Origin of La Cosa Nostra - Essay Example

Origin of La Cosa Nostra La Costa Nostra came from Sicily Island that exists in the Mediterranean Sea, between Italian mainland and North Africa1. The mafia has the gangs of Italian origin formed a group to defend itself against occupying forces that showed hostility to them. Factors That Contributed To La Cosa Nostra Flourish Various factors contributed to flourishing of La Cosa Nostra as a mafia group in the United States. Such factors cut across political, economic, and structural organization reasons. Economic Factors La Cosa Nostra (LCN) capitalized in their business acumen as an important asset to get stronger. The group was highly skilled in entrepreneurship, adaptability in besides being opportunistic. LCN exploited vulnerabilities of markets as they defended every necessary predictability and stability of making profits. They captured the legitimacy of businesses and in return gave out services in exchange instead of concurring over the entire business. Consequently, LCN avoided the management that they could not prosper in but instead opted for service provision. The group, therefore, created an environment that was very necessary for business success2. Second, LCN participated actively in the sales of drugs for which they charged exorbitantly in an attempt to make huge cash for their operations. Alongside gambling and drug trafficking, LCN also engaged in other activities such as air cargo theft, hijacking, and murder in their efforts to acquire wealth for running their activities. LCN also engaged in Loan sharking that supplemented their economic muscles. La Cosa Nostra group also single-handedly took part in controlling various illegal markets in a monopolistic process. Sources reveal that they did it so successfully in a manner that no more crime organization has ever done. In addition, LCN also diversified largely into legal markets to widen further their sources of operational funds3. There was New York waste hauling industry in which La Cosa Nostra was a cartel for over fifty years. It is through the control over trade unions that LCN managed to set up a cartel. LCN used the cartel to monopolize the market. The group threatened to disrupt the market, create labor problems and violence through “mob tax” if consumers and participants failed to pay inflated prices for their waste hauling industry. La Cosa Nostra also encroached into white-collar jobs in attempts to diversify its activities. Through the diversification, they took part in multimillion-dollar frauds in health insurance and prepaid telephone credit cards. LCN also displayed a wide range of professionalism in these scams, an indication that it was a network of learned persons in collaboration with less skilled mafias. Violence The application of ruthless violence by La Cosa Nostra for many years in the form of killings and beatings, bombings, explosions and arson was a tool of doing successful business. Violence and threats of violence served as the means through which La Cosa Nostra gained control to steer forward its criminal enterprises4. Despite murder or confederacy to commit murders, being some of the predicate offenses, threats, and actual violence enabled the group to discourage or eliminate its competitors. In other ways, such violence provided them with an opportunity to reinforce both their credibility and reputation. Using violence as a tool to flourish continued among members of LCN for some time. The group carried out murders and assassinations of individuals who made efforts against their mob activities. In 1997, LCN plotted to kill a federal judge who presided over biggest mob trials in New York. Corruption and Political Factors Judicial and police corruption is evident in the past than what the situation is currently. A number of fraud cases in which the involved persons included law-enforcing officers and two participating judges who have relationships with La Cosa Nostra families. The police officers, judges, politicians, and lawyers who should help in combating the outlawed groups are among the 26 individuals arrested in federal investigation 1997 after which they pleaded guilty of corruption5. Such corruption factors among law enforcing officers gave a leeway through which activities of La Cosa Nostra flourished without any derailment or curtailment. In Boston, one of the former members of the FBI surprisingly admitted after the grant of immunity, that he accepted $7,000 from two mob informants of the FBI who were among the prominent figures in the group La Cosa Nostra. In 1999, another FBI agent fell a victim of conviction after informing La Cosa Nostra targets of investigations6. The FBI agent further protected the FBI targets against prosecution. Handling the mafia became, therefore, tricky because of the corrupt collaborative FBI officers. The LCN group did not show at any point that they had political links by not demanding direct representation in congress. Moreover, LCN neither participated in the US diplomatic nor executive services. There is neither indication that LCN had were allies with armed opposition groups that included guerillas, death squads, or terrorists7. Consequently, LCN showed outstanding traditional characteristics of an organized crime whose goal was purely economic at the expense of political one. The government of America, therefore, did not take a lot of keen interest in fighting the group enabling them to flourish highly in the USA. Donnie Brasco Testimony In Donnie Brasco testimony, Joseph Pintone, who is a former FBI agent, gives a description of how La Cosa Mafia infiltrated the construction industry of New York. He also supports the ideas that corruptions fueled flourishing of mafias when he ascertained that allegations of corruption were rampant in Quebec. Joseph further agrees with the idea that violence pressure tactics worked greatly for the La Cosa Nostra when he testified that the mafia often compelled legitimate companies to place highest bids or reveal their bids when municipal contracts surfaced8. Failure to bid high would mean that mob-run companies could come and underbid the legitimate companies. He further submit to the idea when he claims in his testimony that mafia companies submitted claims for unionized labor that was expensive but in real sense paying lower wages to non-union workers. LCN Rigidity The organizational structure of La Cosa Nostra has rigidity because they have a leader at the top of hierarchy who gives unilateral commands and makes crucial decisions. He decides when the mafia organization can cause violence. The rigidity is strength because it puts the mafia group together without conflicting decisions from different leaders or members. LCN is indeed the ultimate American expression of get rich quick or die trying. The reason is that the group forces its way into making profits, failure to which the targeted income generators face violence. LCN even bribes the authorities as well as assassinating those who ma their way deter them from accessing wealth9. Their cartels practice drug trafficking and smuggling alongside fraudster activities to make wealth. Comparison between La Cosa Nostra with Russian Organized Crime, Triads, and Yakuza La Cosa engaged in entrepreneurial activities that yielded profits for the entire organization, unlike in Triads where profits belong directly to individual gangs within it. Both La Cosa Nostra and Yakuza share common characteristics in such a way that both of them have solid and compact leadership unlike in Yakuza that has loose affiliations10. Those members of triad at the lower ladder have the privilege of lateral movement without restrictions. Members of triad have the authority to engage in criminal activities without even the permission of their leader. However, La Cosa Nostra on the contrary must give power from their top leadership to cause violence. The Russian organized crime shows many similarities to those of La Cosa Nostra. Russian organized crime takes part in crimes treated as street level ones. Just like LCN, ROC takes part in human trafficking and smuggling of drugs. ROC also takes part in crimes known as white collar by counterfeiting of goods such as cigarettes as well as evading taxes for economic success and profit maximization. In other words, both ROC and LCN are economic oriented organizations. In contrast, US diplomatic cables that recently leaked show that Russian organized crime enjoys state protection significantly11. The US mafias such as La Cosa Nostra are some of the number one enemies of the FBI. Russian Organized Crime enjoys the name “Big Business” in the country yet Russian government is the body responsible for licensing any big business. Branding is another sign that state is fully supporting the organized crime. Bibliography Abadinsky, Howard. Organized Crime. Cengage Learning, 2012. Albanese, Jay S. "The Cosa Nostra in the US Adapting to Changes in the Social, Economic, and Political Environment After a 25-Year Prosecution Effort." Traditional Organized Crime In The Modern World. Springer US, 2012. 93-108. Albini, Joseph L. "Donald Cresseys Contributions to the Study of Organized Crime: An Evaluation." Crime & delinquency 34.3 (1988): 338-354. Albrecht, Hans-Jörg, and André Klip, eds. Crime, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice in Europe: A Collection in Honour of Prof. Em. Dr. Dr. Hc Cyrille Fijnaut. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2013. CNBC. CNBC­TV18 presents a Special on American Greeds Mob Money. Business Standard. July 02, 2010. Accessed from http://www.business-standard.com/article/printer-friendly-version?article_id=110070200131_1 Fijnaut, Cyrille, Hans-Jörg Albrecht, and André Klip. Crime, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice in Europe: A Collection in Honour of Prof. Em. Dr. H.C. Cyrille Fijnaut. (2013). Finckenauer, James O. "La Cosa Nostra in the United States." National Institute of Justice. Accessed from, www. ojp. usdoj. gov/nij/international/lcn. html (2000). Harding, Christopher. "The Offence of Belonging: Capturing Participation In Organized Crime." Criminal Law Review (2005): 690-700. Kaplan, David and Alec, Dubro. Yakuza: Japans Criminal Underworld. University of California Press, 2012. Lurigio, Arthur and John, Binder. "The Chicago Outfit Challenging the Myths About Organized Crime." Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 29.2 (2013): 198-218. Zalisko, Walter. "Russian Organized Crime." Law and Order-Wilmette- 47 (1999): 219-228. Read More