is it true that the italians in new york still have a lot of connections. i saw the russian gangsters in brooklyn episode of inside from national geographic. there was this former vor v zakonye(meaning thief in law its the russian version of a godfather) he said that the italians back then had a lot of connections with almost every kind of bussines and he was reffering to the 80s and 90s and he also said he didnt trust the italians but he associated with them because of their connections and influence.

While it doesn't have nearly the clout it did in the past, the mob still has connections, which mainly come in the form of the nexus between legitimate industry, unions, and politics. But it's on a much reduced scale. Gone are the days when the mob controlled entire political machines, paid off entire police departments, controlled unions above the local level, or controlled entire industries in New York.