The Gambino Indictment

Though they bear colorful names like "Elmo," "Joe Rackets," "the Greaseball," "Jackie the Nose," and "Cheeks" (see below and Pages 2 and 3 for other examples), the 87 reputed mobsters charged this week follow a hierarchy as structured as that of any modern corporation. The 170-page indictment, which was unsealed on Feb. 7 (excerpts below and on Pages 2 through 7), states that within the Gambino "enterprise" (Page 4) the senior management group (the "administration") comprises a boss, an underboss, and a counsel ("consigliere") who supervise and "discipline" the various tiers below. Among the executive perks these high-ranking officials enjoy is a liberal leave policy. When unable to meet responsibilities "due to incarceration" or "ill-health," substitute family members are "appointed … in an acting capacity" (Page 6). At ground level, each captain must supply his crewmembers "with support and protection" (Page 5). Here in the Mafia, the asset we value most highly is you, the employee!

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Despite the occasional dispute, the Gambinos tend to cooperate with their competitors in the tri-state area—"the Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Luchese [sic] organized crime families" (Page 6). They do this to protect the broader interests of the oligopoly known as the Mafia. Through a "ruling body" called the "commission" (Page 6), the Gambino family (the indictment's principal target) maintains a sort of trade association. Outright collusion is not unheard of. When promoting junior employees, for instance, the Gambinos will first "propose a list of associates to be 'made,' " and circulate the candidates' names "to the other families" (Page 6). If the Federal Bureau of Investigation weren't already monitoring these activities, they might warrant notice from the Justice Department's Antitrust division. Due to this industry's unique market niche, however, the feds tend to de-emphasize white-collar crime so they can focus their attention on "narcotics distribution, extortion, illegal gambling, loan sharking, bribery and robbery," not to mention "physical violence including murder" (Pages 6 and 7). Not even the oil companies throw their weight around with such panache.

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