More Than 100 Arrested in Mafia Crackdown

The feds hope to take down the Mafia (again) in one of the largest crackdowns in history. From the New York Post.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/history_to_us_mobsters_arrested_oP6Mvi7uXf0sRBXy2bPPYN

Don't get these people pissed.

There were murders, including a double homicide over a spilled drink in a Queens bar.

and the Old Gray Lady.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/nyregion/21mob.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=mafia&st=cse


But at the same time, officials acknowledged that the mob had shown itself to be remarkably resilient.
“Arresting and convicting the hierarchies of the five families several times over has not eradicated the problem,” said Janice K. Fedarcyk, the head of the New York F.B.I. office, calling it a “a myth” that the mob is a thing of the past.

Now if they will just do something about the Trinitarios, The Mexican Cartels, Bloods, Crips and whatever is in Chicago, we have a start.

 

Despite what the feds said today, it's amazing how far the New York mob has fallen. Back in the early 1980s, before the famous "Commission" trial, they practically ran dozens of industries in the city. Carting, construction, you name it.

That's all changed. Wiretaps and the witness protection program has practically destroyed them. I can't find the link but I seem to remember reading an article on the current alleged head of the Philly mob, Joseph Ligambi (not arrested this week.) The cop being interviewed said he was like one of those old Soviet dissidents. His phone was tapped, every room in his house bugged and every move captured on film. The guy can't fart without it being recorded and all he can really do is sit around in his sad little kitchen, waiting for the police to bust in and haul him off to jail.

 

Be nice if they did a similar crackdown across town on Wall Street.

 

Yeah, although what passes for the mob today calls itself La Cosa Nostra, it's a far shadow of its former self. Most of these guys now are just knucklehead strongarm thugs.

 

There was a pretty good series in the Providence Journal projo.com outlining some of the mob's history in Providence. One of the sidebars was how:
1. No one wants to be a "Made man" anymore. Pay sucks and there just isn't the cache that it used to have.

2. The standards for being a "made man" are very diluted. Used to be you had to kill somebody or take part in the murder in order to achieve said status. Now its common thugs.

Then there is this guy who ruled the Patriarca Crime Family. Killed two people, fled to Italy (Michael Corleone anyone) and then ended up serving only 2 years in prison.

http://newsblog.projo.com/2011/01/manocchio-a-quiet-wiseguy-who.html