The Rise and Fall of the Italian Mafia - 1664 Words

La Cosa Nostra and the Five Families of which the surrounding area of New York City is comprised has drastically altered the culture in the region; transforming industries with brute force and attracting much public attention. Hollywood focuses on glamorizing the Mafioso lifestyle, distracting from the true nature of organized crime. Over the past decade, the key opportunities have been utilized by the Italian Mafia, resulting in a powerful behind-the-scenes dominance over many aspects we may not expect. Its gonna be a Cosa Nostra. The Honored Society, or Mafia, as it was less often called, was a vast criminal brotherhood that had developed in Palermo and western Sicily independently of the Camorra of Naples. They developed†¦show more content†¦Gambling has proven to be one of the more profitable things that the Mafia provides. From their own private casinos to games for elite clientele, to booking off-track bets in Belmont and Saratoga, their profit margins are tremendous. In the 1920s Mafia Boss Bonanno started to fix horse races, betting huge amounts of money on the known outcomes. Fixing boxing matches was also a favorite of the early crime lords. Sammy The Bull Gravano, John Gottis ex Underboss states that charitable casino events in New York from the period of 1970-1995 were most likely a front for private profiteers. A man named Joe Pistone, an undercover FBI agent who became a made man, relates to gambling events hosted by Cosa Nostra as having been taken care of by bribing city officia ls and local police officers. In the 20th century this has proved very profitable, but in the last few years has slowed down due to police forces cracking down heavily. Gambling, however, serves only a limited number of people, and more money can be made on a larger spectrum. Extortion along with the threat of violence is a very common practice among the New York Mafioso, and the Genovese family has used these tactics to substantially gain power in the past decade. When Lucky Lucchese was a boss, his family took income from virtually all importations into New York City ports, and the boats of thoseShow MoreRelatedThe Italian Mob And The Russian Mafia1323 Words   |  6 PagesWhen people think of organized crime they think of the Italian mob and the Russian mafia. They are the ones that they see in movies and on television, and the ones that they hear about the most. However, they were created a couple centuries after their Asian counterparts, the Yakuza in Japan, and the Triads in China. These Asian syndicates were founded in the sixteenth and seventeenth century and consisted of merchants and other people in what was basically the middle class. They were just groupsRead More Realism and Idealism for the Godfather Essay1173 Words   |  5 Pages Realis m and Idealism for the Godfather I will never forget what I felt when I first seen my first mobster movie, I was about 12 years old, it was real late at night and I just could not fall asleep. I was flipping the channels looking for something to watch, and that is when I encountered my first mobster movie. I was intrigued from beginning to end; it was like nothing I had ever seen before. The way they talked so confident and cool to the way they looked so sharp and sophisticated. AlthoughRead MoreRealism and Idealism for the Godfather1166 Words   |  5 PagesRealism and Idealism for the Godfather I will never forget what I felt when I first seen my first mobster movie, I was about 12 years old, it was real late at night and I just could not fall asleep. I was flipping the channels looking for something to watch, and that is when I encountered my first mobster movie. I was intrigued from beginning to end; it was like nothing I had ever seen before. The way they talked so confident and cool to the way they looked so sharp and sophisticated. AlthoughRead MoreGoodfellas Analysis Essay803 Words   |  4 Pageswhich is one of my favorite movies. Describe the story - Goodfellas is a mafia movie that follows closely the life of Henry Hill, played by Ray Liotta, an Irish/Italian American, and his two partners/friends, Jimmy Conway, played by Robert De Niro, and Tommy Devito, played by Joe Pesci, as they climb the ranks of organized crime, by performing hijackings, robberies and drug dealing. The film deals with the actual rise and fall of the Lucchese crime family over a period of time from 1955-1980. The filmRead MoreThe Most Problematic Crimes That Are Polluting Italy s Criminal Justice System1832 Words   |  8 Pagesagencies domestic and international promoting to combat corruption with their anti-corruption laws. 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Firstly, GoodfellasRead MoreEssay about Organized Crime Around the World1874 Words   |  8 PagesWhen people think of organized crime they think of the Italian mob and the Russian mafia. They are the ones that they see in movies and on television, and the ones that they hear about the most. However, they were created a couple centuries after their Asian counterparts, the Yakuza in Japan, and the Triads in China. These Asian syndicates were founded in the sixteenth and seventeenth century and consisted of merchants and other people in what was basically the middle class. They were just groupsRead MoreWorld War II : The Best And The Worst That The World4057 Words   |  17 Pagesthem, even if it means collaborating with a different enemy, The Mafia. The Mafia, born out of Sicily is a criminal organization that has lived to become something of legend and myth. As opposed to organized criminal organizations of today the Mafia has worked in the shadows only resorting to outright and blatant displays of violence when necessary or during times of unrest within opposing crime families. As a result of the Mafia s ability to blend into the shadows they were able to slowly integrateRead MoreThe Story Of A Story1351 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Whos that?† I ask Alice. â€Å"Don Bellini, probably the reason youre here.† I raise one eyebrow. She wears a bewildered expression. â€Å"When we get home, were watching some Mafia movies. Anyway, hes the big boss, whatever he says, goes.† ï » ¿Clyde returns to his position behind the bar. â€Å"What can I get you, two lovely ladies?† â€Å"Coke please,† we respond simultaneously. â€Å"Thats a gorgeous dress, Eva. Is it new?† â€Å"Yes, I bought it today.† My hand flutters up to the neckline of my dress to caress the fabricRead MoreThe Portrayal of the Gangster Genre in American and British Cinema in Goodfellas by Martin Scorcese and Layer Cake by Matthew Vaughn2145 Words   |  9 Pagesand revenge. The first film looked at is Goodfellas (1990) directed by Martin Scorcese, a stylistic, hard-hitting true mobster story about three ‘wise guys’. The film is based upon the non-fictional book ‘Wise guy: life in a mafia family’ by Nicholas Pileggi, following the life of a gangster, Henry Hill, who turned to the FBI and entered the federal witness protection programme to avoid his enemies. This fast-moving film follows the life of a young boy growing up