
A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, mafia don, mob boss, kingpin, or godfather is the leader of a
criminal organization
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...
.
Description
A crime boss has absolute or nearly absolute control over the other members of the organization and is often greatly feared or respected for being willing to use criminal means to exert their influence and gain profits from the criminal endeavors in which the organization engages.
[Manning, George A. '' Financial Investigation and Forensic Accounting.'' Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press, 2005. ]
Some groups may only have as little as two ranks (a crime boss and their soldiers). Other groups have a more complex, structured organization with many ranks, and structure may vary with cultural background. Organized crime enterprises originating in
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
differ in structure from those in mainland Italy. American groups may be structured differently from their European counterparts and Latino and African American gangs often have structures that vary from European gangs. The size of the criminal organization is also important, as regional or national gangs have much more complex hierarchies.
Sicilian Mafia
The boss in the
Sicilian and
Italian-American Mafia
The American Mafia, commonly referred to in North America as the Italian-American Mafia, the Mafia, or the Mob, is a highly organized Italian-American criminal society and organized crime group. The terms Italian Mafia and Italian Mob apply t ...
is the head of the
crime family
A crime family is a unit of an organized crime syndicate, particularly in the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia, often operating within a specific geographic territory or a specific set of activities. In its strictest sense, a ''family'' ...
and the top decision maker. Only the boss can initiate an associate into the family, however, the boss can give permission to an
underboss
Underboss () is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian Mafia, Sicilian and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the Crime boss, boss. The un ...
,
consigliere
Consigliere ( , ; plural is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel ''The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a c ...
or a
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
, allowing them to become a
made man
In the Sicilian and American Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. In order to become eligible to be "made", an associate must fulfill several requirements, such as being Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by ...
. The boss can promote or demote family members at will, and has the sole power to sanction murders inside and outside the family. If the boss is incarcerated or incapacitated, he usually retains the title of "boss" but may appoint an ''acting boss'' who is responsible for running the crime family in his stead or on a more daily basis. In addition to "boss" and "acting boss", some families have at times officially or unofficially utilized the positions of ''front boss'' and ''street boss''. A "front boss" is generally put into place to act ostensibly as the boss while drawing police attention away from the actual official boss operating behind the scenes. A "street boss" is often informally appointed or regarded by the official boss or by subordinates as the "hands-on", street-level, actively engaged proxy or stand-in for the official boss, usually coordinating, controlling, and managing street operations on behalf of an official boss who prefers to stay behind the scenes (either by choice or to avoid police scrutiny). "Street bosses" are often particularly influential or powerful
caporegimes or
underboss
Underboss () is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian Mafia, Sicilian and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the Crime boss, boss. The un ...
es, and the term is sometimes used interchangeably with "acting boss" or "front boss" depending on the circumstances.
When a boss dies, the crime family members choose a new boss from inside the organization.
The typical structure within the Mafia in Sicily and America is usually as follows:
[DeVico, Peter J. '' The Mafia Made Easy: The Anatomy and Culture of La Cosa Nostra.'' Tate Publishing, 2007. ]
* Boss of all bosses – also known as the or godfather (), has been given by the media to the most powerful boss, although the Mafia never recognized the position itself. The highest body to decide on inter-family issues is
the Commission (see also
Sicilian Mafia Commission).
* Boss – Also known as the ,
capocrimine, ,
don, or godfather, is the highest level in a crime family.
[Raab, Selwyn. ''The Five Families: The Rise, Decline & Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empire''. New York: St. Martins Press, 2005.]
*
Underboss
Underboss () is a position within the leadership structure of certain organized crime groups, particularly in Sicilian Mafia, Sicilian and Italian-American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the Crime boss, boss. The un ...
– Also known as the "" in some criminal organizations, this individual is the second-in-command. He is responsible for ensuring that profits from criminal enterprises flow up to the boss, and generally oversees the selection of the caporegime(s) and soldier(s) to carry out murders, kidnappings, carjackings, robberies, terrorisms, etc.
The underboss may take control of the crime family after the boss' death. He keeps this position until a new boss is chosen, which in some cases may be the underboss.
*
Consigliere
Consigliere ( , ; plural is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel ''The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a c ...
– Also known as an advisor or "right-hand man", this person is a counselor to the boss of a crime family. The boss, underboss, and consigliere constitute the "Administration". The consigliere is third ranked in the hierarchy but generally does not have capos or soldiers working directly for him.
Like the boss, there is usually only one consigliere per criminal organization.
*
Caporegime
A ''caporegime'' or ''capodecina'', usually shortened to ''capo'' or informally referred to as "captain", "skipper" or "lieutenant", is a leadership position in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia). A ''capo'' is a "made m ...
– Also known as a captain, skipper, capo, or "crew chief", the caporegime was originally known as a "" (captain of ten) because he oversaw only 10 soldiers. In more recent times, the caporegime may oversee as many soldiers as he can efficiently control.
A caporegime is appointed by the family boss to run his own ' (regime, or crew) of ' (soldiers). Each caporegime reports directly to the underboss, who gives him the permission to perform criminal activities. If the family decides to murder someone, the underboss normally asks a caporegime to carry out the order. The caporegime runs the day-to-day operations of his crew. The caporegime's soldiers give part of their earnings to him, and then he gives a share to the underboss. A caporegime can recommend to the underboss or boss that a recruit be allowed to join his crew as a mob associate.
*
Soldato
A soldato or soldier is the first official level of both the Sicilian Mafia and the Italian-American Mafia in the formal Mafia hierarchy. It is also commonly used as a rank in other Italian criminal organizations, such as the 'Ndrangheta and ...
– Also known as a sgarrista, soldier, "button man", "
made man
In the Sicilian and American Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. In order to become eligible to be "made", an associate must fulfill several requirements, such as being Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by ...
", "wiseguy" or "goodfella", this is the lowest level of mobster or gangster.
A "soldier" must have taken the
omertà
Omertà () is a Southern Italian code of silence and code of honor and conduct that places importance on silence in the face of questioning by authorities or outsiders; non-cooperation with authorities, the government, or outsiders, especially ...
(oath of silence),
and in some organizations must have killed a person to be considered "made". A ' is a low-level soldier, usually someone who does the day-to-day work of threatening, beating, planting bombs, and intimidating others.
[Nash, Robert Jay. '' World Encyclopedia of Organized Crime.'' Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press, 1993. ]
* Associate – Also known as a "" (man of honor), an associate is a person who is not a soldier in a crime family, but works for them and shares in the execution of and profits from the criminal enterprise.
In Italian criminal organizations, "associates" are usually affiliates of the criminal organization who are not of Italian descent, or affiliates and candidates of Italian descent who have not yet been "made" or inducted into the Mafia and thus have not yet been promoted to the position of "soldato" or "soldier".
Mr. Big
The term Mr. Big is used within
the underworld, and additionally during media reportings of persons associated with criminal activities, to refer to a leader of a body of persons functioning in the capacities of roles within organised crime. Sometimes bosses of the so-called gangland are referred to as being ''Mr. Big'', as for example when he could not be named for legal reasons. The term implicitly indicates a degree of a possession of a higher intelligence of an individual.
The term especially indicates the existence of involvement in what is known as ''big-time crime'', which would include, for example
armed robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person o ...
and the more organised aspects of careers within crime.
[J. Ridings �]
Chicago to Springfield:: Crime and Politics in the 1920s
Arcadia Publishing 18 September 2012
A 1945 dictionary of criminal slang in the U.S. lists ''Big Brains'' as "a gang-leader", but not ''Mr. Big''.
See also
*
American Mafia
The American Mafia, commonly referred to in North America as the Italian-American Mafia, the Mafia, or the Mob, is a highly organized Italian-American criminal society and organized crime group. The terms Italian Mafia and Italian Mob apply to ...
*
Drug lord
A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin, or lord of drugs is a type of crime boss in charge of a drug trafficking network, organization, or enterprise.
Crime barons may be difficult to bring to justice: usually, they do not possess illegal goods. Ra ...
– bosses of
drug cartel
A drug cartel is a criminal organization composed of independent drug lords who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the illegal drug trade. Drug cartels form with the purpose of controlling the supply of the i ...
s
*
List of crime bosses
This is an incomplete list of crime bosses. This list is arranged alphabetically by last name, and broken into categories by year that an individual is believed to have assumed leadership of a criminal organization
19th century
*Shimizu Jir ...
*
List of criminal enterprises, gangs and syndicates
*
List of fictional crime bosses and gang leaders
In books
(Not mentioned in other sections)
*Spatz Antonelli - ''Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code''
*Papa Arnold - The Warriors (Yurick novel), ''The Warriors''
*Enrico Balazar - ''The Drawing of the Three''
*Adán Barrera - ''The Power of the D ...
*
Organized crime
Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...
References
{{Mafia
Crime
Mafia
American Mafia
Sicilian Mafia
Organized crime terminology