connection — as many commentators have done — but nor should we underplay it. Some of it came with the territory of being a singer. As many entertainers of his era knew, it was impossible to play the clubs and not come into contact with organised crime.
Friend of the family: Mob boss Meyer Lansky was reported to be an acquaintance of Sinatra's parents
In his book and film of The Godfather, the flagging career of a singer named Johnny Fontane is rescued when he gets an important film part — thanks to a blood-dripping racehorse’s head left by the Mafia as a warning in the studio boss’s bed.
To many people, Fontane just had to be a dead ringer for Frank Sinatra.
The photo that apparently links Frank Sinatra to the Mafia: Pictured with the singer are Tommy 'Fatso' Marson, Don Carlo Gambino 'The Godfather', and Jimmy 'The Weasel' Fratianno
The photo that apparently links Frank Sinatra to the Mafia: Pictured with the singer are Tommy 'Fatso' Marson, Don Carlo Gambino 'The Godfather', and Jimmy 'The Weasel' Fratianno
Everyone knew Sinatra’s casting in the 1953 film From Here To Eternity led to a desperately needed revival of his fortunes. Everyone had heard the rumours of his Mafia connections. Puzo was of southern-Italian ancestry and steeped in his subject. His take in The Godfather, though fictional, seemed confirmation of a sort.
Numerous writers have put considerable effort into cobbling up a case that the Mob really was behind Frank getting the Oscar-winning part. In reality, though, he got it by a different sort of graft — his sheer persistence in pestering the studio, the producer, the director and the screen writer with a non-stop flood of telegrams over many months staking his claim.
His Italian origins helped only to the extent that he looked and sounded the part of the skinny, wise-cracking Private Angelo Maggio more than did his rival, the Jewish actor Eli Wallach. Oh, and Sinatra was so desperate for a break he also offered to waive his fee and work for an expenses-only deal of $1,000 a week.
As crazy as a bedbug: Sinatra would speak with awe about notorious Mafia hitman Bugsy Siegel
As crazy as a bedbug: Sinatra would speak with awe about notorious Mafia hitman Bugsy Siegel
So, no Mafia involvement there. But if the suspicion continued to hang over Sinatra, it was no one’s fault but his own. He did have a real connection with the Mob and had done since childhood.
Growing up where and when he did, it would have been impossible not to come into contact with organised crime. In those days of Prohibition and the Depression, his hometown of Hoboken, New Jersey, was pretty mobbed-up.
Some say the little place his parents ran was a Mafia hotbed, frequented by big Mob names like Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, Dutch Schultz and Lucky Luciano, born in the same Sicilian village as Frank’s grandfather.
The link between these big cheeses of organised crime and the small-time Sinatras of Hoboken was liquor. Marty Sinatra bought bootleg booze from their lieutenants and at least once he rode shotgun on a shipment.
Then there were Frank’s uncles, Dominick and Lawrence, his mother Dolly’s brothers, who dabbled in crime. And in Dolly herself — ambitious, abusive, violent and vengeful — he had his own model for a Mafia chief.
Small wonder that when he met the real thing, he felt an instant pull. Small wonder too that when the real mafiosi met him, they smiled as they shook his hand.
It wasn’t just his celebrity; in their world celebrities were a dime a dozen. They also recognised the part of Dolly that he always carried with him — his own inner godfather. He wanted to be one of them and — in spirit and in part — he really was. As a result, the Mob would be a constant in his life.
We should not over-emphasise this connection — as many commentators have done — but nor should we underplay it. Some of it came with the territory of being a singer. As many entertainers of his era knew, it was impossible to play the clubs and not come into contact with organised crime.
Friend of the family: Mob boss Meyer Lansky was reported to be an acquaintance of Sinatra's parents
History of the beginning of the mafia
In the United States people are talking about the American Mafia (Mob). But frequently the criminalists use the term Italian-American mafia to refer to organized crime on U.S. soil. But it is not correct, because not only Italian-Americans are involved in complex organized crime activities, but also Anglo-Saxons, Irish, Jews, Puerto Ricans (Hispanics in general), Jamaicans, etc..
More interesting would be to call it a crime syndicate or organization, but these terms are adapted to non-American. Moreover, in American history, Italian immigrants (among them there were many members of the Sicilian Mafia), formed Cosa Nostra (Our Thing). They founded the base of what is today the North American organized crime. Italian-American Mafia is different from other branches originating from outside the U.S. but strongly implanted here (Chinese triads, Japanese yacuza, Russian Mafia, Jamaican yard, etc..).
The Origins of the Mafia in the U.S.
The existence of organized gangs is more or less present in the U.S. since the early XIX century. They had strong essential ties to immigration. The identity of a gang is also territorial (one hood) and ethnic. Newer immigrants were protected and often exploited by their compatriots already long established in America. Americans didn't see kindly the newcomers. They considered them poor, more as some "barbarians". These really poor people, who fled to the U.S. because of the misery and poverty in their country, living in the most despicable districts were easily felling under the blows of gangs, who used their women and children for the dirty jobs. Since they were children, they were thought the lessons of the street, which then they controlled with authority.
The economic crisis and the rapid demographics in the XIXth century in the U.S. offered many opportunities for traffic. The huge teritory and high liberties also offered a great freedom of maneuver, much bigger then in Europe. Thus, we believe that the emergence of organized crime in the U.S. is essentially linked to the formation of so-called American dream.
At the beginning of the XX century, the major gangs were operating in the major cities such as Chicago, New Orleans, and especially New York. They were especially composed of immigrants or sons of Italian immigrants, Irish or Hebrew Ashkenazi (central or eastern Europe). According to criminology, a gang is a smaller organization of a mafia, with lower activities, with less robust links between its members and with a perenial existence due mostly to the personality of the leader.
New Orleans, the place of Sicilian Mafia
The wave of Italian immigrants began in the mid XIX century. It succeded the wave of the Anglo-Saxons immigrants, Irish and Scandinavian. Sicilians were particularly numerous in Louisiana, a region traditionally reluctant to central institutions (due to french colonization), a region of corruption and marshy lands inhabited by the rich Cajuns and full of hideouts.
Among these Sicilians, some were already affiliated with Cosa Nostra and reinstated on American soil the same type of links that they had in Sicily. Despised by Franco-British natives that were well chiseled into society, they began to organize themselves into gangs and were allowed (although it is difficult to prove) to develop in the New-Orleans, where the Sicilian Mafia was implanted for the first time in the U.S., before it spreaded in all major cities at the end of the century.
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