I wouldnt be so eager to believe this Robin Hood type image of mafiamen that you see in the movies and stuff. A criminal claiming he was sucked into a criminal lifestyle because he wanted to provide for his family is inaccurate, at least in the present day.

Perhaps, 80 to 100 years ago, when poor Italian immigrants were first moving to this country, they were truly discriminated against and needed to not abide by some laws so they could provide for their children, but any sense of that has been lost over time.

Its very easy to confuse real life gangsters with movie gangsters, but its a distinction that must be made.