ABSTRACT
This chapter updates and greatly expands the case study of Sam Goodman's fencing activity found in Steffensmeier's award-winning 1986 book The Fence: In the Shadow of Two Worlds. Sam Goodman, was a long-time thief, fence, and quasi-legitimate businessman. The chapter combines Sam's colorful narrative accounts with substantive commentary by the authors to provide a more nuanced portrayal of criminal careers, illegal enterprise, and the broad landscape comprising the entity called "crime." At one time or another he dealt with almost every kind of thief someone could think of—the ordinary joe blow thief to the good burglar. If not dealt with them, then come across them. There are different classes of thieves and the better thief don't want to be around or be associated with the asshole thief. Take Sam's shop in American City: first on it was a stopping place for the better thieves.
