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It talks about how now a days mafia are not only growing, but also are growing in power as well.

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Expert Selwyn Raab on how September 11th helped the Mob evade annihilation and rebuild into the 21st century

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bootleg-alcoholic liquor unlawfully made, sold, or transported, without registration or payment of taxes.

racketeering- the practice of conducting or engaging in a racket, as extortion or bootlegging.

illicit- not legally permitted or authorized; unlicensed; unlawful.

infiltrate- to pass a small number of (soldiers, spies, or the like) into a territory or organization clandestinely and with hostile or subversive intent

hierarchy- any system of persons or things ranked one above another.

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During the late 19th century and early 20th century, there were lots of Italian immigrants looking for better economy opportunities. Most large groups of people were criminals who formed neighbor gangs. Also Sicilian Mafiosi flocked to America to escape from Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini (1883-1945). Finally, Italian-American mafia network was formed across the United States and had been organized during 1920s. 1920s, which was prohibition era of alcohol, was the golden age for American Mafia. They bootlegged and smuggled alcohol from other countries and sold it, making huge profits. There were lots of things that Mafia did, but what made them rise to power was the illegal selling alcohol. There is a Mafia you should know whose name is Al Capone, who is a best known gangster and the single greatest symbol of the collapse of law during 1920s. He owned large crime organization and raised his prosperity by bootlegging and bribing corrupt officers. But contrast of his vicious career, Capone opened up some of the first soup kitchens during the great depression. He also helped people personally like if they couldn’t afford to go to college he would give them money. So some people called Capone as a modern day robin hood. May be you have never heard of specific stories about American Mafia. It is so hard to get their information, because they worked really secretly. However, for you, it would be shocking fact that Mafia like Al Capone sometimes helped people who were in adversities.

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The American Mafia had a great influence in American culture and economy. It all got started with the prohibition act or the banning of alcohol. Some Italian immigrants saw there chance and took it by getting alcohol from different places and selling it back to the the people. Not only were they sellers but they were also dangerous murders. They killed in cold blood and paid off many police officers. One thing though that good came out of it was NASCAR. It all started when people needed fast cars to get away from the police so they tuned their cars and made them faster which is now known as NASCAR. Later on America’s economy plummeted and they needed to find a way to get money. So they ratified the prohibition act, which was the 18th amendment. Also now to this very there are thousands of people still enjoying the sport of NASCAR in which cars race one another.

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When Al Capone was in the Atlanta penitentiary he was fine because he was paying off guards and had other special privileges like he can have a lot of visitors. he had a good enough life until he went to Alcatraz. One of the best prisons ever known. All his privileges were taken away and he was closely watched be the warden. This is a letter that explains his time there to his son.

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Two words: prison band

smithsonian.com

In 1934, one of America's most notorious prisoners, gangster Al Capone, was carted off from an Atlanta penitentiary to the United States' most cutting-edge prison: a maximum-security prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. But what did Al Capone do while in the pen for tax evasion and contempt of court? A letter now on auction sums up his leisure activities in two words: prison band.

A 1938 letter from Capone to his son is currently for sale at RR Auctions, a Boston-based auction house that specializes in rare manuscripts. It's a rare letter, indeed-the missive, which is expected to bring in more than $50,000, gives an intimate look at the daily life of one of the most hardened gangsters in American history.

You'd think that Capone, who was technically imprisoned for tax evasion but spent years as a brutal Mafia boss, might have spent his days in jail trying to get out. But by the time he arrived at Alcatraz, he was in no condition to flee. In Atlanta, where he had served the initial part of his sentence, he had been given special privileges, entertained near-constant visitors and used piles of cash to pay off prison guards. But things were different in Alcatraz. For one thing, Public Enemy No. 1 was suffering from syphilis ( some biographers even think that the disease explains some of his erratic, murderous behavior). He was also watched closely by the warden of Alcatraz, who refused to grant him any of those special privileges he had previously enjoyed.

But that doesn't mean Capone never got his way. According to Don Babwin of the Associated Press, Capone "begged the warden for permission to form a small band." Capone racked up time for good behavior and took up music, playing banjo in a band called "The Rock Islanders." The band had a rotating group of musicians who played as a privilege, and if Capone's letter to his son is any indication, he relished the chance to play both banjo and mandola (an instrument that resembles a large mandolin).

"First I learned a Tenor Guitar and then a Tenor Banjo, and now the Mandola, but for Solo work only," he wrote to his son, boasting that he could play over 500 songs. Capone even wrote a love song song, "Madonna Mia," that was published posthumously in 2009.

So what else did Capone do in Alcatraz when he wasn't, say, dodging a violent stabbing attempt or doing laundry? "My routine here is Morning Yard, I mean the amusement Yard, Baseball, Horseshoes Courts, and Hand-ball courts, Checkers and Dominoes," he wrote. And he had a few words of wisdom for his son, who was in college at the time. "Junior keep up the way you are doing, and don't let nothing get you down. When you get the blues, Sonny, put on one of the records with songs I wrote you about," he said. There isn't much I can write, but chin up, always."

He signed the letter "Love & Kisses, Your Dear Dad Alphonse Capone #85." When it came to his many victims ( at least 300 are thought to have died in the gang wars he instigated, many at his own hand), he was heartless indeed. But when it came to his family, the mobster apparently had a soft spot.

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This Letter Tells What Al Capone Was Up to in Alcatraz

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smithsonian.com In 1934, one of America's most notorious prisoners, gangster Al Capone, was carted off from an Atlanta penitentiary to the United States' most cutting-edge prison: a maximum-security prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. But what did Al Capone do while in the pen for tax evasion and contempt of court?

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It talks about Al Capone's interrogation with the police about tax evation. he was with his lawyer and he seemed very ready for all of the polices questions. he knew what to say and how to say it and if he didn't know how to respond then he would tell his lawyer to answer and he might have gotten away with it. it just shows you how careful and percise these people are.

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Transcript of Al Capone's Interview with Revenue Agents in 1931

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This picture is a Chicago Tribune headline after Capone's conviction on October 17, 1931. The trial was covered in magazines and newspapers all over the country. Capone would be brought to justice not for murder, extortion, or bootlegging, but for failing to pay his income tax. Also inside of Capone's operation helped governments to make its tax case. This shows how governments were struggling with Al Capone and how Trial of Al Capone was a big issue.

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Thanks to prohibition of alcohol, American Mafia got lots of profit from bootlegging and they expanded their power.

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The American Mafia (also known as American Cosa Nostra or Italian-American Mafia) is an Italian American criminal society and offshoot of the SicilianMafia. It emerged on the East Coast of the United States during the late 19th century following waves of Sicilian and Southern Italian emigration.

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It talks about all the big Mafia people and how they came to be who they are.

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American Mafia History: The American Mafia

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The American Mafia History made its mark on the United States shortly after Prohibition (the outlaw of manufacturing, selling, and transport of alcohol) began in 1920. Read all information related to American Mafia History on this blog.

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The American Mafia, an Italian-American organized-crime network rose to power through its success in the illicit liquor trade during the 1920s Prohibition era.

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Mafia in the United States - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com

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Find out more about the history of Mafia in the United States, including videos, interesting articles, pictures, historical features and more. Get all the facts on HISTORY.com