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Women In Organized Crime

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Organized crime has been around for several decades and there is very little discussion about the women behind and beside the men in the business. Ma Barker, Opal Long, Victoria Gotti, and Renee Graziano, are some of the women with affiliations to organized crime families just to name a few. Although many may argue that they are very few women in organized crime, there are actually several women who have huge roles in organized crime families by being mothers, wives, daughters and even members. The FBI defines organized crime as any group having some manor of a formalized structure with the primary objectivity to obtain money through illegal activity. Such groups maintain their position through the use of actual or threatening violence, corrupt …show more content…
The Forty Thieves was a prominent group of immigrants who band together to become financially stable and establish their own protection. Over time the Forty Thieves diminished and the birth of individual gangs emerged. The new gangs that were formed were grouped together according to one’s ethnic background. The biggest gangs formed were from the Italian-Americans who formed the Mafia or The American Cosa Nostra (Origins of Organized Crime. n.d.).
Organized crime includes drug trafficking, robbery, violence, extortion, and even the illegal production and distribution of alcohol. The gangs were well known and feared, but it wasn’t until prohibition that the Mafia organization became as successful, established and dangerous as they are now. In the beginning of organized crime, crime families often engaged in acts of violence in order to become the leader in the illegal distribution of alcohol.
Even though the term family is in the phrase “Organized Crime Family” all members do not have to necessarily be biologically related. Organized crime families are often known to be comprised of some family members, friends, and other acquaintances that share similar beliefs, goals, and interest in criminal activities. Behind the criminal male masterminds were women who backed their loved ones in the organized crime family; as well as, women who played their own part in the crime …show more content…
There is not much that Renee has not brought to America’s television viewers attention. There were conversations about specific incidents that involved Renee’s father, Anthony Graziano, and how he and other organized crime family members handled certain situations. Renee Graziano married Hector “Junior” Pagan, who also has a role in the organized crime family. Together, the two, had a son AJ Pagan. Renee and Junior’s relationship took an abrupt halt when Junior was arrested by the police, and took a deal for a lesser sentence in exchange for snitching on his father in law, Anthony Graziano (Graziano Family Tree Biography

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