The Italian term "pizzo" signifies a form of extortion. A typical practice is to demand a percentage of earnings or a fixed monthly rate from businesses and entrepreneurs in exchange for "protection." - Mike La Sorte, Professor Emeritus
The Scarpa Mob Family, The FBI, and a Story of Betrayal
Bestselling author Sandra Harmon uses her inside access to the Mob, law enforcement, and jailed Mafioso Gregory Scarpa Jr. to tell an epic true story of crime and betrayal. - Sandra Harmon
Billy Corben is a 30-year old award-winning director of gangster documentaries, Corben's most noted productions, Cocaine Cowboys 1 and 2, document the rise of the cocaine trade and the resulting crime epidemic plaguing Miami in the 1970s and 1980s. - Ron Chepesiuk
A number of crimes were to be attributed to Palizzolo: fraud, social insurance swindles, giving false testimony and favoritism to the advantage of the mafia. - Mike La Sorte, Professor Emeritus
Mobsters are modern-day buccaneers, working schemes, profiting from the labors of others, exploiting the weak, picking the pockets of suckers, killing without remorse. - Mike La Sorte, Professor Emeritus
The Cuocolo double-murder trial of 1911, which produced the first Neapolitan camorra informer, drew international publicity because it opened a door to a criminal secret society whose operatives were plaguing both Italy and the United States. - Mike La Sorte, Professor Emeritus
Part Two: Getting Away With Murder It was the performance of his career, actor Lillo Brancato, Jr., tearfully portrayed himself as a victim. - J. R. de Szigethy
"There was as much difference between the mafia and an American crime syndicate as there would be between a friar and the Pope." (The Truth about the Mafia, 1962) - Mike La Sorte, Professor Emeritus
Part Eight: The "Four Questions" Scarpa was one of the most prolific contract killers in American History who was on the payroll - and evident protection from prosecution - of the FBI. - J. R. de Szigethy
A group of retired DEA agents and New York Police Department cops have sued NBC Universal, the producers of "American Gangster," claiming that they were defamed in the movie’s closing credits. - Ron Chepesiuk
Part Seven: Racism and The FBI what can be told now is a very disturbing story based upon what is already known about Hoover, Scarpa, and Marcello. - J. R. de Szigethy
The phenomenon of the Black Hand at the turn of the 20th century represented a brief and turbulent chapter in the history of Italian immigrant criminality. - Mike La Sorte, Professor Emeritus
The linkage between the state and Cosa Nostra is best demonstrated by the mutual advantages that accrue with mafia infiltration into the political system. - Mike La Sorte, Professor Emeritus
The term Mexican mafias refers generally to criminal gangs operating in the United States, Mexico, and Central America. What the gangs have in common is an Hispanic heritage that drives a spirit of comradeship and loyalty to the body or association (brotherhood) to which one belongs—an animating spirit of a collective body and devotion to its honor and interests. - Mike La Sorte, Professor Emeritus
Please note that Rick Porrello is NOT a national or
international organized crime or Mafia expert or historian. He does not maintain
contacts with mobsters, is unable to assist with family history research and is
unable to provide assitance with locating photographs. If you believe you are
the victim of organized crime, some of the agencies that may be able to help you
are local law enforcement agency, state attorney general's office, the F.B.I. or
U.S. Attorney's office.
Sorry, we are unable to personally accept research inquiries. Please
post questions to the Forum.
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From 1991 to 2004
