Whiskey and Wine (A Sequel)

Roles

The Boss
At the top of the pile is the boss. A boss makes all the major decisions and all the Mafia income ultimately came to him. His authority was required to control the Mafia members and to resolve any disputes. In the late 20th century and even today, the real boss keeps a low-profile and assigns an acting boss to keep his real identity hidden from the likes of the press, and the FBI. 

The Consigliere
In-between the boss and underboss is a role of an advisor to the boss. The Consigliere as they are more commonly called are there to make impartial decisions based upon fairness and for the good of the Mafia. They Consigliere never really gets involved in the business and criminal operations but they still get respected as if they were a boss.

The Underboss
Just below the boss is the underboss. The underboss is the second in command, although the amount of power he holds can vary. Some underbosses resolve disputes without involving the boss himself. Some underbosses are groomed to replace the boss if he is old or in danger of going to jail.

Caporegime
A Caporegime is sometimes referred to as the Captain or the Capo of a crime family. How many capos there are in a given family simply depends on how big that family is. The role of a Capo is to manage their own crew within the crime family, they will be given a designated geographical location to operate within, or they will be given a particular racket to run. A Capo’s career relies heavily on how much money they can bring into the family. The Capo keeps some of his earnings and the rest are passed up to the Underboss and ultimately the Boss.

Soldiers
At the bottom of the tree are soldiers or saldato, who will report to their Captain. Soldiers are street level mobsters who essentially are no more than your average type criminals and there can be many soldiers assigned to one capo. They can earn a lot or they can earn a little, but the majority won’t earn much because any money earnt is passed up the tree. They will stick their necks on the line, and a lot of soldiers can end up murdered by rival gangs or banged up in jail.

Associates
The final part of a family comes in the shape of an associate. Up until now every role within the family from Boss to Underboss, Capo to Soldier will have all been made men. However, an associate is exactly how it’s described. They are not actual members of the Mafia, but they work with Mafia soldiers and capos on various criminal enterprises. An associate is simply someone who works with the mob, including anyone from a burglar or drug dealer to a lawyer, investment banker, police officer or politician. Associates can still become made-men if they meet the criteria set out, if successful they will be promoted to a street solider, usually.