Caporegime
Rank in the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia
title: "Caporegime" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["organized-crime-members-by-role", "american-mafia", "sicilian-mafia", "italian-words-and-phrases"] description: "Rank in the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caporegime" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Rank in the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia ::
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to capo or informally referred to as "captain", "skipper" or "lieutenant", is a leadership position in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia). A capo is a "made member" of an Italian crime family who heads a regime or "crew" of soldiers and has major status and influence in the organization. Caporegime is an Italian word, used to signify the head of a family in Sicily. In general, the term indicates the head of a branch of an organized crime syndicate who commands a crew of soldiers and reports directly to the don (boss) or an underboss or street boss. The shortened version "capo" has also been used to refer to certain high-ranking members of Latin American drug cartels.
Sources
- Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002. .
- Pistone, Joseph D. Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia. Pan Books, 1989. .
- Pileggi, Nicholas. Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family. Simon & Schuster, 1985. .
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