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The Dark Empire: How 5 Mafia Families Built a Billion-Dollar Criminal Dynasty
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Apr 7, 2025
From the streets of Sicily to the heights of power in New York, discover how the Five Families transformed organized crime into a corporate empire. Through rare footage and expert analysis, we expose the inner workings of the Commission, brutal power struggles, and the revolutionary RICO laws that finally brought down the mighty Mafia empire. Learn how these criminal organizations earned billions through bootlegging, corruption, and international drug trades. An unforgettable journey into history's most notorious criminal dynasty. The Dark Empire: How 5 Mafia Families Built a Billion-Dollar Criminal Dynasty
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did you know that at their height
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certain crime families had estimated
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annual earnings in the billions of
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dollars rivaling The Fortunes of
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legitimate multinational
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corporations across decades and even
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centuries organized crime has woven
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itself into the fabric of societies
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worldwide capitalizing on Vice
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corruption and secrecy today we uncover
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the Twisted history and dark secrets of
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these for aable
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organizations Welcome to our in-depth
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exploration of organized crime families
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powerful syndicates that have shaped
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histories and scarred communities all
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over the globe from the infamous five
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families of New York to the Fearsome
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Yakuza of Japan our story today delves
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into betrayal loyalty and the Relentless
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Pursuit by law enforcement our journey
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through their hidden past reveals not
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just how these Empires Rose to power but
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why their Shadows persist even now in
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the early 20th century many citizens
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recognized that criminals were
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exploiting systemic weaknesses gaps in
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policing ineffectual legislation and
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crucially rampant corruption in
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political circles law enforcement faced
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overwhelming obstacles limited resources
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deep-seated bribery and the persistent
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wall of Silence known as omerta in
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Italian-American community ities efforts
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to infiltrate these families stumbled
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time and again on account of bribed
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officers and judges frightened Witnesses
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or entire neighborhoods living under the
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criminals sway the Public's relationship
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with these figures was and sometimes
1:48
remains ambivalent legal crackdowns and
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Sensational trials highlight the extreme
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violence these families encourage
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murders racket hearing smuggling and
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more yet popular culture think the
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Godfather Goodfellas or various TV
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dramas has often romanticized the
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mobster's life painting characters as
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flawed anti-heroes rather than unabashed
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villains this complicated perception can
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lead to public reluctance to cooperate
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fully with law
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enforcement in some cases mob bosses
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were admired for their ability to
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provide certain forms of Street Justice
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or Community Aid free turkeys at
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Thanksgiving for instance further
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reinforcing local loyalty or
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silence to truly understand the
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challenges in dismantling these
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syndicates we must examine the
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historical tapestry of organized crime
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the roots of mob power the pivotal
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moments that shaped their Fates and the
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ongoing tug-of war between criminals and
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the authorities organized crime extends
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far beyond any single City or family but
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few exemplify its story better than the
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Italian-American Mafia in New York
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beginning in the late 19th century and
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early 20th century Italian immigrants
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particularly from Sicily brought to the
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US both their quest for opportunity and
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some oldw World criminal
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Traditions across the Atlantic in Japan
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the ninko dantai better known as the
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Yakuza
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had followed an even older tradition
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with Origins dating as far back as the
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17th century organized crime generally
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signifies a structured group carrying
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out illegal activities extortion
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bootlegging drug trafficking money
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laundering on a continual basis thriving
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through ties to business government or
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corrupt law enforcement hierarchies
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reinforce loyalty and families managed
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to control large territories and
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economies with the help of intimidation
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and
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tradition yet as we shall see specific
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catalysts also shaped the Destinies of
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these
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organizations in the United States
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prohibition 1920 to 1933 became a gold
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mine for gangs seeking to supply illegal
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liquor during this era men like Al
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Capone in Chicago and the earliest form
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of the five families in New York took
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hold of illicit liquor distribution and
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turned it into an organized Empire on
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the other side of the world post World
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War II Devastation gave the Yakuza an
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opening to embed themselves in Japan's
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rebuilding economy our dive into this
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Hidden World will focus primarily on the
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American Mafia their lifespan and key
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turning points in their structure yet
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will also across oceans to see how other
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major syndicates thrived
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internationally part one the rise of the
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American Mafia by the dawn of the 20th
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century roughly 2 million Italian
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immigrants had arrived in the United
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States many settling in impoverished
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Urban neighborhoods like lower
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Manhattan's mury Street among them were
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individuals familiar with local
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protection rackets in Sicily
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framed as a means of community self-
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policing and mutual aid but often
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culminating in extortion and violence
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some of these Sicilian Customs evolved
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into the foundation of the American
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Mafia in the 1900s a wave of extortion
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letters often signed with a crude
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imprint of a black hand terrorized the
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Italian-American
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population Italian immigrant criminals
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Menace local shop Keepers and wealthier
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community members demanding payments or
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tribute in return for
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safety this practice set the stage for
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the more structured criminal networks
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that would soon follow then in 1920 the
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18th Amendment ushered in prohibition
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Banning the manufacturer sale and
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transport of alcohol while lawmakers
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aimed to curb alcoholism and social
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Decay the policy instead
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generated a lucrative Black Market
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Italian-American gangs Irish mobs and
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Jewish syndicates all jockeyed for
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territory each seeking to control
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bootleg operations worth millions men
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like alons Al Capone in Chicago emerged
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as the prohibition era's most iconic
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figure at one point believed to earn
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over $100 million a year from
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bootlegging gambling and prostitution
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his flamboyance the brutality of events
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like the 1929 St Valentine's Day
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Massacre and his subsequent arrest for
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tax evasion in
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1931 remain symbolic of that period part
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two the birth of the five families the
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structure of the modern American Mafia
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took shape largely due to the efforts of
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Charles Lucky
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luchano by the early 1930s internal
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strife most most notably the calamares
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war had left many Old Guard bosses like
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Joe the Boss Masia and Salvatore
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maranzano dead recognizing the futility
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of continued Warfare luchano and his
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allies crafted a new system to share
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power and profits more evenly reducing
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intergang violence he established the
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commission a council formed by the heads
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of several major families the future
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five families of New York plus
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representatives from Chicago and
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elsewhere spanning from around 1931
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onward it aimed primarily to settle
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disputes and enforce rules across the
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families key figures Rose in tandem with
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this new structure Charles Lucky
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luchiano born in Sicily in 1897 arrived
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in America as a child he rose through
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the ranks via bootlegging and alliances
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with Jewish and Irish gangsters after
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facing a prostitution conviction in 1936
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he was deported to Italy in
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1946 but remained influential from afar
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veto genovesi who gave his name to the
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genovesi family and Carlo Gambino who
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eventually led the Gambino family to
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become one of the most powerful blocks
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post Wu also played pivotal roles the
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social and political climate of the time
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shaped mob activities
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the Great Depression drove many Ordinary
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People to
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desperation local gangsters offered
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loans jobs or protection sometimes being
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perceived as necessary evils in
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communities where formal institutions
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failed corrupt tamy Hall politics in New
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York City further cultivated an
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environment where bribery for contracts
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licenses or police cooperation was
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rampant while the Ros of Administration
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famously targeted Depression era
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criminals like John Dillinger and Bonnie
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and Clyde the mafia's secretive culture
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and strong local support made it far
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more resistant to infiltration part
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three consolidation and expansion 1940s
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to
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1950s with World War II raging from 1939
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to
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1945 the US government grew anxious
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about Waterfront sabotage rumors persist
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that American intellig sought help from
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Mob linked Union officials to secure
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East Coast ports from foreign
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infiltration although the extent of this
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cooperation remains elusive during the
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same period mob run gambling narcotics
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and prostitution rackets flourished
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sustained by the longstanding
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arrangement of bribes to local law
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enforcement a defining blow to organized
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crimes cloak of secrecy took place on
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November 14th
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1957 in appalachin New York at the home
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of mobster Joseph Barbara dozens of
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prominent underworld figures had
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gathered to discuss gambling and
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narcotics distribution when local police
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discovered this suspicious meeting
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gangsters fled into the woods or
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attempted to slip away quietly over 60
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were detained a moment that forcibly
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exposed the mafia to public scrutiny
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media coverage of the appal meeting
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compelled the FBI and the American
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public to acknowledge the mafia's
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national reach ending years of official
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Denial in the Fallout law enforcement
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agencies began collaborating more
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forcefully the mlen committee hearings
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in the late 1950s and early 1960s
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brought Union corruption and Mafia
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infiltration of legitimate Industries to
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light prompting demand for stronger
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legal mechanisms
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part four the Yakuza and other Global
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counterparts across the Pacific in Japan
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the Yakuza followed another long
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criminal tradition though the American
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Mafia found impetus in prohibition The
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yakuza's Roots stretch back to Outcast
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groups of the 17th century bodyguards
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gamblers traveling fairs who coales into
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organizations known ninko dantai by the
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early 20th century their presence was
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embedded into Japan's sociopolitical
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reality controlling gambling rings and
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some aspects of local governance after
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World War was 2 as Japan rebuilt the
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Yakuza stepped in to offer jobs or
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monetary support to desperate citizens
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in parallel with American Mobsters
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providing resources in impoverished
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neighborhoods they maintain a strict
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hierarchy under a patriarchal boss or
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oyabun while underlings swear deep
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loyalty as kobun identifiable by their
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intricate full-body tattoos the Yakuza
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are also associated with yubitsume the
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ritual of severing part of a finger to
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aone for errors as with the American
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Mafia they operated with the assistance
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of political connections and corrupt
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officials and penetrating these groups
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proved daunting for Japanese authorities
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the yakuza's public Corporate Offices
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showcased their partial legitimacy in
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Japanese Society making their legal
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suppression a uniquely complex Endeavor
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part five key mob thinges and dramas
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1960s to
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1980s post World War II the five
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families shifted their focus to
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narcotics smuggling particularly heroin
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alongside gambling and labor union
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corruption leadership changed hands
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frequently as bosses died or were
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imprisoned Joseph bonano led the banano
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family until internal feuds forced him
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into hiding in the 1960s fueling the
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so-called banana War Thomas Tommy laesi
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guided the lucasi family's lucrative
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garment Center rackets until 1967 while
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Carlo Gambino exerted quiet but
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expansive power until 1976 a critical
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Turning Point arrived in 1963 when
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low-level mob Joe vachi publicly
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confirmed the mafia's existence during
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Senate testimony revealing clandestine
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Customs such as the induction ritual of
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becoming a maid man this testimony paved
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the way for future informants shattering
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the fabled Oma by the 1980s The Gambino
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family reached new Peaks under the
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flamboyant John Gotti known as the teon
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dawn Gotti allegedly orchestrated the
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murder of Boss Paul Castellano in
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1985 outside spark Steakhouse then
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claimed leadership he reveled in media
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attention parading in expensive suits
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and repeatedly evaded conviction often
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through witness intimidation or jury
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tampering some members of the public
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viewed him with a degree of admiration
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complicating law enforcement efforts
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however in
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1992 Gotti's luck ran out wiretaps and
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testimony by his under boss turned
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informant Salvatore Samy the bul gravano
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built an airtight case that ended with
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got's conviction and life sentence part
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six legal tools and law enforcement
15:14
breakthroughs a major shift in law
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enforcement strategy arrived in 1970
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with the racketeer influenced and
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corrupt organizations act Rico this
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legislation allowed prosecutors to
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charge mob bosses for the totality of
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criminal acts carried out by their
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organization linking conspirators across
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multiple crimes prior to Rico top
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figures could claim plausible
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deniability for violent acts executed by
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subordinates Rico destroyed that Shield
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by criminalizing the very structure of
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the criminal
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Enterprise in tandem with Rico the FBI
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introduced Advanced surveillance techn
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ology wire Taps and hidden microphones
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in mob Hangouts plus skillful undercover
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agents crucially more informants were
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swayed by the risk of massive prison
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sentences or personal danger should they
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remain loyal to The Syndicate major turn
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coats such as Henry Hill affiliated with
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the lucazi family and Sammy gravano
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revealed enough inner workings to topple
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the mafia's upper ranks even so though
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corruption was an ongoing threat dirty
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cops or compromised prosecutors styed or
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sabotaged
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investigations community members too
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were fearful or even aligned with local
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Mobsters out of a sense of Duty or
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gratitude overcoming this cultural
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acceptance remained as pivotal as
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winning legal battles part seven
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International dimensions and the Global
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Drug trade hero and smuggling was one of
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the leading Enterprises for organized
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crime from the 1950s through the
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1970s The French Connection pipeline
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funneled vast amounts of heroin from
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corsac gangs in Marseilles to the
17:14
American underworld it fueled violent
17:17
turf wars and generated enormous profits
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when American and French authorities
17:23
eventually disrupted that route
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criminals soon shifted operations to
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Southeast as IIA or Latin America
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globalization meant new alliances new
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supply lines and more intricate moneya
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laundering schemes on the Yakuza side
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transnational expansion existed but they
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often concentrated on controlling
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domestic markets in Japan criminal
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Pursuits ranging from corporate
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blackmail to sex trafficking police
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crackdowns and new laws pressured the
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Yakuza to to adopt more covert White
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Collar methods similarly post Soviet
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Russian syndicates and Chinese Triads
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exploited weakened borders and
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institutions spreading their operations
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worldwide as each group adapted so did
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the agencies determine to stop them
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part8 decline adaptation and modern-day
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Echoes 1990s till present John got's
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conviction in 1992 signaled a seismic
18:30
shift demonstrating that the combined
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efforts of Rico laws wiretaps and
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defectors could dismantle formerly
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impenetrable
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hierarchies by the mid 1990s many top
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bosses of the five families were behind
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bars in witness protection or deceased
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the flamboyant headlines of the mob's
18:52
Golden Age began to fade yet these
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families did not vanish outright they
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simply receded from public view adopting
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a lower profile style to avoid undue
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attention modern technology poses both
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advantages and challenges encrypted
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messaging and cryptocurrencies Grant new
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layers of secrecy but digital
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Communications leave traces law
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enforcement can potentially exploit
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worldwide inter agency collaboration has
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strengthened with officials from
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multiple countries sh sharing
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information about suspicious transfers
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and crossborder plots culturally these
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syndicates retain a stranger lure
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popular films and series romanticize
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mafiosi as complex figures torn between
19:44
family Duty and moral compromise in
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economically depressed areas some
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criminals still posture as benefactors
19:53
providing material support to local
19:56
populations once again blurring the
19:59
moral lines for everyday citizens
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Central to perpetuation is corruption
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the Unholy Nexus between gangsters and
20:09
compromised officials corrodes Community
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Trust and undermines legitimate
20:14
governance indeed if citizens suspect
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that certain politicians or police
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captains are on the mob's payroll
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cooperation with legitimate authorities
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dries up giving criminal Enterprises
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more room to operate if we must single
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out a moment that revolutionized the war
20:32
against organized crime many experts
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point to the mid1 1980s commission trial
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between 1985 and 1986 us attorney
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Rudolph Giuliani spearheaded a sweeping
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RICO case that targeted the heads of the
20:48
five families
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simultaneously for the first time the
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entire leadership body faced Collective
20:55
charges for the organization's criminal
20:58
pattern
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informant testimony wiretap evidence and
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a national media Spotlight revealed how
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these bosses orchestrated extortion
21:08
labor racketeering and murder from the
21:11
top down nearly all the defendants
21:14
received lengthy prison sentences
21:16
effectively decapitating a major segment
21:19
of the mafia's operational chain the
21:22
trial demonstrated that no one not even
21:25
the commission was beyond the reach of
21:27
these new prosecutor orial powers in
21:30
exposing the dark secrets of organized
21:33
crime families we see a tapestry of
21:35
greed loyalty violence and cultural
21:39
identity from the chaos of prohibition
21:43
to the rise of modern cyber schemes
21:46
these syndicates have consistently
21:48
adapted even as law enforcement
21:51
sharpened its methods their stories
21:54
offer a stark reminder of corruption's
21:56
power to erode community ities but also
22:00
the resolve of societies that refuse to
22:03
yield to criminal intimidation the
22:06
deeper we delve into these histories the
22:08
clearer it becomes that the mafia and
22:12
similar groups impacted more than the
22:14
criminal underworld they influenced
22:17
labor practices Commerce politics and
22:21
touched our Collective
22:23
imagination while some might believe the
22:25
old school Mafia is a thing of the past
22:29
their legacy endures in new more elusive
22:32
forms both on the streets and online
22:36
have we learned from this history or do
22:39
we risk repeating old cycles of
22:41
corruption in new contexts one lesson is
22:44
clear organized crime thrives where
22:48
institutions fail and inequality
22:51
festers historic parallels such as the
22:54
Great Depression show how criminals can
22:56
be perceived as benefact factors when
22:59
official resources fall short a similar
23:02
Dynamic can play out today in distressed
23:05
neighborhoods across the world law
23:07
enforcement has grown more sophisticated
23:10
utilizing digital forensics anti-money
23:13
laundering protocols and international
23:15
intelligence cooperation still criminals
23:18
adapt shifting to smaller cells forging
23:22
crossborder alliances or embracing
23:25
cuttingedge technology like encryption
23:28
and
23:29
cryptocurrency where oversight is weak
23:33
or officials can be bought these groups
23:35
will find a foothold public sentiment
23:39
remains a key factor media has elevated
23:42
many gangsters to folk hero status often
23:45
overshadowing the very real pain and
23:48
suffering inflicted on
23:50
neighborhoods it's crucial to remember
23:53
that behind every lorded Outlaw are
23:56
stories of broken families terrorized
23:59
shopkeepers and entire communities
24:01
living under the threat of violence
24:04
transparency strict regulation and
24:07
accountability stand as society's best
24:11
defenses governments that tackle poverty
24:14
and Corruption directly deprive
24:16
organized crime of its prime recruiting
24:19
grounds and avenues for
24:21
infiltration at an individual level
24:24
staying informed voting responsibly and
24:27
refusing to glam I or make excuses for
24:30
criminal activity all help prevent
24:33
history's darkest chapters from
24:35
repeating ultimately these stories of
24:38
capos and shootouts secret ceremonies
24:42
and coded loyalties illustrate more than
24:44
just episodes of True Crime they reflect
24:47
the interplay between power desperation
24:51
and human nature even as the American
24:54
Mafia has diminished
24:56
invisibility global offshoots
24:58
and new models of organized crime
25:01
continue to evolve our shared
25:04
responsibility is to remain Vigilant
25:07
complacency would only allow these
25:09
Shadows to lengthen ensuring that the
25:12
line between criminal underworld and
25:15
everyday life remains as blurred as ever
25:19
thank you for joining us on this journey
25:21
into the hidden history of organized
25:24
crime families there is so much more to
25:26
explore and untack angle so be sure to
25:29
share your Reflections or insights if
25:33
you want to delve deeper into True Crime
25:35
history be sure to seek out further
25:38
discussions and investigations into the
25:41
evolution of racketeering and how it
25:43
continues to shape modern criminal
25:46
Enterprises stay informed stay engaged
25:49
and together we can work toward a future
25:52
where the shadow of organized crime no
25:55
longer looms so large
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