Sicilian Mafia (also referred to simply as the Mafia or Cosa Nostra or the ever popular, "Mob"), is a criminal secret society which first developed in the mid-19th century in Sicily. An offshoot emerged on the East Coast of the United States during the late 19th century following waves of Sicilian emigration (see also Italian diaspora). According to historian Paolo Pezzino: "The mafia is a kind of organized crime being active not only in several illegal fields, but also tending to exercise sovereignty functions – normally belonging to public authorities – over a specific territory..."

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