VIDEO: CNBC Premiers Mob Money

Friends of Ours ^ | 06/04/10 | Friends of Ours

[AtlasStalled]

The FBI estimates that the Mafia in the United States annually rakes in between $50 and $90 billion dollars, and in "Mob Money," an episode from the American Greed series to air on June 23, CNBC "takes viewers inside the inner-workings" of New Jersey's DeCavalcante crime family:

From loan-sharking and labor racketeering to illegal gambling and murder for hire to its recent invasion into Wall Street it’s all part of the life and death business of organized crime. * * * The hour profiles Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo, a soldier who, after a struggle for power, takes over the DeCavalcante Family. Under Palermo's leadership, viewers will see how the Family makes money, where investments are made, who gets promoted and just how bad rats are for business. But, it will be a mob heist orchestrated by wanna-be wiseguy Ralph Guarino that ultimately brings this mafia family to its knees and forces Guarino to make the ultimate betrayal—lead a double-life as a wiseguy and informant. He wears a recording device so everything that happens to the DeCavalcantes—the murders, the extortions, the beat-downs—all goes right into the fed's ear. The program uncovers how the old ways of Omerta, the vow of loyalty and silence, has passed as the threat of longer prison times loosens tongues as gangsters scramble to save themselves. No family and no boss is safe anymore… even Palermo turns on his own family eventually becoming an FBI informant and ultimately going into the witness protection program.

[subterfuge]

I think Alan Grayson is their mouthpiece.

[Maceman]

For those who can't wait, you can already watch a great 5-part video series about the DeCavalcantes on youtube:

Here's Part 1 (you can follow the other 4 parts from there):

The Real Sopranos

[njslim]

This is the family that whacked their own boss when found
he was gay!

Thats what you call “Family Values” !

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

I wonder how much they really make? That is, when they bust some guy for selling a pound of marijuana, “With a street value of $100,000”, you have to wonder if their estimate is just a *tad* inflated.

This was actually very funny, recently, when the police raided a grower of legal marijuana, destroying about a dozen plants, which they claimed had a “street value of $30,000”. But when the judge ruled in his favor, he decided to sue the police for damages—$30,000 in damages. The police immediately protested. “Not fair!” Sauce for the gander, dudes.

As far as the mob goes, remember that while they may gross some serious money, it has to be laundered, bribes have to be paid, as well as a cut for the henchmen, etc. Mob overhead depreciates just like anyone else’s as well.

A typical burglar is lucky to get 10% of the value of the goods he fences. And I don’t imaging things get much better further up the criminal food chain.

[Amberdawn]

The police/Feds routinely inflate the amount of money that the mob takes in to get more federal funding. As an aside, Joseph Pungitore of the old Scarfo/Philly family was just released from prison after 25+ years. I wonder what he feels about luring his best friend Salvie Testa to his death.