Mob Links

For decades, La Cosa Nostra (known in law enforcement circles as LCN) has held a special place in American culture. For many people, there is enormous appeal in a way of life based on loyalty, neighborhood, and doing exactly what you want when you want to. That this life is based on violence and threats seems not to have lessened the allure. The Web is no exception: there are many sites devoted to organized crime. Here are some of the best we could find.

Gangland: This site was created by Jerry Capeci, a reporter for the New York Daily News. Capeci has been covering organized crime and labor racketeering for years, and has written several books about organized crime in New York. This is a comprehensive site with an archive of Capeci's columns, sound clips of John Gotti recorded by police bugs (he refers to Cutler on one), and profiles of many of Gotti's cronies. This is a fabulous site.

AmericanMafia.com: This site, created by a man whose grandfather was in the Cleveland mob, has information about organized crime all over the United States. You'll find information about mob families in 26 cities. There are also excerpts from a handwritten letter that John Gotti wrote to a New York Post reporter.

Nathanson Centre For The Study Of Organized Crime and Corruption: This Canadian research organization, which is part of York University in Toronto, studies all sorts of organized crime. Here you'll find a voluminous bibliography on the subject.

Mario's Mafia Page: This page has information about Mafia operations in cities across the U.S. Mario has also created a list of the top 50 mobsters (John Gotti is number 15 on his list).

FBI Homepage: Here you'll find a list of the most wanted criminals in the country, a history of the FBI (there's no mention of agents spying on Martin Luther King, Jr.), information about touring the FBI building in Washington, and reams of crime statistics.

The Godfather Trilogy: This site is devoted to the films that did a great deal to mythologize the Mob. You'll find trivia, quotes, sound clips, and an audio interview with writer Mario Puzo.

John Gotti Tribute Page: Created by a devoted fan who has a big ax to grind with the RICO statute, this site has biographical information about Gotti, information about his son, and video clips of the Dapper Don in the court room. Check out the page devoted to Cutler.