Top Mafia Misconceptions

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OlBlueEyesClub
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Re: Top Mafia Misconceptions

Post by OlBlueEyesClub »

Well, Lombardo definitely debunked that theory. Realistically how would that even be possible , that Italian immigrants brought along organized crime and that it wasn't in America prior and was a foreign concept? And a highly centralized organization or enterprise simply means that information and direction flows from top to bottom. The Irish & Chinese gangs of early NY in the early 1900's all had recorded bosses during they're time , and thats usually who they took instruction from, who in turn in many cases got their orders from politicians, thats organized crime. A concept that existed in America prior to the wave of Italian immigration.
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phatmatress777
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Re: Top Mafia Misconceptions

Post by phatmatress777 »

OlBlueEyesClub wrote:Well, Lombardo definitely debunked that theory. Realistically how would that even be possible , that Italian immigrants brought along organized crime and that it wasn't in America prior and was a foreign concept? And a highly centralized organization or enterprise simply means that information and direction flows from top to bottom. The Irish & Chinese gangs of early NY in the early 1900's all had recorded bosses during they're time , and thats usually who they took instruction from, who in turn in many cases got their orders from politicians, thats organized crime. A concept that existed in America prior to the wave of Italian immigration.
I'm not saying that it wasn't already here .. Kinda like Columbus discovering America... People were already here... But he opened the flood gates... The Sicilian Mafia and neopolitan had operations back home they brought it with them and took it to the next level. I'm Irish and the Irish gangs interest me but imo they were never on the same level as the Italian mob.


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Wiseguy
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Re: Top Mafia Misconceptions

Post by Wiseguy »

That's where you get into how one defines organized crime, which experts still debate today. I do think there was organized crime prior to the Italians but they took it to another level. No other group, before or since, came close to the kind of national influence - in both the illegal rackets and the legitimate world - that the LCN did. And I think a lot of their success could be attributed to good timing, ie Prohibition, the labor movement, systemic corruption, lack of law enforcement, well as about a 50 year window (1930s through 1970s) where they didn't really have significant competition. Of course, the Italians possessed the self-perpetuating criminal tradition that enabled them to take advantage of all that.
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OlBlueEyesClub
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Re: Top Mafia Misconceptions

Post by OlBlueEyesClub »

I agree that the Sicilian Cosa Nostra and by extension the American Cosa Nostra definitely took OC to an entirely new level , that cannot be argued .
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JCB1977
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Re: Top Mafia Misconceptions

Post by JCB1977 »

phatmatress777 wrote:
OlBlueEyesClub wrote:Well, Lombardo definitely debunked that theory. Realistically how would that even be possible , that Italian immigrants brought along organized crime and that it wasn't in America prior and was a foreign concept? And a highly centralized organization or enterprise simply means that information and direction flows from top to bottom. The Irish & Chinese gangs of early NY in the early 1900's all had recorded bosses during they're time , and thats usually who they took instruction from, who in turn in many cases got their orders from politicians, thats organized crime. A concept that existed in America prior to the wave of Italian immigration.
I'm not saying that it wasn't already here .. Kinda like Columbus discovering America... People were already here... But he opened the flood gates... The Sicilian Mafia and neopolitan had operations back home they brought it with them and took it to the next level. I'm Irish and the Irish gangs interest me but imo they were never on the same level as the Italian mob.


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The Calabrians had as much influence as any of the other groups. Especially in the Ohio River Valley
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phatmatress777
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Re: Top Mafia Misconceptions

Post by phatmatress777 »

JCB1977 wrote:
phatmatress777 wrote:
OlBlueEyesClub wrote:Well, Lombardo definitely debunked that theory. Realistically how would that even be possible , that Italian immigrants brought along organized crime and that it wasn't in America prior and was a foreign concept? And a highly centralized organization or enterprise simply means that information and direction flows from top to bottom. The Irish & Chinese gangs of early NY in the early 1900's all had recorded bosses during they're time , and thats usually who they took instruction from, who in turn in many cases got their orders from politicians, thats organized crime. A concept that existed in America prior to the wave of Italian immigration.
I'm not saying that it wasn't already here .. Kinda like Columbus discovering America... People were already here... But he opened the flood gates... The Sicilian Mafia and neopolitan had operations back home they brought it with them and took it to the next level. I'm Irish and the Irish gangs interest me but imo they were never on the same level as the Italian mob.


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The Calabrians had as much influence as any of the other groups. Especially in the Ohio River Valley
Ok....


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B.
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Re: Top Mafia Misconceptions

Post by B. »

Didn't Giuseppe Morello himself cooperate to some degree in an early trial? Can't recall if it was in the counterfeiting trial or another. I think I read it in Mike Dash's book.

Despite the division between the "traditional" and "Americanized" guys you read a lot about, it seems even back in the earliest days guys had different definitions of "omerta".
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Antiliar
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Re: Top Mafia Misconceptions

Post by Antiliar »

Morello gave a brief interview or made a brief statement, then repudiated it the next day. Maybe he thought it was going to be confidential, then when it got out he denied everything.
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