Boss ( crime ) - wikipedia Boss ( crime ) `` Crime boss '' redirects here. For the singer, see Crime Boss ( rapper ). `` Mob boss '' redirects here. For the 1990 film, see Mob Boss ( film ). A crime boss, crime lord, mob boss, kingpin, or Don, is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or nearly absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives to exert his influence, and profits from the criminal endeavors in which his organization engages. Some groups may only have as little as two ranks ( a boss and his soldiers ). Other groups have a more complex, structured organization with many ranks, and structure may vary with cultural background. Organized crime enterprises originating in Sicily differ in structure from those in mainland Italy. American groups may be structured differently from their European counterparts, and Latino and African American gangs often have structures that vary from European gangs. The size of the criminal organization is also important, as regional or national gangs have much more complex hierarchies. Contents 1 Italian Mafia 2 Mr Big 3 Popular culture 4 See also 5 References Italian Mafia The boss in the Sicilian and American Mafia is the head of the crime family and the top decision maker. A boss will typically put up layers of insulation between himself and his men to defeat law enforcement efforts to arrest him. Whenever he issues orders, he does so either to his underboss, consigliere or capos. The orders are then passed down the line to the soldiers. This makes it difficult under most circumstances to directly implicate a boss in a crime, since he almost never directly gives orders to the soldiers. Only the boss, underboss or consigliere can initiate an associate into the family, allowing them to become a made man. The boss can promote or demote family members at will. If the boss is incarcerated or incapacitated he places an acting boss who responsible for running the crime family. When a boss dies the crime family members choose a new boss. The typical structure within the Mafia in Sicily and America is usually as follows : Boss of all bosses -- also known as the capo di tutti capi or godfather, has been given by the media to the most powerful boss, although the Mafia never recognized the position itself. The highest body to decide on inter-family issues is the Commission ( see also Sicilian Mafia Commission ). Boss -- Also known as the capofamiglia, capo crimini, representante, Don or godfather, is the highest level in a crime family. Underboss -- Also known as the `` capo bastone '' in some criminal organizations, this individual is the second - in - command. He is responsible for ensuring that profits from criminal enterprises flow up to the boss, and generally oversees the selection of the caporegime ( s ) and soldier ( s ) to carry out murders. The underboss may take control of the crime family after the boss 's death. He keeps this position until a new boss is chosen, which in some cases was the Underboss. Consigliere -- Also known as an advisor or `` right - hand man, '' a consigliere is a counselor to the boss of a crime family. The boss, underboss, and consigliere constitute the `` Administration. '' The consigliere is third ranked in the hierarchy but does not have capos or soldiers working for him. Like the boss, there is usually only one consigliere per criminal organization. Caporegime -- Also known as a captain, skipper, capo, or `` crew chief, '' the caporegime was originally known as a `` capodecina '' ( captain of ten ) because he oversaw only 10 soldiers. In more recent times, the caporegime may oversee as many soldiers as he can efficiently control. A caporegime is appointed by the family boss to run his own borgata ( regime, or crew ) of soldato ( soldiers ). Each caporegime reports directly to the underboss, who gives him the permission to perform criminal activities. If the family needs to murder someone, the underboss normally asks a caporegime to carry out the order. The caporegime runs the day - to - day operations of his crew. The caporegime 's soldiers give part of their earnings to him, and then he gives a share to the underboss. A caporegime can recommend to the underboss or boss that a recruit be allowed to join his crew as a mob associate. Soldato -- Also known as a sgarrista, soldier, `` button man, '' `` made man '', `` wiseguy '' or `` goodfella '', is the lowest level of mobster or gangster. A `` soldier '' must have taken the omertà ( oath of silence ), and in some organizations must have killed a person to be considered `` made. '' A picciotto is a low - level soldier, usually someone who does the day - to - day work of threatening, beating, and intimidating others. Associate -- Also known as a `` giovane d'onore '' ( man of honor ), an associate is a person who is not a soldier in a crime family, but works for them and shares in the execution of and profits from the criminal enterprise. In Italian criminal organizations, `` associates '' are usually members of the criminal organization who are not of Italian descent. Mr. Big The term Mr Big is used within the underworld, and additionally during media reportings of persons associated with criminal activities, to refer to a leader of a body of persons functioning in the capacities of roles within organised crime. Sometimes bosses of the so - called gangland are referred to as being Mr Big, as for example in the case of a report of the attempted assassination of an apparent leader of the Irish Republican Army, a person named Alan Ryan. The term implicitly indicates a degree of a possession of a higher intelligence of an individual. The term especially indicates the existence of involvement in what is known as big - time crime, which would include for example armed robbery, and the more organised aspects of careers within crime. In the vernacular of underworld lexiconography within the 1940s of the United States of America, one source does not include the term as a known slang term, but does list Big Brains, as referring to a gang leader. Popular culture The crime lords are highly popular key figures in the popular culture world. Marlon Brando portrayed Vito Corleone, a senior Don in the Sicilian Mafia, in The Godfather. In the 2016 computer animated Disney film Zootopia, the character Mr. Big is a parody of Vito Corleone. Al Pacino is known for portraying Michael Corleone from The Godfather trilogy and Tony Montana in Scarface The main antagonist of Meet the Feebles is an anthropomorphic walrus named Bletch, who is a crime lord. There is also a whale crime lord named Mr. Big. See also Drug lord -- bosses of drug cartels List of crime bosses List of criminal enterprises, gangs and syndicates List of fictional crime bosses Organized crime Big man ( anthropology ) References Jump up ^ Pistone, Joseph D. The Way of the Wiseguy : The FBI 's Most Famous Undercover Agent Cracks the Mob Mind. Philadelphia : Running Press, 2005. ISBN 0 - 7624 - 2384 - 6 ^ Jump up to : Manning, George A. Financial Investigation and Forensic Accounting. Boca Raton, Fla. : CRC Press, 2005. ISBN 0 - 8493 - 2223 - 5 Jump up ^ Albanese, Jay, Contemporary Issues in Organized Crime. Monsey, N.Y. : Criminal Justice Press, 1995. ISBN 1 - 881798 - 04 - 6 ^ Jump up to : DeVico, Peter J. The Mafia Made Easy : The Anatomy and Culture of La Cosa Nostra. Tate Publishing, 2007. ISBN 1 - 60247 - 254 - 8 Jump up ^ Raab, Selwyn. The Five Families : The Rise, Decline & Resurgence of America 's Most Powerful Mafia Empire. New York : St. Martins Press, 2005. Jump up ^ `` Genovese Indictment '' U.S. District Court. Southern District of New York. Jump up ^ Maas, Peter. Underboss : Sammy the Bull Gravano 's Story of Life in the Mafia. Paperback reissue. New York : HarperCollins Publishers, 1997. ISBN 0 - 06 - 109664 - 4 Jump up ^ DeStefano, Anthony M. King of the Godfathers : Big Joey Massino and the Fall of the Bonanno Crime Family. New York : Kensington Publishing Corp., 2008. ISBN 0 - 8065 - 2874 - 5 ^ Jump up to : Nash, Robert Jay. World Encyclopedia of Organized Crime. Cambridge, Mass. : Da Capo Press, 1993. ISBN 0 - 306 - 80535 - 9 Jump up ^ Alan Sherry -- Article titled : Drug lord avoids death after gardai intelligence stops attempted hit Sundayworld Friday 23 May 2014 ( Retrieved 2015 - 07 - 27 ) ^ Jump up to : Fiona Brookman ; Mike Maguire ; Harriet Pierpoint ; Trevor Bennett ( 2010 - 02 ). Handbook on Crime. Routledge 1 February 2010, ISBN 131743675X. ISBN 9781317436751. Retrieved 2015 - 07 - 27. Check date values in : date = ( help ) Jump up ^ J. Ridings -- Chicago to Springfield : : Crime and Politics in the 1920s Arcadia Publishing 18 September 2012 Jump up ^ Vincent Joseph Monteleone ( 1949 ). Criminal Slang : The Vernacular of the Underground Lingo. The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. 1949. ISBN 9781584773009. Retrieved 2015 - 07 - 27. Italian American Mafia List of Mafia crime families Mafia bibliography Families Five Families of New York City Bonanno Calabrian group Motion Lounge crew Sicilian group Colombo Gallo crew ( defunct ) Gambino Baltimore Crew DeMeo crew Ozone Park Boys Genovese 116th Street Crew Broadway Mob Greenwich Village Crew New Jersey faction Lucchese The Jersey Crew Tanglewood Boys The Vario Crew East Coast Buffalo DeCavalcante ( Northern New Jersey ) Patriarca ( New England ) Philadelphia Pittsburgh Trafficante ( Florida ) Midwestern / Western Chicago Cleveland Detroit Kansas City Los Angeles Milwaukee St. Louis Mostly defunct Bufalino ( Northeastern Pennsylvania ) Dallas Denver Genna ( Chicago ) Houston Lanzetta ( Philadelphia ) Morello ( Italian Harlem ) New Orleans Rochester San Francisco San Jose Seattle Structure Chain of command The Commission Boss Underboss Consigliere Caporegime Soldato Members ( made men ) List of Italian - American mobsters List of Italian - American mobsters by organization Terms Initiation ceremony Made man Bagman Black Hand Black Hand in Chicago Vendetta Capo di tutti capi ( boss of bosses ) Mustache Pete Omertà One way ride Sixth Family Zips Events Meetings Atlantic City Conference ( 1929 ) Havana Conference ( 1946 ) Apalachin Meeting ( 1957 ) Palermo Mafia summit ( 1957 ) Hearings Kefauver Committee ( 1950 -- 1951 ) Valachi hearings ( 1963 ) Wars Mafia -- Camorra War ( 1914 -- 1917 ) Castellammarese War ( 1929 -- 1931 ) Trials Pizza Connection Trial ( 1985 -- 1987 ) Mafia Commission Trial ( 1985 -- 1986 ) Closely related and affiliated organizations Active Camorra Commisso ' ndrina Cotroni crime family The Corporation or Cuban Mafia Cuntrera - Caruana Mafia clan Inzerillo Mafia clan Jewish Mafia Luppino crime family Musitano crime family ' Ndrangheta Papalia crime family Philadelphia Greek Mob Rizzuto crime family Sacra Corona Unita Sicilian Mafia Siderno Group South Brooklyn Boys Stidda Unione Corse Velentzas crime family Winter Hill Gang Defunct Broadway Mob ( Originally Jewish and Italian ; absorbed by Genovese family ) The Bugs and Meyer Mob ( Jewish, absorbed by Murder Inc. ) Bumpy Johnson gang New York Camorra Cohen crime family ( Both an American Mafia and Jewish Mafia family ) The Council Dutch Schultz Mob East Harlem Purple Gang ( Semi-independent, most closely affiliated with Genovese family ) Five Points Gang Forty - Two Gang Italian - American National Union Marat Balagula gang ( Russian Mafia, affiliated with Lucchese ) Murder, Inc. ( Italian and Jewish, closely affiliated with or part of the American Mafia ) National Crime Syndicate ( Mostly Italian and Jewish ) Rudaj Organization ( Albanian mafia ) The Tanglewood Boys ( Semi-independent Italian - American gang, affiliated with Lucchese family ) Westies ( largely defunct ) Other topics Government operations Collaborations between the United States government and Italian Mafia Operation Family Secrets Operation Old Bridge Operation Solare Operation Underworld Operation Wasteland Crimes French Connection Hired Truck Program Lufthansa heist Saint Valentine 's Day Massacre Related articles Barrel murder Buster from Chicago Cement shoes Shotgun Man Cosa Nostra Chain of command Commission ( Cupola ) Family ( Cosca ) Boss ( Capofamiglia ) Underboss ( Sottocapo ) Consigliere ( Consigliori ) Caporegime ( Capodecina ) Soldier ( Soldato ) Associate Codes and terms Made man Mandamento Omertà Faida Pizzo Pizzino Clans Corleonesi Greco Motisi Inzerillo Cuntrera - Caruana Members List of Sicilian Mafia members List of Sicilian Mafia members by city Meetings Grand Hotel des Palmes Mafia meeting 1957 Wars First Mafia War ( 1961 -- 1963 ) Second Mafia War ( 1981 -- 1983 ) Massacres and bombings Portella della Ginestra massacre ( 1947 ) Ciaculli bombing ( 1963 ) Viale Lazio massacre ( 1969 ) Circonvallazione massacre ( 1982 ) Via Carini massacre ( 1982 ) Via Federico Pipitone massacre ( 1983 ) Train 904 bombing ( 1984 ) Pizzolungo bombing ( 1985 ) Capaci bombing ( 1992 ) Via D'Amelio bombing ( 1992 ) Via dei Georgofili bombing ( 1993 ) Via Palestro massacre ( 1993 ) Antimafia Italian Antimafia Commission ( members ) Direzione Investigativa Antimafia Addiopizzo Pentito List of victims of the Sicilian Mafia Trials 1960s Sicilian Mafia trials Maxi Trial ( 1986 - 1992 ) Pizza Connection Trial ( 1985 -- 1986 ) Related American Cosa Nostra Anonima sarda Banda della Comasina Banda della Magliana Basilischi Beati Paoli Camorra Corsican mafia Unione Corse Garduña Italian brigandage ( 19th century ) Sicilian brigandage and rebels ( 20th century ) Mala del Brenta ' Ndrangheta Sacra Corona Unita Stidda Stuppagghiari Vendicatori American Cosa Nostra Organized crime in Italy Mafia bibliography Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Boss_(crime)&oldid=813943782 '' Categories : Organized crime members by role Organized crime terminology Hidden categories : CS1 errors : dates Use dmy dates from September 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Türkçe Edit links This page was last edited on 6 December 2017, at 01 : 57. 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Question: what is the head of the mafia called
Answer: Commission