ABSTRACT
This chapter examines what learn about organized crime from Sam's experience. Sam Goodman's experiences as a "good thief" and especially as a business fence brought him into repeated contact and dealings with individuals and operations connected to syndicated, mafia-style organized crime. The view that organized crime is synonymous with the mafia or La Cosa Nostra stemmed partly from the latter's strength and influence when compared to other crime groups. Sociologist Joseph Albini complements Ianni's view, arguing that patron-client relationships are the key to understanding Italian-American organized crime in the United States. Significant upfront or quickly acquired financial capital is often needed to start up and bankroll criminal ventures or a significant criminal enterprise. A fully developed perspective on illegal enterprise will also need to distinguish between lesser and more organized forms of illegality, and the amounts and types of criminal and conventional social capital needed for each.
