The Cosa Nostra in the U.S. Adapting to Changes in the Social, Economic, and Political Environment After a 25-Year Prosecution Effort

Abstract

Multiple mass arrests of Cosa Nostra suspects in recent years continue a 25-year surge the most significant organized crime prosecution effort in U.S. history. The reasons behind this effort, the impact of terrorism on this initiative after September 11, 2001, and the impact of the major social, political, and economic changes occurring over the same period are considered. Three keys to the short-term prospects for the Cosa Nostra in the U.S. are examined: their linkages with non-Cosa Nostra groups, shifts to fraud and other non-traditional organized crime activities, and their willingness to settle for a piece of the criminal activities of other groups. Long-term prospects for the Cosa Nostra in the U.S. are also examined, involving the entrenched challenge of corruption, generational shift, and international connections with other organized crime networks.