Here in the South, it was a lot easier to own everyone from the police chief up to congressmen and senators. It's always been well known that is was hard to make a good living in the South back in the days so extra money to look away? Hell yes they would and did and it wasn't even all mafia only, the dixie mafia owned people as well and they didn't really have a setup like the mafia did. Marcello pretty much owned everyone in Louisiana and that's how he got away with his ways until the Feds finally got to him.