Consigliere

Consigliere ( , ; is a position within the administrative structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word consigliere was popularized in English by the 1969 novel The Godfather and by its 1972 film adaptation. In the novel, a consigliere is an advisor or counselor to the boss, with the additional responsibility of representing the boss in important meetings both within the boss's crime family and with other crime families. 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, underboss, and consigliere constitute the top three positions and form a three-man ruling panel, or "administration".

Etymology

thumb|The structure of a Mafia crime family

In Italian, means 'advisor' or 'counselor' and is still a common title for members of city councils in Italy and Switzerland. It is derived from the Latin (advisor) and (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 was led by a ('duke') and a ('advisor to the doge'). 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. 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.

Etymology

References

Further reading