Does the mafia still exist in America?

22 comments

1. I would say yes, but not in the way you would think – they are more organized today.

   For example, the way I understand it, the Mexican mafia controls lots of normal things like avocados and tequila. I’m sure they also still control hard core drugs and whatnot, but us normal folk don’t see that part.

   I think the US mafia does the same thing.

2. For sure, but definitely either more into legal enterprises or keeps things extremely down low without the violence.

3. It does but it’s a shadow of its former self.

   Providence is a great example. It used to be a huge mafia city and if you know any old Providence natives they can tell you stories.

   But, long time pressure from the FBI and many raids over the years have essentially dismantled the mafia as a major player in organized crime there.

4. Yes. Should have seen parent career day when I was kid.

   “ I work in garbage business, carting and waste management”( no clue why but the mob runs most of the garbage trucks around NYC, probably to rig the bidding process),

   “I’m in the Union” (no show jobs where they rig the bids in construction or smuggling shit in through the docks) ,

   “I work in sports”(I’m a bookie),

   “I run a school bus company”,( like garbage, the mob runs a lot of the school buses, probably to rig the bids

   “I run a modeling agency”,( runs a strip club because it’s a cash business , or escorts)

   400 pound slob; “I own a bunch of gyms” (mob loves gyms because it’s a cash business to launder money)… etc etc

5. Yes, but it is on a much smaller scale and most mobsters have moved to legitimate businesses by now.

6. Yes but it’s a lot smaller and more localized to the Northeast than it used to be.

7. There’s still approximately 3,000 made members and associates of LCN within the United States. There used to be around that number in NYC alone back in the 60s and 70s so it’s definitely scaled down.

   They can’t operate the way they used to so the “flashy” days of the mob are pretty much over. The boss of the Gambino family *was* shot dead in 2019 but apparently it had nothing to do with the mob.

   They had a brief reemergence in the early 2000s due to the FBI shifting their focus onto counter-terrorism, but it didn’t last long.

8. Yes, but they’re a shadow of what they once were outside the major cities.

   An acquaintance in college (later best friend, but acquaintance at the time) used to openly brag about being in the mafia, and share mafia stories that’s we were convinced were bullshit.

   It was a head-explode moment when as an adult many years later I <ahem> ‘came across some information” that backed up his claim.

   The entirety of the conversation I had with him about it went like:

   Me: “So, you know about that, uh, “thing” that came up last night …”

   Him: “Yeah, that. Just drop it, don’t bring it up again, and stop giving me bullshit about the family okay?”

9. Most organized crime in the U.S. is now committed by the two major political parties. They are currently the biggest organized crime gangs in the U.S.

10. I am sure it does, but they are not as visible now as they were back in the mid 1900’s. Just like the cartel, you know they’re here somewhere but they dont make their presence known unless you are involved with them.

11. There is no such thing as “The Mafia”.

12. They’re not what they used to be but they very much still exist.

13. Who wants to know?

14. Yes, the government is alive and well.

15. Who’s asking?

16. Yes, but it’s different. In Miami it’s Russian mafia, whenever you go into a store that sells 3 shirts and has a DJ, it’s a front.

    My friends car got stolen and it was put on a container and GONE. Happens all the time, and it’s all organized crime.

17. It does but not in the way you’re thinking.

18. Yes, but not in the ways they used to. The RICO Act dismantled a lot of the traditional mafia structures.

    But they still exist. They just aren’t as obvious nowadays and don’t run the streets the way they once did. Instead, they run semi-legitimate businesses and influence local politicians to give them contracts that they overcharge for or only half deliver on. They’ll also run drugs, underground gambling, control unions, etc. They’re much less violent though, and much less public and generally operate in the shadows or in plain sight as legitimate businesses. They learned long ago that if the public turns on them, the FBI rolls in. So for most of them, they try to avoid public attention or stay on the good side. There are definitely exceptions, though – notably the Mexican Cartels and some Russian mafia.

    Anecdotal, but there was a girl at my high school growing up. She was pretty and very popular, but she never once had a boyfriend. And it was because she was a member of the Gambino family and her dad was a known member of the Detroit Partnership. We had never heard of him doing anything bad and seemed friendly at events, but we knew what he was and we had seen what happens in the movies to guys that hurt the daughters of mafia.

19. Yes, but with a fraction of the number of members. In NYC they were pushed out of the garbage business, (mostly) unions and construction.

    The lottery kind of did in their numbers rackets and legal on-line sports betting killed their bookie business

    Extortion may still exist, but the old protection rackets are gone too, especially with cameras literally everywhere.

    Even prostitution went mostly on-line.

    There is still drug dealing, but weed is now legal and there is a lot of competition for the coke and heroin market.

    Nowadays they seem to do mostly financial scams, stock pump and dump, things like that.

    Plus the last mobster I recall being killed was a capo in SI, but he was shot by some crazy kid having nothing to do with the mob and everything to do with mental illness. Further, the shooter is in prison but is still alive, which would not have happened 30 years ago.

20. Yes, growing up, my family was in the “transportation” business in North Jersey. And the “jewelry” business… and the “garbage business”…

21. Organized crime is completely diversified in America these days. The Italian mafia still exits, but I doubt they have control over whole industries like they did 30 years ago.

22. The Italian Mafia is a shadow of it’s former self.

    Other forms of organized crime have taken their place in the food chain.