“Don (term for the boss or head of a Mafia family) Vito Cascio Ferro fled to the United States in 1901 to escape arrest. He is known as the Father of American Mafia.” (La Cosa Nostra) Many Italian immigrants came to the United States through Ellis Island in New York, which is today the most important center of organized Mafia crime in the United States. The new American Mafia came to power during the Prohibition by organizing the sale of outlawed alcohol, but after Prohibition was revoked, the Mafia needed a new “racket.” During the war, the Mafia got government issued ration stamps and sold them on the black market. These days the Mafia is involved in running prostitution, unions, construction, and gambling. New York, also called the “City that never sleeps,” houses the Five Families of New York.
Black Mafia. New York : Simon and Schuster, 1972 2. Kelley, Robert J. “Organized Crime : Past , Present, and Future.” USA Today July 1994 3. Mueller, Tom.
Many of immigrants came from economically downtrodden southern Italy, with many Mafia members in Sicily and Naples who were fleeing the rule of fascist Benito Mussolini, who began to crackdown on the Mafia in Italy. Although it became a separate coalition, the Cosa Nostra can trace its roots to the Sicilian Mafia, and other Italian criminal groups. The Mob, at its height, stretched from coast to coast, but was most active in New York, the crown-jewel of organized crime. It was a huge influence in other major metropolitan cities like New Jersey, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Florida, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Texas. In New York five families reigned supreme: the Gambino, Lucchese, Genovese, Bonanno and Colombo families.
He forced the voters to vote for him under gunpoint. After being elected into office, he promoted Mafia Don Crispi as Prime Minister. Together the two put Sicily under government control and funneled government funds to the society known as the Mafia. In the 1800's, New Orleans was the largest Mafia site in the United States. It was while investigating the murder of an Italian immigrant that the current Police Chief, David Hennessey discovered the existence of this secret society.
In late 1922, Capone was Torrio’s number two man. He later became full time in gambling, the saloons, and in brothels (“Gangsters”). Torrio was later shot by a rival gang member and he then decided to leave Chicago. Capone then became the leader of the Chicago Outfit (“Gangsters”). In the 1930’s, Capone expanded his owning.
He and his family migrated to the US when he was 9 years old (United Press International). Soon after coming here he dropped out of school and then got an “honest job” as a sales clerk. By this time he already had a reputation as a knife fighter and had served 6 months in jail for dealing opium. Once he was released, he joined the Five Points Gang (Walker 152). His criminal career “spurted when he became an associate of Giuseppe (Joe the Boss) Masseria, who headed the mafia” (United Press International).
Brantley, Gangs, Vol.63, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, May 1,1994, pp1-8 (Article) Kennedy, Leslie and Stephen Baron, Routine Activities And A Subculture Of Violence: A Study Of Violence On The Street, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Vol. 30 No. 1, Febuary 1993, pp. 88-112 (Journal) Lo, Chun-Nui (Celia), A Social Model Of Gang-Related Violence, Free Inquiry In Creative Sociology, Vol 19 No 1, May1991, pp. 36-43 (Journal) Shakur, Sanyika, Monster: The Autobiography Of An L.A.
For those who migrated to Chicago, severa... ... middle of paper ... ... the rest of his life in his mansion in Miami Beach, Florida. A great contribution to the Chicago Mafia died alone in 1947. In the early 1980's, the Italian government launched an anti-Mafia campaign throughout all of Italy. Not only did this lead to a number of arrests and trials, but it also was the reason for several assignations of key law-enforcement officials whom were in retaliation. For the past two decades, both America and Italy have been cracking down on the organized crime group known as the Mafia.
During his reign, Carlos increased the families profit level immensely (Crime Museum, 2017). According to (“American Mafia History”, 2017), “over his reign the Gambino family gained a strong influence over the construction industry. They influenced the Teamsters and unions that controlled the building materials of New York” (para 17). White collar activities that involved construction schemes and embezzlement were other areas the Gambino’s controlled in this industry (American Mafia, 2017). Over time, the Gambino family, along with other families in the Italian-American Mafia, controlled organized crime as well as legitimate businesses.