Armenian Organized Crime - Essay Example

Armenian Organized Crime Armenian Crime Syndicate evolved from a traditional street gang whose base was around East Hollywood approximately 1980s (Lovett, 2011). The gang quickly established strong relations with Mexican similar groups prior extending to the international levels. This entailed ties with other gangs in Eastern Europe plus Russia, which made the group exceedingly resourceful in the executions of their crimes (Albanese, 2012). Their expertise differentiated them from other gangs, since they could even undertake white-collar crimes that entailed scheming how to loot banks using high and advanced technology.

Currently, the syndicate possesses’ strong public relations that enable it collaborate with bank personnel while executing their schemes through installing register devices to temper with the client’s accounts. Primarily, this group specializes in narcotic trafficking, kidnapping and utilizing technological knowhow to siphon funds from bank accounts (Lovett, 2011). The members steal from banks via fixing credit card “skimming” gadgets that acquire clients’ accounts’ status prior making bogus debit and credit cards.

In some incidences, the gang may be for hire to execute extermination acts. For instance, in politics or business deals where diverse persons keep resentment against their counterparts. This ensures the targeted victim does not benefit from the disputed plan that yields to one’s demise (Albanese, 2012). Currently there are no stipulated laws that “regulate” organized crime, except civil statutes that try to “control” it, for instance, RICO Act (Conklin, 2010). The statute involves trying the syndicates’ bosses for the evils they have ordered their subjects to undertake and exempts the doers from punishment.

Since the lawbreakers acted not from their will but forced due to the gang’s loyalty, which entails total adherence. RICO does not effectively curb organized crime, since it only deals with the leaders while the subjects go scot-free (Lovett, 2011). This gives the doers a chance to be more sophisticated in their dealings, hence contributing in creating more numerous similar gangs. Law enforcing units’ estimate that Armenian Crime Syndicate has cost their victims at least $20 Million especially via money laundering and stealing from banks (Lovett, 2011).

Additionally, the syndicate has yielded to rampant usage of hard drugs especially among the youths, since they are the drugs’ kingpins (Albanese, 2012). This affects the society grievously because they render youths being nuisance to the society, which prompts the drug addicts to join diverse crime syndicates, besides affecting states economically.ReferencesAlbanese, J. S. (2012). Professional ethics in criminal justice: Being ethical when no one else is looking . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Conklin, J. E. (2010). Criminology . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.Lovett, I. (2011). U.S. Cracks Down on Armenian Crime Syndicate. The New York Times. Retrieved on 29, Feb. 2012 from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/us/17armenian.html?_r=1