American Mafia

The American Mafia's organizational structure, per the FBI's website

### Activities

Arson, assault, auto theft, bribery, sports bribery, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, embezzlement, extortion, illegal gambling, kidnapping, loansharking, mail fraud, money laundering, murder, murder for hire, prostitution, pornography, racketeering, smuggling, robbery, theft, weapons trafficking, wire fraud

### Allies

* Sicilian Mafia
* Camorra
* 'Ndrangheta
* Sacra Corona Unita
* Jewish Mafia
* Greek mafia
* Chaldean mafia
* Corsican mafia
* Russian mafia
* Albanian mafia
* Hells Angels Motorcycle Club
* Pagan's Motorcycle Club
* Outlaws Motorcycle Club

### Rivals

Irish Mob (formerly)

The **American Mafia** (also known as the **Italian-American Mafia**, the **Mob**, and by the United States Government as **La Cosa Nostra**; **LCN**, meaning "**our thing**") is a nationwide Italian-American crime group in the United States. It is one of the most lucrative and influential criminal organizations in the world and controls a substantial amount of illegal rackets. Established firmly in an old-style, Sicilian influenced code of honor, conduct and ranking, the Mafia is divided into different positions, the highest of which being the don, or boss, and with all the rest being subordinates to him, with the obligation of collecting money for him and showing him respect.

The organization finds its origin in the massive flux of immigration from European countries to America, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A group of Italian immigrants brought with them their criminal enterprise to the United States, and subsequently developped and strengthened it over the years, settling primarily in the West Coast, especially in New York City. The Mafia saw a boost in their power once Prohibition was established in 1920, with bootlegging becoming one of the most efficient means of crime in the country, which they exploited throughout the decade. Their position in New York became fermented after a relatively brief, but bloody civil conflict known as the Castellammarese War, where rival gangsters fought each other for control over territory and influence. In the end Charles "Lucky" Luciano emerged as the *capo di tutti capi* (boss of bosses) and established both the Five Families in New York, so no power struggle would emerge, and the Commission, a governing council of every crime family in the country.

With the end of Prohibition in 1933, the Mafia moved on to other types of crime, particularly drugs and narcotics trafficking, which brought them to the height of their power in the 1950s and the following decades. They also saw a boost in illegal gambling with their stronghold over casinos in Cuba, up until the Revolution, when Fidel Castro drove them out after his rise to power. The U.S. Government passed the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) in 1970, partly as a way to diminish mobsters' involvement in illegal activities and authority over public figures. Despite this, the Mafia still held an important influence over many illicit rackets, and it wasn't until the Mafia Commission Trial in the 1980s that their presence finally began to wander out. Nowadays, while the mob isn't as powerful as it used to be, it still remains an active criminal organization in many cities across the USA.