Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires Book + PRICE WATCH * Amazon pricing is not included in price watch

Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires Book

The Mafia has long held a spot in the American imagination. Despite their earned reputation for brutality, the Mafia has been glorified in countless movies, books, and television shows. Not so in this book. Selwyn Raab makes no attempt to perpetuate myths about the Mafia; instead, he exposes them as a serious threat to honest citizens: "The collective goal of the five families of New York was the pillaging of the nation's richest city and region," he writes. These five families--Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese--were responsible for corrupting labor unions in order to control waterfront commerce, garbage collection, the garment industry, and construction in New York. They also ran illegal gambling operations, engaged in stock schemes, and initiated the widespread introduction of heroin (among other drugs) into cities of the East and Midwest in the 1950s, leading to "accelerated crime rates, law-enforcement corruption, and the erosion of inner-city neighborhoods in New York and throughout the United States." Five Families offers a comprehensive look at the inner workings of the various clans along with vivid profiles of the gangsters who led--and continue to maintain--this criminal empire. Beginning with a brief history of the Sicilian origins of the Mafia, Raab exhaustively explains how the Mob took over New York before spreading to cities across America, particularly Las Vegas, their most successful outside venture. He also shows how the New York Mafia lost a great deal of power in the 1980s and '90s due to many significant busts and effective plea-bargaining. However, since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the F.B.I. has been focused mainly on external threats, leaving the Mafia room to regain some lost turf by moving into new avenues of crime. An investigative reporter for 40 years, Raab interviewed dozens of prosecutors, law enforcement officers, Mafia members, informants, and "Mob lawyers," providing anecdotes and inside information that tell the true story of the Mafia and their influence over the past 80 years. --Shawn CarkonenRead More

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  • Product Description

    The definitive history of the Mafias infamous Five Families, the campaign to eradicate them, and the Mobs refusal to diefrom a noted New York Times journalistGenovese, Gambino, Bonnano, Colombo and Lucchese. These Five Families built the American Mafia (or Cosa Nostra) into an underworld empire that stretched far beyond New York. For decades, they outwitted, outmaneuvered and outgunned the FBI and other police agencies and were seemingly immune from conviction. With insatiable greed and invisible influence, these families wreaked unparalleled damage to Americas vital business enterprises from construction, carting and shipping to Hollywood, Wall Street and Washington.Written by a New York Times reporter who has covered the Mob for decades, Five Families is the vivid story of the rise and fall of New Yorks premier dons and provides insight and answers to key questions, including:How the legendary Lucky Luciano ended internal wars and forged a new, largely impregnable type of criminal superstructureWhy J. Edgar Hoover refused to investigate the mob and denied its existenceHow the Mafia was involved in the assassination of President KennedyHow Crazy Joey Gallo became a caf society pet, and how a penchant for clam chowder and scungelli led to his murderHow John Gottis vanity undermined him and the almighty Gambino familyHow Carmine the Snake Persicos obsession to create a dynasty sparked a major mob warHow the secretive Gaspipe Casso triumphed as the tyrannical and blood-soaked leader of the Lucchese familyHow Chin Gigante created the nations wealthiest crime family while feigning insanityHow the 9/11 tragedy has led to a Mafia resurgence.Unprecedented detail on the inner workings of the Commission and how power and tribute flowed from places like New Orleans, Chicago and Miami back to New York.

  • 0312300948
  • 9780312300944
  • Selwyn Raab
  • 25 August 2005
  • Thomas Dunne Books
  • Hardcover (Book)
  • 784
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