6/21/2021 0 Comments Mafia Positions
All that said, though, the position of underboss is fairly fluid; some underbosses are actually more powerful than their nominal bosses, who function as figureheads, while others are barely more respected or influential than a high-earning capo.Dons, Capos, and Consiglieres: The Structure of the American Mafia.
Bob Strauss is a science writer and the author of several books, including The Big Book of What, How and Why and A Field Guide to the Dinosaurs of North America. For the average law-abiding citizen, it can be difficult to distinguish between the Hollywood version of the Mafia (as depicted in Goodfellas, The Sopranos, the Godfather trilogy, and countless other movies and TV shows) and the real-life criminal organization on which it is based. Part of what has made the Mob so successful is its stable organizational structure, with various families directed from the top by powerful bosses and underbosses and staffed by soldiers and capos. Heres a look at whos who on the Mafia org charts, ranging from the least influential. To judge by their depiction in movies and TV shows, associates of the mob are kind of like ensigns on the U.S.S. Enterprise; they exist solely to get whacked in hostile territory, while their bosses and capos manage to scuttle away unscathed. In real life, though, the designation associate covers a wide range of individuals affiliated with, but not actually belonging to, the Mafia. Wannabe gangsters who have not yet been officially inducted into the Mob are technically associates, as are restaurant owners, union delegates, politicians, and businessmen whose dealings with organized crime are more than skin-deep and occasional. The most important thing that distinguishes an associate from the other ranks on this list is that this person can be harassed, beaten, andor murdered at will since he doesnt enjoy the hands-off status accorded to more important soldiers, capos, and bosses. Soldiers are the worker bees of organized crime; these are the men who collect debts (peaceably or otherwise), intimidate witnesses, and oversee illegal enterprises like brothels and casinos, and they are occasionally ordered to beat or kill the associates, or even the soldiers, of rival families. A soldier cant be whacked as offhandedly as a mere associate; technically, permission must first be obtained from the victims boss, who may be willing to sacrifice a troublesome employee rather than risk a full-out war. A few generations ago, a prospective soldier had to trace the ancestry of both of his parents back to Sicily, but today its often only necessary that he has an Italian father. The ritual by which an associate is turned into a soldier is still something of a mystery, but it probably involves some kind of blood oath, in which the finger of the candidate is pricked and his blood smeared on the picture of a saint. The middle managers of the Mob, capos (short for caporegimes) are the appointed heads of crews, that is, groups of ten to twenty soldiers and a comparable or larger number of associates. Capos take a percentage of the earnings of their underlings and kick up a percentage of their own earnings to the boss or underboss. Capos are usually given responsibility for delicate tasks (like infiltrating union locals), and they are also the individuals held to blame when a task ordered by the boss, and executed by a soldier, goes awry. If a capo grows too powerful, he may be perceived as a threat to the boss or underboss, at which point the Mafia version of a corporate reorganization ensues. Ideally, a consigliere can talk his boss out of ill-thought-out plans of action, and will also suggest viable solutions or compromises in tense situations. In the actual, day-to-day working of the Mob, its unclear how much influence a consigliere really wield. The underboss is effectively the executive officer of a Mafia family: the boss whispers instructions in his ear, and the underboss ensures that his orders are carried out. In some families, the underboss is the bosss son, nephew, or brother, which supposedly ensures his complete loyalty. If the boss is whacked, imprisoned or otherwise incapacitated, the underboss assumes control of the family; however, if a powerful capo objects to this arrangement and chooses to take over instead, the underboss might find himself at the bottom of the Hudson River.
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