Made man

A Made Man, also known as a Wiseguy, Made member or Man of Honor, is someone who has been inducted into the Mafia (La Cosa Nostra).

Overview

Traditionally, to become a "Made Man", the inductee had to be a male of 100% Italian descent. Today, to become a Made Man, the person only has to be of Italian descent on his father's side. Having an Italian surname is more important than being 100% Italian. Some examples of Made members who are not 100 percent Italian include Junior Gotti, whose mother was of Russian and Jewish descent (she was adopted by her Italian-American stepfather which is why she has an Italian maiden name, DeGiorgio), and "Cadillac" Frank Salemme, former Boss of the Patriarca Cosa Nostra family in Providence, Rhode Island, who was half Irish. Chris Rosenberg was Jewish, and always wanted to become a member of the Gambino family, but couldn't because he was not of Italian descent on his father's side.

However, so far there has been one notable exception to this rule. For instance, during the reign of Philadelphia family boss, John Stanfa, the mob family was divided into two quarreling factions, one supporting Stanfa as boss, and the other backing Joseph Merlino for boss. Merlino was mainly supported by previous members of the Philadelphia family while Stanfa, in an unusual tactic recruited for his side several men who were not of Italian heritage, including the Veasey brothers. According to the former executive director of the Pennsylvania Crime Commission, Frederick T. Martens, "Stanfa brought in people, like the Veasey brothers, who had no background in the mob but who were willing to break legs and pull a trigger". One of the Veasey brothers named John Veasey was made and became a hit man and Capo in the Stanfa faction. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE5DB123AF935A35753C1A963958260 Brother of Mob Turncoat Is Gunned Down] ]

An associate of a crime family who was in the police force or attended a police academy cannot become a made member of the Mafia. For example, DeMeo crew member Henry Borelli would never become a made man in the Gambino family as he had taken the New York Police Department (NYPD) entrance exam in the early 1970s in spite of his usefulness as an enforcer and hitman. However, an exception to this rule includes Scarfo crime family capo, Ron Previte, who was a former member of the Philadelphia police force.

In many of the more violent families, a Made Man is required to have carried out a contract killing; [http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Underboss/Peter-Maas/e/9780061096648 The Underboss] by Peter Maas] thus, murders committed for personal reasons “do not count”.

Committing one's first contracted killing is referred to as “Making Your Bones”. Until the 1980s, exceptions were made in regard to members being inducted without having made their bones; it was not until the Donnie Brasco trials, which revealed that the Mafia was about to make undercover agent Joe Pistone, that a rule was made that potential inductees must have made their bones.

When introducing one made man to another, the phrase, “a friend of ours”, [ [http://www.onewal.com/maf-glos.html#F The American Mafia - Underworld slang] ] is used indicating that he is a member and business can be discussed openly with him; however, when introducing an associate with whom business should not be mentioned, the phrase, “a friend of mine,” is used. Made men are the only ones who can rise through the ranks of La Cosa Nostra, from soldier, to Captain (or Caporegime "Capo"), to "Consigliere", "Underboss", and finally "Boss".

Induction

To become, "Made," the inductee is said to be required to take the oath of "Omertà" or, "code of silence." This ceremony allegedly involves the pricking of the trigger finger of the inductee, then dripping blood onto a picture of a Saint, typically St. Francis of Assisi or the Virgin Mary, which is then set alight in his hand and kept burning until the inductee has sworn the oath of loyalty to his new "family", "e.g.," "As this card burns, may my soul burn in Hell if I betray the oath of "Omertà", or "As burns this saint, so will burn my soul. I enter alive and I will have to get out dead". [ [http://www.thelaborers.net/lexisnexis/articles/mafia_oath_presented_for_jurors.htm Mafia oath presented for jurors] . 1991 The Hartford Courant, July 4, 1991] However, contrary to popular depictions in films, the burning of the image of the family's saint (often a tissue is substituted) is not a test of will. The paper is juggled from hand to hand by the new member and it burns so quickly that no damage is done if he juggles the burning paper.

After the ceremony the inductee is now a made man and a full member of the Mafia hierarchy, with certain responsibilities and privileges. The "Made" man now enjoys the protection of the Mafia establishment as long as he remains in favor and a previously agreed percentage of his criminal earnings are passed further up the hierarchy.

This ceremony is said to be common among the East Coast Cosa Nostra Families, while the Chicago Outfit, as well as other West Coast families, induct members with less pomp, due to fears that a police raid would discover the props and know what's going on. Although in many cases still vulnerable to police attention, in the criminal underworld the "Made" man is usually something of a protected species. Other mobsters and criminals further down the criminal food-chain know that attempting to move in on the "Made" man's “territory” or other spheres of criminal operation is strictly forbidden. If a "Made" man feels that he has such a grievance he is entitled to bring the matter up with his mafioso peers to seek satisfaction.

Privileges

To attack, let alone kill, a "Made" man for any reason without the permission of those mafiosi higher up in the organization is seen as a cardinal sin which will normally be met with severe retaliation, in many cases regardless of whether the perpetrator has a legitimate grievance. [ [http://newsmine.org/archive/security/fbis-made-mafia-man.txt The FBI's 'made' man] . Michael Heaton, Plain Dealer Reporter 08/31/03] The 'made' man was traditionally seen as untouchable by the law as well as by his fellow criminals, a man to be respected and feared.

For the majority of the 20th century in East coast families, killing a Made man would be met with two potential outcomes: a sure death to the person who killed the Made man, or a mob-war would ensue if the boss of the soldier who killed the Made man refused to give his guy up for retaliation.

An all-out mob-war is always the last resort any family wants to reach. The point of the gangster is to be earning money, not killing. When guys are in a war getting killed, the family is not only losing valuable assets to their organization, but the soldiers are forced to go into hiding; also known as "going to the mattresses"--where Mafia soldiers sleep in empty tenements or pre-arranged safe houses on cots or mattresses on floors. Only these men know the location of their hideout for safety of being found and killed by the rival gang. By "going to the mattresses" the soldiers are not on the street collecting money to kick up to the boss, which essentially is what the entire organization is all about, making money.

Footnotes

References

* Bone, James. “ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-2057660,00.html ‘Last Godfather’ breaks code of omertà as Mafia crumbles] ”, "The Times" (of London}, February 25, 2006.
* Pistone, Joe. "Way of the Wiseguy." (2004).

Steve Nugent a "made" man of California.