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A crime family is a term used to describe a unit of an organized crime syndicate, often operating within a specific geographic territory. "Crime syndicate" redirects here For the DC Comics group of villains see Crime Syndicate. The most well-known example of this is the group of Five Families of New York, a group of five distinct units of the Italian-American Mafia, each operating in one of the five boroughs of New York City. The Five Families are the five major Italian-American Mafia crime families which have dominated Organized crime in New York City since the 1930s New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The Mafia (also known as Cosa Nostra) is a Sicilian Criminal Secret society which is believed to have first developed in the mid-19th century The City of New York

Contents

Origins

The origins of the term come from the Sicilian Mafia. The Mafia (also known as Cosa Nostra) is a Sicilian Criminal Secret society which is believed to have first developed in the mid-19th century In the Sicilian dialect, the word cosca, which literally translates into artichoke (a multi-layered vegetable surrounding a vital core), is also used for clan. Sicilian (scn '''''lu sicilianu''''' lingua siciliana, also known as Siculu or Calabro-Sicilian) is a Romance language. A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος dialektos) is a variety of a Language that is characteristic of a particular group of The word cosca (pl cosche in Italian and coschi in Sicilian) is a Sicilian word which refers to any plant – such as the Artichoke The Globe Artichoke ( Cynara cardunculus) Globe Artichokes are known to have been cultivated at Naples around the middle of the 9th century and A clan is a group of People united by Kinship and descent, which is defined by perceived descent from a common ancestor In the early days of the Mafia, loose groups of bandits organized themselves into associations that over time became more organized, and they adopted the term based on both of its meanings. The Mafia (also known as Cosa Nostra) is a Sicilian Criminal Secret society which is believed to have first developed in the mid-19th century

As the Mafia was imported into the United States in the late 1800s, the English translation of the word cosca was more at clan or family. The Mafia (also known as Cosa Nostra) is a Sicilian Criminal Secret society which is believed to have first developed in the mid-19th century The United States of America —commonly referred to as the English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Translation is the interpreting of the meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an equivalent text likewise called a " translation

The term can be a point of confusion, especially in popular culture and Hollywood, because in the truest sense, crime families are not necessarily blood families who happen to be involved in criminal activity, and not necessarily based on blood relationships. Popular culture (or pop culture) is the Culture — patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activities significance and importance — Family denotes a group of People affiliated by consanguinity affinity or co-residence The Godfather films as well as a spate of "Mafia princess" made-for-TV-movies in the late 1980s underscores this confusion. The Godfather is a 1972 Crime drama film based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989.

It can further be speculated that the Mafia was simply emulating, to a certain degree, a more medieval order in which a noble family would more or less serve as the power in a local village, in a sort of inverted hacienda culture. The Nobility of Italy reflects the fact that medieval "Italy" was a set of separate states until 1870 and had many royal bloodlines Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate usually but not always a vast Ranch.

The Calabrian 'Ndrangheta is, however, purported to be organized along familial lines. The Calabrian 'Ndrangheta (from the Greek word andragathía for " Heroism " and " Virtue "—"The

Nevertheless, the term stuck, both in the minds of popular culture as well as the national law enforcement community, and eventually began to be used to describe individual units of not only Sicilian gangsters, but those whose origins lie in other parts of Italy (e. g. , the aforementioned 'Ndrangheta, the Neapolitan Camorra, etc. The Calabrian 'Ndrangheta (from the Greek word andragathía for " Heroism " and " Virtue "—"The Background The origins of the Camorra are not entirely clear Some assert a history going back as far as the 16th century claiming that it is a direct descendant of a Spanish secret ). Indeed, the "family" mystique is to such a great degree that in the late 1990s, after many Camorra leaders were imprisoned during a large-scale crackdown in Naples, many of their wives, girlfriends, daughters, and even mothers took temporary control of their gangs, in a widespread phenomenon of Camorra "godmothers". Naples ( Napoli, Neapolitan: Nàpule) is a historic City in southern Italy, the Capital of the

Sometimes the term is used to describe distinct units of crime syndicates of other ethnic and national origin, such as the Irish Mob, Japanese Yakuza, Chinese Tongs and Triads, Colombian drug cartels, and the Eastern European and Russian Mafia (it should be noted here that some of these entities, like the 'Ndrangheta, may also be organized along blood-family lines). The Irish Mob is one of the oldest Organized crime groups in the United States, in existence since the early 19th century History Origins Despite their notoriety in modern Japan the precise origin of the Yakuza is still somewhat the subject of debate Tongs are gripping and lifting Tools of which there are many forms adapted to their specific use Triad ( also known as) is a term that describes many branches of Chinese underground society and/or organizations based in Hong Kong and Macau and also Drug cartels are Criminal organizations developed with the primary purpose of promoting and controlling drug trafficking operations Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. Russian Mafia ( Русская мафия, Russkaya Mafiya) Red Mob ( Красная мафия Krasnaya Mafiya) or

La Cosa Nostra (Italian) Crime Families

North America

There are many criminal organizations which encompass members from various ethnic groups, ranging from giant powers with international influence like the Outfit and Gambino Family to small-size groups with only about 30-50 made members. The Chicago Outfit shortened to " the Outfit " is a Crime syndicate based in Chicago Illinois, USA. The Gambino crime family is one of the " Five Families " that controls Organized crime activities based in New York City, United States

The whole Cosa Nostra in the United States was believed to have about 2,500 - 3,000 made members across the country. A Made Man, also known as a Wiseguy, Made member or Man of Honor, is someone who has been inducted into the Mafia (La Cosa Nostra Despite its relatively small membership, its power was greatly influential.

The families are:
New York has been the topic of most discussion, in recent years, on the U. The Gambino crime family is one of the " Five Families " that controls Organized crime activities based in New York City, United States The Bonanno crime family is one of the " Five Families " that controls Organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within The Genovese crime family is one of the " Five Families " that controls Organized crime activities in New York City, within the nationwide The Lucchese crime family is one of the " Five Families " that controls Organized crime activities in New York City, USA, within The Colombo crime family is one of the " Five Families " that controls Organized crime activities in New York City, USA, within S. Mafia, because it holds most power in all respects. Films like GoodFellas and The Godfather mainly focus on New York's mafia. Goodfellas (also spelled GoodFellas) is an Academy Award winning 1990 Crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese The Godfather is a 1972 Crime drama film based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed

See also

References

The Mafia (also known as Cosa Nostra) is a Sicilian Criminal Secret society which is believed to have first developed in the mid-19th century
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