Mob extortions during pandemic

[NYNighthawk]

So with the bars and restuarants closed or at limited capacity, does the Mob still expect full pay during this pandemic of the storeowners they are extorting?

[TallGuy19]

I doubt the American Mafia shakes down store owners anymore. The insular Italian communities where small-business owners were afraid to run to the police have, for the most part, gone the way of the dinosaur.

[Etna]

I always thought they never did that type of thing in the USA?

[Jbravo]

Mostly construction and restaurants now.

[Pogo The Clown]

I always thought they never did that type of thing in the USA?

Never on a wide scale no. In recent times you still see the occasional shakedown of a specific business like a strip club, a trucking or construction company, etc. The last real old school style extortion case I can remember was in 2000 when the Lucchese Brooklyn Crew was busted for shaking down legit businesses in Bensonhurst through threats of arson.


Pogo

[Amershire_Ed]

Anthony Arillotta said getting into extortion is what ruined their Springfield crew in the early 2000s. They were making a *ton* of money without it, but once they got into the extortion game, he said it led to so many problems

[Etna]

I always thought they never did that type of thing in the USA?

Never on a wide scale no. In recent times you still see the occasional shakedown of a specific business like a strip club, a trucking or construction company, etc. The last real old school style extortion case I can remember was in 2000 when the Lucchese Brooklyn Crew was busted for shaking down legit businesses in Bensonhurst through threats of arson.


Pogo

So they were trying to bring back the black hand style extortion. So between this case and the black hand cases, it was never at the extent of a "pizzo" racket like it is in Sicily.

[Wiseguy]

Obviously extortion is a generic term and it can come in many forms. We see it all the time in mob cases. In the context of this thread, it seems people are talking about the old school, walk into the local mom and pop place and say "Nice place here, be a shame if something were to happen to it" form of extortion. The kind Patsy and Burt are trying in this scene from The Sopranos - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gsz7Gu6agA

It's not always easy to find out all the details (not even the indictments go deep into them necessarily) but extortion of two restaurants and a strip club from 2012-2018 were among the charges in the January 2018 Bonanno case. Strip clubs, which often operate in a grey area of legitimacy, are probably the most common target for that type of extortion. That's what Sonny Franzese was indicted for, among other things, in 2010. They were also among the businesses Arilotta and the Springfield crew were extorting, as mentioned above. The Gambinos and Bonannos were charged with extorting four strip clubs in the 2011 Trucchio case.

Pogo is right. This form of more in your face, blatant extortion has not been as fundamental to the American mob as it is to the Sicilian mob. The Sicilian mob is a big fish in a small pond and it was part of the culture for a long time that you paid the pizzo. Those extortion payments from local businesses in a clan's territory often were the bread and butter money paid to sustain the families of imprisoned mafiosi.

Extortion of vendors at the San Gennaro festival were among the charges in the 2012 Genovese case involving Conrad Ianniello, etc. But it was more a case of the vendors paying bribes to the mob in order to operate. There's a distinction though the point is the same. You pay or you can't operate, something will happen to you or your business, etc. ILA workers were pretty blatantly extorted in the case of payments given to union officials at Christmas. Other times it was more a case of bribes given for jobs, promotions, etc. In 2011, officials of UFCW Local 348 (Genovese members and associates) were indicted for extorting dozens of businesses to prevent union disruptions. Not much room for misunderstandings there. Point being, it can be done in various ways and doesn't have to be so blatant, but the end result is the same.

To the original post, there's no way this pandemic hasn't affected them financially, including restaurants and clubs owned by mobsters themselves.

[NYNighthawk]

Thank you Wiseguy - excellent explanation - greatly appreciated.

[Bklyn21]

I always thought they never did that type of thing in the USA?

Never on a wide scale no. In recent times you still see the occasional shakedown of a specific business like a strip club, a trucking or construction company, etc. The last real old school style extortion case I can remember was in 2000 when the Lucchese Brooklyn Crew was busted for shaking down legit businesses in Bensonhurst through threats of arson.


Pogo

So they were trying to bring back the black hand style extortion. So between this case and the black hand cases, it was never at the extent of a "pizzo" racket like it is in Sicily.

The Patriarcas were shaking down strip clubs as was detailed in I think the 2011 indictments

[Fughedaboutit]

Anthony Arillotta said getting into extortion is what ruined their Springfield crew in the early 2000s. They were making a *ton* of money without it, but once they got into the extortion game, he said it led to so many problems

Arillotta would have sold out his own mother for a reduced sentence.

[Tonyd621]

Anthony Arillotta said getting into extortion is what ruined their Springfield crew in the early 2000s. They were making a *ton* of money without it, but once they got into the extortion game, he said it led to so many problems

Arillotta would have sold out his own mother for a reduced sentence.

Never been a more truthful statement than that. Facts!

[CornerBoy]

. The last real old school style extortion case I can remember was in 2000 when the Lucchese Brooklyn Crew was busted for shaking down legit businesses in Bensonhurst through threats of arson.

Who was involved- that's suprising














Pogo
[/quote]

[Wiseguy]

Who was involved- that's suprising

7 people were charged including acting underboss Eugene "Boopsie" Castelle, captain Joseph "Joey Flowers" Tangorra, and soldiers Joseph "Jo Jo" Truncale and Scott Gervasi.

In addition to the extortion charges, they were also indicted for running a numbers operation, loansharking, cocaine trafficking (split Bensonhurst drug trade with Bonanno Bath Ave crew), and murder.

[Pogo The Clown]

Who was involved- that's suprising

7 people were charged including acting underboss Eugene "Boopsie" Castelle, captain Joseph "Joey Flowers" Tangorra, and soldiers Joseph "Jo Jo" Truncale and Scott Gervasi.

In addition to the extortion charges, they were also indicted for running a numbers operation, loansharking, cocaine trafficking (split Bensonhurst drug trade with Bonanno Bath Ave crew), and murder.

I believe current Capo John Castellucci was also indicted in this case. He was an Associate at the time.


Pogo