 Valachi's testimony was the first major violation of omertà, breaking his blood oath.He was the first member of the Italian-American Mafia to acknowledge its existence publicly, and is credited with popularization of the term "cosa nostra".Although Valachi's disclosures never led directly to the prosecution of any Mafia leaders, he provided many details of history of the Mafia, operations and rituals; aided in the solution of several unsolved murders; and named many members and the major crime families.