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The Sicilian Mafia or Cosa Nostra (Italian: [ˈkɔːza ˈnɔstra, ˈkɔːsa-], Sicilian: [ˈkɔːsa ˈnɔʂː(ɽ)a]; "our thing" [3]), also referred to as simply Mafia, is a criminal society and criminal organization originating on the island of Sicily and dates back to the mid-19th century. It is an association of gangs which sell their ...
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 7 January 2025. This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources. The Last Judgment by painter Hans Memling. In Christian belief, the Last Judgement is an apocalyptic event where God makes a final ...
The Trapani Mafia is considered the zoccolo duro (solid pedestal) of Cosa Nostra and the most powerful except for the families in Palermo. [ citation needed ] Messina Denaro got his money through an extensive extortion racket forcing businesses to pay a pizzo ( protection money) and through skimming off public construction contracts (the family ...
"Venezuela has its own Cosa Nostra family as if it is Sicilian territory", according to the Italian police. "The structure and hierarchy of the Mafia has been entirely reproduced in Venezuela." The Cuntrera-Caruana clan had direct links with the ruling Commission of the Sicilian Mafia, and are acknowledged by the American Cosa Nostra. [1]
A rift within the Sicilian Cosa Nostra becomes clear. On the one hand there are the hardline "Corleonesi" in jail – led by Totò Riina and Leoluca Bagarella – and on the other the more moderate "Palermitani" – led by Bernardo Provenzano, Antonino Giuffrè, Salvatore Lo Piccolo and Matteo Messina Denaro.
According to a popular account that arose after the end of World War II, as prime minister of the Kingdom of Italy, Mussolini had visited Sicily in May 1924 and passed through Piana dei Greci, where he was received by the mayor and Mafia boss Francesco Cuccia. At some point Cuccia expressed surprise at Mussolini’s police escort and is said to ...
Giuffrè said: "Within Cosa Nostra, we had some big laughs when we read in the newspapers that Calvi had committed suicide. Cosa Nostra's problems get resolved in only one way: by elimination." [ 21 ] According to Giuffrè, the Mafia plotted to kill Lumia during the period he was president of the Antimafia Commission (2000–2001).
At the Mafia's peak, there were at least 26 cities around the United States with Cosa Nostra families, with many more offshoots and associates in other cities. There are five main New York City Mafia families, known as the Five Families: the Gambino, Lucchese, Genovese, Bonanno, and Colombo families. The Italian-American Mafia has long ...