This paper examines La Cosa Nostra (LCN), the American-Italian organized crime network that dominated U.S. criminal activity from the Prohibition era through the early 1990s. The paper describes the LCN's internal hierarchy — including the boss, underboss, consigliere, capo, soldiers, and associates — explaining the roles and responsibilities at each level. It then analyzes the organization's sphere of influence, covering its former political power in major American cities, its most profitable illegal ventures such as gambling and drug trafficking, and its penetration of legitimate businesses. The paper also notes the gradual weakening of the LCN due to law enforcement pressure and competition from other organized crime groups.
The name La Cosa Nostra — also known as LCN — refers to a network of American criminal brotherhoods composed largely of individuals with Italian backgrounds. These organizations have existed in America since the early 1920s. The group is also known by other names such as "the outfit," "the mob," "the office," or simply the Italian Mafia. For over 75 years, particularly during the Prohibition era and through the early 1990s, no criminal organization held more power than the LCN. The name became synonymous with organized crime in the United States. In recent decades, however, LCN operations have been greatly weakened by law enforcement, and the organization now competes for dominance with several other organized crime groups (Finckenauer, 2001).
The hierarchical system through which the LCN operates closely resembles the formal structure found in many legitimate corporations. At the top of the hierarchy sits the boss — commonly called the Godfather — followed by the underboss, the advisor or consigliere, the caporegime (also referred to as the captain or capo), the soldiers, and finally the associates. Each rank carries specific responsibilities and privileges within the organization.
The Godfather is the overall head of the brotherhood. He is responsible for establishing the organization's rules and principles, directing its business operations, and collecting a fixed percentage of all income generated by the group. The Godfather also appoints his second-in-command, the underboss, whose primary duty is to relay new policies and directives from the Godfather to members and to report information from the membership back to the boss. The underboss also coordinates the captains and serves as a stand-in for the boss in the event of incarceration, illness, or any other incapacitating circumstance. Depending on the severity of the situation, the underboss may fill the role temporarily or permanently, potentially becoming the new Godfather (Don, 2010).
Many members of the family place great trust in the consigliere, who functions as an advisor to the brotherhood and serves as the primary mediator for resolving both internal and external disputes. He attends all major meetings and works to present the brotherhood's activities as legitimate. In some cases, the consigliere may be a well-connected political or legal figure, or a professional in law or finance, and he typically distances himself from directly criminal activities (Don, 2010).
The captain, or caporegime, is responsible for supervising a small unit of soldiers, generally numbering between six and nine members. He is expected to strictly follow all rules set by the Godfather. The captain's position is attained through an election process, after which the winner is formally inducted into the organization. All full members of the LCN — excluding associates — are formally recognized by the Godfather and his underboss. Among the captain's additional duties is the development of new revenue strategies for the brotherhood and the coordination of weekly or monthly payments to the Godfather from profits earned (Don, 2010).
The soldier holds the lowest formal rank within the LCN, yet several strict criteria must be met before an individual qualifies for the position. First, the candidate must be of Italian descent. Second, the individual must begin at the associate level and demonstrate merit to the captain, underboss, and Godfather. Third, a vacancy must exist before any candidates are considered. Finally, the candidate must be voted in as the preferred choice following interviews of all applicants, a process overseen by the underboss and Godfather (Don, 2010).
Although an associate may appear to be a full member of the LCN, they are technically not. An associate is someone who wishes to join the brotherhood or who has established an affiliation with the group by completing a number of assigned tasks. Together, associates and soldiers form the lowest tier of the American Mafia. Members at this level often interact in ways designed to avoid law enforcement detection and to keep organizational operations running smoothly. These two classes are responsible for the day-to-day business activities of the LCN, both domestically and internationally, including liaising with other criminal organizations and overseeing criminal enterprises such as drug trafficking (Don, 2010).
"Political influence, illegal ventures, and business infiltration"
La Cosa Nostra remains one of the most studied criminal organizations in American history, despite its significant decline from the peak of its power during the Prohibition era. Its clearly defined hierarchy, once a source of operational strength, has been systematically targeted by federal law enforcement. While the LCN continues to operate in various capacities, its dominance over American organized crime has given way to competition from other criminal enterprises. Understanding its structure and methods remains essential to the study of organized crime in the United States.
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