Busting the Mob: The United States v. Cosa Nostra

by James B Jacobs, Christopher Panarella, Jay Worthington

Overview

The decades-long fight to bring down the mob is examined through five crucial cases in this authoritative and vividly detailed book.

From Al Capone to John Gotti, organized crime bosses have achieved notoriety as anti- heroes in popular culture. In practice, the Cosa Nostra grew strong and wealthy by supplying illicit goods and services and by obtaining control over labor unions and key industries—all while facing little opposition from law enforcement. Yet, by the 1990s, the very foundations of the mob had been shaken, its bosses imprisoned, its profits diminished, and its influence badly weakened.

James B. Jacobs, Christopher Panarella, and Jay Worthington document the government's relentless attack on organized crime. The authors present an overview of the forces and events that led to the most successful organized crime control initiatives in American history. Enlisting trial testimony, secretly taped conversations, court documents, and depositions, they document five landmark cases, representing the most important organized crime prosecutions of the modern era—Teamsters Local 560, The Pizza Connection, The Commission, the International Teamsters, and the prosecution of John Gotti.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814743171
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	11/21/2023
Series:	Open Access Lib and HC
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	296
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

James B. Jacobs, legal scholar and sociologist, was Warren E. Burger Professor of Law and Director, Center for Research in Crime and Justice, NYU School of Law. Among his books are Mobsters, Unions & Fed: The Mafia and the American Labor Movement, Gotham Unbound: How New York City Was Liberated from the Grip of Organized Crime, Busting the Mob: United States v. Cosa Nostra, and Corruption and Racketeering in the New York City Construction Industry, all published by NYU Press.

Chris Panarella is a Fellows at Center for Research in Crime and Justice at New York University.
Jay Worthington is aFellows at Center for Research in Crime and Justice at New York University.

Editorial Reviews

Documents the forces and events that led in the 1980s to the government's most successful organized crime control initiatives in modern American history. Using trial testimony, secretly-taped conversations, court documents, and depositions, the authors document five landmark cases: the Teamsters Local 560, "The Pizza Connection," "The Commission," the International Teamsters, and the prosecution of John Gotti. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

This study of two warring entities, the U.S. government and the American Mafia, views the last 15 years of the struggle via five landmark cases brought against the Mob. Included is "U.S. v. Local 560", in which the government filed civil suit against the largest Teamsters Union local in New Jersey, successfully charging that the local was essentially a Mob-run organization. It was in this case that the Department of Justice first used the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO). An appendix follows each case, containing all manner of court documents, with testimony and judges' opinions. In presenting such detailed information, Jacobs provides insight into the mechanics of investigation and prosecution. Interestingly, Jacobs asserts that it was the Reagan administration that reinvigorated America's prosecution of organized crime. Thoughtful analysis throughout.

Brian McCombie

"Busting the Mob is a must read on organized crime for academics, prosecutors, and concerned citizens, in particular because it includes the text of primary material: indictments, trial testimony, etc."

G. Robert Blakey

"In Busting the Mob, Jacobs proves that sound historical and analytical criminology are not incompatible with entertaining—often gripping—narrative."

Freda Adler

"Busting the Mob by Jim Jacobs is both enlightening and entertaining. It is immensely refreshing that at long last scholarship, as distinct from sensationalism, comes to the analysis of Organized Crime—and scholarship with a sprightly style."

Norval Morris

"Jacobs quotes . . . verbatim trial testimony and bugged conversations. . . . [T]renchant materials for budding prosecutors and investigators."

Times Literary Supplement