October 15, 1970 was one of the most import dates in mob history. But at the time, most mobsters and their defense attorneys didn’t know it.

This was the date RICO or the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act was signed into law by then President Richard Nixon.

RICO provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. The RICO Act focuses specifically on racketeering, and it allows the leaders of a syndicate to be tried for the crimes which they ordered others to do or assisted them in doing, closing a perceived loophole that allowed a person who instructed someone else to, for example, murder, to be exempt from the trial because he did not actually commit the crime personally.

Since the early 1980s RICO has decimated the mob turning thousands of once sworn to secrecy wiseguys into to informant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3x2Uy_iiso

Great video once again, also like the new style!!

What really amazed me ever since the first time I read it in Raab's Five Families, is that Bob Blakey finished RICO in 1970 and that it took more than 10 years for prosecutors to use it properly..

Why did it took so long?? This isn't normal I hope, otherwise it would take very long for new laws to become effective..

I don't know for sure of course, but in my opinion that's because in the 70s those "untouchable" characters with powerful connections like Gambino, Lombardo, Magaddino, Zerilli, Bruno etc were still alive and the law enforcement wasn't allowed to use RICO because that would mean to prosecute those characters like all the others, and they had too many powerful friends. Once those "fathers of the Cosa Nostra" died out and clowns like John Gotti became in charge, they could use RICO without making too much scandal in high society and political/big business circles.

That crossed my mind too, and I think it's very plausible Dwalin..

Like in some way, they gave high society some time too pull back..

Nice job BloodlettersandBadmen!

As Blakey talks about, it was a monumental task just getting the FBI brass to think differently and recognize the potential of RICO. It was a revolutionary concept and some of those Bureau old dogs had a hard time learning a new trick.

In the Raab 5 fams blackley said that must teach to the Fed how correctly use the Rico. In the 1970 there are Hoover as fbi chief and the police was largely corrupt.

In few word if you show that was a group that continuatly work for break the law and made money from this, you can charges not only the soldier but even the bosses,how happened for the commission case.
In the 70s was too early in the 80s was ok.
The decline happens because in the small families, nobody replaced the men that was in jail or dead.
In the ny case when the old trusted bosses get 100 y the successore are the worst can be choose (gotti,Amuso and casso ecc) exception for the genoveses.