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Description Organized Crime 10th Edition by Howard Abadinsky – Test Bank Sample Questions Instant Download With Answers CHAPTER THREE The American Mafia Test Bank
MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
The ____________ emerged in the nineteenth-century New York as a lawful fraternal society designed to advance the interests of Sicilian immigrants. Unione Siciliana La Cosa Nostra Mafia None of these
ANS: A
2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
LO: 1
Which of the following was a struggle for domination in New York? Italian War Castellammarese War Mafia War Murder, Inc.
ANS: B
3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
REF: 47
LO: 2
REF: 47 | 48
Which of the following was involved in the Castellammarese War? The Maranzano group The Masseria group Both a and b None of these
ANS: C
4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
LO: 2
At the center of the American Mafia Family patron-client network is: the Boss the sottocapo the consigliere the made-man
ANS: A
5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
LO: 3 | 6
REF: 49
In the New York Model, the crime unit is tied together in a network that includes which of the following? nonmember associates members captains all of these
ANS: D
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
ANS: C
7.
REF: 47
LO: 6
REF: 49 | 50 | 51
Who surrounds the captains? clients the crime unit soldiers none of these
LO: 6
REF: 50
Members of an organization who are not necessarily guided by their organization’s goals, but share a common interest in the survival of the system are considered members of: 8. a unilateral system 9. a hierarchical system 10. a bureaucratic system 11. a natural system
ANS: D
8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
ANS: B
LO: 6
REF: 50
In New York, an organized crime group is referred to as ___________. The Outfit a Family Il Gruppo The Office:
LO: 6
REF: 51
9.
Which of the following demonstrate their value to the Family with financial success? 10. Earners 11. Shooters 12. Both a and b 13. None of these
ANS: A
LO: 6
REF: 53
10.
Members and associates are organized into ___________, semi-independent units nominally headed by a caporegime, a capodecina, a street boss, or even a soldier. 11. compadres 12. crews 13. compartments 14. comrads
ANS: B
11.
LO: 6
REF: 55
With the deaths of Masseria and Maranzano, __________ became the most important Italian OC figure in New York. 12. Lucky Luciano 13. Frank Costello 14. Vito Genovese 15. John Gotti
ANS: A
LO: 2
REF: 48
12.
According to the text, New York OC bosses are linked in a rather informal arrangement known as: 13. the crew 14. the confederacy 15. the commission 16. the conglomeration
ANS: C
LO: 3 | 6
REF: 59
13.
Which of the following has made the position of boss less desirable than in the past? 14. Increased surveillance 15. Increased prosecution 16. Both a and b 17. None of these
ANS: C
14. 15. 16. 17. 18.
ANS: A
15. 16. 17. 18. 19.
LO: 3
REF: 58
The role of the Boss is to: resolve disputes make money recruit new members hire organizers
LO: 1 | 3 | 6
REF: 57 | 58
In what year was Chicago incorporated as a town? 1800 1833 1853 1870
ANS: B
LO: 3
REF: 60
16.
The origins of OC in Chicago can be traced to the mayoralty election of 1873, in which ___________ backed the victorious candidate for mayor. 17. Big Bill Thompson 18. John Coughlin 19. Mike McDonald 20. Michael Kenna
ANS: C
17. 18. 19. 20. 21.
ANS: B
18. 19. 20. 21. 22.
ANS: A
LO: 3
REF: 61
__________ began his political career as a rubber in the exclusive Palmer Baths. Big Bill Thompson John Coughlin Mike McDonald Michael Kenna
LO: 3
REF: 61
What was key to the power of Kenna and Coughlin? Delivering the vote Cornering the drug market Cornering the gambling market All of these
LO: 3
REF: 63
19.
Following the election of ______________ as mayor of Chicago in 1915, the spoils system swept over the city like a noxious blight, and city hall became a symbol for corruption and incompetence. 20. Big Bill Thompson 21. John Coughlin 22. Mike McDonald 23. Michael Kenna
ANS: A
LO: 3
REF: 62
20.
In 1902, _____________ married a brothel keeper and began to manage her business. 21. Capone 22. Torrio 23. Giancana 24. Colosimo
ANS: D
21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
ANS: B
LO: 4
REF: 63
Who did Colosimo leave in charge of his operations? Capone Torrio Giancana Colosimo, Jr.
LO: 4
REF: 64
22.
With the coming of ___________, the personnel of organized vice took the lead in the systematic organization of this new and profitable field of exploitation. 23. Prohibition 24. immigration 25. Both a and b 26. None of these
ANS: A
LO: 4
REF: 64
23.
Eventually, Capone moved his headquarters from Chicago to _________, where he took over the Hawthorne Inn. 24. Cicero 25. Boston 26. Evanston 27. Las Vegas
ANS: A
LO: 4
REF: 65
24. 25. 26. 27. 28.
Who was supposed to be the victim of the St. Valentine’s Day massacre? Capone Torrio O’Banion Bugs Moran
ANS: D
LO: 4 | 5
REF: 67
25.
The most important event for Capone was a 1927 U. S. Supreme Court decision ____________ that upheld the Internal Revenue Service’s contention that even unlawful income was subject to income taxes. 26. United States v. Sullivan 27. Gregg v. Georgia 28. Lewis v. Wilkinson 29. Tennessee v. Garner
ANS: A
26. 27. 28. 29. 30.
LO: 4
REF: 69
As an adolescent, ___________ served as a gunman for Al Capone. Nitti Torrio Giancana Colosimo
ANS: C
LO: 4
REF: 70
TRUE/FALSE
1.
Among the Italian immigrants were mafiosi who established protection regimes in every American city that had a sizable Sicilian population.
ANS: T
LO: 1
REF: 47
2.
The struggle for domination of Italian-American OC in New York became known as the Castellammarese War because Maranzano and many of his supporters came from the small Sicilian coastal town of Castellammare del Golfo.
ANS: T
3.
5.
REF: 50 | 59
LO: 1 | 3 | 6
REF: 51
By 2004, the heads of all five Families were incarcerated.
ANS: T
LO: 3 | 6
REF: 49
When millions of Italians immigrated to the United States in the late 19 th and early 20th centuries, social and economic circumstances available to them were bleak and hostile.
ANS: T
7.
LO: 3 | 6
Although any number of members may be related, the term Family does not imply kinship by blood or marriage.
ANS: T
6.
REF: 47 | 48
In the New York model of the American Mafia, each of the bosses is entirely disconnected from every other.
ANS: F
4.
LO: 2
LO: 1
REF: 46
Until Mike McDonald, gambling had been rather unorganized in Chicago and so were politics.
ANS: T
LO: 4 | 6
REF: 61
8.
The Capone Organization can best be described not as a hierarchy directed by Al Capone but rather as a senior partnership involving four men, who in turn entered into a variety of partnerships to run specific enterprises.
ANS: T
9.
REF: 63
LO: 1
REF: 64
“Diamond Jim” Colosimo was reluctant to get into bootlegging because he was fearful of federal enforcement efforts.
ANS: T
12.
LO: 3 | 4
After Colosimo’s death, Capone succeeded to the First Ward based Italian ‘syndicate’ throne, which he occupied until his retirement in 1925.
ANS: F
11.
REF: 69
Colosimo opened several brothels and a string of gambling houses.
ANS: T
10.
LO: 4
LO: 4
REF: 64
Bugs Moran was not in the warehouse at the time, even though the “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” had been arranged in his honor.
ANS: T
13.
ANS: T
LO: 4
REF: 67
In 1931, Capone was found guilty of income-tax evasion.
LO: 4
REF: 69
14.
The Capone Organization can be described as hierarchical.
ANS: T
15.
LO: 3
REF: 69
The Outfit’s political base in the First Ward has been destroyed.
ANS: T
LO: 14 | 5
REF: 74
FILL IN THE BLANK 1.
Between 1891 and 1920, 4 million Italians entered the United States. Most came from the area south of Rome—in particular, Sicily, Naples, and its surrounding Campania area, and the province of Calabria . This area is called the ___________.
ANS: Mezzogiorno
2.
LO: 1
LO: 1 | 2
REF: 47
At the center of the universe of an American Mafia unit is the ____________.
ANS: boss
5.
REF: 47
By 1930, there were two major Mafia factions in New York, one headed by ______________ operating out of the Little Italy of East Harlem, and the other by ______________ whose business office was in midtown Manhattan.
ANS: Giuseppe Masseria, Salvatore Maranzano
4.
REF: 46
The _____________ emerged in 19th century New York as a lawful fraternal society designed to advance the interests of Sicilian immigrants.
ANS: Unione Siciliana
3.
LO: 1
LO: 3
REF: 49
The conflict that arose in 1930 between the two major Mafia factions in New York is known as ____________.
ANS: Castellamarese War
6.
LO: 4
REF: 71
LO: 4
REF: 60
The origins of OC in Chicago can be traced to mayoralty election of 1873, in which __________________ backed the victorious candidate for mayor.
ANS: Mike McDonald
10.
REF: 64
Chicago is remarkable for the extent to which persons of various ethnicities have been integrated into the dominant criminal organization, now known as ___________
ANS: the Outfit
9.
LO: 4
The Chicago Outfit is organized on the basis of separate
ANS: street crews
8.
REF: 47
_____________ once worked as an assistant to Johnny Torrio.
ANS: Al Capone
7.
LO: 2
LO: 4
REF: 61
Capone moved his headquarters from Chicago to __________ where he took over the Hawthorne Inn.
ANS: Cicero
LO: 4
REF: 65
ESSAY 1.
What historical factors are related to the prominence of Italians in OC in the US?
ANS: Millions of Italian immigrants arrived in the US between 1891 and 1920, at the peak (soon to wane) of the Robber Baron era, and at the inception of Prohibition. The children grew up in desperate slums. The Irish immigrants who came before them already controlled the political and economic spheres. In order to beat rival organizations, criminals of Sicilian descent reproduced the kind of illegal groups they had belonged to in the old country. Italian Prime Minister Mussolini persecuted the mafia in Italy and many came to the US. These factors converged with the opportunities for illegal gain provided by Prohibition to create Italian American organized crime prominence.
LO: 1
2.
REF: 46
Explain the role of the boss in the New York model of Italian organized crime.
ANS: The boss—the paterfamilias is at the center of the structure. The structure resembles a model of the universe; the boss is surrounded by clients, for example, captains (capiregime), to whom he acts as a patron.
LO: 6
3.
REF: 49
State the main points about the origin and ending of the Castellammarese War and tell what developed in the immediate aftermath.
ANS: The Castellammarese War was a struggle between two factions of Italian American organized crime in New York during and after Prohibition. The conflict was in part between the old country “moustaches” and younger fellows who were Americanized. The war ended when the leaders of both factions were murdered and Lucky Luciano emerged as the most important Italian Mafia figure in New York.
LO: 2
REF: 47 | 48
4.
How does an individual become a member of a Mafia Family? Describe the process, from recruitment to initiation.
ANS: To be eligible for membership, a young man (there are no female members) must be of Italian descent. The prospective member must have a sponsor and a history of successful criminal activity or possess certain skills required by the group. Every potential member is expected to participate in a murder. Initiation involves ceremonies, passwords and rituals, and rules of conduct with which members must abide. The ceremony with the boss, the consigliere, the underboss, and the captain who brings you in. They prick your trigger finger and make it bleed, and then they put a little piece of paper; they set it on fire and burn it in your hand; you repeat after them that you will never betray La Cosa Nostra, or you will burn like the paper is burning in your hand. Your life does not belong to you anymore; your life belongs to them.
LO: 3
5.
REF: 51 | 52 | 53
When reformer William Dever was elected mayor of Chicago in 1923, the system of political/police protection broke down. Describe what happened then.
ANS: Extremely violent inter-gang competition—the “Chicago Wars”—erupted. The system of political/police protection broke down, and in the ensuing confusion, Chicago became a battleground. The most significant feud was between the Torrio-Capone syndicate and rhe forces headed by O’Banion.
LO: 5
6.
REF: 66
What was Johnny Torrio’s and Al Capone’s importance in the development of organized crime in Chicago?
ANS: Torrio and Capone saw the opportunity for riches that Prohibition would present to the gangs and, on the other hand, the loss of competitive advantage to other gangs that would occur if they did not jump in. Their boss, Colosimo, did not want to participate, fearing bootlegging would bring federal law enforcement down on them. Colosimo ended up dead soon after. Torrio excelled as a master strategist and organizer and quickly built up an empire. The Torrio-Capone organization became crime overlords.
LO: 4
7.
REF: 64
Describe the structure of the American Mafia in New York.
ANS: The American Mafia in New York is a confederation of Five Families of Italian American heritage. Each Family has particular geographic and/or industry territories. Families cannot infringe on each other’s “business.” A commission consisting of representatives from the leadership of each Family is charged with settling inter-Family disputes. A Family boss or member cannot murder a boss or member of another Family. If the individual indeed needs to be “taken out,” his own Family has the right to do the job.
LO: 6
8.
REF: 49 | 50
Describe the structure of the American Mafia in Chicago.
ANS: In Chicago, the connection between politics and the dominant criminal organization has been extraordinary both for its intensity and longevity. Chicago has also been remarkable for the extent to which persons of various ethnicity have been integrated into the dominant criminal organization, now known as “The Outfit.” The nature of OC in Chicago is intimately intertwined with politics. It started with Mike McDonald, the gambling boss of Chicago, demonstrated that under effective leadership the gamblers, liquor interests, and brothel keepers could be welded into a formidable political power.
LO: 6
9.
REF: 72 | 73
What happens—how does the public react—when organized crime violence escalates? Does the public become more tolerant or less tolerant of the organized crime group, and why?
ANS: When organized crime is not noticeably violent in a community, people are likely to perceive it as helpful. It performs some quasi-police functions, keeping street crime down, and provides some cultural enjoyments such as gambling and prostitution (enjoyable for some). But when violence escalates, the public loses its tolerance for organized crime and demands reform. The sentence, “Gang wars are bad for business,” indicates that organized crime group leaders are aware of the public’s dislike of escalating violence.
LO: 5
10.
REF: 67
What was Italian immigrant life like in New York City in the early 1900s?
ANS: By early 1900, about 500,000 (mostly southern) Italians lived in New York City, in the most deprived social and economic circumstances. Italian immigration transformed the neighborhood into a kind of human ant heap in which suffering, crime, ignorance, and filth were the dominant elements. The Italian immigrant provided the cheap labor.
LO: 1
REF: 46
CHAPTER FIVE Italian Organized Crime and the Albanian Connection Test Bank
MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
The southern Italians developed an ideal of: manliness omertá vendetta all of these
ANS: D
2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
LO: 1
REF: 106
Members of the Mafia refer to the organization as _____________? Omertá Vendetta Cosa Nostra Capo di Famiglia
ANS: C
3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
LO: 4
Which one of the following statements is false? Mafia is a state of mind. Mafia is a secret criminal organization. The mafia originated in Sicily. Mafia is a way of life.
ANS: B
4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
LO: 2
REF: 108 | 109
Every Mafioso demands what? Extortion money Rispetto Capomafioso Blood money
ANS: B
5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
REF: 113
LO: 2 | 4
REF: 111
At the end of World War II, which group emerged? The Outfit The Firm The Nuovo Mafia The Mezzogiorno
ANS: C
LO: 4
REF: 113 | 114 | 115
6.
Which historical figure’s rise had important implications for the Mafia and ItalianAmerican organized crime? 7. Stalin 8. Hitler 9. Pope John IX 10. Mussolini
ANS: D
LO: 3
REF: 112
7.
To which crimes did the Cosa Nostra resort to accumulate the capital necessary to be a player in the heroin and cocaine marketplaces? 8. Extortion and smuggling 9. Murder hits and money laundering 10. Robbery and kidnapping 11. Prostitution and gambling
ANS: C
LO: 4
REF: 125
8.
According to Barzini, which level of organization within the Mafia consists of a group of several families who come together to form a cosca? 9. The first level 10. The second level 11. The third level 12. The fourth level
ANS: B
LO: 4
REF: 109
9.
Which of the following has become a primary alternative to traditional Balkan smuggling routes through the former Yugoslavia? 10. The Mezzogiorno 11. The Puglia (Apulia) region at the heel of the Italian boot 12. Albania 13. Sicily
ANS: C
10. 11. 12. 13. 14.
ANS: A
LO: 8
REF: 127
In Sicily, at least how many people are directly tied to the Mafia? 500,000 1 million 2 million 3 million
LO: 4
REF: 116
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
To a mafioso, rispetto is: a demonstration of affection a show of good manners an acknowledgement of power a representation of protection
ANS: C
12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
LO: 2 | 4
What does the word cosca refer to? the globe’s heart friends of friends a broker the leaves of an artichoke
ANS: D
13. 14. 15. 16. 17.
LO: 4
LO: 4
REF: 115
The New Mafia is divided into about how many cosche? 18 180 1800 18,000
ANS: B
LO: 4
15. What does the term camorra mean? 16. “honorable thieves” b “contestation” 1.
REF: 109
The New Mafia has a membership in excess of how many members? 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000
ANS: A
14. 15. 16. 17. 18.
REF: 111
“secret”
REF: 115
2.
ANS: B
“brotherhood”
LO: 5
REF: 119
16.
An estimated three-quarters of what product sold in Naples originate in the black market? 17. cigarettes 18. guns 19. blue jeans 20. gasoline
ANS: A
LO: 5
REF: 120
17.
During the postwar era, many Sicilian Mafiosi were forced into “internal exile” to live in which of the following cities? 18. Naples 19. Rome 20. Florence 21. Venice
ANS: A
LO: 3 | 4 | 5
REF: 120
18.
Which of the following rules a collection of some of the most ruthless Camorra clans in Naples? 19. a priest 20. a Mafioso 21. a woman 22. the mayor of the city
ANS: B
19. 20. 21. 22. 23.
ANS: C
LO: 1
REF: 121
To the Camorra, which of the following is crucial? omertà secrecy territorial control religious ideology
LO: 5
REF: 123
20. 21. 22. 23. 24.
The principal industry of the Neapolitan Camorra was: kidnapping burglary extortion international arms smuggling
ANS: C
21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
LO: 5
Members of the ‘Ndrangheta must do what to be admitted? cut off a finger tattoo most of their bodies take a blood oath commit five murders
ANS: C
22. 23. 24. 25. 26.
LO: 6
REF: 123
The ‘Ndrangheta exhibits its criminal skills in all but which of the following? kidnapping vast-scale international arms trafficking extortion all of these
ANS: D
23. 24. 25. 26. 27.
REF: 119
LO: 6
REF: 125
Salvatore Riina is known by what name? “the Policeman” “the Butcher” “the Bull” “the Beast”
ANS: D
LO: 4
REF: 115
24.
_______ are very violent; their major source of income derives from trafficking in economic migrants, women, children, drugs, contraband, weapons, and automobiles. 25. Italian Crime Groups 26. Mexican Crime Groups 27. Albanian Crime Groups 28. American Crime Groups
ANS: C
25. 26. 27. 28. 29.
LO: 9
Which of the following is not a type of criminal organization in Italy? The Mafia The ‘Ndrangheta The Neapolitan Camorra The Outfit
ANS: D
26. 27. 28. 29. 30.
ANS: C
REF: 127
LO: 1
REF: 106
In 1860, Italy was freed of foreign rule and united by: Giuseppe Garibaldi Luciana Leggio Salvatore Riina Vito Genovese
LO: 1 | 2
REF: 108
27.
Which of the following means protection against the arrogance of the powerful, remedy to any damage, sturdiness of body, strength and serenity of spirit, and the best and most exquisite part of life? 28. Omertá 29. Mafia 30. Cosa Nostra 31. Capo di Famiglia
ANS: B
LO: 1 | 2
REF: 109
28. 29. 30. 31. 32.
Who did Mussolini send to take down the Mafia? Luiana Leggio Prefect Cesare Mori Vito Genovese Giuseppe Garibaldi
ANS: B
29. 30. 31. 32. 33.
LO: 3
REF: 112
Which of the following was the last of the old-style capomafiosi? Don Calò Luiana Leggio Vito Genovese Giuseppe Garibaldi
ANS: A
LO: 4
REF: 113
TRUE/FALSE 1.
Mussolini’s rise to power in the 1920s had important implications for the Mafia and Italian-American organized crime.
ANS: T
2.
REF: 112
The end of World War II brought a Mafia renaissance in the United States as a vacuum in local leadership was filled by former capomafiosi.
ANS: F
3.
LO: 3
LO: 3
REF: 113
While burglary and other remunerative felonies were not neglected, extortion was the Camorra’s principal industry.
ANS: T
LO: 5
REF: 119
4.
The Mafia has little voting strength in Sicily.
ANS: F 5.
LO: 4
The cosca’s rigid organization makes it an inflexible bureaucracy.
ANS: F
6.
LO: 4
LO: 4
REF: 117 | 118
As a result of the assassinations of government officials, the New Mafia has gained the support of important elements of Italian society.
ANS: F
8.
LO: 4
REF: 117
The New Mafia has a membership in excess of five thousand.
ANS: T
9.
REF: 109 | 110
Excesses at home, a vigorous government response, and the increasing number of informers have weakened the Mafia.
ANS: T
7.
REF: 116
LO: 1
REF: 115
A collection of some of the most ruthless Camorra clans in Naples is ruled by a woman.
ANS: T
LO: 1
REF: 121
FILL IN THE BLANK 1.
______________ is a Sicilian-Arabic term meaning to protect and to act as guardian.
ANS: Mafia
2.
LO: 6
LO: 4
REF: 113
The New Mafia continues the ______________ which is the collection of protection money from large and small businesses.
LO: 4
REF: 114
The traditional Mafia pursued ________________, not wealth.
ANS: power
8.
REF: 113
The New Mafia is also known as ______________.
ANS: pizzu
7.
REF: 123
LO: 3 | 4
ANS: Cosa Nostra
6.
REF: 112
The Nuovo Mafia emerged after ______________.
ANS: World War II
5.
LO: 3
The members of the ‘Ndrangheta are governed by the concept of _____________.
ANS: omerta 4.
REF: 109
______________rise to power in the 1920s had important implications for the Mafia and Italian-American organized crime.
ANS: Mussolini’s
3.
LO: 2
LO: 1 | 2
REF: 117
The Mezzogiornio was dependent on _______________ and had a legacy of political, social, and economic repression and exploitation.
ANS: agriculture
9.
LO: 1
REF: 106
___________ play important roles in business operations in the Sacra Corona Unita.
ANS: women
10.
LO: 1
REF: 126
The ___________ was deliberately structured as a criminal society.
ANS: Camorra
LO: 1
REF: 119
ESSAY 1.
Explain the following statement: Mafia is a state of mind, a way of life – not a secret criminal organization.
ANS: Mafia is shared by all Sicilians, the honest and the criminal: “they must aid each other, side with their friends, and fight the common enemies even when the friends are wrong and the enemies are right; each must defend his dignity at all costs and never allow the smallest slight to go unavenged; they must keep secrets and beware of official authorities and laws.”
LO: 1 | 2
2.
REF: 109
Discuss why Mussolini’s rise to power in the 1920s had important implications for the Mafia and Italian-American organized crime.
ANS: Mussolini sought to destroy the Mafia. The campaign against the Mafia drove some important mafiosi out of Sicily. They traveled to the United States at an opportune time, during the Prohibition era, and took up important positions in a newly emerging form of organized crime.
LO: 3
REF: 112
3.
Discuss two or three differences between the Nuovo Mafia and the “Old Mafia.”
ANS: Agrarian reform in Italy broke up the landed estates and did away with the traditional capomafioso who lived off agricultural profits, theft of cattle, control over water supplies, and peasant labor. “The new Mafia was making deals in luxury hotels, in the offices of multinational corporations, and the well-appointed studies of politicians” (Costanzo 2007: 139). They were becoming increasingly urban–by 1987, there were eighteen cosche in Palermo (Maran 2008).
LO: 4
4.
REF: 114
Discuss the relationship between politics and the Mafia in Sicily.
ANS: Italy is home to three world powers: the Italian government, the Catholic Church, and the Mafia, of which the government is the feeblest. Mafia voting strength is based on the circle of family and friends that each mafioso can deliver.
LO: 4
5.
REF: 116
How has the Nuovo Mafia contributed to the decline of the Mafia in Sicily?
ANS: Since 1971, the Nuovo Mafia has assassinated investigative, judicial, and political officials. This violence alienated the Catholic church and the people, and brought government forces to bear against the mafia.
LO: 4
6.
REF: 117
What is the Albanian connection to Italian organized crime?
ANS: Since 1992, ethnic Albanian organized crime groups have profited greatly from instability and war in the Balkans to become the fastest growing ethnic criminal presence in Europe, with operations reaching as far as Australia and the United States (LaVerle et al. 2003). Albanian influence in the Mezzogiorno dates back to the migration of Albanians driven from their country by the Ottoman invasion in the fifteenth century.
Known as arbresheri, many settled in Calabria and Sicily where they quickly integrated with the existing culture of southern Italy (Bequai 1979). Once the most isolated country in Europe, Albania became a haven for local and foreign criminal groups after the collapse of its Stalinist regime in the early 1990s.
LO: 8 | 9
7.
REF: 126 | 127 | 128 | 129
What is the organizational structure of the ’Ndrangheta?
ANS: ‘Ndrangheta is a loose federation of mafia families. Clans are based on blood ties, allowing for a high degree of internal cohesion which protects against informants.
LO: 6
8.
REF: 124
What is omertá? Define the term’s meaning in southern Italy region of Mezzogiorno and briefly tell its implications for men in that region.
ANS: Omertá is the southern Italian ideal of manliness. It includes non-cooperation with authorities (vow of silence), self-control in the face of adversity, and the vendetta —“blood washes blood”—which dictated that any offense or slight to the famiglia (family) had to be avenged, no matter what the consequences or how long it took.
LO: 1
9.
REF: 106
What is a famiglia in the culture of the Mezzogiorno? Who are the members of a famiglia?
ANS: A famiglia s composed of all of one’s blood relatives; including all relatives Americans would consider very distant cousins, aunts, and uncles, an extended clan whose genealogy was traced through paternity. The clan was supplemented through an important comparático or comparaggio (godparenthood), through which carefully
selected outsiders became, to an important (but incomplete) extent, members of the family.
LO: 1
10.
REF: 106
Why do Albanian transnational organized crime groups prefer to reside in Albania, when they could live in Italy or elsewhere around the world?
ANS: In Albania, they benefit from a weak and corrupt justice system. “Albania is an origin and transit country. The criminal elements can take advantage of the instability, corruption and lack of organization and resources of the Albanian law enforcement entities. Illicit funds are laundered back into Albania from abroad to purchase and develop choice properties suspiciously acquired during the privatization program.”
LO: 9
REF: 127
