1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to stuff you should know 3 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: from house Stuff Works dot com and welcome to the podcast. 4 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: I'm Josh Minnesota, Fats Clark, There's Chuck, Butterface Bryant. Where's 5 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 1: a couple of goons ready to break your thumbs on Butterface. 6 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:34,600 Speaker 1: I'm actually the opposite of butter Face. I'm a butter body. 7 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:38,920 Speaker 1: Those are what I came up with. That's good, Okay, 8 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:40,839 Speaker 1: you get the papers. Get the papers. This one is 9 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: going to be lousy. With Chuck's Italian impressive. I want 10 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 1: to go ahead and um apologize to the Italian American 11 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: Anti Defamation League. Actually that is a serious c o A. 12 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: I wanted to say because a lot of Italian Americans 13 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: get upset about things like the Sopranos being portrayed as 14 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 1: game bixters. We're not saying all Italian Americans and gangsters, 15 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:05,200 Speaker 1: but we're gonna talk about the mafia. It's a real thing, 16 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 1: and specifically we're gonna when you say the mafia, even 17 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:12,320 Speaker 1: though it's used in all these different ways, right, it's 18 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:20,360 Speaker 1: it's specific to Italian organized crime groups or Sicilian. Yeah, well, 19 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 1: Sicily is a part of Italy. Yeah, sort of, that's Sicilians, 20 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:26,399 Speaker 1: and they probably would say not so much. Well, under 21 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 1: modern geopolitics, it's a part of Italy, right, I just 22 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 1: wouldn't say that in Sicily. Well, if you want to 23 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 1: talk about the mafia, even even broadly, the Sicilian mafia 24 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 1: is part of five total right. Yes, Oh we got 25 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: going already, did you know? Yeah? I was like, wow, 26 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:48,920 Speaker 1: that's set up here. We are you? I mean, should 27 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: we name those or you just want to get to 28 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 1: those at the appropriate time? Did I throw you off? No? 29 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: I'll name him right now. Sicilian Mafia, the Camorra Mafia 30 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: from nap the Calabrian mafia from Calabria, right, Uh, the 31 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 1: Sacra Corona, Yunita or Unita, they're recent, they are based 32 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 1: in the Puglia region region. He's getting out of hand already. 33 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: And look also Nostra, which is uh, that's a good 34 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 1: place to start, yeah, because that's what's been come to 35 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: be called the American mafia. That is exactly right, Chuck. 36 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:30,359 Speaker 1: And that's our first bit of jargon we should cover. 37 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 1: I think it is grammatically incorrect. It is you know, uh, 38 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:39,639 Speaker 1: cosin nostra means our way, right, Yeah, possibly our thing. Yeah, 39 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 1: the FBI and I think the sixties were wire tapping, um, 40 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 1: the American mafia. They mentioned cosin nostra and um the 41 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: FBI came to use that as the term for the 42 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 1: Italian mafia, adding law so it means the r way. 43 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 1: I came up with the Italian mafia in the United States. 44 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: But it's stuck, right when the FBI labels you, that 45 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: label sticks and black. Cosa nostra, like you said, describes 46 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 1: the American mafia, which is one of the five Italian 47 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: mafia groups in the world. Today. I got a friend 48 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: named Blastfeld. We call him Blass, and I call him 49 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:26,400 Speaker 1: La Blasa nostra. It's a good nickname, I think. Uh, 50 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:28,920 Speaker 1: there's some other terms we're gonna throw about here. Uh, 51 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:33,920 Speaker 1: the Almerta. I did look up how to pronounce some 52 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 1: of these. Actually, the Almerta is the code of silence, really, 53 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: that's how you pronounce it. Yeah, tah is the and 54 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:46,200 Speaker 1: fascists on top. A made man is someone who is been, 55 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: you know, inducted into the mafia family. A capo originally 56 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 1: was the head of the family in Sicily, but now 57 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: there are lieutenants in the mafia. Then the family, of 58 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 1: course is the gang within the mafia, like the family 59 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:04,440 Speaker 1: is uh, each individual gang, and then of course the 60 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:07,360 Speaker 1: wise guys. Let's let's break down the hierarchy. Right, we're 61 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 1: talking family is a gang within the mafia, and there 62 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:14,440 Speaker 1: can be usually say anywhere from ten to a hundred, 63 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 1: which strikes me as an incredibly arbitrary number. But there 64 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 1: are different families within the mafia. And if you're talking 65 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:26,239 Speaker 1: about the Sicilian mafia, there's there's a lot of families. 66 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:29,839 Speaker 1: There a lot of families in the US, right, um, 67 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:33,160 Speaker 1: and beneath the in the hierarchy, beneath the family, each 68 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: families is headed by a boss, right don a don 69 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:42,800 Speaker 1: or boss. Then you've got the underboss, possibly more than one, 70 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: but usually just one. Uh. The boss is right hand man. Yes, 71 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:51,599 Speaker 1: Sometimes underboss makes his own decisions based on the you know, 72 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:54,640 Speaker 1: the family way. Sometimes the underboss will go to the 73 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:58,880 Speaker 1: boss say what should I do? Boss? Then travel down 74 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:01,799 Speaker 1: to the lieutenants and let the now and you know, Chuck. 75 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:05,039 Speaker 1: As I was reading this and reading about the structure 76 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: of the mafia organization, it occurred to me that like 77 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: a lot of this mirrors management and organizational styles found incorporations. 78 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 1: That's why they call it organized crime. It is it 79 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 1: is very much like Okay, so you have a boss 80 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 1: who's real hands on, the underboss is going to probably 81 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:29,720 Speaker 1: not be very uh not be empowered, just like right 82 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:32,200 Speaker 1: if if you have a hands on manager, the supervisor 83 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: right below him is not going to have a lot 84 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 1: of power authority, right, Okay, Well let's just keep going. 85 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: The copos are beneath the underboss. They're like lieutenants, lieutenants, 86 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 1: and they will either control a part of the family 87 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:50,279 Speaker 1: or maybe a geographical area, or maybe they run a 88 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 1: certain racket only like I just deal in uh, prostitution, prostitution, 89 00:05:55,920 --> 00:06:00,920 Speaker 1: illegal gambling, legal gambling, right, or it could be like um, 90 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:05,760 Speaker 1: Tony owns you know, everything west of eleventh Street. Right. 91 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:09,560 Speaker 1: So that's how the the capo um, that's how the 92 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:13,920 Speaker 1: capo h is a cappo really hats off to you, 93 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 1: capo off to you at the pronunciation. But that's how 94 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:22,600 Speaker 1: the the what is it the capo is defined? Right? 95 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 1: And I thought about this too, and good fellas, PAULI, 96 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:32,640 Speaker 1: as you know, big and important as he seemed, was 97 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 1: just a capo, was he? He went in an under Boston. 98 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:37,520 Speaker 1: I don't think so. Who was a big daddy in 99 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:40,920 Speaker 1: that movie? They never showed because think about it, like 100 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:47,320 Speaker 1: Henry hill Um or what is his name, Leiota Hendry, Yeah, 101 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:51,560 Speaker 1: and Jimmy and all they were really just soldiers, yeah, 102 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:54,840 Speaker 1: well made. And Hendry couldn't be made because remember he 103 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:57,480 Speaker 1: couldn't trace his bloodline back to the old country, right, 104 00:06:57,520 --> 00:07:00,280 Speaker 1: so he would have been an associate. Yeah, but Joe 105 00:07:00,279 --> 00:07:04,800 Speaker 1: Pesci was made. No, he wasn't. No, remember what happened 106 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:06,840 Speaker 1: to him when he went to go get made. Well 107 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 1: he was, he was set to be made because his 108 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 1: bloodline was was correct. Yeah, okay, that's so. Beneath the Coppos, right, 109 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 1: are soldiers and they're the lowest rank and file, lowest 110 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:23,760 Speaker 1: level rank and file members of the mafia, but they 111 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:26,920 Speaker 1: are members. They have been inducted into the family, young 112 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 1: guys who are are probably trying to make their way 113 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:33,360 Speaker 1: up to at least Cappo. And then you've got associates, 114 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:38,160 Speaker 1: which are anybody from an investment banker, an accountant, the 115 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 1: accountant in Untouchables, he would have been an associate to, 116 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:45,200 Speaker 1: like somebody who work with who's good at safe cracking 117 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:48,800 Speaker 1: or hijacking or dealing drug, dirty cop, somebody who works 118 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 1: with the mob, but I remember the family. That's an 119 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:55,280 Speaker 1: associate and Josh, then there's one more very important part 120 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:57,880 Speaker 1: of the mafia family. Yeah. And there's a couple of 121 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: ways to pronounce this, the Conciliada, I like the the 122 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:08,440 Speaker 1: hard g Consigliati. Yeah, and that is If anyone's ever 123 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:11,120 Speaker 1: seen the movie Godfather, which you should, um obviously, Robert 124 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:14,360 Speaker 1: Duval is Tom Hagen. If you haven't seen The Godfather, 125 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:18,920 Speaker 1: press Paul Is on this podcast, rent or buy it. Well, 126 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 1: we'll go buy one and two. Yeah, you need to 127 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:24,120 Speaker 1: see both of those. Uh, and and then come back 128 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 1: to this. And actually, while you're at it, go watch 129 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: Good Fellows as well and Casino and um Apocalypse. Now. So, 130 00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 1: Robert Duval played Tom Hagen, who is the council YadA 131 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:39,600 Speaker 1: and the Godfather, And the key here is that they're 132 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:42,040 Speaker 1: not a part of the family's hierarchy. They're not an 133 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: actual family member, not supposed to be. Yeah, because they're 134 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:49,719 Speaker 1: supposed to offer outside advice their advisors. They're supposed to 135 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:54,319 Speaker 1: rule on fairness rather than Vendetta's personal feelings, that kind 136 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:56,840 Speaker 1: of thing. They're elected they're not appointed. Yeah, did you 137 00:08:56,880 --> 00:08:59,839 Speaker 1: know that. Well, that's ideally how it goes. So I 138 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:05,120 Speaker 1: really all of the soldiers, the copos, the the under boss, 139 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:07,720 Speaker 1: the boss, all these people, I guess probably not the boss, 140 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:13,480 Speaker 1: but UM elect this guy to basically say, I'm going 141 00:09:13,559 --> 00:09:17,480 Speaker 1: to serve as the tiebreaker the referee probably obviously a 142 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 1: very trusted, wise person. But the problem is most of 143 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:23,920 Speaker 1: the time they're just appointed by the boss. Well, yeah, 144 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:25,760 Speaker 1: that's what it says. In reality, a lot of times 145 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:28,079 Speaker 1: they are appointed, they're not always impartial like they're supposed 146 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:31,560 Speaker 1: to be. That's the real world mafia, not Tom Hagen 147 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:34,120 Speaker 1: in the movies. And Duval was a great consulada. He 148 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: was excellent. He's just a class act. He is all 149 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: the way around. Um, there's no head of the mafia. 150 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 1: It is not a group, a single organization. It's not 151 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:48,800 Speaker 1: like that. It depends. What do you mean. Are you 152 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:53,400 Speaker 1: talking about the American mafia, the Sicilian mafia. Well, we're 153 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:56,920 Speaker 1: talking to as a whole, largely about last So if 154 00:09:56,920 --> 00:10:00,280 Speaker 1: we're talking about Lakosa Nostra, there have been times when 155 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:04,400 Speaker 1: there were basically ahead of the mafia before I think 156 00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:08,040 Speaker 1: the thirties, before the five families of New York were 157 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:12,240 Speaker 1: really established and defined. There were people who were really 158 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:14,720 Speaker 1: running the show or trying to run the show in 159 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:17,680 Speaker 1: the country for the whole thing. Yeah, but for the 160 00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:21,199 Speaker 1: most part, you're absolutely right. It's there's nobody running the head. 161 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: There's a commission. I guess you could say, is the 162 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 1: head of the mafia. Right. Yeah, we'll get to the 163 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:28,240 Speaker 1: commission in a minute. That's good stuff. When it comes 164 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: to naming the families, it's not a clear cut thing. 165 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:34,120 Speaker 1: Sometimes it was the region. Uh. In the case of 166 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:39,800 Speaker 1: New York, the main families were kind of accidentally named 167 00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:45,400 Speaker 1: in the Senate subcommittee testimony of A. Joe Alacchi in 168 00:10:45,520 --> 00:10:48,400 Speaker 1: nine sixty three. So once you say it in a 169 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:50,640 Speaker 1: subcommittee meeting and then all of a sudden, it's sort 170 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:53,800 Speaker 1: of the family names kind of stuck. And those names, Josh, 171 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:57,080 Speaker 1: you want to go for those? Uh? Yeah, there were 172 00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:03,160 Speaker 1: the Banana, Jenna, Vasi, Gambino, Luches, and Profacci, very good 173 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:06,400 Speaker 1: and some of those have been around before that. Um. 174 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:12,840 Speaker 1: I believe the Bonano family was around for well since 175 00:11:12,920 --> 00:11:17,960 Speaker 1: the thirties, right, the um Profacci was around as well. Uh. 176 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,880 Speaker 1: The gene Vase was relatively new oh, I'm sorry. In 177 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:28,000 Speaker 1: the thirties it was Scalazi, Profacci, Luciano, Gagliano, and Banano. Okay, 178 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:30,840 Speaker 1: and then in the sixties when Joe Volacci named him, 179 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:33,880 Speaker 1: that was what they were named as they were named 180 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:37,360 Speaker 1: after the most powerful bosses for their current bosses. Well yeah, 181 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:40,320 Speaker 1: and and sometimes the family name would be transplanted if 182 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:43,480 Speaker 1: they were taken over, like it almost happened with the 183 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:47,199 Speaker 1: Gambinos and John Gotti took over the Gambino family. They 184 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:51,400 Speaker 1: were very close to being called the Gotti family. But Gotti, 185 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:55,199 Speaker 1: as everyone knows, was arrested for racketeering thanks to Sammy 186 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:58,360 Speaker 1: the Bulgravano, and he's still behind bars today, so it 187 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:01,600 Speaker 1: never became the Gotti family. No, the Profacci family did 188 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:05,760 Speaker 1: become the Colombo crime family. So it does happen. There 189 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:08,679 Speaker 1: are changes, that's right, But like we said, no hard 190 00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:12,160 Speaker 1: infest rules. That's that's the five families of New York 191 00:12:12,679 --> 00:12:14,880 Speaker 1: and those are the ones. They are most prominent. You 192 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 1: don't hear about the Buffalo family or the San Francisco 193 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:21,959 Speaker 1: family or the Cleveland family, but these families exist. Uh. 194 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:25,360 Speaker 1: Most of the time. They're named after the city that 195 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:27,880 Speaker 1: they're running. Yeah, except in New York because so there 196 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:29,880 Speaker 1: were just too many of them. Yeah, you couldn't call 197 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:31,560 Speaker 1: the New York family because all five of them would 198 00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:33,480 Speaker 1: be like, oh what about the meat? It does happen 199 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:36,520 Speaker 1: elsewhere though, Like there's the Patriarch crime family they run 200 00:12:36,559 --> 00:12:40,319 Speaker 1: New England apparently. Yeah. Nice, Well I'll talk about them 201 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:44,040 Speaker 1: in a second. Right, where are we What which we 202 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:47,080 Speaker 1: hit next? There's so much goodness in here. Well, let's 203 00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:49,520 Speaker 1: just go with the flow. How do you become a 204 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:53,120 Speaker 1: member of the mafia. Let's say you're a um, you're 205 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:56,920 Speaker 1: a low level safe cracker. Right, they'd be exciting, right, 206 00:12:57,080 --> 00:12:59,320 Speaker 1: but h and you've really proven your work. You've made 207 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:00,880 Speaker 1: a lot of money. You're like, look, I want to 208 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:03,160 Speaker 1: move on up. I like safe cracking, but I also 209 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:08,040 Speaker 1: want to run numbers and horses and kids exactly. Um, 210 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:10,920 Speaker 1: I want to become a member of the family. I 211 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:14,120 Speaker 1: am Italian. I got to prove that my father at 212 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 1: least as Italian. Yeah. Most most of the time, it's 213 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:18,240 Speaker 1: got to be both, but sometimes you can slip by it. 214 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:20,800 Speaker 1: Just the old man is Italian, which is what kept 215 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:24,160 Speaker 1: Henry Hill out of mafia because his father was Irish. 216 00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:28,439 Speaker 1: That's right, Um, I want to be inducted. What happens 217 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:32,440 Speaker 1: well at an induction ceremony? It was really like most 218 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:35,600 Speaker 1: induction ceremonies were pretty quiet and secret for a long time. 219 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:39,559 Speaker 1: But as we said, Joe Valachi's testimony in the sixties 220 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:41,880 Speaker 1: kind of blew the lid on a lot of this 221 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:45,559 Speaker 1: stuff and this was one of them. Uh, what happens 222 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:47,839 Speaker 1: is you sit down at at a table, you get 223 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 1: you're told to get dressed up or get dressed taken 224 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:52,160 Speaker 1: to a private place. At your long table, you sit 225 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:55,320 Speaker 1: next to the boss other mafio, so guys are gonna 226 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:58,959 Speaker 1: be there, recite some oaths, promises of loyalty. Then you've 227 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:01,400 Speaker 1: got to burn a piece of pay hold it. Here's 228 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:05,720 Speaker 1: where the patriarchal family comes in. So in October, the 229 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:10,719 Speaker 1: FBI managed to tap an entire induction ceremony and with 230 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:13,800 Speaker 1: the card that piece of paper they talk about, it's 231 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:17,880 Speaker 1: actually an image of a saint, like a family may have, 232 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:20,240 Speaker 1: like a patron saying or whatever. So it's an image 233 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:22,720 Speaker 1: of that and the the inductee holds it and says 234 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:25,200 Speaker 1: something like well, in the patriarchal family, they were made 235 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:29,200 Speaker 1: to say, as burns this saint, so we'll burn my soul. 236 00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:32,960 Speaker 1: I enter alive into this organization and leave it dead 237 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 1: and you go drop the burning scene. Yeah, and all 238 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:39,800 Speaker 1: of them are thinking probably in the next few years. Yeah, 239 00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:42,800 Speaker 1: we'll give you six months. Uh so, yeah, you burn 240 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:44,680 Speaker 1: the thing holding your hand. Is there any kind of 241 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:46,680 Speaker 1: like feet of strength that you're supposed to hold it 242 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:48,360 Speaker 1: till it burns your fingers or anything like that that 243 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:51,960 Speaker 1: I saw a lot of times. The the new soldier 244 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:54,520 Speaker 1: is paired with a more experienced dude, who is your 245 00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:57,560 Speaker 1: godfather guide you through the whole mafia things. I did 246 00:14:57,560 --> 00:14:59,600 Speaker 1: not know that. I just thought godfather was like another 247 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:03,440 Speaker 1: name for like a coppo or a boss or the Don. Well, 248 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:05,440 Speaker 1: I thought I thought in The Godfather it was Don 249 00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:09,840 Speaker 1: Corleone was the Godfather, wouldn't he interesting? Uh, the inductee 250 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:11,560 Speaker 1: has to say, you know, I'm gonna be a got 251 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:14,200 Speaker 1: a pledge for life, take a drop of blood from 252 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:19,760 Speaker 1: the trigger finger, which I love that obviously, and uh boom, 253 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:23,920 Speaker 1: you're a made man. Yeah. Well, some the rumor has 254 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:27,560 Speaker 1: it is that you have to prove afterward by taking 255 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:31,160 Speaker 1: part in a murder, is the long standing rumor. But 256 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:34,920 Speaker 1: I think it's before before. Yeah, like you have to 257 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:37,960 Speaker 1: show that you're loyal enough to to kill when ordered 258 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:41,320 Speaker 1: to or at least help out in a killing. You're loyal, 259 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:43,320 Speaker 1: you can keep your mouth shut, you have the stomach 260 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:47,360 Speaker 1: for it. Allegedly, Allegedly, we need to say that we 261 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:49,600 Speaker 1: don't want to get sued by the mafia. And then 262 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:51,320 Speaker 1: the final thing you gotta do before you can become 263 00:15:51,360 --> 00:15:54,200 Speaker 1: a made man is you have to face the commission. 264 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:57,120 Speaker 1: And uh, in the twenties and thirties, we mentioned the 265 00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:00,720 Speaker 1: commission a second ago. There was so much activity, mob 266 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:04,600 Speaker 1: activity going on that they were recruiting soldiers left and 267 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 1: right just to kind of like claim to two bodies 268 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:09,760 Speaker 1: and say, well, we've got all these guys, and it 269 00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:14,760 Speaker 1: became confusing. I gottauld infiltrate and assassinate pretty easily. So 270 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:17,040 Speaker 1: they literally formed a commission that's like all right, you 271 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:20,320 Speaker 1: gotta it's like a registry almost. So remember I was saying, 272 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:23,040 Speaker 1: like there were heads of the mafia, like in the US, 273 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:24,840 Speaker 1: there were people vying for it, and this is what 274 00:16:24,920 --> 00:16:29,680 Speaker 1: it was creating, this hugely violent point in mafia history. Right. 275 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:33,280 Speaker 1: So not only that, Chuck, it was prohibition as well. Well. 276 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:35,400 Speaker 1: That was a huge time of the mafia very much 277 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:38,200 Speaker 1: was right. So there's a lot a lot of money 278 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:40,680 Speaker 1: to be made, an unprecedented amount of money to be made. 279 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 1: It was relatively new turf for the Italian mob in 280 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:47,640 Speaker 1: the US. They've only been here for like maybe thirty 281 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:51,960 Speaker 1: four years, right, um and the uh. There is a 282 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:55,720 Speaker 1: lot of wars going on. And the guy who basically 283 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:59,760 Speaker 1: brought ordered all this chaos through murder and structure was 284 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,120 Speaker 1: k Luciano. Yeah, he was the one that had the 285 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:04,920 Speaker 1: idea for the commission. And he also murdered the two 286 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:07,359 Speaker 1: guys who were like the rivals for the boss of 287 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:10,840 Speaker 1: bosses and then set up the five families. Now did he? 288 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:14,240 Speaker 1: The commission is different now, The commission is the same 289 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:16,960 Speaker 1: as as the committee meetings. Right, that's the same thing. Okay, 290 00:17:17,080 --> 00:17:19,760 Speaker 1: Well they grew out of the committee meetings, so the 291 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:21,560 Speaker 1: commission got a register. That's the last thing you have 292 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:23,840 Speaker 1: to do is literally be like, all right, my name 293 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:28,200 Speaker 1: is Josh the the I Clark. No, it's just Minnesota 294 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:30,720 Speaker 1: Fats clients. So the Fats Clark and I'm with the 295 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:33,240 Speaker 1: Gambino family and I live in Bayonne, New Jersey, and 296 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:37,119 Speaker 1: Kate and Long walks on the beach at night and 297 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:42,159 Speaker 1: drown people with my bare hands. Right, So, um, you 298 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:45,080 Speaker 1: can finally your made man. You're in the commission, you're registered, 299 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:48,679 Speaker 1: you're the dude, right Well, the commission passes you, they 300 00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:51,719 Speaker 1: say that's okay. Well, well this guy is okay with 301 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:54,200 Speaker 1: me to be in your family, because part of the 302 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:58,679 Speaker 1: reason of passing lists of prospective members around is it 303 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:01,879 Speaker 1: weeds out guys who another family has a beef with. 304 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:04,720 Speaker 1: Who if it becomes part of your family, that's gonna 305 00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:07,960 Speaker 1: lead to war. Yeah, you don't want that to happen. Plus, 306 00:18:08,359 --> 00:18:11,520 Speaker 1: it brings them out of anonymity so that they can't 307 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:13,840 Speaker 1: just walk up and shoot somebody in the face, right right, right, 308 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:17,439 Speaker 1: because you can't do that unless you're made right right. Well, 309 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:21,800 Speaker 1: this good stuff it is. It's just amazing. Middle class 310 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:24,760 Speaker 1: white dudes like us are fascinated by the mafia. Where 311 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:28,439 Speaker 1: we all want to be in the mafia. Uh So 312 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:30,640 Speaker 1: let's talk about how the mafia makes money, because that's 313 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:32,560 Speaker 1: what the mafia is. Let's I mean, let's get real. 314 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:37,000 Speaker 1: The mafia is there to make money, and uh they 315 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 1: have a history of doing it through illegal means. Otherwise 316 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:43,400 Speaker 1: they wouldn't be the mafia. They'd just be corporations. Right. 317 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:45,600 Speaker 1: One of the way is one of the classic ways 318 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:47,760 Speaker 1: you'll see in movies, which is actually a very real thing, 319 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:51,720 Speaker 1: is extortion protection fees happens all the time, or it 320 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:53,760 Speaker 1: did happen. Imagine it still does in some cases. Still. 321 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:57,560 Speaker 1: Jerry was telling us about kiding Guatemala, who's who's killed 322 00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:00,760 Speaker 1: because the family couldn't pay for protection. Oh is that why? Man? 323 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:04,520 Speaker 1: That's awful. Wow, I realized that was a reason. So 324 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:06,399 Speaker 1: you know, that's the scene from the movie where they 325 00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:08,479 Speaker 1: go into the and rough up the shop owner and 326 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:12,159 Speaker 1: say you gotta pay for protection. Basically to protect you 327 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:14,760 Speaker 1: from us. Is sort of what it boils down to. Yeah, 328 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:18,439 Speaker 1: although imagine sometimes it might have been some legitimate protections. 329 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:21,880 Speaker 1: But the impression I have of it is like, yeah, 330 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:25,159 Speaker 1: they're saying, if you don't pay, then you're not going 331 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:27,399 Speaker 1: to be protected from us. But I think if you 332 00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:31,440 Speaker 1: do pay, you kind of enter into this fold where 333 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:33,399 Speaker 1: other people can't mess with you, and if they do, 334 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:36,399 Speaker 1: you can go to the capo or whoever is running 335 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:39,680 Speaker 1: the show that you're paying tribute to um and say 336 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:41,920 Speaker 1: I've got this problem I need you to take care of. 337 00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:44,359 Speaker 1: Like I think it gives you access if you're like 338 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:48,200 Speaker 1: a regular paying person. And we'll see when we talk 339 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:53,000 Speaker 1: about mafia history how closely this mirrors, you know, sicily 340 00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:56,320 Speaker 1: and the under the feudal system, any feudal system. Really well, 341 00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:59,879 Speaker 1: remember in The Departed when Leo just went house on 342 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,760 Speaker 1: those two guys that were extorting the shop owner and 343 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:05,280 Speaker 1: he thought he did this guy favor, and then the 344 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 1: shop owner was all ticked off. Afterwards, He's like, thanks 345 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:09,800 Speaker 1: a lot, man, you know you you brought down this 346 00:20:10,359 --> 00:20:12,359 Speaker 1: a reign of terror on me. Oh that's right, he 347 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:15,760 Speaker 1: killed you can kill him. But he mutilated their faces 348 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:18,920 Speaker 1: in the shop. Um. That was such a good movie. 349 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:22,800 Speaker 1: It was. It was great. So alcohol. We talked about prohibition, 350 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:27,679 Speaker 1: illegal drugs, prostitution, gambling. Those are extortion, and that's just 351 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:31,080 Speaker 1: the illegal stuff they can also they also managed to 352 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 1: make money off stuff that would otherwise be illegal if 353 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:36,600 Speaker 1: they hadn't hijacked it, or would otherwise be legal. I 354 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 1: mean yeah, like importing and exporting stuff like that. It 355 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:42,200 Speaker 1: was stealing things that other people important. Next, well, that's 356 00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:44,280 Speaker 1: what I mean. But Gotti was like, was he the 357 00:20:44,320 --> 00:20:47,520 Speaker 1: one that was into women's apparel? That man had taste? 358 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:50,040 Speaker 1: I wonder if that's they probably modeled that DeNiro thing 359 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:52,560 Speaker 1: at the end on him, the end of Good Fellows 360 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:55,480 Speaker 1: where DeNiro has the the Ladies Clothing warehouse. Yeah, but 361 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:57,280 Speaker 1: that was on Gotti. But I don't know if it 362 00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:00,720 Speaker 1: was because I think Jimmy was an actual person because 363 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:04,200 Speaker 1: that was all Henry Hill like real life stuff. Yeah, 364 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 1: but they could have borrowed who knows, or maybe whoever 365 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:08,520 Speaker 1: he was based on was into women's clothing. Maybe. So, 366 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:11,399 Speaker 1: like you said, they want to make lots of money. 367 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:14,160 Speaker 1: So while there are like muggings and stupid things like that, 368 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:18,480 Speaker 1: they generally would rather hijack a boat and pay off 369 00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:21,760 Speaker 1: a dock worker or steal a semi truck full of 370 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:24,679 Speaker 1: cigarettes instead of knocking off a store or something like that. 371 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 1: They want the big dough or they could, say, I 372 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:33,159 Speaker 1: don't know, infiltrate a labor union and threatened to have 373 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:36,920 Speaker 1: their workers slow or stop construction if they don't get 374 00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:40,120 Speaker 1: additional money. Yeah, that happened in New York for decades. 375 00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:44,680 Speaker 1: The Mafia infiltrated the Team Stretch union specifically, and they 376 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:48,120 Speaker 1: said in this article, at one point the Mafia could 377 00:21:48,119 --> 00:21:50,880 Speaker 1: have nearly brought all construction and shipping into the US 378 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:52,919 Speaker 1: to a halt that they wanted to write that was 379 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:56,320 Speaker 1: thanks in large part to a guy named Jimmy Hoffa, 380 00:21:56,760 --> 00:21:59,280 Speaker 1: who actually it turned out, you know, he was a 381 00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:02,040 Speaker 1: labor organ eys are in the thirties and that was 382 00:22:02,119 --> 00:22:03,760 Speaker 1: like when the cops used to crack the heads of 383 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:07,720 Speaker 1: labor organizers on behalf of guys like Henry Ford. Right, Um, 384 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:09,560 Speaker 1: so he was like the real deal, but he was 385 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:13,160 Speaker 1: also super crooked too. Yeah, he's buried in Oakland Cemetery 386 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 1: right here in Atlanta, is all right? Now, he's famous 387 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:23,040 Speaker 1: for not knowing where he was buried. Really, Yeah, he disappeared, Okay, Well, 388 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:25,600 Speaker 1: the rumor was he's buried under Giant Stadium and I've 389 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:27,760 Speaker 1: heard that one before too. But you know, you know, 390 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:29,840 Speaker 1: they finally pinched him and he went to prison for 391 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:34,200 Speaker 1: a while, and Nixon pardoned him, supposedly because half of 392 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:37,640 Speaker 1: the teamsters and like a bunch of gangsters like gave 393 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:41,560 Speaker 1: a lot of money to Nixon's campaign. Interesting, that's allegedly, 394 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:46,720 Speaker 1: but Halfa gets out and starts campaigning for prison reform. 395 00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:49,720 Speaker 1: Five years after that. Four years after that, he goes 396 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:52,960 Speaker 1: to lunch in Michigan. Never seen from again has declared 397 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:55,560 Speaker 1: legally dead in nineteen eight three, but he was the 398 00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:59,000 Speaker 1: head of the Teamsters, but he was finally pinched for fraud. 399 00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:03,720 Speaker 1: And the whole point of being of controlling a labor 400 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:07,000 Speaker 1: union was you controlled labor, but you also add access 401 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:11,359 Speaker 1: to their pension which everybody is paying into. Well, they 402 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:14,760 Speaker 1: used the pension to underwrite huge contracts in Vegas at 403 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:18,680 Speaker 1: one point to control until the seventies. Alright, we're getting 404 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:20,800 Speaker 1: all that. Uh, let's go back to the history. You 405 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:22,840 Speaker 1: were talking about how it mirrored Sicily, and I think 406 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:25,560 Speaker 1: that's one of the most fascinating parts about this. So 407 00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:30,639 Speaker 1: go yeah, because extortion is another way of extracting tribute. 408 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:33,760 Speaker 1: It's another way of saying extracting tribute. Right in Sicily. 409 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:36,600 Speaker 1: Sicily lived under the feudal system long after the rest 410 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:39,600 Speaker 1: of Europe. Look to other forms of governance, right, and 411 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:42,480 Speaker 1: the feudal system is basically like, I'm a landowner. I 412 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:45,680 Speaker 1: control all this land, but I can't possibly work all 413 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:48,160 Speaker 1: of it. I'll let you guys live on this land. 414 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:50,960 Speaker 1: I'll let you live and you give me some of 415 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:53,840 Speaker 1: your grain, most of your grain, however, much of your 416 00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:55,959 Speaker 1: green I want. That was an early model for what 417 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:57,840 Speaker 1: the mafia did, right, and if you don't do this, 418 00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:01,000 Speaker 1: I'm going to have this other class of society. Basically 419 00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:04,159 Speaker 1: my foot soldiers kill you or kill your wife or 420 00:24:04,359 --> 00:24:06,480 Speaker 1: whatever until you do what I want you to. That's 421 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:09,200 Speaker 1: the feudal system. Yeah. And the reason that Sicily was 422 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:11,320 Speaker 1: kind of the birthplace, not kind of, was the birth 423 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:14,680 Speaker 1: birthplace of the mafia. It was because Sicily is out 424 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:17,439 Speaker 1: there in the med It's very accessible and because of that, 425 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:21,040 Speaker 1: it was invaded a lot. It's very strategic, controlled by 426 00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:22,639 Speaker 1: a lot of different people over the years, and that 427 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:26,159 Speaker 1: led to instability such that the people of Sicily didn't 428 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:29,080 Speaker 1: look too and sometimes it was just lawlessness, but they 429 00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:31,359 Speaker 1: regardless even if there were laws, they didn't look to 430 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:34,560 Speaker 1: the state to solve their problems. It became very much 431 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:37,280 Speaker 1: a family thing, a local thing. Yeah, you solved it locally. 432 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:39,639 Speaker 1: Your family took care of business. They took care of 433 00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:42,600 Speaker 1: things outside the law. And that kind of is what 434 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:45,960 Speaker 1: birth the mafia. So basically you can look at that 435 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:53,639 Speaker 1: capo's territory or the capos racket as the land, the 436 00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:58,040 Speaker 1: feudal land, the capos the feudal lord, right, yeah, and 437 00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:02,920 Speaker 1: and it mirrors it almost identically. There's extortion, there's tribute, um, 438 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:06,480 Speaker 1: there's there's the threat of violence, there's the use of violence. 439 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:09,320 Speaker 1: All of it is based out of this feudal system 440 00:25:09,359 --> 00:25:12,520 Speaker 1: that collapsed in the nineteenth century in Sicily, but was 441 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:16,960 Speaker 1: immediately replaced after this bout of lawlessness by the mafia 442 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:19,920 Speaker 1: following pretty much the same thing. And then they came 443 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:22,560 Speaker 1: to America. Then they came to it. Well, yeah, this 444 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:26,920 Speaker 1: is actually interesting how this happened to and um, Mussolini 445 00:25:27,240 --> 00:25:29,280 Speaker 1: had a big crack down on the mafia. It's very 446 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:31,879 Speaker 1: harsh on the mafia, put a lot of them in prison, 447 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:35,840 Speaker 1: and then the U. S troops occupied Sicily during World 448 00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:38,399 Speaker 1: War Two. They thought a lot of these jailed people 449 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:41,280 Speaker 1: were political prisoners, so not only did they set a 450 00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 1: lot of them free, they made the mayors and police 451 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:46,320 Speaker 1: chiefs and that was they were like, hey, I really 452 00:25:46,359 --> 00:25:48,960 Speaker 1: appreciate that we're back on the streets now. Thanks for 453 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:51,359 Speaker 1: quashing Mussolini. We're in more control than we ever was 454 00:25:51,440 --> 00:25:52,840 Speaker 1: yea who was a real thorn in our side for 455 00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:57,640 Speaker 1: a long time. So uh. In the postwar Sicily, there 456 00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:00,000 Speaker 1: was a group there was a ceasefire because there was 457 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:02,800 Speaker 1: so much warring going on within the families, and they 458 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:08,280 Speaker 1: formed the Cupola and the Coppola basically oversaw all of 459 00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:12,359 Speaker 1: the families commission. Yeah, it's an early version of the 460 00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:15,680 Speaker 1: commission that would happen years later. And Um, the American mafia, 461 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:20,640 Speaker 1: the tactics that like casinostri uses mirrors the Sicilian mafia 462 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:23,840 Speaker 1: in a lot of ways, like recruiting young guys to 463 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:27,400 Speaker 1: like do the dirty work and eventually inducting them. Um, 464 00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:31,159 Speaker 1: the the whole extracting tribute in the form of extortionmarta, 465 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:34,359 Speaker 1: the code of silence, right, Um, yeah, the whole lifestyle 466 00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 1: of the mobster is reflected in the Sicily right. Yeah, 467 00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:42,000 Speaker 1: so that's the birthplace. Yeah, and it was going pretty 468 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:44,480 Speaker 1: well in Sicily until the eighties and nineteen eighties, so 469 00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:47,800 Speaker 1: not even that long ago. And uh, they had a 470 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:52,440 Speaker 1: big trial called the Maxi Trial, right because, uh, the 471 00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:56,280 Speaker 1: the government went after the Sicilian mafia, and the Sicilian 472 00:26:56,359 --> 00:26:59,400 Speaker 1: mafia was like, okay, well, these two big prosecutors are 473 00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:02,600 Speaker 1: coming after are both gonna dyeing car bombs. And I 474 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:05,680 Speaker 1: think they underestimated the response to the public, which turned 475 00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:08,920 Speaker 1: against him. So they had this Maxi Trial, which they've 476 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:13,359 Speaker 1: built a special courthouse, which is essentially a bunker. Try 477 00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:17,000 Speaker 1: four hundred Sicilian mobsters, and I think three hundred, three 478 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:19,119 Speaker 1: hundred and thirty eight were found guilty. I got a 479 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:22,120 Speaker 1: different number. I got three hundred and sixty convictions. It's 480 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:24,840 Speaker 1: a two year trial. They had three judges. They had 481 00:27:24,840 --> 00:27:27,919 Speaker 1: one judge and two alternates that literally sat in on 482 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:31,720 Speaker 1: the whole trial. Just in case something happened to the 483 00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:34,280 Speaker 1: one judge, like a car bomb, they wouldn't have to 484 00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:36,919 Speaker 1: start all over declare mistrial. The second one would step up. 485 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:39,560 Speaker 1: Somebody killed the second guy, the third guy would step up. 486 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:41,560 Speaker 1: Nothing happened to the first guy. He made it all 487 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:44,600 Speaker 1: the way through. I can't believe that. I know um 488 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:48,119 Speaker 1: a hundred and fourteen acquittals. Out of the hundred fourteen acquittals, 489 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:50,920 Speaker 1: eighteen of them were murdered. One of them was murdered 490 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:53,600 Speaker 1: within an hour of leaving the courtroom. On the way home. 491 00:27:54,400 --> 00:27:56,359 Speaker 1: I supposedly was going to like a surprise or not 492 00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:58,959 Speaker 1: a surprise party, but like a a celebration. I got 493 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:03,000 Speaker 1: acquitted party, and then those are those are good parties. 494 00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:06,760 Speaker 1: He got off. And then a lot of successful appeals 495 00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:08,640 Speaker 1: after that, with the Maxi trial and what I got 496 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:12,600 Speaker 1: is only sixty. By nine eighty nine, only sixty of 497 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:17,119 Speaker 1: the original three sixty remained in prison. Wow. So the 498 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:18,880 Speaker 1: Maxi trial kind of turned out to be the Mini 499 00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:21,720 Speaker 1: trial in the end. So it's not surprised that it's 500 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:24,639 Speaker 1: no surprised that the Maxi trild didn't get rid of 501 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:29,880 Speaker 1: the Sicilian mafia. In the Italian government sent seven thousand 502 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:34,160 Speaker 1: troops to occupy Sicily for six years, and that apparently worked. 503 00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:37,680 Speaker 1: According to this article, they the Sicilian mafia is still around, 504 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:41,000 Speaker 1: but is less violent than it was before. I didn't 505 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:43,600 Speaker 1: know was that recent? You know? I didn't either, kind 506 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:48,240 Speaker 1: of like, um, sudd war is sweet, odd, I don't 507 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:51,960 Speaker 1: know that guy. I don't know if I've ever helped dumber. 508 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:54,320 Speaker 1: By the way, in the podcast, I should have had 509 00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:56,120 Speaker 1: that cut out, but I was like, yeah, it was. 510 00:28:56,200 --> 00:28:59,800 Speaker 1: It was endearing. This is me. It's endearing warts and all. 511 00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:07,040 Speaker 1: The American mafia Josh. Yeah, the the Italians and Sicilians 512 00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:10,320 Speaker 1: came to the United States and the eighteen hundreds big 513 00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:13,240 Speaker 1: time in the twentieth century. Most of these were just 514 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:17,959 Speaker 1: regular folks, not mafia, starting a good, honest life here. Nice. 515 00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:22,120 Speaker 1: Some of them weren't, uh, in in New Orleans. Specifically, 516 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:27,360 Speaker 1: the first um I guess mafia incident Italian mafia incident 517 00:29:27,480 --> 00:29:31,000 Speaker 1: in the country happened right in the eighteen nineties. There 518 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:34,520 Speaker 1: was um a mobster, Well, there was a there was 519 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:38,880 Speaker 1: a group a family that was basically getting heat from 520 00:29:38,920 --> 00:29:43,040 Speaker 1: the local police chief. So they offered them right and 521 00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:47,400 Speaker 1: at trial, this this uh mafia family was they well 522 00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:53,560 Speaker 1: they all got off basically from blatantly bribing and intimidating witnesses. 523 00:29:54,320 --> 00:29:57,200 Speaker 1: And uh the people of New Orleans did not like this, 524 00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:00,720 Speaker 1: so they actually um formed a lynch mob and went 525 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:04,320 Speaker 1: and killed sixteen and these these mobsters, and that was 526 00:30:04,440 --> 00:30:09,040 Speaker 1: the first mafia. That was the United States introduction to 527 00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:13,120 Speaker 1: the Italian mob crazy and they were defeated by Nola. Yeah, 528 00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:16,160 Speaker 1: look at him go at least temporarily. Who knows what 529 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:19,600 Speaker 1: happened after that. Uh So, first half of the twentieth 530 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:20,920 Speaker 1: century in New York City is where a lot of 531 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:23,600 Speaker 1: it's happening because a lot of the immigrants poured into there. Obviously, 532 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:28,040 Speaker 1: you had the Five Families, you had prohibition making everybody rich. 533 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:33,920 Speaker 1: You had bosses and underbosses getting killed like monthly. Yeah, 534 00:30:33,960 --> 00:30:37,480 Speaker 1: the Luke Chase's right. They went through three three bosses 535 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:41,640 Speaker 1: in nineteen thirty in one year, three different bosses. This 536 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:44,600 Speaker 1: is the time when Lucky Lichiano was killing everybody. To 537 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:48,600 Speaker 1: basically set up the structure this organization. And he defined 538 00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:51,840 Speaker 1: the five Families, and that's like literally is like this, 539 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:53,400 Speaker 1: this is the name of your family. This is who 540 00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:55,400 Speaker 1: you are, this is this, this and this. There's five 541 00:30:55,480 --> 00:30:58,560 Speaker 1: families out component in Chicago, and then the Buffalo family 542 00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:00,960 Speaker 1: and that's the Commission, the little family. I love that. 543 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:03,880 Speaker 1: And uh, the way they describe it here is they 544 00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:06,520 Speaker 1: were basically kind of like Senator so al Capone represented 545 00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:09,360 Speaker 1: like all of the West coast because he was, you know, 546 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:13,400 Speaker 1: the closest one obviously, and uh, they had to you know, 547 00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:18,560 Speaker 1: the Commission had to approve things assassinations, kidnappings, big money 548 00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:22,240 Speaker 1: deals that had to all go through the Commission. And 549 00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:25,120 Speaker 1: they had meetings every five years, every five years committee 550 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:28,160 Speaker 1: And probably the most famous meeting of all time was 551 00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:32,160 Speaker 1: their nineteen fifty seven meeting in Appalachian on the New 552 00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:38,200 Speaker 1: York Pennsylvania border. And apparently this state trooper was a 553 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:42,800 Speaker 1: little suspicious of the scores of Lincoln Town cars. Yeah, 554 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:46,840 Speaker 1: wise guys who were showing up, so he himself let 555 00:31:46,840 --> 00:31:52,240 Speaker 1: a raid on the Mobster convention. And basically this is 556 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:57,480 Speaker 1: a time when the public and the government denied that 557 00:31:57,560 --> 00:32:01,240 Speaker 1: there was such thing as mafia nine fifties. It seems 558 00:32:01,320 --> 00:32:04,800 Speaker 1: like second nature now because of all the popular culture stuff, 559 00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:06,920 Speaker 1: But it was long before any of that, right, But 560 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:10,120 Speaker 1: not only that, it seems it seems obvious now because 561 00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:15,240 Speaker 1: of the Appalachian rate. It was basically tantamount to us 562 00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:19,600 Speaker 1: rating convention of ghosts and being like, okay, well there 563 00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:22,600 Speaker 1: really are ghosts. Right, It's pretty much the same thing. 564 00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:26,360 Speaker 1: And it brought them mafia undeniably into the light. And 565 00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:29,840 Speaker 1: there really was mafia. Here's all their leaders. You know, 566 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:33,280 Speaker 1: I just try. I like the ghost convention, things like 567 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:36,800 Speaker 1: to go to that. Uh should we talk about Vegas 568 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:40,200 Speaker 1: for a minute or Kennedy first? Either one? Alright, let's 569 00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:43,640 Speaker 1: go with Kennedy. Everyone knows that John F. Kennedy. Everyone 570 00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:48,440 Speaker 1: has long associated him with the mafia, partially because his dad, Joe, 571 00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:54,400 Speaker 1: was alleged bootlegger during Prohibition, involved with the mob obviously 572 00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:57,400 Speaker 1: if you're bootlegging in that part of the country. And 573 00:32:57,560 --> 00:33:00,240 Speaker 1: uh also had connections to people like Meyer land Ski, 574 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:05,440 Speaker 1: who was a friend of Lucky lu Les. Yeah, Ben Kingsley, 575 00:33:06,080 --> 00:33:10,120 Speaker 1: he saw Bugsy right, great movie. One of the other 576 00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:16,000 Speaker 1: things that happened was JFK was assassinated and Jack Jack 577 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:20,680 Speaker 1: Ruby killed. Lee. Harvey Oswald, who allegedly assassinated Kennedy was 578 00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:24,160 Speaker 1: an associate. He was a mob associate, so there's that tie. 579 00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:29,600 Speaker 1: Other people say that the mafia didn't like Castro kicking 580 00:33:29,640 --> 00:33:32,680 Speaker 1: them out of the Cuban casino business, so they think 581 00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:34,320 Speaker 1: the Bay of Pigs may had something to do with 582 00:33:34,360 --> 00:33:39,560 Speaker 1: the mafia because Kennedy didn't call in an airstrikes. Robert 583 00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:46,000 Speaker 1: Kennedy went after the mafia. He died by an assassin's bullet. Yeah, 584 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:50,320 Speaker 1: I've stood at that very spot, have you really? The 585 00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:53,280 Speaker 1: kitchen was the deal with sir Han sier Han, I 586 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:55,719 Speaker 1: don't know that weird. Yeah, we need to look all 587 00:33:55,720 --> 00:33:58,720 Speaker 1: that stuff up. Let's be a good podcast. And then 588 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:02,480 Speaker 1: while the girlfriends go head Yeah, same gene Conna. It 589 00:34:02,600 --> 00:34:06,640 Speaker 1: was pretty cool, dude, as far as the mafia bosses go. 590 00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:12,360 Speaker 1: He uh supposedly set JFK up with all sorts of girlfriends, 591 00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:16,960 Speaker 1: including Marilyn Monroe, so he could record and basically get 592 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:22,840 Speaker 1: dirt on the president. So Um, they think that Marilyn 593 00:34:22,840 --> 00:34:27,600 Speaker 1: Monroe possibly was murdered by hitman that Giancanna had hired, 594 00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:31,960 Speaker 1: and the Giancanna was going to testify about the Kennedy 595 00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:34,960 Speaker 1: connection to the mob and he gets murdered, which basically 596 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:37,920 Speaker 1: just goes to show you that it's all mafia. Whether 597 00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:41,919 Speaker 1: they're Italian, legitimate, whatever, it's all mafia. Right. So those 598 00:34:41,920 --> 00:34:44,120 Speaker 1: are all the alleged links to the John F. Kennedy, 599 00:34:44,600 --> 00:34:49,279 Speaker 1: former President of the United States. Then there's the Vegas connection. Um, 600 00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:54,839 Speaker 1: you know, Vegas was just kind of started by by Bugsy. 601 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:56,960 Speaker 1: It was the Jewish mobsters that were the first up 602 00:34:56,960 --> 00:34:59,920 Speaker 1: to Vegas. And then once it was set up, the 603 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:02,520 Speaker 1: gambling was happening legally for the first time. They're already 604 00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:05,400 Speaker 1: running casinos, illegal casinos all over the country, but all 605 00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:07,200 Speaker 1: of a sudden, you got this haven in the desert. 606 00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:09,080 Speaker 1: It's legal where you can go out there and do 607 00:35:09,120 --> 00:35:11,319 Speaker 1: it for real. So the you know, they got in 608 00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:14,440 Speaker 1: on the action. So the uh that one of the 609 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:18,120 Speaker 1: ways the Italian mob got in was through their um 610 00:35:18,280 --> 00:35:23,920 Speaker 1: leveraging of pensions like you said, uh, teamsters labor union pensions, 611 00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:28,520 Speaker 1: UH to underwrite casinos. A lot of construction going on exactly, 612 00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:31,400 Speaker 1: or they would just basically show up and be like, 613 00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:35,360 Speaker 1: I'm your partner now, right, Like Peschi showed up in Casino, 614 00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:37,960 Speaker 1: which I thought was every bit as good as Good Fellas. 615 00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:40,239 Speaker 1: I know people don't agree with that, but I thought 616 00:35:40,239 --> 00:35:42,600 Speaker 1: Casino was terrific. It was a good movie, but it 617 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:45,920 Speaker 1: was not as good as as Good I'm giving it 618 00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:50,160 Speaker 1: a slight tier two, but I love I love Casino. 619 00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:53,680 Speaker 1: I thought it was great. Sharon Stone good stuff in 620 00:35:53,680 --> 00:35:56,480 Speaker 1: that one. I thought she screwed that up, really she did. 621 00:35:56,560 --> 00:35:58,520 Speaker 1: I mean she was great actress. I think her character 622 00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:03,560 Speaker 1: got too much um emphasis in that movie. Yeah. I 623 00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:08,240 Speaker 1: liked James Woods in that slime Ball for the ex boyfriend. God, 624 00:36:08,239 --> 00:36:13,200 Speaker 1: he was slimy uh. Since the seventies, though, the Vegas 625 00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:16,520 Speaker 1: has supposedly been pretty clean, supposedly, and I think it 626 00:36:16,560 --> 00:36:18,600 Speaker 1: actually is. I think it's one of those ones where 627 00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:21,920 Speaker 1: it's not like, yeah, it's clean, Wing Queen, like, I 628 00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:24,200 Speaker 1: think it actually is pretty clean. Well, there's probably too 629 00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:26,080 Speaker 1: much money at stake, now, Yeah, you don't want to 630 00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:29,600 Speaker 1: lose your gambling license. If you're the Palms, you know 631 00:36:30,440 --> 00:36:34,399 Speaker 1: it's no good or Steve Winn or Steve win how 632 00:36:34,440 --> 00:36:38,400 Speaker 1: can we fight the mafia. How do we fight the mafia? Well, Chuck, 633 00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:41,560 Speaker 1: we fight the mafia through a little law that was 634 00:36:41,600 --> 00:36:44,920 Speaker 1: passed in nineteen seventies specifically to be used against the 635 00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:48,520 Speaker 1: mafia called the RICO. Yeah. They invented a charge. Yeah, 636 00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:51,799 Speaker 1: in the United States very smartly invented a charge. Um. 637 00:36:51,840 --> 00:36:55,839 Speaker 1: It's called the Racketeering, Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act. The 638 00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:58,800 Speaker 1: RICO Act, which is Title eighteen in the United States Code, 639 00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:03,000 Speaker 1: section is nineteen six s one just top top my head. 640 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:06,759 Speaker 1: And um. Basically, it's it's set up so that you 641 00:37:06,800 --> 00:37:12,480 Speaker 1: can go after an entire criminal enterprise and RICO. The 642 00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:15,920 Speaker 1: RICO Act has just about any felony associated with it, 643 00:37:16,360 --> 00:37:19,360 Speaker 1: but they have to be carried out by this enterprise 644 00:37:20,239 --> 00:37:23,800 Speaker 1: two i think two felonies within a fifteen year period 645 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:27,719 Speaker 1: after that, right, and if it's the mafet, they're gonna 646 00:37:27,880 --> 00:37:31,280 Speaker 1: they're gonna break two laws, like you know, within fifteen years, 647 00:37:31,280 --> 00:37:33,640 Speaker 1: so that counts as racketeering. If two or more illegal 648 00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:37,719 Speaker 1: acts happened, then they say that's an organized family crime, right, 649 00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:41,080 Speaker 1: because a racket is you know, these different types of 650 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:44,839 Speaker 1: illegal activities that the mafia used to make money racketeering 651 00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:48,600 Speaker 1: is this enterprise, right yea, and that an act of 652 00:37:48,880 --> 00:37:51,399 Speaker 1: making that. So what they can do is not only 653 00:37:51,440 --> 00:37:54,160 Speaker 1: can they attack a racketeering charge on which will give 654 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:57,600 Speaker 1: you extra time in addition to your crime other crimes 655 00:37:57,640 --> 00:38:01,880 Speaker 1: like unloading the truck of cigarettes, it uh, it accomplished 656 00:38:01,920 --> 00:38:04,359 Speaker 1: a very important thing and that the mafia boss could 657 00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:08,719 Speaker 1: no longer sit behind a veil of safety because they're 658 00:38:08,760 --> 00:38:11,719 Speaker 1: not the trigger man. Right, all of a sudden, John 659 00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:14,359 Speaker 1: Gotti can be brought up in racketeering charges. And that's 660 00:38:14,480 --> 00:38:18,600 Speaker 1: even if they can't pin an order for the murder 661 00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:20,480 Speaker 1: on the boss. Because one of the things about the 662 00:38:20,520 --> 00:38:25,520 Speaker 1: couple of and the commission was that it brought peace 663 00:38:25,560 --> 00:38:30,120 Speaker 1: to the mafia among the families, but it also exposed 664 00:38:30,120 --> 00:38:33,120 Speaker 1: the bosses because they were the ones who were approving 665 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:37,399 Speaker 1: murders and stuff. Now, right this with with the reco act, 666 00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:39,440 Speaker 1: I think you don't have to you don't have to. 667 00:38:39,520 --> 00:38:41,719 Speaker 1: You just have to say, this guy is the boss 668 00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:45,120 Speaker 1: of this organization. Everything flows up to him. Anything we 669 00:38:45,160 --> 00:38:47,880 Speaker 1: can pin on any other member can be pinned on 670 00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:51,600 Speaker 1: the boss. And like you said, it adds it's not 671 00:38:51,719 --> 00:38:54,960 Speaker 1: just bribery, it's bribery plus ten years because it was 672 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:57,919 Speaker 1: bribery in the context of racketeering. It's a huge law. 673 00:38:58,160 --> 00:39:01,480 Speaker 1: But the the interesting thing to me is they almost 674 00:39:01,480 --> 00:39:05,520 Speaker 1: never used it for mafia anymore. It's for corporations. Oh, interesting, 675 00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:11,040 Speaker 1: corporate racketeering. Good. Yeah, that's what I say. Trump up 676 00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:14,279 Speaker 1: some charges. You can you can also go that's kind 677 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:16,000 Speaker 1: of what it is. They created a loss so they 678 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:19,480 Speaker 1: could trump up charges. Right. You can also go undercover, 679 00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:23,120 Speaker 1: like one Joe Pistone did. Yeah, the movie, The Great Movie. 680 00:39:23,120 --> 00:39:25,800 Speaker 1: Donnie Brasco told his story pretty well. Yeah, he was 681 00:39:25,880 --> 00:39:32,000 Speaker 1: undercover for what six years, like deep undercover, scarily undercover. Yeah, 682 00:39:32,120 --> 00:39:36,200 Speaker 1: to the point where even when he came out in trial, uh, 683 00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:39,239 Speaker 1: testifying against people, some of the mob guys were like, 684 00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:41,759 Speaker 1: how's he gonna turn it against us like that? Yeah, 685 00:39:41,840 --> 00:39:43,520 Speaker 1: they thought he was a rat. Yeah, they still didn't 686 00:39:43,520 --> 00:39:45,120 Speaker 1: think he was a cop, even though he's on the 687 00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:49,440 Speaker 1: stand saying I'm a cop. Yeah, I'm FBI. Yeah, Donnie Brasco. 688 00:39:49,560 --> 00:39:54,600 Speaker 1: Look for it in theaters near you in Pacino was 689 00:39:54,640 --> 00:39:58,399 Speaker 1: the Uh No, it was Johnny Depp And I'm sorry, 690 00:39:58,440 --> 00:40:01,120 Speaker 1: I thought I thought of Heshi when you said Paccino 691 00:40:01,680 --> 00:40:06,239 Speaker 1: and Johnny deppia one man's pesci is another man's peccino. No, 692 00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:09,680 Speaker 1: that's like one man's Casino is another man's good Fellows. 693 00:40:09,880 --> 00:40:15,040 Speaker 1: One man's Madden is another man's must Burger. Maybe okay, ah, 694 00:40:15,080 --> 00:40:18,360 Speaker 1: that's the mafia. There's so much there, Like this was 695 00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:21,759 Speaker 1: the structure, bare bones, very little flesh on it. Just 696 00:40:21,800 --> 00:40:24,440 Speaker 1: because there's so much to it. We could pole this 697 00:40:24,520 --> 00:40:28,360 Speaker 1: could be part one in a series of tin snuffed 698 00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:32,480 Speaker 1: out before the tenth though. Probably we were respectful. I 699 00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:35,480 Speaker 1: think so too. Where are we, hey, man? I mean, 700 00:40:35,760 --> 00:40:38,960 Speaker 1: if we weren't, just send us an email. Don't shoot 701 00:40:39,040 --> 00:40:43,000 Speaker 1: us now, please, So chuck. That's it. That's it, all right. 702 00:40:43,040 --> 00:40:46,719 Speaker 1: If you want to know more about mafia, including a 703 00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:50,880 Speaker 1: chart of the structure of a typical Sicilian mafia family 704 00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:53,960 Speaker 1: or Locosa Noster family, just type in mafia in the 705 00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:56,879 Speaker 1: handy search bar how stuff works dot com, which means 706 00:40:56,880 --> 00:41:00,880 Speaker 1: it's time now for listener, ma'am. And for God's sakes, 707 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:04,080 Speaker 1: see The Godfather one and two and good Fellas and 708 00:41:04,120 --> 00:41:08,440 Speaker 1: good Fellas and Casino and Donni Brasco and My Blue Heaven. 709 00:41:08,840 --> 00:41:12,080 Speaker 1: That's a good one. And you can watch god Father three. 710 00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:14,439 Speaker 1: I'm a proponent of it. Even though most people poop 711 00:41:14,520 --> 00:41:17,080 Speaker 1: to it. Just take Sofia Coppola with a grain of 712 00:41:17,120 --> 00:41:20,600 Speaker 1: salt and realized that she had She's a brilliant director 713 00:41:20,680 --> 00:41:24,000 Speaker 1: in the making, and not a great actor. She's already 714 00:41:24,040 --> 00:41:26,440 Speaker 1: a brilliant director. Not when you make up other three 715 00:41:26,480 --> 00:41:28,960 Speaker 1: she wouldn't she made that movie up a few No 716 00:41:29,080 --> 00:41:30,400 Speaker 1: know that I'm saying she was in it was a 717 00:41:30,480 --> 00:41:32,839 Speaker 1: very poor actor. She went on to become a great 718 00:41:32,840 --> 00:41:36,400 Speaker 1: director actor. So I'm gonna call this. We asked for 719 00:41:36,440 --> 00:41:39,080 Speaker 1: sinking ship stories. We've got a couple that were okay, 720 00:41:39,440 --> 00:41:41,880 Speaker 1: but our best one was an airplane falling out of 721 00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:45,000 Speaker 1: the sky story. Hi guys, I know you called for 722 00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:47,520 Speaker 1: seeking boats stories, but I hope you'll consider this falling 723 00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:50,440 Speaker 1: airplane story and fall of oh seven. My boyfriend and 724 00:41:50,480 --> 00:41:52,560 Speaker 1: I were coming home to the US after he had 725 00:41:52,600 --> 00:41:57,000 Speaker 1: played some concerts in Germany. He was he in the scorpions. 726 00:41:57,320 --> 00:41:59,920 Speaker 1: I don't know, this might be Hasslehoff. The flight to 727 00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:02,239 Speaker 1: parted Cologne in the morning. We had been in the 728 00:42:02,239 --> 00:42:05,200 Speaker 1: air for a couple of hours when suddenly we felt 729 00:42:05,200 --> 00:42:08,640 Speaker 1: something akin to very violent turbulence. The plane dropped by out, 730 00:42:09,080 --> 00:42:11,520 Speaker 1: dropped an altitude by a lot enough to make me 731 00:42:12,120 --> 00:42:14,040 Speaker 1: feel like the bottom of my stomach had fallen out 732 00:42:14,040 --> 00:42:17,680 Speaker 1: like a roller coaster. The plane momentarily righted. The captain 733 00:42:17,719 --> 00:42:19,719 Speaker 1: got on the intercom said there was a there was 734 00:42:19,800 --> 00:42:22,840 Speaker 1: some difficulties. The next few minutes felt like ages. The 735 00:42:22,840 --> 00:42:25,960 Speaker 1: plane alternately banked from side to side, lost more altitude, 736 00:42:25,960 --> 00:42:28,200 Speaker 1: and shook some more. Lights flickered on and off. The 737 00:42:28,200 --> 00:42:31,440 Speaker 1: captain announced it was a fire in the first class cabin, 738 00:42:32,040 --> 00:42:34,120 Speaker 1: and it didn't help that he sounded panicked and was 739 00:42:34,200 --> 00:42:37,960 Speaker 1: nearly screaming. We were sitting in the back row, which, 740 00:42:38,080 --> 00:42:40,960 Speaker 1: as we know, is not proven, but it's probably one 741 00:42:40,960 --> 00:42:42,239 Speaker 1: of the best places to be if your plane is 742 00:42:42,239 --> 00:42:45,480 Speaker 1: going to crash. Flight attendant ran too our row and 743 00:42:45,560 --> 00:42:48,880 Speaker 1: threw open the overhead compartment looking for something. She hollered, 744 00:42:49,239 --> 00:42:53,480 Speaker 1: Oh my god, there's only one, she said, only one. 745 00:42:53,520 --> 00:42:55,800 Speaker 1: What we never found out? The lights went out for 746 00:42:55,840 --> 00:42:58,920 Speaker 1: a longer period. That's when we noticed that the oxygen 747 00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:01,080 Speaker 1: mask had deployed, but only for seats on the other 748 00:43:01,120 --> 00:43:04,200 Speaker 1: side of the plane. Our entire side did not have 749 00:43:04,239 --> 00:43:07,680 Speaker 1: oxygen masks deployed. My boyfriend was to my right, an 750 00:43:07,680 --> 00:43:12,799 Speaker 1: elder Russian woman on my left. I was squeezing both 751 00:43:12,840 --> 00:43:14,840 Speaker 1: of their hands and trying to stay calm. The Russian 752 00:43:14,840 --> 00:43:18,040 Speaker 1: woman had both of her eyes closed. She was rocking 753 00:43:18,080 --> 00:43:21,240 Speaker 1: back and forth and speaking softly under her voice. Suddenly 754 00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:24,359 Speaker 1: the ground was coming very fast. We had miraculously hit 755 00:43:24,400 --> 00:43:27,640 Speaker 1: the runway at Shannon Airport in Ireland, but we hit 756 00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:29,520 Speaker 1: it hard because of the weight of all the fuel 757 00:43:29,880 --> 00:43:32,880 Speaker 1: that was intended intended to fly us to Newark. The 758 00:43:32,920 --> 00:43:35,920 Speaker 1: plane bounced a couple of times on the miscovered runway, 759 00:43:36,280 --> 00:43:41,000 Speaker 1: lost all of the electrical power, air circulation shut down, 760 00:43:41,480 --> 00:43:43,440 Speaker 1: and we were towed to the gate. There were a 761 00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:46,719 Speaker 1: lot of tears, prayers and shaking up people, and the 762 00:43:46,760 --> 00:43:49,680 Speaker 1: airplane doors were eventually hand cranked open and we deplaned. 763 00:43:50,239 --> 00:43:57,480 Speaker 1: That is from Ariadne and carry the boyfriend. Wow, sinking ship. 764 00:43:57,680 --> 00:43:59,480 Speaker 1: Who cares? Would you ever get on a plane again 765 00:43:59,480 --> 00:44:02,799 Speaker 1: at something like that happened to you? Uh? These days? 766 00:44:02,880 --> 00:44:05,279 Speaker 1: Yes you would, because you've kind of overcome that to 767 00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:08,200 Speaker 1: a large degree. Yeah. Um, But with what I've gotten 768 00:44:08,200 --> 00:44:09,719 Speaker 1: to the point now where I can I just sit 769 00:44:09,760 --> 00:44:11,600 Speaker 1: there and look out the window and make myself watch 770 00:44:11,840 --> 00:44:15,799 Speaker 1: take off and landing. Um, and I'm usually pretty good. Well, 771 00:44:15,840 --> 00:44:18,560 Speaker 1: we fly alight now I quit smoking and I got 772 00:44:18,600 --> 00:44:21,640 Speaker 1: over my fear of flying. Did you you've made so 773 00:44:21,640 --> 00:44:23,600 Speaker 1: many changes at something? Anybody? Look at you. I can 774 00:44:23,680 --> 00:44:26,440 Speaker 1: run two miles at a stretch now too. That's impressive. 775 00:44:28,160 --> 00:44:31,640 Speaker 1: Onward and upward, onward and upward. If you have a 776 00:44:31,760 --> 00:44:37,799 Speaker 1: story about a mail man you hated or who hated you, 777 00:44:38,239 --> 00:44:42,080 Speaker 1: or mafia stuff, Okay, all right, we'll go with that one. 778 00:44:42,160 --> 00:44:44,799 Speaker 1: Then if you have a story about the mafia, we 779 00:44:44,840 --> 00:44:47,480 Speaker 1: want to hear it. We want you to wrap it 780 00:44:47,560 --> 00:44:51,239 Speaker 1: up in an email and send it to stuff podcast 781 00:44:51,360 --> 00:44:57,000 Speaker 1: at how stuff works dot com. For more on this 782 00:44:57,200 --> 00:44:59,560 Speaker 1: and thousands of other topics. Is it how stuff works 783 00:44:59,560 --> 00:45:02,239 Speaker 1: dot com. To learn more about the podcast, click on 784 00:45:02,280 --> 00:45:04,680 Speaker 1: the podcast icon in the upper right corner of our 785 00:45:04,680 --> 00:45:08,000 Speaker 1: home page. The House stuff Work's iPhone app has arrived. 786 00:45:08,120 --> 00:45:13,680 Speaker 1: Download it today on iTunes, Brought to you by the 787 00:45:13,719 --> 00:45:16,960 Speaker 1: reinvented two thousand twelve Camri. It's ready, are you