Italian Mafia

The Italian Mafia is a family of criminal organizations originating in Italy, especially Sicily, that use secrecy, kinship, hierarchy, and coercion to sustain illicit enterprises.

Omertà: A code of silence that discourages cooperation with authorities and disclosure of criminal activity. Silence limits investigations and reinforces loyalty within Mafia networks.
Sicilian Mafia: The Mafia tradition and organizations that developed in Sicily, including Cosa Nostra. Sicily is the principal historical birthplace of the Italian Mafia.
Salvatore Riina: A Sicilian Mafia boss who led the Corleonesi faction and was convicted of ordering major murders. His rise and violent strategy marked an especially brutal phase of Cosa Nostra’s history.
Camorra: A criminal organization rooted in Campania, especially Naples, with a history distinct from the Sicilian Mafia. Its regional origins and looser clan structures distinguish it from Cosa Nostra.
Maxi Trial: A 1986–1987 trial in Palermo that convicted hundreds of defendants associated with Cosa Nostra. It turned testimony about Mafia organization into a landmark prosecution.
Mafia initiation ritual: A ceremony through which a recruit is formally admitted to a Mafia organization. Initiation marks a change in status and binds members through secrecy and obligation.
Cosa Nostra: The Sicilian Mafia, organized through local families and networks of affiliated members. It is the best-known Sicilian organization within the broader Italian Mafia family.
Tommaso Buscetta: A Sicilian Mafia member who became a state witness and described Cosa Nostra’s structure to investigators. His testimony helped expose the organization’s hierarchy during the Maxi Trial.
'Ndrangheta: A criminal organization originating in Calabria, organized around kinship-based clans. Its family-centered structure and global cocaine trade differ from the Sicilian Mafia’s historical model.
Tangentopoli: A political corruption scandal exposed by Italian investigations beginning in 1992. Its investigations revealed intersections between public corruption, business, and organized crime.

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