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 A definition may be too narrow A definition may be too wide

Chief activities of organized crime Drug trafficking Illegal gambling Loan sharking Labor racketeering 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