ABSTRACT
This chapter consider the actions of certain criminal syndicates in the illicit enterprises of bootlegging, prostitution and policy gambling because they epitomized centralizing tendencies in organized crime in the 1930s. The two ethnic groups which stand out are Italians and Jews. Both groups were involved in vice activities and both were well represented in the ranks of violent entrepreneurs. The major problem in understanding this development lies in not knowing precisely the fashion in which these power syndicates were incorporated. The problem in Dewey’s remarks is one of terminology: prostitution in brothels had been centralized by the methodology of booking; what was done next was to centralize the booking and that is where the Luciano conspiracy begins. It is obvious that enterprise syndicates are otten preyed upon by hijackers, thieves, and extortionists. Enterprise syndicates are typically structured in such a way as to reduce the risk of significant arrests.
