Soldato
A soldato (plural Soldati ; English soldier ) describes in Mafia groups - especially in the Sicilian Cosa Nostra and the US Cosa Nostra - the first level within the hierarchy of the organization .
Origin of name
The terms come from the hierarchy of the Sicilian Mafia. They are borrowed from the army of the Roman Empire , where the soldier profession originated under the name miles . Derived from the term sold , which goes back to the name of the Roman coin solidus , the term soldier was later established in Europe . The Italian Cosa-Nostra terminus soldato was then Americanized to soldier in the United States .
Differentiation from associate
Below the rank of Soldato there is the associate (original meaning in English: colleague, partner, companion). An associate is not a full member of the Italian-American mafia, just a candidate. But he is already bound to the mafia clan by an oath regarding the omertà . Occasionally one cannot get beyond this level in the Italian-American Mafia if one does not have an Italian or Italian-American origin. An Associate can only be promoted to Soldato if he has been on record for an undefined period of time. He must also have a mentor who is already active in the “family”. Furthermore, a capo regime must have given his approval and the family boss appointed him a soldato.
Rights and obligations
With the admission as a soldato he is subordinate to a crew (group), which is led by a capo. A crew includes associates and soldiers. This hierarchy means that the soldato never receives his orders directly from the boss, but from the capo. This makes it difficult for the law enforcement authorities to associate the boss with the everyday crime of the Soldati.
The soldato serves the family as an executive organ (English muscle ), ie it threatens, blackmailed, beats, murders, tortures and kidnaps on behalf of the family. The prerequisite for admission as a full member is at least one contract murder . If he has become a full member ( made man ) of the family as part of an initiation rite , he binds himself to the family for life with an oath. If he is a full member, he is considered untouchable within the Mafia. He may only be killed if he has violated internal mafia rules and if authorization has been granted by the management level.
On the other hand, an associate can be killed if a soldato deems it appropriate. For example, Philadelphia Family Associate Nicodemo Scarfo, Jr. was on the verge of being killed. Only through an intervention by his father Nicodemo Scarfo was he placed under the protection of the Lucchese family .
A violation of the ban on killing a soldato can result in death. An exception to the ban on killing exists if the boss thinks it is right to kill a soldato in his family. In this case he is not accountable to anyone.
A soldato has the duty to earn money and to deliver a share of his capo. Orders from his superiors should be carried out without hesitation. If he is questioned by law enforcement authorities, he has to remain silent. If he is injured or imprisoned while doing his job, the family will take care of him. The family takes care of z. B. also for legal assistance. If he is killed, the family will look after his descendants.
The respect a soldato enjoys within the family also depends on his ability to make money. Not all soldiers are treated equally. For example, the son of a boss like Alphonse Persico from the Colombo family was held in high regard because the family knew that he was called to higher things. Soldati can occasionally live on the poverty line. That depends on the power of his family and the field of activity that has been assigned to him. Soldati can also lead their own small crew with their own associates and henchmen. Soldati can get very rich. John Baudanza, soldato of the Lucchese family , made millions with an ingenious system of fraud. Soldato Ralph Scopo from the Colombo crime family controlled an important construction trade and took a Racketeering a -Business million.
Examples
The undercover Joseph Pistone got insight into the Mafia structure through his work in the Bonanno crime family . These experiences were portrayed in the film Donnie Brasco . His mentor in the mafia was the soldato Benjamin Ruggiero . The television series The Sopranos describes the career of Christopher Moltisanti from associate to soldato to capo within the family of his uncle Anthony Soprano.
Individual evidence
- ↑ [1]
- ^ A b Five Families: the Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires , by Selwyn Raab. Macmillan, 2005. ISBN 0-312-30094-8 , ISBN 978-0-312-30094-4 .
- ↑ a b Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia . Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002. ISBN 0-02-864225-2
- ↑ Rashbaum: Some Made Men Struggle to Make Ends Meet first = William K. . In: The New York Times , December 10, 2013.