Organized crime

Organized crime is crime carried out systematically by formal criminal organizations. The Organized Crime Control Act (U.S., 1970) defines organized crime as "The unlawful activities of ... a highly organized, disciplined association...".

Mafia business

Organized crime can be categorized:

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• Theft and Fraud:
• Victimizing business:
• hijacking of cargo trucks
• robbery
• bankruptcy fraud (also known as "bust-out")
• insurance fraud
• stock fraud (inside trading)
• Victimizing individual persons:
• car theft (either for dismantling at "chop-shops" or for export)
• burglary
• credit cards
• stock fraud ("pump and dump" scam)
• Victimizing state:
• bid-rigging public projects
• money counterfeiting
• smuggling, manufacturing illegaly (counterfeiting) or trading in untaxed alcohol or ciggaretes (buttlegging)
• Providing illegal services and goods:
• loansharking
• gambling
• prostitution
• pornography
• drug trafficking
• murder for hire
• Business and labor racketeering:
• casino skimming (in Las Vegas)
• setting up monopolies in rigid market low-tech industries (e.g. garbage collecting, cement pouring)
• bid-rigging
• abusing labor unions (in eastern USA):
• extortion (e.g. construction, transport, garment indistry, longshoremen)
• getting "no-show" and "no-work" jobs
• using non-union labor and pocketing wages difference
• Money laundering