Business Fraud Rackets
Business fraud rackets are one of the many ways the mob makes its money. From stock fraud to internet porn, the mob knows its business.
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. Also, be sure to check out our list of mobsters involved in various rackets via the accompanying links in the sidebar.
Mob Rackets
The Gambling Rackets
A nuts and bolts layout on both the history and the mechanics of various illegal gambling rackets.
The Loansharking Racket
A deep-dive into the mob's loanshark racket.
The Narcotics Racket
Narcotics is the most profitable business in the underworld. Although many have dabbled in it, few have done it as well as the Italian Mafia.
The Truck Hijacking Racket
Heisting cargo became a multimillion-dollar business for the mob. A racket so lucrative that all mob families dabbled in for decades.
Securities Theft and Fraud Racket
Nearly every single Mafia family in the entire country has profited from stock market scams at one time or another over the years.
The Cigarette Bootlegging Racket
While it lasted, cigarette smuggling was one of the greatest rackets the Mafia ever invented! A cash cow that was perfectly tailor-made for wiseguys.
The Jukebox & Vending Machine Racket
While it lasted, the jukebox and vending-machine racket was one of the biggest money-makers the Mafia ever had.
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, was the garment industry which was deeply infiltrated by the mob.
Kennedy Airport Rackets and the LCN
Airport rackets at JFK International are considered “open territory” and “open season” to all the NYC organized crime families.
The Waterfront Rackets of the Mob
Since the early 1900s, and maybe before, Irish and Italian hoodlums gravitated to the various waterfronts and its related industries.
The Mob and Garbage
One of the more durable underworld rackets created over the years has been the Mafia’s infiltration of the garbage carting industry.
Unlicensed After-Hours Club Racket
After Prohibition ended, the mafia skirted the law in order to satisfy a thirsty public and made fortunes with After-Hours clubs.
The Credit Card Racket
Starting in the mid-1960s, the mafia quickly realized the tremendous money-making potential of credit cards and took full advantage!
The Food Industry and LCN – Part I
The food industry and the mob go hand in hand. They're part of your everyday life from fine restaurants to your local grocery stores.
The Food Industry and LCN – Part II
Big Apple nightlife and entertainment might just not exist if it wasn't for the mob!
Lucrative Rackets Still Operating Today
Today, the mob is hurting. The streets are no longer are paved with gold as they had been for the early Italian, Jewish, and Irish hoodlums.
Mob Videos
Gambino mobster Carmine Lombardozzi was a specialist in stock fraud and one of the most successful in the entire New York Mafia. A capo in the Gambino Crime Family, Lombardozzi, or “The Doctor” was dubbed the King of Wall Street by news media. He oversaw a large regime based in Brooklyn and was, for a time, the mob’s fair-haired boy.
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From city to city and state to state, Button Guys of The New York Mafia breaks down the history of organized crime in America. Through deep-dive biographies and snapshots of mobsters to in-depth stories about mafia regimes and crews, you’ll uncover an underworld you might never have known existed – maybe even in your own hometown!
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