Evening star., 1951-05-01
Senote Committee Conclusions on Crime Investigation

| Oy tftO 6OWUtG 1stHGC 4UDCott~
eating Committee in its report
filed NTH the Senate today:
/. Organized criminal gangs
operating in interstate commerce
are firmly intrenched in our Large
cities in, the operation of many
different gambling enterprises
such as bookmaking. policy, slot
machines, as well as in other
rackets such as the sale and dis
tribution of narcotics and COM
mercialized prostitution. They
are the survivors Of the murderouS
underworld wars of the prohibi-
ton era. After the repeal of the
prohibition laws. these groups and
Syndicates shifted their major
criminal activities to gambling
However, many of the crime syn
dicates continued to take an in
terest in other rackets such as
narcotics, prostitution. labor and
business racketeering, black mar
keting, etc.
2. Criminal syndicates in this
country make tremendous profits
and are due primarily to the
ability of such gangs and syn
dicates to secure monopolies in
the illegal operations in which
they are engaged. These mo-
nopolies are secured by persuasion,
intimidation. violence and mur-
der. The committee found in
some cities that law-enforcement
officials aided and protected gang
sters and racketeers to maintain
their monopolistic position in
particular racketS. Mobsters who
attempted to compete with these
Iintrenched criminal groups found
that they and their followers
were being subjected to arrest and
prosecution while protected gang
Operations were left untouched.
3. Crime is on a syndicated
basis to a substantial extent in
many cities. The two major crime
syndicates in this country are the
Accardo- -Guzik- -Fischetti syndi-
cate. whose headquarters are Chi
cago. and the Costello-Adonis-
Lansky syndicate based on New
York. Evidence of the operations
of the Accardo-G -Guzik -Fischetti
syndicate was found by the COM
mittee in such places as Chicago,
Kansas City. Dallas. Mimi, Las
Vegas, New. and the West Coast.
Evidence Of the Costello -Adonis-
Lansky operations was found in
New York City, Saratoga, Ber-
gen County. N. j.: New Orleans,
Miami, Las Vegas, the West Coast,
and Havana, Cuba. These syndi-
Gates, as we'll as other criminal
groups throughout the country,
enter profitable relationships with
each other. There is also a close
personal, financial and social re-
lationShip between top-level mob
sters in different areas of the
country.
4. There is a sinister criminal
organization known as the Malta
Operating throughout the country
with ties in other nations, in the
opinion of the committee. The
Malta is the direct descendant of a
criminal organization of the same
name originating in the island of
Sicily. In this country, the Malta
has only been known as the Black
Hand and the Unione Siciliano.
The membership of the Malta is
not confined to persons Of Sicilian
origin. The Mafia is a loose e-knit
organization specializing in the
sale and distribution of narcotics.
the conduct Of various gambling
enterprises. prostitution and
other racketS based on extortion
and violence. The Mafia is the
binder which ties together the two
major criminal syndicates as well
as numerous other criminal
groups throughout the country
The power of the Maf1a is based
on a ruthless enforcement of its
edicts and it's own law of ven-
geance, to which have been credit
ably attributed literally hundreds
lof murders throughout the
country.
Leading HOodlums Remain
Immune From Prosecution.
S. Despite known arrests records
and well-documented criminal
regulations. the leading hoodlums
In the country remain, for the
most part. immune from prosecu-
tion and punishment, although
underlings of their gangs may,
on occasion, be prosecuted and
punished. This quasi-in1munity of
top-level mobsters can be ascribed
to what is popularity known as the
NIX" The fix is not always the
direct payment of money to law
enforcement officials, although the
committee has run across consid-
cradle evidence of such bribery.
The fix may also come about
through the acquisition Of polit-
ical power by contributions to
political organizations or other