Charles "Lucky" Luciano, creator of what we know today as La Cosa Nostra.

La Cosa Nostra, literally translated into English, means "this thing of ours." It is a nationwide alliance of criminals, linked through both familial and conspiratorial ties that is dedicated to pursuing crime and protecting its members. The La Cosa Nostra, or LCN as it is known by FBI agents, consists of different "families" or groups that are generally arranged geographically and engaged in significant and organized racketeering activity. It is also known as the Mafia, however this term is also used to describe other organized crime groups. Lucky Luciano (smaller) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Lucky Luciano (smaller) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... for other uses please see Crime (disambiguation) A crime is an act that violates a political or moral law. ... Official FBI Seal The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a Federal criminal investigative and intelligence agency which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... The Five Families are Mafia crime families based in New York City which traditionally have dominated the Mafia in the United States. ... The Mafia, also referred to in Italian as Cosa Nostra, which is generally translated our thing in the Italian language, is an organized criminal secret society which evolved in mid-19th century Sicily. ...

The La Cosa Nostra is most active in the New York metropolitan area, Philadelphia, New England, Detroit, and Chicago but has members in many other major cities around the country and also participates in international criminal activities. Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... Philadelphia is a village located in Jefferson County, New York. ... The states of New England are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ...

History

Although the La Cosa Nostra has its roots in Italian Organized Crime (IOC), it has been a separate organization for many years. Today, the La Cosa Nostra cooperates in various criminal activities with the different IOC groups which are headquartered in Italy. However, the La Cosa Nostra alone is the foremost organized criminal threat to American society. Since their appearance in the 1800s, the Italian criminal societies known as the Mafia have infiltrated the social and economic fabric of Italy, and now impact the world. ...

Giuseppe Esposito was the first known Sicilian Mafia member to emigrate to the United States. He and six other Sicilians fled to New York after murdering eleven wealthy landowners, the chancellor, and a vice chancellor of a Sicilian province. He was arrested in New Orleans in 1881 and extradited to Italy. New Orleans was also the site of the first Mafia incident in the United States which received both national and international attention. On October 15, 1890, New Orleans Police Superintendent David Hennessey was murdered execution-style. Hundreds of Sicilians were arrested, and nineteen were eventually indicted for the murder. An acquittal followed and with it rumors of bribed and intimidated witnesses. The outraged citizens of New Orleans organized a lynch mob and proceeded to kill eleven of the nineteen defendants. Two were hanged, nine were shot, and the remaining eight escaped. Sicilian (Lu Sicilianu, Lingua Siciliana) is the Romance language spoken in Sicily, Italy. ... The Mafia, also referred to in Italian as Cosa Nostra, which is generally translated our thing in the Italian language, is an organized criminal secret society which evolved in mid-19th century Sicily. ... Sicilian (Lu Sicilianu, Lingua Siciliana) is the Romance language spoken in Sicily, Italy. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... Sicilian (Lu Sicilianu, Lingua Siciliana) is the Romance language spoken in Sicily, Italy. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... The Mafia, also referred to in Italian as Cosa Nostra, which is generally translated our thing in the Italian language, is an organized criminal secret society which evolved in mid-19th century Sicily. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... Sicilian (Lu Sicilianu, Lingua Siciliana) is the Romance language spoken in Sicily, Italy. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ...

The American Mafia has undergone many changes. From the Black Hand gangs around 1900 and the Five Points Gang in the 1910s and 1920s in New York City, to Al Capone's Syndicate in 1920s Chicago. By the end of the 1920s, two factions of organized crime had emerged causing the Castellamarese war for control of organized crime in New York City. With the murder of Joseph Masseria, the leader of one of the factions, the war ended uniting the two sides back into one organization now dubbed La Cosa Nostra. Salvatore Maranzano, the first leader of the La Cosa Nostra, was himself murdered within six months and Charles "Lucky" Luciano became the new leader. Maranzano had established the La Cosa Nostra code of conduct, set up the "family" divisions and structure, and established procedures for resolving disputes. Luciano set up the "Commission" to rule all La Cosa Nostra activities. The Commission included bosses from six or seven families. The Five Points Gang were a 19th-century criminal organization based in the Sixth Ward (The Five Points) of New York City. ... Nickname: The Big Apple Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... FBI mugshot of Capone, 1931 Alphonse Gabriel Capone (January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), popularly known as Alfonso Scarface Capone, was an infamous American gangster in the 1920s and 1930s, although his business card reportedly described him as a used furniture dealer. ... Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ... Organized crime is crime carried out systematically by formal criminal organizations. ... Early Period Origins The Sicilian Mafia originated hundreds of years ago as a kind of protection society during the Spanish occupation of Sicily, although some claim that the term, if not the organization itself, can be traced back to the Sicilian Vespers in 1282, when the Sicilians threw off the... Organized crime is crime carried out systematically by formal criminal organizations. ... Nickname: The Big Apple Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... Joe The Boss Masseria Giuseppe Joe The Boss Masseria (1879–April 15, 1931) was an early Mafia don in the United States. ... Salvatore Maranzano (1868-September 10, 1931) was an organized crime figure from the town of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, and an early Mafia boss in the United States. ... Lucky Luciano Charles Lucky Luciano (November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was a legendary Italian mobster with a long criminal history. ... Salvatore Maranzano (1868-September 10, 1931) was an organized crime figure from the town of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, and an early Mafia boss in the United States. ... The Five Families are Mafia crime families based in New York City which traditionally have dominated the Mafia in the United States. ... Lucky Luciano Charles Lucky Luciano (November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was a legendary Italian mobster with a long criminal history. ... In law a commission is a patent which allows a person to take possession of a state office and carry out official acts and duties. ... In law a commission is a patent which allows a person to take possession of a state office and carry out official acts and duties. ...

In 1951, a U.S. Senate Committee, led by Democratic Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver, determined that a "sinister criminal organization" also known as the Mafia operated around the United States. The Mafia, also referred to in Italian as Cosa Nostra, which is generally translated our thing in the Italian language, is an organized criminal secret society which evolved in mid-19th century Sicily. ...

In 1957, the New York State Police uncovered a meeting of major La Cosa Nostra figures from around the country in the small upstate New York town of Apalachin. This gathering has become known as the Apalachin conference. Many of the attendees were arrested and this event was the catalyst that changed the way law enforcement battles organized crime. This war continues today. Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... Organized crime is crime carried out systematically by formal criminal organizations. ...

In 1963, Joseph Valachi became the first La Cosa Nostra member to provide a detailed look at the inside of the organization. Having been recruited by FBI Special Agents, and testifying before the US Senate McClellan Committee, Valachi exposed the name, structure, power bases, codes, swearing-in ceremony, and members of this organization. All of this had been secret up to this point.

Today the La Cosa Nostra is involved in a broad spectrum of illegal activities. These include murder, extortion, drug trafficking, corruption of public officials, gambling, infiltration of legitimate businesses, labor racketeering, loan sharking, prostitution, pornography, tax fraud schemes, and most notably today, stock manipulation schemes.

Structure

• Boss - The head of the family, usually reigning as a dictator. The Boss receives a cut of every operation taken on by every member of his family. The Boss is chosen by a vote from the Caporegimes of the family If there is a tie, the Underboss must vote.
• Underboss - The Underboss, usually appointed by the Boss, is the second in command of the family. The Underboss is considered the Captain that is in charge of all of the other Capos, who is controlled by the Boss. The Underboss is usually first in line to become Acting Boss if the Boss is imprisoned.
• Consigliere - Consigliere is an advisor to the family. They are often low profile gangsters that can be trusted. They often keep the family looking as legitimate as possible, and are, themselves, legitimate apart from some minor gambling or loan sharking.
• Caporegime (or Capo)- A Capo is in charge of a crew. There are usually four to six crews in each family, possibly even seven to nine crews. Each one consisting of up to ten Soldiers. Capos run their own small family, but must follow the limitations and guidelines created by the Boss, as well as pay him his cut of their profits. Capos are nominated by the Underboss, but typically chosen by the Boss himself.
• Soldier - Soldiers are members of the family, and can only be of Italian or Sicilian background. Soldiers start as Associates that have proven themselves. When the books are open, meaning that there is an open spot in the family, a Capo (or several Capos) may recommend an up-and-coming Associate to be a new member. In the case that there is only one slot and multiple recommendations, the Boss will decide. The new member usually becomes part of the Capo's crew that recommended him.
• Associate - An Associate is not a member of the mob, but more of an errand boy. They're usually a go-between or sometimes deal in drugs to keep the heat off of the actual members. Non-Italians will never go any further than this.

A capo in the Mafia is a ranking member of a Family who heads a crew (or group) of soldiers; a skipper, short for capodecina. ...

See also

• Mafia
• Italian Organized Crime