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Consigliere ( , ; plural ) is a position within the
leadership Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets v ...
structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and
Italian-American Mafia The American Mafia, commonly referred to in North America as the Italian American Mafia, the Mafia, or the Mob, is a highly organized Italian American criminal society and organized crime group. The organization is often referred to by its mem ...
. The word was popularized in English by the novel '' The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a consigliere is an advisor or counselor to the
boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, a ...
, with the additional responsibility of representing the boss in important meetings both within the boss's crime family and with other crime families. The consigliere is a close, trusted friend and confidant, the mob's version of an elder statesman. They are an advisor to the boss in a Mafia crime family, and sometimes is their "right-hand man". By the very nature of the job, a consigliere is one of the few in the family who can argue with the boss, and is often tasked with challenging the boss when needed, to ensure subsequent plans are foolproof.Capeci, Jerry. ''The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia''
Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002. , p. 9.
In some depictions, he is devoid of ambition and dispenses disinterested advice. This passive image of the consigliere does not correspond with what little is known of real-life consiglieri. The
boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, a ...
, underboss, and consigliere constitute the top three positions and a three-man ruling panel, or "administration". The
Genovese crime family The Genovese crime family, () also sometimes referred to as the Westside, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the " Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City and New Jersey as part of the Ame ...
are credited with inventing the rank of messaggero, who is tasked with serving as a liaison among the other American Mafia families.


Etymology

In Italian, ''consigliere'' means "advisor" or "counselor" and is still a common title for members of city councils in Italy and
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. It is derived from the
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
''consiliarius'' (advisor) and ''consilium'' (advice). The terminology of the American Mafia is taken from that of the Sicilian Mafia, and suggests that an analogy is intended to imitate the court of a medieval Italian principality. For example,
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
was led by a '' doge'' ("duke") and a ''consigliere ducale'' (advisor to the doge). An underboss will normally move up to boss when the position becomes vacant, so his position is equivalent to that of an heir to the throne. Consigliere, meanwhile, is analogous to chief minister or chancellor. In the novel '' The Godfather'' the word is spelled ''consigliori''. In the films, it is clearly pronounced ''consigliere''. Joe Bonanno explains in his book ''A Man of Honor'' that a consigliere is more the voice or representative of the soldiers of the family, and that he may help to mediate in or resolve disputes on behalf of the lower echelons of the family.


American Mafia

Joe Valachi mentions a mysterious "Sandino" arbitrating disputes as the Genovese family consigliere in the 1940s.Maas, Peter,
The Valachi papers
', p. 158. ("Sandino was a greaseball, but he had a wise head.")
Consiglieri in more recent times have tended to take a more active role in family affairs. In 1971, Colombo family consigliere Joseph Yacovelli directed a murder campaign against renegade Colombo family soldier Joseph "Crazy Joe" Gallo. Two decades later, another Colombo consigliere, Carmine Sessa, led a hit team that attempted to assassinate the acting boss,
Victor Orena Vittorio "Little Vic" Orena (born August 4, 1934) is a New York City mobster who became the acting boss of the Colombo crime family. A challenge by Orena to boss Carmine Persico triggered one of the bloodiest Mafia wars of the late 20th century, ...
.
Frank Bompensiero Frank "Bomp" Bompensiero (October 29, 1905 – February 10, 1977) was a Mafia hitman and longtime caporegime in the Los Angeles crime family. In 1956, with the death of boss Jack Dragna, Bompensiero was demoted to the rank of soldier by the new ...
was appointed consigliere of the Los Angeles crime family in 1976, only to be murdered in a public phone booth in February 1977. His boss had promoted Bompensiero so as to induce him to let his guard down. Electronic surveillance in 1979 recorded New England Mafia boss
Raymond L.S. Patriarca Raymond Loreda Salvatore Patriarca (; March 17, 1908 – July 11, 1984) was an American mobster from Providence, Rhode Island, who became the long-time boss of the Patriarca crime family, whose control extended throughout New England for more th ...
talking about appointing his consigliere, so the position need not be chosen as a result of a consensus-seeking process. When New Jersey consigliere Stefano "Steve the Truck Driver" Vitabile discovered in 1992 that his family's underboss, John "Johnny Boy" D'Amato, was bisexual, he ordered him killed. Paul Gulino, a drug dealer and associate of the Bonanno crime family, was murdered in 1993 after he allegedly "put hands" on his family's consigliere Anthony Spero. James Ida, the current Genovese consigliere, has been serving a life sentence since 1996. Dominick Cirillo is the family's acting consigliere. Joseph Corozzo is the current Gambino consigliere, while Anthony Rabito is consigliere for the Bonanno crime family. As these examples illustrate, modern consiglieri are generally former soldiers and capos, not outside advisors.


Notable consigliere

* Mike Miranda * Joseph N. Gallo * Dominick Cirillo *
Ilario Zannino Ilario Maria Antonio Zannino (June 15, 1920 – February 27, 1996) was an American mobster who was a member of the Patriarca crime family. Zannino was said to be the third-highest-ranking figure in the Boston faction of the Patriarca family ris ...
*
Anthony Graziano Anthony A. Graziano (November 12, 1940 – May 25, 2019) was an American mobster and consigliere in the Bonanno crime family. Bonanno crime family Captain In 1990, Graziano pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion. He had failed to pay $100,000 t ...
*
Christopher Furnari Past member(s) Joseph Abate Joseph "Joe" Abate (July 8, 1902 – 1994) was a capo in the family's New Jersey faction. In the 1920s, Abate served as an enforcer for Al Capone in Chicago before settling in New Jersey.Raab, p.1-3 In June 1976, Aba ...
*
Anthony Spero Anthony "Old Man" Spero (February 18, 1929 – September 29, 2008) was an Italian-American mobster who rose to the position of consigliere and acting boss of the Bonanno crime family. Biography "Spero was a large man with dark hair, a dark comple ...
* Joseph DiNapoli


References


Further reading

* Capeci, Jerry.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia
'. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002. . {{Mafia Organized crime members by role American Mafia Sicilian Mafia