Organized Crime

The Mafia was started in Sicily during medieval times to protect the estates when the landlords were not there. By the 1800's the Mafia had become criminal and used violence throughout Sicily. The members were sworn by a strict ethical code called omerta. That was a group of rules and if you broke one you died. The Mafia had become so strong that they became politicians and were able to influence police forces and gain access to weapons. The Italian government under Benito Mussolini tried to control the Mafia but it came out strong again after World War II. Because of Mussolini being so strict, members of the Mafia moved to the United States. Where they then led many criminal activities especially during Prohibition. By the 1930's it moved into other illegal activities.

The Mafia is down, but never out. Their corruptive influence is deep and pervasive and extends well beyond drug trafficking, extortion, and the more traditional forms of vice. Its tentacles reach into organized labor, and every facet of legitimate business, irrespective of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (R.I.C.O). The mob owns car dealerships, restaurants, cleaning services, construction companies, waste-handling businesses, and holds seats on the commodities exchange, the trading floors of Wall Street, and financial centers of mid-America.

However, R.I.C.O. (the major weapon in the war on organized crime) has imparted valuable lessons in gangland. The vicious "wars" of past years have, for the most part, ceased. In Chicago there has not been a significant mob "hit" since the early 1990s.

Organized crime drains the livelihood of the U.S. economy. There are many violent crimes committed weekly by the different crime families in Manhattan, New York. These associations are mostly Italian and Sicilian families. They are highly organized families with large sums of money and a lot of power. The five major Italian families in NY