Brief History of the Mafia and Organized Crime

Then and Now

Organized crime has deep roots in time. The Italian mafia was founded in Italy in the 1800’s, originally as a group of resistance fighters. Their power grew and evolved over time into the idea of organized crime that it is today. The Italian mafia, as it operates in Italy is still very powerful. As late as 1992, they were actively killing law enforcement personnel with terroristic bombing tactics. The Italian mafia found its way to the U.S. beginning in the 1900’s when IOC figures came illegally into the country. Most of them being Sicilian Mafiosi. Many of the Mafia members who came here in the early 1920s helped establish the La Cosa Nostra or the American Mafia. This is not to say that there isn’t other organized crime in this country. Beyond the American (Italian) Mafia, the FBI recognizes Eurasian, Asian and African organized crime groups active in this country.

The traditional organized criminal syndicate preyed on the vulnerability and ignorance of people. Those particularly susceptible were immigrants to this country. They were vulnerable in that most didn’t speak English and they did not understand American law. Additionally, many immigrants were fleeing from countries where they were terrorized by their governments and they lived in fear of officials such as police. They were unlikely to seek help from law enforcement. If one takes Chicago as an example of how traditional organized crime could operate, the scenario goes as follows: