American Organized Crime

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how Lucky Luciano was incredibly significant to organized crime. Ambitious and ruthless, he became the head of the New York Italian Mafia and revolutionized its organization, power and control. He achieved total control over the Mafia business and created a national crime syndicate. The paper illustrates how Luciano created national control and oversight and literally made gambling the biggest mob-influenced industry in the United States. The paper suggests that without Luciano, there might not be a Las Vegas and an American Mafia like we have today.

From the Paper:

"Charles Lucky Luciano was born November 24, 1897 in Sicily. His family immigrated to New York when he was only a young boy, and almost immediately, he got into trouble with the law. As a teen, he was arrested for everything from petty larceny to drug transport. He had served time in prison before he even turned 18 (Kelly, 2000, p. 199). During Prohibition, Luciano became involved in bootlegging, and he also associated with crime figures that were not a part of the Italian Mafia, such as Meyer Lansky and "Bugsy" Siegel."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bernstein, L. (2002). The greatest menace: Organized crime in Cold War America. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press.
• Cook, F. J. (1966). The secret rulers: Criminal syndicates and how they control the U.S. underworld (1st ed.). New York: Duell Sloan & Pearce.
• Editors. (2003). Lucky Luciano. Retrieved from the Time Magazine Web site: http://www.time.com/time/time100/builder/profile/luciano.html 26 May 2006.
• Kelly, R. J. (2000). Encyclopedia of organized crime in the United States from Capone's Chicago to the new urban underworld. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
• Schoenherr, S. (2004). Lucky Luciano. Retrieved from the University of San Diego Web site: http://history.acusd.edu/gen/ww2timeline/luciano.html 26 May 2006.

More papers on American Organized Crime:

• Research Paper # 61322 : "African-American Organized Crime"
• Research Paper # 6034 : "Organized Crime Worldwide"
• Term Paper # 121422 : "Organized Crime"

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