0
Mafia
The mafia is a criminal syndicate. The original mafia originated in Sicily, and branched out to the United States. However, the term is now sometimes loosely used to describe syndicates of non Italian origin.
177 Questions
What is the most powerful world mafia?
The Russian mafia is the 2nd most powerful mafia in todays world. The Italian mafia is the most powerful mafia in the world
What was Charles Lucky Luciano worth when he died?
Any number would be a guess at best, since 90% of his assets are 'off the books', but consider that he was earning about $12M in 1920, controlled almost every aspect of organized crime in NYC, and had control of many of Cuba's casinos, as well as an interest in Las Vegas, and you can safely assume that the sky is the limit.
For people like Al Capone, Carlo Gambino, and Vito Genovesse to bow to your word, you have to be seriously powerful, and in the underworld money is power.
Why did the Mexican mafia start?
The Mexican Mafia started in Southern Calis prison system & their reason for forming was to protect not just Mexicans but all Hispanics from other gangs, racism & police brutality.
*Gangs that Mexican Mafia control are:Surenos, Ms-13 & Eighteen Street to name a few.
*Gangs under Mexican Mafia wear the colors brown & white NOT blue
*Gangs uder Mexican Mafia are close allies of the Crips & Gangs under the Folk Nation such as:Gangster Disciples, Imperial Gangsters, La Raza etc.
*Gangs under the Blood Alliance such as:Bloods, Pirus & Nortenos are Mexican Mafias biggest rivals.
What is the most famous Mafia?
The most famous mafia is arguably the Corleones - a fictional mafia family from the critically acclaimed Godfather series of films.
The five families from New York are the Gambino family, the Colombo family, the Bananno family, the Genovese family, and the Lucchese family.
He was and is (he's dead) the most famous and ruthless mobster of all time. (he was in the mafia) Although he killed many people he was actually in for neglecting to pay taxes.
Did Al Capone start the first soup kitchen?
Yes Al Capone started the first soup kitchen.
He started it because he wanted to clean up his shady image. Capone's kitchen served three meals a day to ensure that everyone who had lost a job could get a meal.
Who were the five most powerful European nations before World War 1?
Britain, Germany, France, Austria-Hungary, and Russia
Where can you find information about Emiliano Zapata and the Mexican Revolution?
An encyclopedia, a library, and the internet. Michael Montagne
Do the pictures of Frank Sinatra and Lucky Luciano exist?
While it's well known that some members of Cosa Nostra were very close to Frank Sinatra, and the Godfather's depiction of Vito Corleone getting that singer (his name escapes me at this moment - Johnny Fontane?) out of his contract by giving the record company 'an offer they cant refuse' is based upon Sinatra's own, identical situation being resolved by his Mafia friends, I do not believe that any PUBLIC pictures show Sinatra with Luciano alone.
I have seen photos of Sinatra with Carlo Gambino, amongst other mobsters, but never with Lucky in it as well. Sinatra did perform for many Cosa Nostra members in private shows, including for a recently deported Luciano in Havana, but you have to remember that A) most mobsters dont want their photos taken unless they know the guy holding the camera, and B) Sinatra probably didnt want to flaunt the fact that he was heavily associated with mob members, especially considering Lucky's reputation at that time. Once Luciano was deported, including for the show Sinatra was said to do in Havana, your camera would be smashed over your head, with you being beaten within an inch of your death, if you tried to take a picture of Luciano. The last thing he wanted was the government knowing he went to Cuba, instead of staying in Italy, and - aside from John Gotti, what mobster of Lucky's stature do you see in any sort of pictures?
I'd love to see one if it exists, but Ive dont research in a lot of different places, and to the best of my knowledge, Luciano & Sinatra dont have one together.
See the related link for one with Frank and Carlo Gambino (and other Mafioso):
He is the grandson of Kansas City Mob boss Anthony "Tony Ripe" Civella.
LANDSTROM
OLEARY'S
MCDANALD
There's not much organised crime in Ireland and "Mafia"'s an Italian word.
Improvement on this answer by Zez:
While there may not be much organized crime in Ireland, there were several Irish "families" in organized crime in the US and other countries.
For example: Frank Wallace and the Gustin Gang from Boston
James "buddy" McLean and his "Winter Hill Gang"
Charlestown Mob in Boston, led by brothers Bernard and Edward "Punchy" McLaughlin
And more.
Also, the word "Mafia" is not specifically an Italian word. It first appeared in the Sicilian dictionary in 1865. The word is of uncertain origin, but is believed by many Sicilian linguists and historians to have come from the Arabic term "mu afah" which means (roughly) "to gain inviolability (or strength)"
It is also widely believed that the word may take it's root from the Italian word mafioso (sometimes used by Sicilians and spelled as mafiusi). The word "mafioso" meaning a man who is brave or bold.
The term mafia has been a misnomer for centuries, commonly misused to describe organized crime families.
By the way, I'm Italian. And yes, I am aware that Sicilian is a sub-dialect of Italian, but it's as different from Italian as Spanish is from Italian. If you doubt it, put a Sicilian and and an Italian in a room together. If they don't fight from bad blood, we'll fight from misunderstanding.
What is the most powerful jet fighter in the world?
In terms of military technology: United States (F-22) > Russia (PAK FA) > People's Republic of China (J-XX)
Notes:
1) Israel, Japan, and South Korea largely purchase or receive aircraft technology from the United States.
2) United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Turkey, and Republic of China (Taiwan), largely purchase military aircrafts from the United States.
2) France largely ceased military aircraft research and expansion.
3) India largely purchases military aircrafts and less sophisticated aircraft technology from Russia.
4) Technology is measured by stealth fighter and bomber capability.
It's not known who was responsible for starting the Mafia, it's likely to have started as a collaborative effort between various criminals to solidify their power and wealth. It began in Sicily, and traveled to America along with the Italian immigrants. Initially, the American Mafia began by extorting money from Italian American merchants to be used as ' protection.' However, prohibition was the great catalyst which skyrocketed the American Mafia to prominence and power.
In 1928 what gang was large and powerful besides the Italian Mafia?
The Irish mob was one of the, if not the most powerful, OC gang in the United States around the year of 1928 and controlled large parts of the American Eastcoast, especially Boston and New York city.
Who received Charles lucky luciano assets when he died?
When Charles "Lucky" Luciano died in 1962, his assets were primarily inherited by his family, including his daughter, who was his only child. Luciano's estate was valued at around $1 million, and he had arranged for his assets to be divided among his relatives. Additionally, some of his assets were tied up in various business ventures and investments, which also played a role in the distribution of his wealth after his death.
Who is the founder of sicilian mafia?
The Sicilian Mafia, or Cosa Nostra, does not have a single founder but instead evolved in the mid-19th century in Sicily. It emerged as a response to social and economic conditions, including land ownership issues and the lack of law enforcement. Key figures in its early development included notable criminals and landowners who sought to protect their interests. The organization became more structured over time, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
How did lucky Luciano change history?
While likely credited more than he probably was solely responsible for (some think he was the one who divided NYC into 5 families, which is incorrect), Salvatore "Lucky" Luciano was instrumental in not only changing the dynamics of Italian organized crime in the US, but is the only member of the supposed secret group known as Cosa Nostra ('this thing of ours') that the US Government actually approached for HELP during WWII.
The Comission:Many with any sort of mafia interest have probably heard of the title capo di tutti cappi - boss of all bosses. The person with this title was not only the boss of his own family, but the boss of every other family as well (hence 'boss of all bosses). This made one person the most powerful mob boss in the entire country, and made one person able to basically control every racket in the US. In theory, this sounds great if you have the title, but heavy is the head that wears the crown, and not only are you talking about a title that dozens of other guys would love to put a bullet in the back of your head to take for themselves, but you also automatically become the FBI's #1 target. Why go after just anyone when you can go for the boss of ALL THE BOSSES? And you could have several bitter heads of other families, believing themselves more deserving, helping hit squads and the law track you down. Luciano realized the potential for problems, and decided on another angle.The Comission consisted of a representitive of each of the USA's crime families (NYC's 5 Families, The Chicago Outfit, Florida, Philly Mob, LA Mob, No Orleans Mob, etc etc) meeting - much like a board of directors would, with the goal being to resolve issues there peacefully, while ensuring everyone got an equal opportunity to be heard, and treated with the same level of respect. Its believed that despite Meyer Lansky succesfully getting Benjamin 'Bugsy' Segul's life spared several times, when the final decision fell before the comission - Lansky, a member of the Jewish Mafia, thus carrying no vote with the Italians - could do nothing to change the fact that the majority felt was that Bugsy had to go.
This was a major development for organized crime for several reasons. First, it established a set of rules that applied to everyone, allowing the National Crime Syndicate (which was the comission's many members from accross the country) to move to a structure that resembled a large corporation, rather than the commonly accepted idea that they were little more than street thugs who operated independently. It also allowed the various families to pool their resources, discuss ways they could make more money together, decide upon proper solutions for problems, seek advice from one another, and openly say whatever they wanted to (so long as nobody openly disprespected or insulted another member of the commission) if they had something they needed to clear the air about.
Not to be overlooked, one of the most important rules agreed upon was that the act of killing another boss without approval from the entire commission was punishable by death. For many, many years, nobody was really safe, and underlings often tried to overthrow their boss, figuring taking them out ensured they were handed the reigns of power. Killing your superior had become a fast track to the top, but Luciano saw the big problem with it: it was bad publicity, which was bad for business, which costed people money. There were times when somebody needed to go, it was frankly the cost of doing business, but a regular made guy that nobody outside of Cosa Nostra knew anything about might make a small blurb on the back page; a BOSS is usually somebody well known that will draw lots of attention from the media and law enforcement; two entities you dont want sniffing around your business.
This also gave the commission an active role in assigning a new boss when one family lost one, ensuring that the opinions of everyone would play a part in selecting a guy that was not only popular amongst his crew, but would also (hopefully) be a beneficial choice for everyone.
This concept of Cosa Nostra, as a whole, making decisions together, rather than each family doing as they pleased, allowed them to operate a little further below the radar of the public, and spare themselves any more bloody fueds. Instead of losing money with infighting and bad publicity they could now make even more money working together, and the boss of each family was able to voice their complaints and concerns without having to fear retaliation for doing so.
John Gotti directly violated this rule by having Big Paulie Castellano whacked and taking over the Gambino Family. While some chose to look the other way, Vincent 'The Chin' Gigante was said to have made at least one attempt at Gotti's life, and several others were thought to have endorsed taking him out. They really should have, because Gotti was everything the mafia didnt want; he was constantly flaunting who he was to the media and public, he wasnt be nearly as careful as he shouldve been when discussing business, and he was arrested several times with his brief stint as Don, and while 'teflon' for many of those charges, he was eventually handed a lifetime sentence after 7 years on top, which also caused his underboss (then the highest ranking Mafia figure to do so) to turn state's evidence after hearing repeated audio recordings of Gotti badmouthing him, and trying to blame him for everything Gotti was accused of. Gotti severly hurt the Gambino rackets, as well as the other families interests, and I have to think him being immediately whacked in 1985 might have changed their fortunes.
WWIIWith Lucky Luciano sitting in a prison cell, the US Government thought they might have the leverage they needed. It was well known that the NYC Ports were controlled by the Mafia, and despite which family had which parts of it, they knew talking to Luciano was as good of better than talking to a dozen others. They approached Meyer Lansky, and asked him if he could see if Lucky would be interested in hearing what they had to offer. Shortly thereafter, Lansky gave them the news they wanted to hear: Luciano will entertain them long enough to hear what they wanted, though ensured them that if they were looking for a rat or informant, they were asking the wrong guy.What they government really wanted was security on the ports. This wasnt about what the Italians were doing; it was about what they hoped to stop the Germans from doing. A corrupt port, easy to sneak in what you want for the right price sounded like a potential dissaster if Germany was able to get whatever they wanted onto American soil, unnoticed. They wanted Luciano to ensure that no spies, troops, weapons, explosives, etc got through. Basically, they needed him to ensure that the ports would be safe from any infiltration by Germany or Japan, and that he could make contacts in Italy to make sure nothing headed from there was dangerous or contained anything they needed to worry about.
Lucky, with a cold stare that few other than he possed, looked at the men momentarily, told them he could do all of that and more, but then got to the real issue; what was his motivation in all this? Eventually a deal was worked which allowed him his immediate release, with the only condition being that he would be immediately deported back to Sicily, stripped of his American citizenship.
That wasnt great news, but you know what? A comfy bed with food from a fancy resturant in Rome, Palermo, Naples, or anywhere else in the old country, sounded a whole hell of a lot better than a jail cell, so the deal was made.
A man of his word, the docks were never comprimised, and a German boat hiding off the coast a few miles away was also discovered and destroyed. Never once did a security breach of any kind occur.
When it came to staying in Italy, though - he went along with it, departed the plane in Naples, and shortly thereafter, found himself going back over the Atlantic to Cuba. In Havana, a mafia-run casino stronghold, he was close to America, and able to keep in touch with his American contacts. Eventually, the US caught wind and he was forced to go back to Italy, but that happens when you have Frank Sinatra and dozens of know Cosa Nostra mafioso visit you...
Just a reminder - for as high and mighty as anyone in this country ever wants to be, just remember that we asked one of the most reputed mobsters in history for help during WWII. This wasnt the first time, and it wont be the last time, that we sleep with the devil to get rid of the demons.
There was not a season 7 for The Sopranos. It had a season 6 that was split into two parts. There was talk of a movie after the series ended in 2007, but with so many characters dead (and, sadly, James Gandolfini's death in real life), it seems more unlikely than ever.
When did Swedish house mafia get together?
ingrosso and angello were together when they were kids but axwell wasn't part of it until years later
There is a Mafia 2 so it's likely there will be a Mafia 3. The suggested date will be from 2012-2015. It is still unclear and 2k Games has not released any dates. Hope helped!
i hope there will be a mafia 3 because mafia 2 was so totally awesome. Well anyway mafia 3 will probably come out in 2012-2013
