La Cosa Nostra: Organized Crime Profile

The organized crime group known as La Cosa Nostra is an Italian-based mafia that developed in the mid-19th century in Sicily Italy. In the beginning, before they were known as La Cosa Nostra (LCN) was simply a band of resistance fighters, who may have played a part in resistance to Hitler’s Nazi Army. Over the years, La Cosa Nostra has undergone some minor and major chances, not only from leaders but also in structure and criminal activities. Rationale’s have changed and with those changes have meant even more changes, these to society. Along with the changes, the growth in number and strength that the La Cosa Nostra has undergone since its conception will be viewed at more in-depth in the following report.

Organized Crime Group – La Cosa Nostra

Evolutionary Analysis

The La Cosa Nostra itself developed through a series of evolutionary processes, the first beginning nearly 3,000 years ago as armies grew to stop invaders and to stop their people from being conquered (FAS, 1998). As this army or resistance fighters begin to evolve into the clan like formation they are today, they began to rely more heavily on family for such things as safety, protection, justice and survival.

A man was known as a “Man of Honor,” when he protected those closest to him and kept his mouth shut; even if it meant he would die; this attitude gained him respect and admiration (FBI, 2008). Being able to keep a secret is what eventually led to the official birth of the mafia concept.

The La Cosa Nostra had their own set of rules, which have been dubbed the Mafia’s 10 Commandments and they are:

1. No member can represent himself to another of our associates; it must be done by a third person

2. Never look at another member’s wife

3. Never be seen with police

4. Do not go into bars (no drinking in public)

5. Must always be available to La Cosa Nostra, nothing else comes first

6. Never be late to appointment

7. Always respect wives

8. Always be truthful with information

9. Money cannot be gained from other members or from associates

10. Those not allowed to be members of La Cosa Nostra – those with relatives in law enforcement, two-bit relatives, anyone misbehaving and anyone who has no morals.

Time has withered away these commandments though and now everything is fair game. In the early 1920’s, many La Cosa Nostra members came to America and helped set up the American mafia. Some of the most notable La Cosa Nostra members came to America at this time, notables like Lucky Luciano, whom even after being deported in 1946 for operation of a prostitution ring, continued on as a verbal link between the Sicilian mafia and La Cosa Nostra. La Cosa Nostra has its beginnings in the Italian mafia, but it has been a freestanding and independent group for many years. The first known leader of La Cosa Nostra was Giuseppe Esposito, who fled to New York after murdering 13 people in Italy.

The second leader, Salvatore Maranzano, was murdered in the first six months of his leadership, but before his murder, he introduced a code of directives that would set up the classes and the social structure of the La Cosa Nostra and developed a way to solve disputes between members. Luciano became the leader upon the murder of Maranzano and set up the Commission, which admitted six or seven crime families into the fold (FBI, 2008).

La Cosa Nostra infiltrated a few of America’s largest trade unions, like the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (FAS, 1998) and still to this day has sons and sons-in-law in the union. Over the many years that La Cosa Nostra has been in America they have extended their progress, established intelligent operations and fashioned many arrangements between them and other organized crime groups. The La Cosa Nostra went unchecked for years because law enforcement could only respond to the crimes committed, not to the criminal organization, so by the year 1960 the La Cosa Nostra developed into a very powerful syndicate that was deeply involved in American businesses and corporations. Law enforcement has spent countless hours and resources to address the La Cosa Nostra problem, but to this day, the effect of this syndicate has not been defeated (Finckenauer, 2007).

On top of the La Cosa Nostra influence held in the United States, several of the United States biggest criminal organizations pay a tax to La Cosa Nostra in order to be allowed to exist. Of the 24 La Cosa Nostra families there exist two thousand so-called “made” members of the La Cosa Nostra, which mean two thousand members that have killed in order to join the La Cosa Nostra.

Rationale

La Cosa Nostra is an international coalition of criminals who are linked by either blood or crime, who are willing to do whatever it takes to pursue the crime and protect its members, even if it means murder. The La Cosa Nostra is hierarchical in structure and operation and they feed on fear and illicit behavior. The motivation for everything they do is money and power. The La Cosa Nostra wants money and power and will do whatever it takes to get it. These motivations impact society because to achieve their goals and they will use violence or the threat of said violence, corruption of public officials and extortion, just to name a few.

Growth

The FBI (2008) believes the estimated total sum of members of La Cosa Nostra is divided into four groups with 25,000 members each, with an additional 250,000 associates worldwide. These four groups are called Sicilian Mafia, Camorra, Calabrian Mafia and Sacra Corona Unita’ (United Sacred Crown) (FAS, 1998). Approximately 3,000 members and associates reside here in the United States, which are sprinkled throughout the major cities and areas in:

a. Northeast

b. Midwest

c. California

d. New York

e. New Jersey

f. Philadelphia

g. Chicago

h. New England

Currently five La Cosa Nostra crime families operate in the New York area: the Bonanno, the Colombo, the Genovese, the Gambino and the Lucchese. In the following cities, La Cosa Nostra once had a stronghold, but because of law enforcement efforts, they are now either weak or nonexistent:

a. Cleveland

b. Detroit

c. Kansas City

d. Las Vegas

e. Los Angeles

f. New Orleans

g. Pittsburgh

Before coming to United States, La Cosa Nostra penetrated the social and monetary framework of Italy and now La Cosa Nostra reaches so far that they affect the world. La Cosa Nostra activities have gone global with members and associates from Canada, Australia, Europe and South America. They are also not above working with other criminal organizations from around the world.

Societal Impact

Some people have seen the La Cosa Nostra way of life as a set of dimensions that are deeply rooted in popular culture. They see them as either the criminals they are or the heroes from the movies and television. However, the truth is that the La Cosa Nostra tears at the very fabric of the American society as a whole. The American society is to the highest degree threatened by La Cosa Nostra crimes such as drug trafficking and money laundering.

La Cosa Nostra does not limit their crimes to the drug trade though, they have been and are involved in crimes such as extortion, loan-sharking, assault, labor racketeering, arson, gasoline bootlegging, alcohol bootlegging (during Prohibition), illegal gambling, murders, weapons trafficking, political corruption, fraud, penetration of legitimate corporations, bombings, counterfeiting, and kidnapping (FBI, 2008). According to the FBI (2008), La Cosa Nostra estimates their international criminal activity profits more than $100 billion every year. Each of these crimes affects society where it hurts the most, in their homes, their families and their pocketbooks.

The La Cosa Nostra started out as humble resistant fighters and some suggestions are that their original intentions were far from criminal, as the mafia was once thought of as respectable. Either time or necessity for change occurred and for whatever reason they begin to take steps to take things that were not offered to them freely: money and power. The La Cosa Nostra in the United States is not as strong as it once was, but La Cosa Nostra is still going strong in certain areas of the United States. In several areas of the United States the La Cosa Nostra has been removed or gone into a weakened state of existence, but even weakened La Cosa Nostra can still do massive amounts of damage.

Sources:

FAS.org (1998 October 3) La Cosa Nostra. FAS.org. http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/La Cosa Nostra.htm

Federal Bureau of Investigations (2008) Italian Organized Crime-Overview. http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/orgcrime/La Cosa Nostraindex.htm

Finckenauer James O (2007 February 6) LA COSA NOSTRA IN THE UNITED STATES. National Institute of Justice.