Due to the early historical connection the Corsican mafia shares with the Sicilian one, the modern structure of most French mobs typically break down into crime families with a strict hierarchy. Usually the goodfellas that carry out "orders" are known as une équipe multi-qualifiée (i.e. a multi-skilled team) composed of les beaux voyous (i.e. "the good fellows"). Most of these groups of members maintain and protect "mouvances" (i.e. territory).[2] Members of the French Mob are highly professional as compared to lower-level crime groups in that they usually split their work by specialty (e.g. some members serve as the "brain", while others the "muscle" and/or "specialist".[2]

Caïd (French: [kay-id] "the big boss"; "the boss")
Parrain (French: [pah-rahn] "godfather")
Spécialiste (French: [speh-sjah-leest] "specialist")
Associés ("associate")
Beaux voyous ([bow vwah-yo] "goodfella"; "the good fellows")


"The king is dead, long live the king!"