they can worm their way into key positions and exercise a stranglehold over industries.
How? Let's say someone in management susses out their "worming". And fires them. What do they do? That's where the street goons are useful. But you have to have cops on the take to look the other way. Otherwise the cops just arrest your street goons. I only see the Russians doing this today, and I think it's more political. Connected to elected officials over there. I've read about some weird shit going on in Florida. Russian mob, Putin, Russian biker gangs, cops looking the other way, etc.
It seems only the Genovese have it like that anymore when it comes to the Italian mob. Don't know how they do it but they seem to.
