"mentioned to have planned to start a Maggia branch in his area. Although the Maggia organization is, for the most part, analogous in the Marvel Universe to the real life Italian and Italian-American Mafia or La Cosa Nostra, there exist in the Marvel Universe other Italian crime families that resemble more closely the real La Cosa Nostra or Mafia. Some of these families and organizations have been referred to as ""the Mafia"" in recent comics, but it is unknown whether or not these families ultimately operate under Marvel's Maggia organization or are a part of a separate, more realistic La"
"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"
"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"
"in many countries and at many times in the past, they have played more prominent roles during times of weakened social order or when governments have attempted to suppress access to goods or services for which there is a high demand. The Sicilian Mafia, or ""Cosa Nostra"" is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share common organizational structure and code of conduct. The origins lie in the upheaval of Sicily's transition out of feudalism in 1812 and its later annexation by mainland Italy in 1860."
"able to extend their influence across all sectors over much of the island (and many of its operatives also emigrated to other countries, particularly the United States). After Mussolini came to power in the 1920s, he launched a fierce crackdown on organized crime, but they recovered quickly following the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943, during World War II, once the Allies freed imprisoned Mafia leaders under the mistaken notion that they were political prisoners. The Cosa Nostra remains a secret criminal organization with a state-like structure. It utilizes violence as an instrument of control, executing members who break"
"Cosa Nostra organization in the Marvel universe. These more realistic Italian Mafia organizations are often featured in ""Punisher"" comics. As most of these organizations operate on a crew-based street level and specialize in traditional organized crime rather than super-powered organized crime, it is possible they are not connected to the more powerful Maggia. Examples of these organizations include: In the ""House of M"" reality, the Maggia is a criminal organization that was led by Count Nefaria. The Maggia were annihilated by Magneto's Sentinels for plotting against him. Maggia (comics) The Maggia is a fictional international crime syndicate appearing in American"
"used by Sicilian Mafiosi, who prefer to refer to their organization as ""Cosa Nostra"". Nevertheless, it is typically by comparison to the Sicilian Mafia that other criminal groups earn the label. The expansion of the term has not been welcomed by all scholars. Giovanni Falcone, an anti-Mafia judge murdered by the Sicilian Mafia in 1992, objected to the conflation of the term ""Mafia"" with organized crime in general: Scholars such as Diego Gambetta and Leopoldo Franchetti have characterized the Sicilian Mafia as a ""cartel of private protection firms"", whose primary business is protection racketeering: they use their fearsome reputation for"
"Director J. Edgar Hoover, had long refused to acknowledge. In 1963, Joe Valachi became the first American 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 Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate Committee on Government Operations, 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. The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO Act), passed as part of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, made"
"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"
"Bacchi listed the house for sale at the price of €1.3 million. He also allegedly considered taking over a news publication with his criminal proceeds. Investigators also alleged that the American Mafia in New York had set up a profitable food export company with the Sicilian mafia. ""Cosa Nostra"" is not a monolithic organization, but rather a loose confederation of about one hundred groups known alternately as ""families"", """"cosche"""", """"borgatas"""", or ""clans."" (Despite the name, their members are generally not related by blood.) Each of these claims sovereignty over a territory, usually a town or village or a neighborhood of"
"of the national Mafia organization known as La Cosa Nostra. Jack Tocco and Anthony Corrado were convicted on two counts of conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), one based on a pattern-of-racketeering-activity and one based upon the collection-of-unlawful-debts, and on one count of a Hobbs Act conspiracy. Paul Corrado and Nove Tocco were convicted of the RICO pattern of racketeering activity conspiracy and the Hobbs Act conspiracy. Vito Giacalone pleaded guilty to the RICO collection of unlawful debts conspiracy. During sentencing, Jack Tocco was supported by several high-profile community figures, including former Detroit Tigers manager Sparky"
"faction Other territories Associates Members Associates Notes Bibliography Colombo crime family The Colombo crime family (pronounced ) is the youngest of the ""Five Families"" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal organization known as the Mafia (or ""Cosa Nostra""). It was during Lucky Luciano's organisation of the American Mafia after the Castellammarese War, and the assassinations of Giuseppe ""Joe The Boss"" Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano, that the gang run by Joseph Profaci was recognized as the ""Profaci crime family"". The family traces its roots to a bootlegging gang formed by Joseph Profaci"
"Colombo crime family The Colombo crime family (pronounced ) is the youngest of the ""Five Families"" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal organization known as the Mafia (or ""Cosa Nostra""). It was during Lucky Luciano's organisation of the American Mafia after the Castellammarese War, and the assassinations of Giuseppe ""Joe The Boss"" Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano, that the gang run by Joseph Profaci was recognized as the ""Profaci crime family"". The family traces its roots to a bootlegging gang formed by Joseph Profaci in 1928. Profaci would rule his family without"
"Cosa Nostra came in 1957 with the removal of three of New York's most powerful Mafia bosses. On May 2, Genovese gunman and protégé, Vincent ""Chin"" Gigante tried to kill Luciano Family boss Frank Costello in the lobby of his Manhattan apartment building but failed, leaving Costello with only a minor head wound. Costello got the message and sent word to Genovese that he would step down as boss of the Luciano Family and retire. The following month, Anastasia Family underboss and Luciano/Costello ally, Frank ""Don Cheech"" Scalise was assassinated on June 17 by Anastasia's nephew and gunman, James ""Jimmy/Jerome"""
"who knew how to delegate authority and disguise his true power and influence. He was well liked and never flaunted his wealth and power. In October 1963, a low-level member of the New York Genovese crime family, Joseph Valachi, testified on the inner workings of ""La Cosa Nostra"". The Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in Labor and Management had been holding hearings since 1957 on ties between organized crime and the Teamsters union. In 1960, these hearings transferred to the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate Committee on Government Operations. However, Valachi proved to be the Permanent"
"cannot be compared with the executive boards of major legal firms. Their power is intentionally limited [and] it would be entirely wrong to see in the Cosa Nostra a centrally managed, internationally active Mafia holding company,"" according to criminologist Letizia Paoli. The jurisdiction extends over a province; each province of Sicily has some kind of a Commission, except Messina, Siracusa and Ragusa. Initially the idea was that the family bosses would not sit on the Commission, but in order to prevent imbalances of power some other prominent member would be appointed instead. However, that rule was not obeyed from the"
"consists of approximately 270 ""made"" members. The family maintains power and influence in New York, New Jersey, Atlantic City and Florida. It is recognized as the most powerful ""Cosa Nostra"" family in the U.S. Since Gigante's reign, the family has been so strong and successful because of its continued devotion to secrecy. According to the FBI, many family associates don't know the names of family leaders or even other associates. This information lockdown makes it more difficult for the FBI to gain incriminating information from government informants. In October 2017, thirteen Genovese and Gambino soldiers and associates were sentenced after"
"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"
"the existence of a ""National Crime Syndicate"" and the need to address organized crime in America. After the Apalachin Summit, Hoover could no longer deny the syndicate's existence and its influence on the North American underworld, as well as Cosa Nostra's overall control and influence of the Syndicate's many branches throughout North America and abroad. After the Apalachin Meeting, J. Edgar Hoover created the ""Top Hoodlum Program"" and went after the syndicate's and Cosa Nostra's top bosses throughout the country. Many of the syndicate's most powerful bosses such as Genovese, Bonanno, Sam ""Momo"" Giancana, Stefano Magaddino, Costello, Carlos Marcello, Lansky,"
"arrest warrants were issued on November 17, 1992, in the so-called ""Operation Leopard"" (""Operazione Leopardo""). At that time the Mafia had killed Borsellino as well. Messina also revealed that Cosa Nostra was in the midst of a profound internal crisis around 1990. Life within the organisation had become an intolerable nightmare under the reign of terror instituted by the Corleonesi under the leadership of Totò Riina. Murder had become institutionalised instead of a measure that had to be used sparingly and rationally. Messina described how the Corleonesi organized their rise to power: """"They took power by slowly, slowly killing everyone"
"as the Cosa Nostra, Camorra and the 'Ndrangheta, but it was also notably connected to neofascist paramilitary and terrorist organizations, including the Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari (NAR), the neofascist group responsible for the 1980 Bologna massacre. In addition to their involvement in traditional organized crime rackets, the Banda della Magliana is also believed to have worked for Italian political figures such as Licio Gelli, grand-master of the illegal and underground freemason lodge known as Propaganda Due (P2), which was purportedly connected to neofascist and far-right militant paramilitary groups. The Mafia Capitale was an Italian Mafia-type, crime syndicate, or secret society, that"
"Gambino crime family The Gambino crime family (pronounced ) is one of the ""Five Families"" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or ""Cosa Nostra""). The group, which went through five bosses between 1910 and 1957, is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963, when the structure of organized crime first gained public attention. The group's operations extend from New York and the eastern seaboard to California. Its illicit activities include labor and construction racketeering, gambling, loansharking,"
"the NYPD property room. (*NY Newsday ""THE HEROIN TRAIL"" Investigative journalism Series) Lucchese crime family The Lucchese crime family (pronounced ) is one of the ""Five Families"" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or Cosa Nostra). The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano Reina serving as boss up until his murder in 1930. It was taken over by Tommy Gagliano during the Castellammarese War, and led by him until his death in 1951. The family under Gagliano was peaceful and low key, concentrating their"
"the Church Committee hearings, that during the Kennedy administration, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recruited Giancana and other mobsters to assassinate Fidel Castro. Giancana reportedly said that the CIA and the Cosa Nostra were ""different sides of the same coin"". Documents released in 2017 showed the Sam Giancana connection to the CIA and to Robert Maheu. Judith Exner claimed to be the mistress of both Giancana and JFK, and that she delivered communications between the two regarding Fidel Castro. However, Giancana's daughter, Antoinette Giancana, has stated her belief that her father was performing a scam to pocket millions of dollars"
"Lucchese crime family The Lucchese crime family (pronounced ) is one of the ""Five Families"" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or Cosa Nostra). The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano Reina serving as boss up until his murder in 1930. It was taken over by Tommy Gagliano during the Castellammarese War, and led by him until his death in 1951. The family under Gagliano was peaceful and low key, concentrating their criminal activities in the Bronx, Manhattan and New Jersey. The next boss"
"Corleonesi Mafia clan The Corleonesi are a faction within the Sicilian Mafia that dominated ""Cosa Nostra"" in the 1980s and the 1990s. The informal name ""Corleonesi"" was applied by the media and government because its most important leaders came from the town of Corleone, first Luciano Leggio and later Totò Riina, Leoluca Bagarella, Riina’s brother-in-law, and Bernardo Provenzano. The Corleonesi coalition managed to take over the Sicilian Mafia Commission and imposed a quasi-dictatorship over Cosa Nostra, waging war against rival factions (also known as the Second Mafia War) from 1978–1983. The more established Mafia factions in the city of Palermo"
"of the New York underworld and the Commission, but by 1957 these changes were leading to a war within Cosa Nostra. Genovese, who now controlled the most powerful family in Cosa Nostra, called for a national meeting of bosses. Genovese elected Buffalo, New York boss and Commission member, Stefano ""The Undertaker"" Magaddino, who in turn chose northeastern Pennsylvania crime boss Joseph Barbara and his underboss Russell Bufalino to oversee all the arrangements. The Commission's ""Conservative Faction"" began its decline and loss of power in La Cosa Nostra with the 1951 alliance of Bosses Frank Costello, Albert Anastasia and Anthony Accardo."
"the labor union in Brooklyn. Anastasia allied himself with Giuseppe ""Joe the Boss"" Masseria, a powerful mafia leader in Brooklyn. Anastasia soon became close associates with future ""Cosa Nostra"" bosses Joe Adonis, Charles ""Lucky"" Luciano, Vito Genovese, and Frank Costello. In 1928, Anastasia was charged with a murder in Brooklyn, but the witnesses either disappeared or refused to testify in court. In 1930, Luciano finalized his plans to take over the organized crime rackets in New York by destroying the two old-line Mafia factions headed by Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano. Luciano outlined his plot to Anastasia, who joined him and"
"to testify. However, in June 1959, before he could appear before the Commission, Barbara died of another heart attack, aged 53. The Apalachin Conference put the media spotlight directly on the secretive Cosa Nostra, triggering both state and federal hearings. As a result, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director J. Edgar Hoover could no longer deny the existence of the Cosa Nostra in the United States and was forced to start investigating it. Barbara is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Johnson City, New York. Joseph Barbara (mobster) Joseph ""Joe the Barber"" Barbara (August 9, 1905 – June 17, 1959) was"
"were Salvatore Lo Piccolo; Antonino Giuffrè from Caccamo; Benedetto Spera from Belmonte Mezzagno; Salvatore Rinella from Trabia; Giuseppe Balsano from Monreale; Matteo Messina Denaro from Castelvetrano; Vincenzo Virga from Trapani; and Andrea Manciaracina from Mazara del Vallo. After the arrests of Benedetto Spera, Vincenzo Virga (both in 2001) and Antonino Giuffrè in 2002 (who decided to cooperate with the authorities), the leadership of Cosa Nostra was in the hands of the fugitives Bernardo Provenzano, Salvatore Lo Piccolo and Matteo Messina Denaro. Following Provenzano's capture in April 2006, Italy's intelligence service report warned of ""emerging tensions"" between mafia groups as a"
"term for any organized criminal network with similar structure, methods, and interests. Giovanni Falcone, the anti-Mafia judge murdered by the Mafia in 1992, however, objected to the conflation of the term ""Mafia"" with organized crime in general: According to Mafia turncoats (""pentiti""), the real name of the Mafia is ""Cosa Nostra"" (""Our Thing""). Italian-American mafioso Joseph Valachi testified before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate Committee on Government Operations in 1963 (known as the Valachi hearings). He revealed that American mafiosi referred to their organization by the term ""cosa nostra"" (""our thing"" or ""this thing of ours"""
"known as, Cosa Nostra (""Our Thing""), not only killed Spampinato but 12 other journalists as well. was murdered in 1960 on railroad tracks by the mafia. Mauro De Mauro was disappeared in 1970 after uncovering details about the death of politician Enrico Mattei. Cristina, De Mauro and Spampinato worked also worked at ""L'Ora"". This newspaper, under the leadership of Vittorio Nisticò, published anti-Mafia information. Other journalists killed by the Sicilian mafia were Giuseppe Impastato, murdered in 1978, Carmine ""Mino"" Pecorelli in 1979, Mario Francese in 1979, Giuseppe Fava in 1984, Giancarlo Siani in 1985, in 1988, and in 1993. Those"
"della Comisina soon collapsed and disbanded in the early 1980s in Vallanzasca's absence. Those currently active in the United States are the Sicilian Mafia, Camorra or Campanian Mafia, 'Ndrangheta or Calabrian Mafia, and Sacra Corona Unita or ""United Sacred Crown"". The FBI refers to them as ""Italian Organized Crime"" (IOC). These Italian crime groups frequently collaborate with the Italian-American Mafia, which is itself an offshoot of the Sicilian Mafia and, to a lesser extent, the Camorra. The Sicilian Mafia first gained footing in the United States following waves of immigration from Southern Italy into the United States. In the past,"