Unlicensed After-Hours Club Racket
After Prohibition ended, the mafia skirted the law in order to satisfy a thirsty public...
How the Mafia Makes Money
Mob rackets are far-reaching when it comes to organized crime. Since its formation, the mafia has infiltrated almost every aspect of American life. From bars and restaurants to credit cards and even garbage hauling, the mob has its hands in it – or did at some point.
From the earliest days of alcohol bootlegging, the mafia has found innovative ways to bring in the bucks over the years. And they made tons! Learn about some of these mob rackets below, and keep checking back as we’ll be adding new in-depth stories about ways the mob made money in the future.
The Narcotics Racket
Narcotics is the most profitable business in the underworld. Although many have dabbled in it,...
Kennedy Airport Rackets and the LCN
Airport rackets at JFK International are considered “open territory” and “open season” to all the...
The Garbage Racket
One of the more durable underworld rackets created over the years has been the Mafia’s...
The Securities Theft and Fraud Racket
Nearly every single Mafia family in the entire country has profited from stock market scams...
The Cigarette Bootlegging Racket
While it lasted, cigarette smuggling was one of the greatest rackets the Mafia ever invented....
The Credit Card Racket
Starting in the mid-1960s, the mafia quickly realized the tremendous money-making potential of credit cards...
The Jukebox & Vending Machine Racket
One of the easiest and most profitable “semi-legitimate” businesses the mob ever developed was the coin-machine...
The Mob Had It All Sewn Up in the Garment Industry
One of the most important industries to New York’s economy, and to the whole nation,...
The Gambling Rackets
Sure, the narcotics business as well as loansharking, truck hijacking, labor racketeering, and many other...
The Loansharking Racket
It is said that the gambling business, in all its various forms, is the very...
The Truck Hijacking Racket
Although truck hijackers and thieves were in no short supply and came in all shapes...
Business Fraud Rackets
When people conjure up images of organized crime and the Mafia in their head, they...
The Waterfront Rackets of the Mob
The 1954 film classic "On the Waterfront" starring Marlon Brando was an iconic and very...
The Food Industry and LCN: Wholesale, Retail, Pizza, Bakeries & More (Part 1)
The food industry and the mob go hand in hand. They're part of your everyday...