Also...anytime I try to translate pizzi it always comes up as "lace" as above. I'm guessing via context it's extortion?? But sometimes in articles you'll see a list of crimes that will include both pizzi and extortion when translated. So what is the correct English translation, if anyone here knows? ~LisaB
My guess is that when the author differentiates "pizzo" from "extortion", it means that pizzo refers strictly to the weekly or monthly payment a business has to pay while extortion is more about a one time thing. We know that, sometimes, the mob will try to extort a pretty large sum from someone instead of asking him for a monthly payment.
