A soldato or soldier is the first official level of both the Italian-American Mafia and the Sicilian Mafia in the formal Mafia hierarchy or cadre. It is also commonly used as a rank in other Italian criminal organizations, such as the 'Ndrangheta and Camorra. The promotion to the rank of soldier is an elevation in the chain of command from the associate level. The associate, who is not an initiated member of the Mafia, must prove himself to the family and take the oath of Omertà in order to become an initiated made man and therefore rise to the rank of soldato.
Picciotto (plural: picciotti) is often used to refer to a lower-level mafioso or soldato, but it usually indicates a younger, inexperienced soldato and may even be used loosely to refer to a closely connected, up-and-coming associate who is not necessarily a made man yet (and therefore not yet officially a "soldato"). "Picciotti" usually perform simple tasks such as beatings, money collection, and robbery.[citation needed]
Duties and advantages
An associate can only be promoted to soldier after a period of being "on record" with an incumbent member of a family. He must be sponsored by the incumbent soldier's caporegime (capo or captain), and personally cleared by the family's boss. Once inducted into the Mafia, a soldier is now part of a crew, a collection of soldiers and associates working under a capo. A soldier's main responsibility is to earn money and give a portion of his profits up to his capo. Under most circumstances, a soldier never receives orders directly from the boss. Rather, the boss passes orders down the chain of command to the soldiers.[citation needed][1]
They also serve as muscle of their crime family. Like an associate, he can also be relied on to commit acts of intimidation, threats, violence and murder. The soldier is obliged to obey orders from his capo to commit murder for his crime family. As a made man, he is bound by the Mafia code of omertà and must serve loyally for life. Although a soldier ranks at the lowest level of the family, he has several advantages over an associate. Most notably, he is considered untouchable in the criminal underworld. If another mobster wants to kill a soldier, it is compulsory that he gets permission from the soldier's boss, and only then for an egregious violation of Mafia rules. In contrast, an associate can be killed solely on a soldier's whim. For example, when Philadelphia crime family associate Nicodemo Scarfo, Jr. was almost killed by a warring faction of the family, his father, Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo, Sr., pulled some strings to get him inducted into the Lucchese crime family, protecting him from any possible attacks in the future.[2] Killing a soldier without getting the boss's permission is considered taboo in mob circles and can lead to the perpetrator of the murder getting killed himself. The lone exception to this rule is when the boss himself calls a soldier in; this may be because the soldier's capo has fallen into disfavor and the boss wants him killed.[citation needed][3]
A soldier has the responsibilities of all made men. He must vow to stay loyal to the Mafia for life and earn his superiors money. Whenever he is called for by his superiors, he must oblige without reservation. He must also never cooperate with authorities in any way and must serve out prison sentences without complaint. In exchange for their loyalty they have full access to their crime family's protection, power and connections. His organization is also expected to look after his family and sometimes pay for legal fees if he serves a prison sentence.[citation needed]
Like an associate, a soldier is required to pay tribute to the captain for the privilege of being able to operate. However, he does not have to give as much money from his criminal endeavors as an associate.[4] He must have enough success in his schemes to remain in favor with his superiors and avoid becoming a liability. Some associates become soldiers because of their usefulness in strong arm work, but even they must demonstrate an ability to earn money. A soldier will be given profitable rackets to run by his superiors, but for the most part they must also generate money on their own.[citation needed]
Not all soldiers are treated equally within the family. A soldier is respected and treated according to the profits that his rackets generate and the loyalty that he shows to his family. A boss's son, like Alphonse Persico of the Colombo crime family, may be a soldier, but all family members and mobsters from other families know from early on that he is being groomed for bigger things.[5] Another soldier might be a great money earner and report directly to the boss, like Gambino crime family soldier Robert DiBernardo did in the 1980s when Paul Castellano was boss. Others, like the Chicago Outfit's Felix Alderisio in the 1950s, are greatly respected for their crafty ruthlessness.[5]
Soldiers can be virtually broke, just managing to earn enough cash to live day-to-day.[5] Aside from any rackets that are given to them (which can vary in profitability depending on the strength of their crime family), they are often left to survive on their own means. Unlike their superiors, they do not have made men beneath them to generate revenue for them. However, they are now better positioned to organize and lead their own group of associates and wannabes eager to prove their worth.[4] Often, they live lavish and extravagant lifestyles while not saving any legitimate money. They may also spend exorbitant sums of money on lawyer's fees while their earning ability is thwarted by incarceration or police surveillance. They can also be millionaires through their own prowess by having full access to their family's business/political connections, making them powers in their own right. For example, John Baudanza, a soldier in the Lucchese crime family, was able to make millions from running a pump and dump scam with his crew. Soldier Ralph Scopo of the Colombo crime family controlled a key labor union in construction and was a major player in a multimillion-dollar racketeering scheme run by the Five Families.[5] Earlier, labor racketeer and union official Anthony "Tough Tony" Anastasio, a soldier in the Mangano crime family (what is now the Gambino family), ruled the Brooklyn waterfront with an iron hand for three decades and delivered millions to the mob via kickbacks from union dues, stolen goods and payoffs.[6]
Depending on the power of the family to which they belong, they can also receive "no-show jobs" (being employed at a job and receiving pay checks without ever showing up to work) due to their crime family's infiltration of legitimate businesses like construction, waste management, etc. Ultimately, the amount of money made varies greatly from soldier to soldier.[7]
Nicodemo Domenico "Little Nicky" Scarfo Sr. was a member of the American Mafia who became the boss of the Philadelphia crime family after the deaths of Angelo Bruno and Phil Testa.
Philip Charles Testa, also known as "The Chicken Man", was an Italian-American mobster known for his brief leadership of the Philadelphia crime family of the Italian-American Mafia. He became boss of the Philadelphia crime family after the previous boss and his close friend, Angelo Bruno, was murdered by Bruno’s own consigliere, Antonio Caponigro, who, in turn, was ordered killed by The Commission for murdering a boss without permission. Testa's nickname came from his involvement in a poultry business. About a year after Bruno's death, Testa was killed by the blast of a nail bomb at his home in South Philadelphia. The assassination was allegedly ordered by Testa’s own underboss, Peter Casella, as part of the first Philadelphia Mafia War.
A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, Don, gang lord, gang boss, mob boss, kingpin, godfather,crime mentor or criminal mastermind, is a person in charge of a criminal organization.
Salvatore "Salvie" Testa, nicknamed "The Crowned Prince of the Philadelphia Mob", was an Italian-American mobster who served as a caporegime and later acting underboss for the Philadelphia crime family. Testa made his reputation as a hitman for the Philadelphia family during a period of internal gang conflict. The son of former boss Philip “The Chicken Man” Testa, Salvatore Testa was an emerging figure in the mob until he was killed on the orders of boss Nicodemo Scarfo.
In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the oath of omertà, the Mafia code of silence and code of honor. After the induction ceremony, the associate becomes a "made man" and holds the rank of soldier in the Mafia hierarchy. Made men are the only ones who can rise through the ranks of the Mafia, from soldier to caporegime, consigliere, underboss, and boss.
Michael DiLeonardo is a former Italian-American mobster who rose to position of caporegime in the Gambino crime family. In the early 2000s DiLeonardo turned government witness and decided to cooperate with the FBI and managed to convict over 80 mobsters. He was temporarily in a witness protection program.
Vincent DiNapoli was a caporegime in the Genovese crime family, involved in labor racketeering. DiNapoli is best known for creating a cartel in the 1970s that controlled the price of drywall in New York City.
Tino "T" Fiumara, also known as "The Greek," was a major figure in the Genovese crime family and was acting boss. Since the 1980s, he had been the leader of the Genovese New Jersey faction in northern New Jersey. After his final release from prison Fiumara lived on Long Island.
Nicodemo Salvatore "Nicky" Scarfo Jr., sometimes known by the nicknames "Junior", "Nick Promo", and "Mr. Apple" is an American mobster and a member of the Lucchese crime family. Scarfo Jr. is the son of former Philadelphia crime family boss Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo Sr.
Nicholas Angelo "Nicky Mouth" Santora was the reputed underboss of the Bonanno crime family.
The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Philadelphia Mafia, the Philly Mob or Philly Mafia, the Philadelphia-South Jersey Mafia, or Bruno-Scarfo family is an Italian-American Mafia family based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed and based in South Philadelphia, the criminal organization primarily operates in various areas and neighborhoods in Philadelphia, the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area and New Jersey, especially South Jersey. The family is notorious for its violence, due in particular to its succession of violent bosses and multiple mob wars.
Joseph Anthony "Uncle Joe" Ligambi is an American mobster and former acting boss of the Philadelphia crime family. Ligambi is known among law enforcement circles to have a more "old school" approach, in sharp contrast to boss Joseph Merlino's, flamboyant, high-profile style. Ligambi was credited by the Philadelphia Police Department's Criminal Intelligence Unit with "quietly bringing stability back to the troubled Philadelphia-South Jersey branch of the American Mafia" during the 2000s. The New York Mafia families have been pleased with Ligambi and his approach, as well as his ability to turn the Philadelphia crime family back into a stable group.
Philadelphia's Greek Mob, also known as the Philadelphia Greek Mafia or simply the Greek Mafia, are a low-profile criminal organization of ethnic Greek Americans in Philadelphia with alleged connections to the Italian Philadelphia crime family and the Greek Velentzas crime family of New York city.
The Lucchese crime family is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, in the United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia. Members refer to the organization as the Lucchese borgata; borgata is Mafia slang for criminal gang, which itself was derived from Sicilian word meaning close-knit community. The members of other crime families sometimes refer to Lucchese family members as "Lukes".
The Genovese crime family's New Jersey faction is a group of Italian-American mobsters within the Genovese crime family who control organized crime activities within the state of New Jersey. The New Jersey faction is divided into multiple crews each led by a different caporegimes who oversees illegal criminal activities in labor racketeering, illegal gambling, loansharking and extortion. Since the prohibition era the Genovese family's New Jersey faction has maintained a strong presence in the Northern Jersey area. A number of members within the New Jersey faction like Guarino "Willie" Moretti, Gerardo "Jerry" Catena and Louis "Bobby" Manna held positions within the administration of the Genovese family. From the 1990s until his death in 2010, Tino "the Greek" Fiumara was one of the most powerful caporegimes in the New Jersey faction.
This is a glossary of words related to the Mafia, primarily the Italian American Mafia and Sicilian Mafia.
administration: the top-level "management" of an organized crime family -- the boss, underboss and consigliere.
associate: one who works with mobsters, but hasn't been asked to take the vow of Omertà; an almost confirmed, or made guy.
bagman: a person or paymaster designated to collect or distribute illicitly gained money.
barone: a baron or landlord.
books, the: a phrase indicating membership in the family. If there is a possibility for promotion, then the books are open. If not, the books are closed.
boss: the head of the family who runs the show. He decides who gets made and who gets whacked. The boss also gets points from all family business; also see don, chairman.
bridge: threat of death; e.g. "our former friend is walking across the bridge".
button or becoming a button man: a mafia hit man; or someone who has become a made man.
capo: the family member who leads a crew; short for caporegime or capodecina.
capo dei capi: "boss of all [the] bosses" is a phrase used mainly by the media, public and the law enforcement community to indicate a supremely powerful crime boss in the Sicilian or American Mafia who holds great influence over the whole organization.
captain: a capo.
cement shoes: a method of murder or body disposal, usually associated with criminals such as the Mafia or gangs. It involves weighting down the victim, who may be dead or alive, with concrete and throwing them into water in the hope the body will never be found.
clip: to murder; also to whack, hit, pop, burn, ice, put a contract out on.
code of silence: not ratting on one's colleagues once one has been pinched -- no longer a strong virtue in organized crime families. Also, see omertà.
comare: literally "godmother" in Southern Italian slang, usually pronounced "goomah" or "goomar" in American English: a Mafia mistress.
confirm: to be made; see made guy.
connected guy: an associate
consigliere: the family adviser, who is always consulted before decisions are made.
Cosa Nostra (Our thing): mob term for the family or Mafia
crank: speed; in particular, crystal meth.
crew: the group of soldiers under the capo's command.
cugine: a young soldier striving to be made.
don: the head of the family; see boss.
earner: a member who brings in much money for the family.
eat alone: to keep for oneself; to be greedy.
family: an organized crime clan.
forget about it (often pronounced "fuggedaboutit"): An exclamation; as the title character explains in Donnie Brasco:
"Forget about it" is, like, if you agree with someone, you know, like "Raquel Welch is one great piece of ass. Forget about it!" But then, if you disagree, like "A Lincoln is better than a Cadillac? Forget about it!" You know? But then, it's also like if something's the greatest thing in the world, like, "Minchia! Those peppers! Forget about it!" But it's also like saying "Go to hell!" too. Like, you know, like "Hey Paulie, you got a one-inch pecker?" and Paulie says "Forget about it!" Sometimes it just means "Forget about it."
G: a grand; a thousand dollars; also see large.
garbage business: euphemism for organized crime.
Golden Age: The days before RICO.
Goodfella: A member of the Mafia.
goomar or goomah: Americanized form of comare, a Mafia mistress.
goombah: an associate, especially a senior member of a criminal gang.
heavy: packed, carrying a weapon.
hit: to murder; also see whack.
initiation or induction: becoming a made man.
juice: the interest paid to a loan shark for the loan; also see vig.
kick up: give a part of the income to the next up in the command chain.
lam: To lay down, go into hiding.
large: a thousand, a grand, a G.
LCN : abbreviation for La Cosa Nostra.
lupara bianca: a journalistic term to indicate a Mafia slaying done in such a way that the victim's body is never found.
made man: an inducted member of the family.
make one's bones: gain credibility by killing someone.
mock execution: to whip someone into shape by frightening them.
mattresses, going to, taking it to, or hitting the: going to war with a rival clan or family.
message job: placing the bullet in someone's body such that a specific message is sent to that person's crew or family; see through the eye and through the mouth.
mob, the: a single organized crime family; or all organized crime families together.
mobbed up: connected to the mob.
mobster: one who is in the mob.
oath: becoming inducted as a made man.
Omertà: to take a vow of silence in the Mafia, punishable by death if not upheld.
one-way ride or taking someone for a ride: underworld for an execution method
outfit: a clan, or family within the Mafia.
pass: A reprieve from being whacked.
paying tribute: giving the boss a cut of the deal.
pinched: to get caught by the cops or federal agents.
points: percent of income; cut.
program, the: The Witness Protection Program.
rat: someone who turns informant, snitches or squeals after having been pinched.
RICO: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Passed in 1970 to aid the American government in clamping down on organized crime activities, its scope has since been broadened to prosecute insider traders.
shakedown: to blackmail or try to get money from someone; also to give someone a scare.
shy: the interest charged on loans by loan sharks.
shylock business: the business of loansharking.
sitdown: a meeting, esp. with another family.
soldier: the bottom-level member of an organized crime family who is made.
spring cleaning: cleaning up, hiding or getting rid of evidence.
tax: to take a percentage of someone's earnings.
The Commission and the Sicilian Mafia Commission: two bodies, Italian-American and the Sicilian respectively, of leading Mafia members to decide on important questions concerning the actions of, and settling disputes within the Mafia.
This Thing of Ours (Cosa Nostra): a mob family, or the entire mob.
through the eye: a message job through the eye to say "We're watching you!"
through the mouth: a message job through the mouth to indicate that someone WAS a rat.
underboss: the second in command to the boss.
vig: Vigorish abbr. the house's or bookie's take in gambling or the interest paid to a loan shark for the loan; also see juice.
waste management business: euphemism for organized crime.
whack: to murder; also clip, hit, pop, burn, put a contract out.
wiseguy: a made man.
zips: is a slang term often used as a derogatory slur by Italian American and Sicilian American mobsters in reference to newer immigrant Sicilian and Italian mafiosi.
Raymond "Long John" Martorano was an Italian-American mobster who was a made man and soldato in the Italian-American Philadelphia Crime Family. He is notable for his role in the methamphetamines trade, as well as his relations with several notable members of the city's underworld. He was also a valuable asset to the Philadelphia Italian-American Mafia due to his earning capacity and his connections with the K&A Gang, Chelsais Bouras and the Philadelphia Greek Mob, the Pagans MC, the Warlocks MC, and the Junior Black Mafia.
References
↑ "Mafia Org Chart". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
↑ Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia (3rded.). New York NY 10001: Facts On File, Inc. pp.55–57. ISBN0-8160-5694-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
