caporegime

A caporegime, also called caporegime, is a senior member of certain Italian organized crime groups, notably the Italian-American Mafia (La Cosa Nostra) and the Sicilian Mafia, who serves as captain of a crew. The caporegime commands a group of soldiers and associates and reports to higher leadership, typically the boss or underboss, and sometimes to a consigliere.

Role and responsibilities: The caporegime functions as the primary link between the leadership and the crew. He allocates tasks, approves operations, and coordinates illicit enterprises such as extortion, loan sharking, illegal gambling, narcotics trafficking, robbery, and money collection. He collects tributes or a share of profits and ensures discipline, loyalty, and security within the crew. He may recruit, promote, or discipline members, assign territories, and oversee the execution of operations. High-risk tasks may be handled personally by the caporegime or delegated to trusted lieutenants.

Crew composition and authority: A crew typically consists of soldiers (made men) and associates. The caporegime oversees the crew’s day-to-day activities, manages finances, and reports regularly to the higher ranks. While relatively autonomous in its territory, the crew remains subject to overarching policy and decisions of the family leadership, and capos can be reassigned or replaced if needed.

Origin and terminology: The term derives from Italian, with capo meaning head and regime referring to a command structure. Related terms include capodecina (captain of ten) and capo.

See also: Capo, Capodecina, Boss, Underboss, Consigliere.