Fish Rot From the Head

An Old Russian proverb states that “The Fish Will Rot From the Head.” This adage was used to describe the belief that real corruption begins at the highest levels. The new breed of organized crime lords had forged an alliance with major figures in the highest ranks of the Communist Party. As the corruption spread throughout the entire economic system it was apparent that the rotting at the head was beginning to smell. In many cases this new version of crime figures worked side by side with members of the Party. An economy was being created off the books and the Russian Mafia was an old hand at seeking and providing opportunities to reap profits from within the system. As the influence of the Russian Mafia increased the crime power base was being extended into new profitable areas throughout the economy.

As new opportunities grew out of a changing economy and new business ventures appeared the Russian Mafia was quick to display the need for protection. A level of extortion arose that put that in Capone’s Chicago to shame. It soon became clear that without the involvement of elements of organized crime business ventures found it difficult to survive. As the Communist government grew weaker the power of the elements of organized crime increased. You could count on the local branch of organized crime more than the government to deliver what was needed and provide the support and protection that was needed, for a price. As the handwriting appeared on the wall that the era of Communism was coming to an end, the heads of the new Russian Mafia met to discuss the future of their organizations. It was decided that to survive, the Russian Mafia must go with the money. If the major amounts of cash were located outside of the Russian Homeland, then the Russian Mafia must be prepared to expand throughout the world to keep the profits flowing. By the late 1980’s the power of the Russian Mafia rivaled the power of the existing Communist government. In 1991 with the fall of Communism, the first major meetings were held to decide on plans to expand outside of Russia.

One of the major areas that that came under the view of the Russian Mafia was the United States. The large Russian immigration that had flowed into America in the effort to aid Soviet Jews, also included large numbers of Russian Mafia members. The FBI was soon warning those who would listen, that the plans were to create an organization of all criminal activities in North America. The existing traditional Mafia Families were called upon to cooperate with the new Russian crime leaders or face possible destruction. The accepted use of violence to obtain goals was unexpected by the traditional Mafia Families who made moved from the use of violence to more white-collar crimes. It was easier to cooperate with these new Russian crime lords than it was to have warfare in the streets. By the late 1980’s and the early 1990’s the Traditional Mafia Families had already taken major hits from the federal government through the extensive use of RICO laws. The code of Omerta had been abandoned and replaced with the belief that it was every man for himself. In the Russia Mafia, however, the expectations for order and loyalty were maintained by the threat of violence. The connections between the elements of the Old World and the crime pioneers in North America was quickly proving to be a force to be reckoned with by the Traditional Mafia Families and the Federal Authorities. A model “little Russian” was quickly be developed to extend the power of the Russian Mafia.

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