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LONG ARM OF LAW GROWS LONGER\r :v-1WASHINGTON (AP) — Armed with new laws and expanded manpower, Atty.Gen, John N. Mitchell's gangbusters see 1971 as a ban:ner year in the fight againstorganized dime.In fact, Mitchell says, Increasing heat on the syndicate already has inspired some mobsters to “opt out of the business entirely./“We know from trar*' intelligence that some have justleft their areas of operation and gone to other parts of the country,” Mitchell said in an interview.“We also know' that in1 • * • . ,* ' * • .** - , ' 4 one large city in this countrythe organized crime syndicatehad its lawyer look at provisions of the organized crime bill and, after having been •advised of the -merits of the bill, has withdrawn financialsupport to gambling iarea,” he said.iV*1’\V ihas set date f1976 as the tkrgetdestruction of whattermscrimei* ‘ Ii'c'jVOS'.VICsyndicate,” tpflSJtppip^ingsters knownas the “Mafia” or “U Cosa Nostra.” ^ ; Ahead Of Schedule ; “I think we are keeping pretty ^Mitchell said, “in fact, I think we are- ahead of schedule.”■ The Mafla. La Cosa Nostraor the otrgaijlMd crime syndicate -whatever Its name,the confederation controls an empire of Illicit and legitimate activities that bring in ana year* lt;O'.- I -. “families” operating in most major U.S. cities, the syndicate is believed by federal.authorities to control most• • • * * *major gambling and loansharking operations and to bej the financier of rhuch of the importation of illicut drugs and narcotics into Hus country.In addition, infiltration organized crimeof legitimate business has Increased so much in recent years thata number of large firmsreportedly have hired private Investigative agencies to seek out Mafia influence in their own organizations.“They’re criminal conglomerate,” says HenryPeterson, assistant chief of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, “they’ll go intoanything that they can makea buck in safely.”' .Canght Feds EyeUhHl? j^Diiice^^ tu^-‘ up ameeting of more than 60 top Mafia chieftains in New York state’s Appalachian Mountains in 1957, vllttle attention ./Was': paid: to organized crime as suqh-lt;in the federal level |ery of a con-ferehee-*. of mobsters from, nearly every part of the nation, however, provided the spark for federal legislationaimed at interstate gambling and racketeering operations. Jlostly recently, President Nixon signed into law the Organized Crime Control Act, which opens avenues to attack Infiltration of business by the Mafia,wholly.....public officials who protectthem.“Needless to say, organized criminal artiviUe^of the scope we are talking^ about could not exist without protection,” Mitchell said. “It varies from place torhar* hut orMjmed crime.GEN. MITCHELL Sees further gains on cri■ V» A ’ *completely controls somfe tiesintittecises some degree of con in' htast of the laoperates.”The new law; which also adds 1,000 new agents to theFBIs’ ranks, is only one of three factors Mitchell savs arenoirnor%helping turn the tide against the mob.Other Factors Aid Effort A second is resumption of wiretapping, which Mitchell calls an unqualified success. Since he took office, Mitchell said, he has authorized taps on 161 telephones in organized crime or narcotics investigations,sjpredecessor,' fed to use authorhim under Title II of the Omnibus Crime Control Act of 1968, contending electronic snooping is not effective and may result in invasion of privacy. • :.ir~But Mitchell said the 161 taps he has authorized, plus26 extensions, have resulted in indctments against 497 persons— “most of those gentlemen being indicted being members of organized crime syndicates.”Of those Indicted, he said, 30 have been convicted andcourt action is pending againstmost of the rest. %' :'A third factor is expanded use of a weapon originally credited to. Clark—the interagency strike force, M Strike foreresources of the Justice Department and FBI, the In-Sternal Revenue * S ervice,and Security and Commission, now are functioning in 15 majorU.ricities. Strike forces will be established in Kansas City and San Francisco yet thisyear and in three more next■*-V••
Newspaper Details
Wichita Falls Times
Wichita Falls, Texas, US
Sun, Dec 27, 1970
Page 49
Full Page
Clipped by
Madison H.
NA, 25 May 2023
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