This modern form of organization has allowed a small number of persons to exert a great deal of power and to generate considerable amounts of income with a minimum of effort. Currently, about two dozen Mafia families exist in the United States in urban areas with relatively large Italian-American populations. Each family has a boss who is assisted by an underboss and a counselor. The boss is the patron to a number of captains, who act as patrons to several 'made-guys.' The made-guy is male and of Italian heritage. He undergoes a lengthy initiation process, often lasting more than 10 years. The made-guy receives a franchise to use his family connections and status as a violent entrepreneur to make money. The made-guy is not an employee of the family. He seeks out opportunities to make money and is trusted by those in need of illegal goods or services to act as a broker. The case of Tony Plate, who controlled an illegal lottery in Manhattan, illustrates the development and activities of a made-guy. The independence and decentralization of the criminal activities of made-guys like Tony Plate make it extremely difficult for other criminals to establish successful competing enterprises or for law enforcement agencies to weaken a criminal organization by apprehending one of its members. Notes and 25 references.