ABSTRACT
For Italians, crime was a deviant ladder of mobility to a nondeviant goal: respectability in mainstream society. America has always been a haven for the entrepreneurial endeavor of organized crime. The picture painted is rather different from the “queer ladder thesis” of crime as a method of upward mobility, which has been stressed by some sociologists. The picture painted is rather different from the “queer ladder thesis” of crime as a method of upward mobility, which has been stressed by some sociologists. The corrupt political structures of the major American cities and organized crime have always enjoyed a symbiotic relationship in which success in one is dependent on the right connections in the other. “The use of gambling casinos to skim millions of dollars in cash, and as fronts for acts of corruption and blackmail is also well documented and is a common reason for organized crime’s interest and hidden ownership in illegal enterprises.
