American Organized Crime in

the 20th Century

Organized Crime

• Defining organized crime• Activities• Combating Organized Crime• Prohibition and Al Capone• Kefauver Hearings of 1950-1952• McClellan Hearings of 1963• Organized Crime Control Act of 1970

– RICO– Witness Protection Program

Defining Organized Crime

• No official definition has been offered for two reasons

1. A definition may be too narrow

2. A definition may be too wide

Chief activities of organized crime

1. Drug trafficking

2. Illegal gambling

3. Loan sharking

4. Labor racketeering

5. Corruption of public officials

Combating Organized Crime

• Organized crime was difficult to combat in the early 20th Century because it was not considered a national issue

• Early attempts at combating organized crime failed

Prohibition and Al Capone

• Prohibition caused the greatest growth in organized crime activity ever seen in the U.S.

• Al Capone’s empire was responsible for an amazing amount of violence and corruption

• Eliot Ness and the “Untouchables”• Capone’s fall and repeal of Prohibition

Kefauver Hearings of 1950-1952

• First major committee centered on organized crime

• Had high-profile mob figures present

• Helped the federal government better recognize targets

• Led to McClellan Hearings

McClellan Hearings of 1963

• Featured Joseph Valachi, who first publicized the term “La Cosa Nostra”– Valachi described the organization of the

Mafia– Led to models of organized crime as a

bureaucracy being presented

• Resulted in more effort from the federal government to pass legislation

Organized Crime Control Act of 1970

• The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act was a helpful, but confusing tool– United States v. Turkette

• Witness Protection Program– Offers informer alternatives other than jail or

the streets– Responsible for bringing down America’s

most recent notable Mafia figure

Conclusion