Organized Crime Lecture Notes 10%2F1 PDF

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Dr. Mullen is the professor...

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Arnold Rothstein ○ Important organizer and player in NYC organized crime group ○ Jewish, not Italian, but he worked with Italians ■ Crossed the ethnic line ○ Considered 1st organized crime figure to see value in prohibition ○ Connections with importing illegal goods ○ First OC figure to get involved in narcotics trade ○ Born in NY to upper-middle class family ■ Father - businessman, honest taxpayer, “Abe the Just” because he treated people fairly ○ Math came very easily to him ○ Skipped school to gamble ■ Made money this way by opening an illegal casino in NY ○ Invested in horse racing ○ Millionaire by 30 years old ○ Soft Spoken, nonviolent, the money guy ■ Didn’t get his hands dirty ○ Connected to NY government ○ Beginning of his downfall was the 1919 World Series (Chicago White Socks and Chicago Reds) ■ Rothstein bet against the White Socks even though everyone thought they would win ■ 8 members testified that they were paid to throw away the game and lose ■ All evidence in evidence room against Rothstein, other OC members, and ball players, was “lost” ○ 1921 - he was accused of “fixing” a major horse race in US ■ Behind scenes effort to make odds higher to increase his winnings ○ HABITUAL GAMBLER ○ Got involved in a high-stakes, 3 day long poker game ■ Lost $300,000 ■ Refused to pay because he claimed that the poker game was “fixed” ■ Was called to a hotel in NY to pay a guy he owed money to ■ Never made it to meeting; was shot in stomach in back elevator and found in back alley ■ Was questioned to find out who it was that shot him, but he would not give up the name ○ Never committed a violent act, but was not afraid to use violence especially against people who owed him money ○ Considered Father of “Murder Inc.” ■ Assassination squad for organized crime about a decade later

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Salvatore Maranzono ○ Head of the Genovese family ○ Self appointed himself the Boss of Bosses

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Genovese family is biggest, most money, most powerful, and he is the boss ○ Maranzono planned to kill Luciano and Vito Genovese, but they killed him first. Charles “Lucky” Luciano ○ Young lieutenant in Genovese family and up-and-coming ○ Under-boss was Vito Genovese ○ Created “The Commission” ■ Brought heads of all families together as equals ■ If there is a dispute, the Commission would handle it and figure out a solution together ■ Helped those members of OC who were working very closely together ■ Luciano saw value of controlled assassination squad under control of Commission, created Murder Inc. ○ Member of Five Points Gang as a teen ○ In trouble with law from a young age ○ Spent time in jail for crimes he committed ○ Was one of the young Italian up and comers that Rothstein worked with ○ Genovese family famous for high-class brothels, but Luciano maintained a hands-on experience and was very involved in the brothels ■ Even though he was insulated from other crimes ■ Disdain for prostitutes, treated them like crap, beat them, withheld paychecks, disfigured them with a knife on occasion, etc. ○ 1935 - Thomas Doey was appointed as a special prosecutor in NY to uncover organized crime ■ Targeted attention toward Luciano because of prostitution ■ White Slavery Laws -> Human trafficking ■ Dutch Schultz wanted to kill Thomas Doey ● Luciano stopped this because he was an honest public official. He said it is okay to kill another organized crime member or corrupt public official or law enforcement officer ● If they killed him, the public would have turned against them ● Schultz decided he was going to kill Thomas Doey anyway ● Luciano hears this ^ and orders Schultz to be assassinated ● Schultz was in a restaurant and went to the bathroom when he was shot ■ Doey eventually got arrest warrants on Luciano for the brothels and white slavery ● Doey brought in many of the prostitutes and they showed their scars and marks from Luciano ● Luciano charged with 62 counts of White Slavery ● Luciano sentenced 30-60 years in prison Vito Genoves ○ Took over since Luciano was in prison ○ Doey was after Vito Genoves next

○ He packed 2 suitcases and got on a boat back to Sicily Early 1940’s ○ US involved in WWII, we sent supplies to Great Britain ○ Naval commander ordered lieutenants to go undercover and figure out how the U-boats were getting supplied ■ Undercover as linemen and the real linemen knew they were not who they said they were. They killed the undercover navy members ○ Luciano told his organized crime members to give this naval commander what he wanted and open the docks. Right after this, the U-boats quit being supplied and ran out of fuel ● ●

We needed people in Sicily to prepare and get info for the invasion. Luciano ordered some people to stay in safe houses and get info for this. Vito Genoves was in Sicily. Dewey released Luciano to deport to Sicily...