"concessions, permissions, enterprises and public services for the purpose of deriving profit or wrongful advantages for themselves or others."" Mafia-proper can refer to either: Other Italian criminal organizations include: ""See also List of criminal enterprises, gangs and syndicates"" Mafia A mafia () is a type of organized crime syndicate whose primary activities are protection racketeering, the arbitration of disputes between criminals, and the organizing and oversight of illegal agreements and transactions. Mafias often engage in secondary activities such as gambling, loan sharking, drug-trafficking, prostitution, and fraud. The term ""Mafia"" was originally applied to the Sicilian Mafia and originates in Sicily,"
"refers to them as ""mafiosi"". The Mafia's core activities are protection racketeering, the arbitration of disputes between criminals, and the organizing and oversight of illegal agreements and transactions. Following waves of emigration, the Mafia has spread to other countries such as Canada and the United States. The word ""mafia"" originated in Sicily. The Sicilian adjective ""mafiusu"" (in Italian: ""mafioso"") roughly translates to mean ""swagger,"" but can also be translated as ""boldness, bravado"". In reference to a man, ""mafiusu"" in 19th century Sicily was ambiguous, signifying a bully, arrogant but also fearless, enterprising and proud, according to scholar Diego Gambetta. In"
"soon be accepted in Italy even though it had never been recognized there before. Because Sicily was once an Islamic emirate from 831 to 1072, ""mafia"" may have come to Sicilian through Arabic, though the word's origins are uncertain. Possible Arabic roots of the word include: The public's association of the word with the criminal secret society was probably inspired by the 1863 play """"I mafiusi di la Vicaria"""" (""The Mafiosi of the Vicaria"") by Giuseppe Rizzotto and Gaspare Mosca. The words ""Mafia"" and ""mafiusi"" are never mentioned in the play; they were probably put in the title to add"
"own terms (e.g. the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia refer to their organizations as ""Cosa Nostra""; the ""Japanese Mafia"" calls itself ""Yakuza""; and ""Russian Mafia"" groups often call themselves ""Bratva""). When used alone and without any qualifier, ""Mafia"" or ""the Mafia"" typically refers to either the Sicilian Mafia or the Italian-American Mafia and sometimes Italian organized crime in general (e.g., Camorra, 'Ndrangheta, Sacra Corona Unita, Stidda, etc.). The word ""mafia"" derives from the Sicilian adjective ""mafiusu"", which, roughly translated, means 'swagger', but can also be translated as 'boldness' or 'bravado'. In reference to a man, ""mafiusu"" (""mafioso"" in Italian) in"
"a local flair. The play is about a Palermo prison gang with traits similar to the Mafia: a boss, an initiation ritual, and talk of """"umirtà"""" (omertà or code of silence) and """"pizzu"""" (a codeword for extortion money). The play had great success throughout Italy. Soon after, the use of the term ""mafia"" began appearing in the Italian state's early reports on the phenomenon. The word made its first official appearance in 1865 in a report by the prefect of Palermo, Filippo Antonio Gualterio. A formal definition of ""mafia"" can be hard to come by. The term was never officially"
"the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, New Zealand, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Based primarily in Sicily, the Sicilian Mafia formed in the 19th century by clans which sprang out of groups of bandits; these groups gained local power and influence. In Sicily, the word ""mafia"" tends to mean ""manly"" and a Mafioso considers himself a ""Man of Honor."" However, the organization is known as ""Cosa Nostra""—Our Thing—or Our Affair. The Sicilian Mafia originally engaged in such lower-level activities as extortion, cattle theft and, upon Sicily becoming part of a democratic Italy, election slugging in addition to other kinds"
"Nostra"" by members). As the original ""Mafia"", the Sicilian Mafia is the basis for the current colloquial usage of the term ""mafia"" to refer to organized crime groups. The Mafia or Sicilian Mafia notably expanded into some foreign countries, especially the United States, where Sicilian mafiosi eventually joined together with Neapolitan criminal groups in the US and other Italian-American and Italian immigrant criminal groups to form the modern Italian-American Mafia (or simply the ""American"" Mafia). Though less well-known, the Neapolitan Camorra, Calabrian 'Ndrangheta, and offshoots of both these groups have also operated or set down roots in foreign countries, including"
"Sicilian Mafia The Sicilian Mafia, also known as simply the Mafia and frequently referred to by members as Cosa Nostra (, ; ""our thing""), is a Mafia-terrorist-type organized crime syndicate based in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organisational structure and code of conduct. The basic group is known as a ""family"", ""clan"", or ""cosca"". Each family claims sovereignty over a territory, usually a town or village or a neighbourhood (""borgata"") of a larger city, in which it operates its rackets. Its members call themselves ""men of honour"", although the public often"
"American Mafia The American Mafia (commonly referred to as the Mafia or the Mob, though ""the Mob"" can refer to other organized crime groups or organized crime in general) or Italian-American Mafia, is a highly organized Italian-American criminal society. The organization is often referred to by members as Cosa Nostra (, ""our thing"") and by the government as La Cosa Nostra (LCN). The organization's name is derived from the original ""Mafia"" or ""Cosa nostra"", the Sicilian Mafia, and it originally emerged as an offshoot of the Sicilian Mafia; however, the organization eventually encompassed or absorbed other Italian-American gangsters and Italian-American"
"In the first part Sonnino analysed the lives of the island's landless peasants. Franchetti's half of the report, ""Political and Administrative Conditions in Sicily"", was an analysis of the Mafia in the nineteenth century that is still considered authoritative today. Franchetti would ultimately influence thinking about the Mafia more than anyone else until Giovanni Falcone over a hundred years later. ""Political and Administrative Conditions in Sicily"" is the first convincing explanation of how the Mafia came to be. Franchetti saw the Mafia as an “industry of violence” and described the designation of the term “Mafia”: “the term mafia found a"
"they were probably put in the title to add a local flair. The play is about a Palermo prison gang with traits similar to the Mafia: a boss, an initiation ritual, and talk of """"umirtà"""" (omertà or code of silence) and """"pizzu"""" (a codeword for extortion money). The play had great success throughout Italy. Soon after, the use of the term ""mafia"" began appearing in the Italian state's early reports on the phenomenon. The word made its first official appearance in 1865 in a report by the prefect of Palermo Filippo Antonio Gualterio. The term ""mafia"" has become a generic"
"and described the designation of the term ""mafia"": Franchetti saw the Mafia as deeply rooted in Sicilian society and impossible to quench unless the very structure of the island's social institutions were to undergo a fundamental change. Some observers saw ""mafia"" as a set of attributes deeply rooted in popular culture, as a ""way of being"", as illustrated in the definition by Sicilian ethnographer Giuseppe Pitrè: Other scholars such as Gaetano Mosca say: Like Pitrè, many scholars viewed mafiosi as individuals behaving according to specific subcultural codes, but did not consider the Mafia a formal organisation. Judicial investigations and scientific"
"reference to a woman, however, the feminine-form adjective ""mafiusa"" means beautiful and attractive. The Sicilian word ""mafie"" refers to the caves near Trapani and Marsala, which were often used as hiding places for refugees and criminals. Sicily was once an Islamic emirate, therefore ""mafia"" might have Arabic roots. Possible Arabic roots of the word include: The public's association of the word with the criminal secret society was perhaps inspired by the 1863 play """"I mafiusi di la Vicaria"""" (""The Mafiosi of the Vicaria"") by Giuseppe Rizzotto and Gaetano Mosca. The words ""mafia"" and ""mafiusi"" are never mentioned in the play;"
"most dangerous living Sicilian mafiosi: Sicilian Mafia The Sicilian Mafia, also known as simply the Mafia and frequently referred to by members as Cosa Nostra (, ; ""our thing""), is a Mafia-terrorist-type organized crime syndicate based in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organisational structure and code of conduct. The basic group is known as a ""family"", ""clan"", or ""cosca"". Each family claims sovereignty over a territory, usually a town or village or a neighbourhood (""borgata"") of a larger city, in which it operates its rackets. Its members call themselves ""men of"
"not use the term ""mafia"" to describe itself. Neither group has a formal name and instead used the term ""cosa nostra"" (Italian for 'our thing') when referring to themselves. When Italian immigrants started forming organized crime groups in the United States, the American press borrowed the term ""mafia"" from Italy and it became the predominant name used by law enforcement and the public. ""Mafia"" properly refers to either the Sicilian or Italian-American Mafia. In modern usage, when referring to the Mafia, there may be several meanings, including a local area's Italian organized crime element, the Mafia family of a major"
"city, the entire Mafia of the United States, or the original Sicilian Mafia. Widespread recognition of the word has led to its use in the names of other criminal organizations, such as the Jewish Mafia, Mexican Mafia, or Russian Mafia, as well as non-criminal organizations, such as John F. Kennedy's political team, referred to as the ""Irish Mafia"" (not to be confused with the Irish Mob). The press also coined the name ""National Crime Syndicate"" to refer to the entire network of U.S. organized crime, which includes the Jewish Mafia elements and the Italian-American Mafia. It was described as a"
"According to Anderson, ""Defining anarcho-capitalist to mean minimal government with property rights developed from the bottom up, the western frontier was anarcho-capitalistic. People on the frontier invented institutions that fit the resource constraints they faced."" The Mafia began in the 19th century. Modern scholars believe that the seeds were planted in the upheaval of Sicily's transition out of feudalism beginning in 1812 and its later annexation by mainland Italy in 1860. Under feudalism, the nobility owned most of the land and enforced law and order through their private armies. After 1812, the feudal barons steadily sold off or rented their"
"exactly define the single function or goal of the phenomenon of the Mafia. Until the early 1980s, ""mafia"" was generally considered a unique Sicilian cultural attitude and form of power, excluding any corporate or organisational dimension. Some even used it as a defensive attempt to render the Mafia benign and romantic — not a criminal association, but the sum of Sicilian values that outsiders will never understand. Leopoldo Franchetti was an Italian deputy who travelled to Sicily and who wrote one of the first authoritative reports on the mafia in 1876. He saw the Mafia as an ""industry of violence"""
"notorious that it even caught the attention of Abraham Lincoln, who visited the area before his Cooper Union speech in 1860. The predominantly Irish Five Points Gang was one of the country's first major organized crime entities. As Italian immigration grew in the early 20th century many joined ethnic gangs, including Al Capone, who got his start in crime with the Five Points Gang. The Mafia (also known as ""Cosa Nostra"") first developed in the mid-19th century in Sicily and spread to the East Coast of the United States during the late 19th century following waves of Sicilian and Southern"
"fee from the victims, a development that is often seen as the genesis of the Mafia. These companies-at-arms were often made up of former bandits and criminals, usually the most skilled and violent of them. While this saved communities the trouble of maintaining their own policemen, this may have made the companies-at-arms more inclined to collude with their former brethren rather than destroy them. After the conquest of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies in 1861 by the Kingdom of Sardinia (later Kingdom of Italy), the most famous and well known form of brigandage in the area emerged. According to Marxist"
"so notorious that it even caught the attention of Abraham Lincoln, who visited the area before his Cooper Union speech in 1860. The predominantly Irish Five Points Gang was one of the country's first major organized crime entities. As Italian immigration grew in the early 20th century many joined ethnic gangs, including Al Capone, who got his start in crime with the Five Points Gang. The Mafia (also known as ""Cosa Nostra"") first developed in the mid-19th century in Sicily and spread to the East Coast of the United States during the late 19th century following waves of Sicilian and"
"Greek mafia The Greek mafia (Greek: Ελληνική μαφία ""Ellinikí mafía"") is the colloquial term used to refer to various organized crime elements originating from Greece. Indigenous organized criminal groups are well-entrenched in the largest Greek urban centers, particularly in Athens. Organized crime has thrived in Greece in part thanks to the widespread political corruption in the country itself. The Greek mafia should not be confused with Greek street gangs, who take part in smaller street crime. Outside of the domestic Greek criminal organizations, the Sicilian Mafia, Camorra, and Albanian, Russian and Georgian mafia groups have been operating in Greece in"
"independent of the Mafia. In the early 1890s, a group of four brothers (Giuseppe Morello, and his half-brothers Nicholo, Vincenzo and Ciro Terranova) arrived in New York City from Corleone, Sicily. The Morello-Terranova brothers soon started taking over the growing ""Little Italy"" in East Harlem, by using the black hand technique of extorting small business and running illegal gambling operations. The group became known as the ""116th Street Mob"" (or ""Morello gang""). With their increasing power the Morello's sought to control Lower Manhattan's Little Italy. The ""Little Italy"" in lower Manhattan was under the control of Ignazio ""Lupo the Wolf"""
"Maffia Maffia (""Maffie"" or ""Mafie"" in Czech) was a secret organization acting during World War I. It was founded after emigration of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk in 1914 by Czech politician Edvard Beneš, who later became second president of Czechoslovakia, and others main anti-royalist (Karel Kramář, Alois Rašín, Josef Scheiner and Přemysl Šámal). Maffia was based on the principles of Sicilian Mafia (name ""Maffia""), it was central part of the First Czechoslovak Resistance and its main objective was to overthrow the Emperor of Austria and the disintegration of his country. Maffia plot against Austria-Hungary and Central Powers was revealed by police"
"Mafia was formed in 1957 by 13 Hispanic street gang members from different Los Angeles neighborhoods who were all incarcerated at the Deuel Vocational Institution, a California Youth Authority facility, which is now an adult state prison in Tracy, California. They formed in order to protect themselves from other prison gangs at the time. One of the founders of La Eme is Luis ""Huero Buff"" Flores, who was an active member of the Barrio Hawaiian Gardens gang in Hawaiian Gardens, California. Gang warfare between Hispanic neighborhoods was the norm during the 1950s and 60s, so the fact that Luis Flores"
"confederation of mainly Italian and Jewish-American organized crime groups throughout the U.S., as revealed by the findings of a U.S. Senate Special Committee in the 1950s chaired by Estes Kefauver. The first published account of what became the Mafia in the United States dates to the spring of 1869. The ""New Orleans Times"" reported that the city's Second District had become overrun by ""well-known and notorious Sicilian murderers, counterfeiters and burglars, who, in the last month, have formed a sort of general co-partnership or stock company for the plunder and disturbance of the city."" Emigration from southern Italy to the"
"crime groups (such as the American Camorra) living in the United States and Canada that are not of Sicilian origin. It is often colloquially referred to as the Italian Mafia or Italian Mob, though these terms may also apply to the separate yet related organized crime groups in Italy. The Mafia in the United States emerged in impoverished Italian immigrant neighborhoods or ghettos in New York's East Harlem (or Italian Harlem), Lower East Side, and Brooklyn. It also emerged in other areas of the East Coast of the United States and several other major metropolitan areas (such as New Orleans"
"less centralized secret society; and as a juridical ordering that is parallel to that of the state – a kind of anti-state. The Mafia is all of these but none of these exclusively. The genesis of ""Cosa Nostra"" is hard to trace because mafiosi are very secretive and do not keep historical records of their own. In fact, they have been known to spread deliberate lies about their past, and sometimes come to believe in their own myths. The Mafia began in the 19th century. Modern scholars believe that the seeds were planted in the upheaval of Sicily's transition out"
"to working with other groups, most notably the Jewish-American criminal syndicates to achieve greater profits. The Mafia thrived by following a strict set of rules that originated in Sicily that called for an organized hierarchical structure and a code of silence that forbade its members from cooperating with the police (Omertà). Failure to follow any of these rules was punishable by death. The rise of power that the Mafia acquired during Prohibition would continue long after alcohol was made legal again. Criminal empires which had expanded on bootleg money would find other avenues to continue making large sums of money."
"Crime family A crime family is a unit of an organized crime syndicate, particularly the Mafia (both in Sicily and in the United States), often operating within a specific geographic territory. In its strictest sense, a ""family"" (or ""clan"") is a criminal gang, operating either on a unitary basis or as an organized collection of smaller gangs (e.g., ""cells"", ""factions"", ""crews"", etc.). In turn, a family can be a sole ""enterprise"", or part of a larger syndicate or cartel. The origins of the term come from the Sicilian Mafia. In the Sicilian language, the word ""cosca"", which literally translates into"
"avoid offending the real-life Mafia, as comic book distribution at the time ""was Mafia controlled"", though it is also likely that Maggia was created in part to avoid offending Italian-Americans in general. The Maggia first appeared in ""The Avengers"" #13 (February 1965) and was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck. The Maggia is an international crime syndicate that is the world's most powerful organization dedicated to conventional crime (as opposed to subversive activities). Originating in southern Europe, the Maggia spread throughout non-Communist Europe and the Americas. Its presence in the United States first came to public attention in the"
"Americas was primarily to Brazil and Argentina, and New Orleans had a heavy volume of port traffic to and from both locales. Mafia groups in the United States first became influential in the New York City area, gradually progressing from small neighborhood operations in poor Italian ghettos to citywide and eventually national organizations. The Black Hand was a name given to an extortion method used in Italian neighborhoods at the turn of the 20th century. It has been sometimes mistaken for the Mafia itself, which it is not. The Black Hand was a criminal society, but there were many small"
"Island. The ""Boston crime family"" was founded in 1916 by Gaspare Messina. Frank Morelli formed the ""Providence crime family"" in 1917, and he eventually controlled bootlegging and gambling operations in Providence, Maine, and Connecticut. In 1924, Gaspare Messina stepped down as Boston's Mafia boss, assuming a businessman's role while working with Frank Cucchiara and Paolo Pagnotta from a grocery store on Prince Street in Boston's North End. A Mafia power struggle ensued in Boston, as rival gangs fought for loan sharking, illegal gambling, and bootlegging rackets, and East Boston mobster Filippo Buccola emerged as the boss of the Boston crime"