FBI Reveals Mafia Secret Initiation Ceremony

It’s the big day. You’re about to become an  official member of the Mafia – and once you’re in,   you don’t get out. There’s just one thing  left to do – go through your initiation rites. What does it truly take to  become a member of the Mafia?

The authorities have been trying to find out for  a long time. The Mafia is a notoriously secretive   crime organization, and many people who stumble  onto information they shouldn’t have don’t live   to tell anyone. But they’re also a criminal  organization with a respect for tradition  

And for hierarchy, and they take bringing  new people into the organization seriously.   So whether someone is an actual criminal, or an  undercover officer hoping to avoid detection,   when it comes time for that initiation  rite, you’d better pay attention. But nothing stays a secret forever.

The rituals date back a long time – all the way  back to 1877 Sicily, where it was written about   in a local newspaper. Sixteen years later, things  were tense between the local mafia, known as the   Fratellanza and the local left-wing youth group.  Bernardino Verro, a young activist, joined the  

Mafia’s youth movement to gain their protection.  He reported on the ritual he underwent, including   tests of loyalty and cutting himself with a  knife – with the blood that was then dripped   onto a drawing of a skull. He soon broke from  the Mafia and went on to a successful career as  

A local politician – before the Mafia killed  him, having not forgotten his past offenses. Many things have changed since  then – but not everything. As the Mafia made their way across the ocean  to America and established themselves as a   criminal powerhouse, they became more  tight-lipped than ever. Sharing details  

Of their ritual with someone outside the  mob was considered a grievous offense,   with mob boss Joseph Massino saying “Once a  bullet leaves that gun, you never talk about it”.   The irony of that statement? He was saying it  from the witness stand after turning on the  

Mafia and cutting deals with the government.  Today much more is known about the ritual   thanks to the number of made men who have  flipped – and it all started with the FBI. The year was 1989 – and the mystery  was about to be blown wide open.

It was suburban Boston, and the Patriarca family  was inducting new members. Needless to say,   this was by invitation only, and getting  rejected at the door would mean harsher   consequences than getting tossed out by the  bouncer. The FBI couldn’t get in – but that  

Didn’t mean they weren’t prepared. They  placed electronic surveillance devices at   the house before the big day, and captured  the identities of everyone present – along   with the details of a ritual that few  outside of the Mafia had ever glimpsed. And there was one big advantage to this.

It’s not illegal to be inducted into the Mafia,  and no one was busted for this. The FBI kept tabs   on all the new guys, of course, but the biggest  reason cracking the initiation rite was a coup   for the feds was when working with undercover  agents. If you’re in deep cover with the Mafia  

And it’s time for your initiation rite, you’d  better get every step of it right – or you might   be headed for a quick retirement with two  shots to the back of the head in a swamp.   Knowing and even watching the initiation rite  ahead of time could give future undercover  

Agents the chance to prepare themselves and  project the confidence an undercover man needs. In the United States, a few things have  changed – but the core stays the same. The Mafia knew the heat was on, and for a  while, the books to become a made man in  

The Mafia were closed – for almost twenty  years! While the FBI had information and   eventually a first-hand perspective, the  first description came from old-school   Mafia man turned government informant Joe  Valachi. Convicted of trafficking and murder,   he turned government witness in the  1960s and provided the FBI with the  

Most detailed information on the Mafia yet –  including the nitty-gritty of the ceremony. The first step? Getting chosen. How do you join the Mafia, exactly?  There isn’t an application process,   and pushing too hard will probably make the local  bosses think you’re suspicious. In other words,  

Don’t call them – they’ll call you. The  best way to get in is to show them you   can be trusted. People who run errands for  Mafia members, offer them a legitimate place   to do business, or cover for them with  the authorities will be on their radar,  

And may eventually go from associate to full-on  member. They’ll also bring in solo criminals who   impress them with their ingenuity – although  you don’t want to be seen as competition. And once you get in, it’s serious business.

You’ll meet the bosses, and they’ll have to  approve you. Once you get the nod, it’s common   for multiple people to be initiated at one time,  in a sort of collective baptism into the world  

Of crime. This is where you become a wise guy,  or in the more famous term – a Made Man. Well,   kind of. Getting initiated isn’t the end of  the story, but it is one of the biggest steps  

To make the bosses trust you. They want to  see loyalty. They want to see confidence. So   they’re going to put you through your  paces – and you’d better not flinch. Even when there’s some pain involved. Joe Valachi’s description of the ceremony may  not be 100% accurate anymore from the 1960s,  

But the majority has stayed consistent. He sat  down at the table and was presented with some   wine – along with a gun and a knife. The boss said  some words in Italian, and then another wise guy   picked up Valachi’s hand and pricked his finger,  dripping the blood onto a piece of paper. This  

Paper usually has an image of a skull or a saint  on it. The boss then informed Valachi that he was   now part of the family, and he would now live  by the gun and knife – and die by them as well. But is this truly what it  takes to become a Made Man?

The definition differs, but the practice  remains – and becoming a full-fledged   member of the Mafia might have a little more  to it than just the ritual. For one thing,   there’s one condition that you can’t fake – most  Italian Mafia groups require anyone involved to be  

Italian or have Italian background and be  sponsored by another Made Man. So a Dutch   criminal might be out of luck. They have to  take the oath of omerta, a code of silence and   honor that represents the Mafia’s values. They  then become an official soldier in the Mafia.

But is there another – deadlier –  requirement for joining the Mafia? It’s been a persistent rumor about the Mafia  for decades, and it frequently makes its way   into Hollywood portrayals. Do you truly have to  kill someone to fully become a Made Man? It used  

To be a requirement to commit a contract killing  to become eligible, both to show loyalty and to   weed out any undercover officers who wouldn’t  be willing to go that far. No killings for   personal reasons were allowed, so the victim was  usually an enemy of the Mafia or a member of the  

“Family” who had betrayed them or screwed up  badly enough to earn a permanent retirement. But this bloody tradition may be dying out. Forcing a new soldier to “earn their bones” with  a killing might be a good way to prove loyalty,  

But it’s also messy and attracts attention. Back  in Sicily and in the old days when the Mafia had   infiltrated law enforcement and government, they  could get away with it and cover up the bodies,   so having the tradition was worth it. But now,  with the FBI and local government on their trail,  

And the Mafia at only a fraction of its old  strength? Fuhgeddaboutit! Killing someone   every time a new soldier joins the Mafia  would plant a giant target on their back. And once you’re in, you’d better be  ready to abide by the code of conduct. A Made Man has some simple rules to follow,  

Starting with the most important – be loyal.  The Mafia takes loyalty and secrecy seriously,   and interfering with the syndicate’s interests or  informing on them is the quickest way to a fast   and brutal exit. The Mafia also commands  its members to be rational and not pick  

Fights they can’t win, to be a man of honor  who respects women and the chain of command,   and to represent the Mafia well. This  means showing class, independence,   and courage – well, as much of these traits  as any member of a crime syndicate can show.

But the Mafia does have  standards many criminals don’t. For one thing, the Mafia is looking for a  specific type of criminal. They don’t want   loose cannons who seem to be in the game only for  pleasure and cause more damage than they need to.  

That was what disqualified “Mad Sam” DeStefano  from joining the Chicago Mob. The brutal loan   shark loved to kidnap, torture, and kill  people, and was frequently used by the mob   as a feared enforcer. But his sadistic glee, as  well as the rumors that he worshipped the devil,  

Meant the Mafia was never willing to bring  him in as a full member. For one thing,   DeStefano was too unpredictable – and they  didn’t trust him to keep their secrets. And sometimes it’s not who  you are – it’s who you know.

Another group of people is never going to get to  see that sacred Mafia initiation rite – anyone   who’s too close to a police officer. Police  officers are immediately disqualified, of course,   because the temptation to play both sides  would be too much. Anyone who has attended  

Or applied to law enforcement is out, and many  times the Mafia will shy away from anyone who   has too many families in the business.  Of course, rules are meant to be broken,   and quite a few Mafia bosses have brought  in corrupt police or corrections officers  

Because they have useful connections that  can give the Mafia an edge in their district. And once you do manage to take that initiation  rite, you’d better take the blood oath seriously. It’s one of the most common tropes in  Mafia movies. The made man failed his boss,  

And he’s taken off to be snuffed out for  humiliating the family. Is this actually   true? Well, as usual, Hollywood is taking some  liberties. An organization that killed off its   soldiers at the first mistake would  likely have a pretty hard time with  

Recruitment! But there are certain offenses  that will get you a 22-caliber exit from the   Mafia. These include killing or making an  attempt on the life of a fellow made man,   committing crimes against the code of  the Mafia, or stealing from the Mafia.

But what about those most notorious  Mafia criminals – the dirty rats? Does everyone who testifies against the Mafia  have a target on their back? It’s certainly a   concern because a good number of people in  the witness protection program testified   against organized crime syndicates. But the  FBI knows how to cover up people’s identities,  

And it’s rare for anyone in the program to  actually be discovered and targeted – unless   they let themselves be known. But even  some turncoat mafiosos who did go public,   like Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, went on to leave  the program and write books about their time  

In the Mafia and survived – although they  rarely manage to stay out of legal trouble. And as the secrets were exposed,  the organization evolved. The government knows more about how  the Mafia functions than ever before,   and the crime syndicate has had to  change its ways. While it used to be  

An incredibly insular group, it now  works more with other ethnic mobs,   particularly the Russian Mafia, along with  some notorious motorcycle gangs. The Mafia   has dialed back serving as the enforcer for  its own criminal businesses, often letting  

Other partners take the heat and dish out the  brutality. They have a mix of legal and illegal   businesses that make it easier to confuse  the authorities and cover their dealings up. And in one big way, you can’t put  that genie back in the bottle.

Once the first Mafia member testified before  Congress, the code of Omerta would never be   the same. While the Mafia still strongly  discourages anyone sharing their secrets,   it’s become commonplace to take deals  when arrested by the feds. Not only are  

The foot soldiers taking deals when they  need to, but some of the most prominent   bosses have tried to avoid harsh penalties  by spilling everything to the government.   And that’s created quite a few vacancies  – that the underbosses are happy to fill.

And yes – they’re still taking new members. But  remember, don’t call them, they’ll call you.   And when you get that call, better be ready  to shed a little blood for your new family. For more on how this storied  crime syndicate has survived,  

Watch “What Does the Mafia Even Do  Anymore?” or watch this video instead.

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