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Omertà

The omertà (literally from Italian - 'honor') is the vow of silence taken by members of the Mafia.

Particularly, it means that mafiosos will not involve the police or the government in the affairs of the mafia. Joe Valachi was the first person to betray the omertà when he publicly spoke out about the existence of the mafia, when he testified before Congress.

Omertà (or, in some markets, Omerta) was the last novel of Mario Puzo.