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"Crime was long concerned only with brutal, solitary and personal impulses. But nowadays the murderers and robbers are forming ranks; they obey discipline; they have given themselves a code and a morality; they work in gangs with well devised schemes." -- Louis Blanc, 1840

Court TV Crime Stories: Vol 2: Mobsters

1970 Organized Crime Control Act. Title IX is called RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization).Organized crime is an illegal activity for profit through illegitimate businesses. Organized crime includes doing business through threat, extortion, smuggling of illegal drugs, sex, gambling, loan-sharking, and pornography, etc. They resemble businesses with corporate structures but use force, intimidation, or threat in their dealings. A century and a half of emigration: stories, success, and hopes.A trip across Europe, the Americas, and Oceania to understand the "Italians who left." The history of organized crime in the early 20th CenturyThe coast-to-coast syndicate that ruled crime for most of the 20th century was an overarching, ruthless, and extremely deadly corporation.Around 1900, Johnny Torrio, leader of the Five Points Gang, and the Black Hand, a lower east side Manhattan Sicilian Mafia gang, created a national syndicate of approximately 25 Italian crime families known as La Cosa Nostra, meaning "this thing of ours", or the Mob or Mafia. Gambino, Columbo, Lucchese, Bonnano, and Genovese, the 5 most powerful families were the founding godfathers.

Gangster City: A History of the New York Underworld, 1900-1935 is arguably the most comprehensive book written to date on New York City's underworld from 1900-1920. Its pages chronicle virtually every widely known (and lesser known) Mafioso, bootlegger, racketeer and thug who terrorized the City in the early 20th century. The murders of some 600-plus gangsters are profiled in detail. Beginning with the reign of Monk Eastman, this veritable encyclopedia of the New York underworld explores the origins of Mafia initiation rites and uncovers the most important gang wars, many still unknown to average readers. Also, for the first time ever, an in-depth look into the career of Vincent Coll reveals his probable killer, while myths are dispelled about the Irish White Hand gang, as their demise is frequently but wrongly attributed to a carefully planned attack by Al Capone. With a full listing of the specific addresses where criminals were killed throughout the New York and New Jersey area, Patrick Downey animates and expands all previous knowledge of this infamous era in American history. This is volume one of a two-volume series. Volume two will cover the years 1920-1940.

Joseph Bonanno, 26, the youngest of dons, took control of his family.

Born to the Mob: The True-Life Story of the Only Man to Work for All Five of New York's Mafia Families Frankie Saggio, reminisces about the era of true wise guys like his Uncle Philly -a contemporary of Al Capone. Frankie's uncle "taught him the value of a dollar and how to steal it from someone else." Uncle Philly was from a day when being in a mafia family meant being bound by blood and honor. For Frankie, the only way to avoid the modern mob is to avoid getting involved with any single mob family, but working "freelance" for all five. Frankie is one of the biggest earners in the business, pulling down millions and kicking a share upstairs to the bosses. Frankie is tied by blood to the Bonanno family, Uncle Philly's family, and current home to Philly's murderer. Frankie narrowly escapes an assassination attempt and is busted for a major scam. With little choice, and even less loyalty to the Bonannos, he turns himself over to the Feds on the one condition that he will tell the feds everything, but will not squeal on his own relatives.

Charles ("Lucky") Luciano -- Salvatore Lucania born Nov. 11, 1897, Sicily, Italy had a vision of replacing Sicilian strong-arm methods with a corporate structure, a board of directors and systematic infiltration of legitimate enterprise.

Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Gaetano Lucchese, Frank Costello and Carlo Gambino were men of vision, honor and purpose -- which was to steal, extort, embezzle and strong-arm as much money from as many people as possible.

Meyer Lansky -- The Racketeer as Chairman of the Board -- A gifted mathematician with an intuitive sense of number was drawn to craps games. He was able to calculate the odds in his head. He lost only once before he drew an indelible lesson about gambling and life.

Bugsy Siegel 1906-1947 was one of the most ruthless killers in the Mafia. He began in New York's Hell's Kitchen, and pioneered the Las Vegas gambling industry and the mob there. He loved Hollywood and looked like an actor. Siegel was a member of Murder Incorporated, which includes Albert Anastasia, Harry Greenberg, and Louie Lefty.

Investigators on the scene found the 1929 Valentine's Day Massacre puzzling. During prohibition, they dealt in alcohol, after prohibition, narcotics, and bookmaking. Prohibition's warfare between gangster rivals Al "Scarface" Capone and George "Bugs" Moran was nothing new to Chicago. After WW II, they dominated the entertainment industry in Cuba, and Vegas.

New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia launched an assault on gambling and the mob. District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey targeted Dutch Shultz (Arthur Flegenheimer), in charge of the Bronx and parts of Manhattan rackets from the mid-20s through the 30s. Shultz corrupted New York Mayor Jimmy Walker.

"We'll not only clean the Streets of this city, but I'm going to clean every department of every grafting tammany politician and appoint honest men and women in their place," LaGuardia vowed.

Shultz turned to Murder Incorporated to take out Dewey. New York mob bosses decided it would be easier if they took Shultz out. Shultz went to the Palace Chop House in New Jersey for dinner, Murder Incorporated killers stormed in and blasted Shultz and his friends. Dewey launched his presidential career in 1948 against Truman because of the success of his anti-mafia campaign. Dewey forced New York's mobsters to seek refuge.

For years, the Chicago Outfit has earned staggering profits through its influence and control of labor unions. According to the Chicago Crime Commission's 1997 report, labor racketeering continues to provide vast windfalls of money and power, even as government muscles out the mobsters. By putting associates in powerful positions within unions, the Outfit is able to gain control of pension funds, misappropriate dues, anoint cronies, dole out jobs and benefits, and impose a "Mob tax" on US consumers.

John Gotti, 1940 -- 2002 -- Born October 27, 1940, in New York City, South Bronx, to Fannie and J. Joseph Gotti. His father, Joseph, was a sanitation worker. John was the 3rd of 7 brothers in an impoverished family of 13.

Federal and New York state prosecutors brought charges against 17 alleged members and associates of the Gambino crime family June 4, 2002, including acting boss Peter Gotti. The corruption charges focus on efforts to control the shipping industry and New York waterfront worker's unions.

Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, former Gambino family underboss, Mafia hit man came out of hiding to provide damning evidence against Vincent "The Chin" Gigante. Gigante faced 21 counts of murder and racketeering in Brooklyn federal court.

A federal judge dismissed John A. Gotti as a possible witness in the Gold Club racketeering case, ruling that testimony might be self-incriminating. Steve Kaplan, 42, owner of a high-profile strip club that catered to celebrity athletes, pleaded guilty to racketeering involving credit card fraud and prostitution, as part of a deal with the government in which he loses ownership of the club. Kaplan pleaded guilty to participating in activities involving a pattern of racketeering, failure to report prostitution and credit card fraud.

A "black mark" for Luchese crime family - Michael Spinelli (Baldy Mike), took one of the noble myths of organized crime into the sewers with him. Spinelli was sentenced to 235 months for trying to whack Patricia Capozzalo, a mother of 3, sister of a mob turncoat. Salon.comAmerican Experience - Public Enemy #1 The Legendary Outlaw, John Dillinger chronicles Dillinger's life from his first brush with the law to his death in a hail of bullets. FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover was determined to turn Dillinger's story into a morality tale in which law enforcers are the victors and crime doesn't pay. It explores how Americans felt more admiration for a criminal than their government. The government maintains Vincent "The Chin" Gigante's wandering around Greenwich Village in pajamas, babbling incoherently and claiming to hear voices is an act to conceal his role as boss of the Genovese crime family, the most powerful in America. Gigante's brother, Louis, a priest, denies that the bathrobe behavior is an act.Joseph D. Pistone - Served in the FBI for 28 years, including 6 years under cover infiltrating the New York Mafia where he posed as a jewel thief under the name Donnie Brasco. During the '70s, Pistone began collecting evidence against members of the Bonanno crime family, which eventually helped convict more than 200 mob associates. CBS WorldwideThe Hoffa Wars: The Rise and Fall of Jimmy Hoffa -- Jimmy Hoffa, as president of the Teamsters had a close working relationship with the New York crime families as well as close and personal ties to mobsters, Marcello and Trafficante. Also: Death Threat - The Contract - The New York Times weighs in - Central Sanitation theory about the disposal of Hoffa's body.

Made for Each Other: The Mob and the Internet - Feds charge 120 people with fraud, displaying a carefully crafted interstate response to a national crime ring. Time Inc. J. Edgar Hoover loathed Francis Albert Sinatra -- The FBI started keeping files on Sinatra when it was hinted that he was a draft dodger, he avoided the war by claiming to be "neurotic" and "afraid of crowds."Dark Victory: Ronald Reagan, MCA, and the Mob -- President Ronald Reagan's professional life--his acting career, his personal financial fortune, and his rise in politics--has been interwoven with and propelled by a powerful, Hollywood-based entertainment conglomerate named MCA. For nearly fifty years, Reagan has benefited both personally and financially from his association with this 62-year-old company--formerly known as the Music Corporation of America--as well as from his close association with the firm's top executives: Jules Stein, Lew Wasserman, and Taft Schreiber. The contract that Ronald Reagan arranged with the studios is still known as "The Great Giveaway." It provided residuals to actors for films only made after 1960. The studios kept billions of dollars. MCA had purchased Paramount Pictures' huge film library in 1959. Mafia mouthpiece Sidney Korshak, friend of Lew Wasserman, was involved in the negotiations with Reagan In 1962, the Justice Department filed a federal antitrust suit against MCA. SAG was charged as a coconspirator. Reagan became the subject of criminal and civil investigations by the FBI and a federal grand jury in LA. A Justice Department memo states, "Ronald Reagan is a complete slave of MCA who would do their bidding on anything." Reagan was subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury, in 1962, but he failed to recall details of his role in the 1952 decision. Federal prosecutors convinced Reagan perjured himself repeatedly, subpoenaed Reagan and his wife's income-tax returns for 1952 to 1955. How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football -- Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson of the Kansas City Chiefs said in the late 1960's, "It would be a dangerous thing to fix a game. To me, a player would be branded for life if he did that..." Game-fixing in the NFL -- In 1983, Vincent Piersante, head of the organized-crime division of the Michigan state attorney general's office claimed Donald Dawson, was involved with members of the Detroit Lions and other NFL teams during the 1950s, 1960s, an 1970s. "Professional football, we had cold," Piersante said. "It was clear to us that games had been fixed by players [who were] shaving points in cooperation with several organized-crime connected bookmakers." More game-fixing evidence - FBI report details the investigation of NFL referees and game officials. The report stated that "2 or 3 referees" were paid $100,000 by a New York Mafia figure for participation in each of 8 fixed games. The referees' job was to ensure the mob figure won his bets. Secret FBI Tapes Spell Trouble for Labor Bigs The Mob Meets the Detectives Joseph D. Pistone -- Served in the FBI for 28 years, including 6 years under cover infiltrating the New York Mafia where he posed as a jewel thief under the name Donnie Brasco. During the '70s, Pistone began collecting evidence against members of the Bonanno crime family, which eventually helped convict more than 200 mob associates. CBS news Organized Crime Web Links -- Information on or references to organized crime and corruption. The Mafia and Organized Crime in General -- The Influence of Criminal Organizations in Banking and Finance The New Mafia Order -- The 'sistema,' of Sicily has grown into a transnational empire of crime, and a trading power of phenomenal reach.Organized Crime -- This compilation of resources focuses on adult gangs, gangsters, the Mafia, and international gangs. Mob News and News ArchivesGang Land Coverage includes: American Mafia, Russian Mafia, Japanese Yakuza, La Cosa Nostra, Triads, Yardies (posses), South American drug cartels and other crime syndicates. The Chicago Crime Commission serves Chicago as a nonpartisan organization combating crime. Founded in 1919 by the Chicago business community it is the oldest and most respected citizens' crime commission in the nation. The Commission is not affiliated with any agency of government. Fortunes are being made from drug trafficking, prostitution, illegal firearms and a host of other cross-border crimes. Every year, organized crime groups launder huge amounts of money in illegal proceeds. These groups mimic legitimate business by forming multinational alliances. The Latin Kings street gang used the violence and secretiveness of its structure to get away with crimes. Latin Kings operate as a well-organized business, a well structured, clearly defined criminal organization with a defined chain of command and written operating procedures that include formal constitutions, by-laws, oaths and manifestos designed to direct criminal activities for profit, collect member dues and enforce discipline through violence and extortion. Asian Drug Gangs Threaten Canada  -- Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC) noted Asian-based crime gangs a serious problem as they increase control over heroin and cocaine markets. Join Together"Mafia Power Play," investigates how the tentacles of Russian organized crime have penetrated the National Hockey League. Vehicle Crime -- Illicit trafficking of vehicles is a form of organized crime which generates large profits for the perpetrators (estimated at 19 Billion USD which disappears into a parallel economy) and a feeling of insecurity that affects the public particularly due to the increased used of violence. A key aspect of this form of crime is the need to legalize stolen vehicles in order for the criminal to achieve a monetary gain.

Thug Life -- Harold Giuliani, the Mayor's Dad -- "A study of this individual's makeup reveals that he is a personality deviate of the aggressive, egocentric type. This aggression is pathological in nature and has shown itself from time to time even as far back as his childhood. He is egocentric to an extent where he has failed to consider the feelings and rights of others."

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Copyright Kari Sable Burns 1994-2006

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City Confidential: Atlantic City A look at how former Atlantic City, New Jersey, Mayor Michael Matthews let the mob take over the town and its lucrative gambling industry. Matthews joined forces with "Little Nicky" Scarfo and his henchman, casino union leader Frank Lentino, until an FBI sting operation put them out of business and sent Matthews to jail.

Vegas & The Mob -- It took the vision of Bugsy Siegel and his monumental Flamingo Hotel to be the anchor of "the strip." Follow the influence of the mob in Vegas from Siegel through the "Strawman Trials" which today's gaming giants claim marked the end of mob influence in Vegas. See how Jimmy Hoffa worked with the mob to help build the heart of Vegas while attracting the attention of J. Edgar Hoover and how the arrival of Howard Hughes began the remarkable transformation of Vegas into a "family" entertainment center. Trace the story of front-man Allen Glick the basis for the hit movie Casino and meet mob lawyers, Nevada officials, gambling moguls and entertainers who reveal the hidden history of Vegas. From the Flamingo to the Luxor, this is the complete story of how the mob exploited legal gambling to make billions of dollars and created an American institution.

Mob Nemesis: How the FBI Crippled Organized Crime by Joe Griffin, Don Denevi -- In 1957 when Griffin joined the FBI, the Mob had an iron grip in American port cities. La Cosa, Nostra wasn't yet officially acknowledged. After a brief overview of the history of the American Mafia, Griffin describes fighting the Mob in Cleveland, Youngstown, Rochester, and Buffalo. He recounts the surveillance, stings, disappointments, and successes. He discusses feuds between law enforcement and the infiltrator in their Cleveland office. Joe Griffin won the FBI Medal of Valor. After serving the FBI for 30 years he is now CEO for Quest Consultants International, a Chicago based investigative consultation firm.

Reversible Destiny: Mafia, Antimafia, and the Struggle for Palermo by Peter T. Schneider, Jane C. Schneider -- Traces the history of the Sicilian mafia to its 19th-century roots and late-20th-century involvement in urban real estate and construction as well as drugs. Based on research in the capital of Palermo regarding secretive organized crime: its capacity to reproduce a subculture of violence through time, its acquisition of a dense connective web of political and financial protectors during the Cold War era, and that repressing it risks harming vulnerable people and communities.