Adrian Humphreys has covered Canada’s underworld for 25 years and written three bestselling books on the subject. In this occasional series, he dissects the histories, mysteries and quirks of organized crime in Canada and beyond.
One of my favourite real underworld nicknames is that of Vincent Congiusti, a mob associate in Florida with a gruesome reputation for convincing people to do what the mob tells them through the brutal application of a cordless power drill. Mobsters called him “Vinnie Aspirins” — because he got rid of their headaches.Joining a secret criminal society requires discretion. Often mafiosi are never told another mobster’s full name. Introductions are typically done on a first-name basis.
This might be because Mafia nicknames tend to be more insulting, and hence more hilarious or shocking, which are qualities that transfer well to news reports and movies, making them more memorable and in wider use. In the Russian mob, by contrast, the upper echelon of gangsters known as the vor v zakone, chose their nicknames, more as a “nom de guerre” and, not surprisingly, they tend to be more flattering.
As colourful as some New World mob nicknames are, those in Italy are among the best — such as a mobster in Palermo known as “Cosce Affumate,” which translates as “Smoked Thighs,” apparently because his legs are so hairy they look like they’re surrounded by smoke. When Rizzuto was indicted in the United States in 2004 for three gangland murders, however, prosecutors didn’t write his nickname on the indictment, and he almost stood out because of it.
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