Organized crime has a big role in American history and in helping the country become what it is today. As immigrants from all over the world poured into the United States beginning at the end of the 19th Century, they brought their old country’s traditions and ideals with them. Some of the best traditions are foods or music, but with the good comes the bad, and one such example is the mafia. Italian immigrants started to pour into the US as Mussolini started to grow in power in Italy, along with the thousands seeking a better life came those in the Sicilian Mafia. By the time the prohibition takes effect in the 1920s, what started as unorganized gangs get turned into profit-making systems end up infiltrating most of American society. But that leaves the question of how, how did they make all their money.
A big part of their success was because of their rules. Everything they did was based on honor, loyalty and respect, and a strict code of silence. If these rules were broken there could be dire consequences, the worst of them being death. The enforcement of these strict rules is how the mafia was able to continue unchecked for so long. The biggest and most successful of the American mafia was in New York City. New York was run by the five families named after their “Fathers,” which were Genovese, Gambino, Lucchese, Columbo, and Bonanno. Eventually, instead of continuing to fight each other for control and money the heads of these families came together to make “The Commission.” The Commission can be thought of as a board of directors that solved disputes and eventually helped make decisions that would help run the various mafia families throughout the country.
While movies glorify the life of many prominent members of the mafia, it is important to remember that their ultimate goals were to make money, by any means necessary. When money is on the line, murder was not out of the question for these people. They started by offering protection to businesses in their areas that were being robbed by local burgers and gangs. However, this eventually led to those business owners having to pay for protection for the mobsters as well. During the prohibition, they made their money by moving alcohol and any other illegal goods that people wanted. Once alcohol became legal again, many switched to moving drugs like cocaine or heroin. While this was against their code of honor, loyalty, and respect, many continued anyway. The money they could make was too good to miss out on and as the saying goes, there is no honor among thieves.
This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.
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