A few recorded cases seem to transgress the rule against poaching: Salvatore Montalto, for instance, was appointed reggente of the Villa bate family although he had originally belonged to the family of Passo di Rigano; Salvatore Inzerillo succeeded his uncle, Don Tano Di Maggio (who "stood aside spontaneously"), as head of the family of Passo di Rigano although he had previously been a member of the neigh boring firm of Uditore (TB: I, 85, 126; TC: 8). But these examples involve leaders rather than ordinary members, and are therefore cases of subcontracting and succession rather than change of supplier. The rule against poaching also exists in Oxbridge colleges.

XREF: The author's comparison to Oxbridge colleges suggests a fascinating parallel between organized crime and elite academic institutions, worth probing.

Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Busi…, loc. 939