Reputed mobster had Mafia commandments

Published: Nov. 8, 2007 at 5:01 PM

PALERMO, Italy, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- An alleged list of rules for members of La Cosa Nostra -- a Mafia Ten Commandments -- was found this week during the arrest of a reputed Italian mob kingpin.

Investigators also found an alleged copy of the La Cosa Nostra initiation oath, Ansa, the Italian news agency, reported. Both papers were in the briefcase of Salvatore Lo Piccolo, officials said.

It appears that Lo Piccolo was concerned that younger members of the organization failed to show proper discipline and respect, the report said.

The oath was already known: "I swear to be faithful to Cosa Nostra. If I should betray it my flesh must burn, just as this image burns." Initiates supposedly burn a holy card with the image of a saint.

The "Rights and Duties" list includes: 1. Introductions must be made by "another of our friends;" 2. "Never look at the wives of friends;" 3. "Never be seen with cops;" 4. "Don't go to pubs and clubs;" 5. "Always being available for Cosa Nostra is a duty;" 6. "Appointments must absolutely be respected;" 7. "Wives must be treated with respect;" 8. Members must be truthful with each other; 9. Stealing from other members is banned; and 10. Relatives of police officers or police informers and people of bad moral character are banned from membership.

© 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
U.S. adviser to Kurds criticized (24 min)
Woods leads at Masters in Australia (32 min)
Duangdecha's 62 worth lead in Hong Kong (32 min)
Watercooler Stories
Jockstrip: The world as we know it.
Your Daily Horoscope
The almanac
fark
100-year-old refuses to retire, signing five-year lawnmowing contract. So keep off it
Wife pulls knife on husband because he took her vodak away. He holds her at bay with a chair while...
Gallant parks his car in legally designated spaces and treats authority figures with respect. Goofus...
Guy calls police to report his roommates are smashing potatoes over imaginary woman's head
"Stripper-mobile" just proves everything about Las Vegas has become absolutely ridiculous. That...
What does a death sentence really mean? If you're in California, it means years and years of living...