Whatever happened to the Cosa Nostra? Where are the Gambinos, the Bonnanos, the Luccheses?  It seems like eons have passed since the American Italian Mafia has made major headlines. It appears that the only Mafiosi left are ex-Mafiosi, eager to tell every detail of their sordid criminal careers in books and documentaries, seemingly fearless for their lives, despite completely trampling “Omerta”,  the Mafia’s sacred oath of silence.  Then there’s “Growing up Gotti”,  a reality show with the Teflon Don’s daughter as star, and his grandson is now using the family name to promote his singing career. Has  the Mob become a mere caricature of itself, after taking so much heat from the law and having its way of life and mystique relentlessly exposed for the sake of entertainment?

The long arm of the law has come down hard on the poor mobsters for decades,  locking-up  not just the Dons, but  even minor capos (bosses). This has left the families  with a void of leadership. The flamboyant John Gotti is gone (he died in jail in 2002), and the headline grabbing murders of foes are infrequent now, so the Mafia isn’t so exciting these days. There’s a lot of talk of “Mafia Wars“, but it’s just a computer game! The most  recent news involving the Mafia is the indictment of fourteen Gambino family members for running a child prostitution, among other charges, something unheard of in Mafia history. Apparently, they even advertised their wares via Craigslist! They truly have sunk to new lows. Carlo Gambino would turn over in his grave!

Another Gambino family member, Anthony “Todo” Anastasio put a gun to his head and ended his life two few weeks ago in New York to avoid serving his two and a half year sentence. Doing one’s time obediently has always been a  rule in the Mafia, but not for cowardly Tony. Okay, he was 81 years old, but still! It used to be the public knew better than to snitch on the mob. Well, not anymore! Thanks to lots of finger pointing, the FBI nabbed a fugitive Gambino member Steven Maiurro last month.  Maiurro was wanted in connection with the aforementioned child prostitution ring. Also last month, another mobster, this one from Boston, Derek Capozzi, who had previously made a dramatic escape from a prison van was unceremoniously  recaptured near Lexington, Kentucky. Capozzi had been jailed for murdering and dismembering a young trial witness. Capozzi was sent to Kentucky to give testimony at a trial, ironically. The rat killer turned rat! John “Sonny” Franzese, the 93 year old Colombo family boss, is scheduled to stand on trial on charges of racketeering, demanding money from big name strip clubs in New York.

It’s not just the American Mafia that’s beleaguered: although Italy has a significantly greater number of  crime groups to deal with, including the Sicilan Mafia, the Neapolitan Camorra as well as the Calabrese ‘Ndrangheta, the government has succeeded in marginalizing these organizations through years of dogged pursuit. Giovanni Tegano, a top  ‘Ndrangheta captain was captured in late April, after 17 years on the run. In Italy, the mob is still popular, as one could tell from the large supportive crowds that turned-out for Tegano’s arraignment. Just  this week, the “Carabinieri” rounded-up 67  mob members in southern Italy. Among them was Paolo Schiavone, a top Camorra boss who was caught  aboard his private luxury yatch while returning from his honeymoon.  Mobsters in Italy  seem inspired by soap operas: a Camorra boss ordered a hit on businesses owned by the man his wife left him for. The only problem is that the bumbling gangsters were caught by a video camera, terrorizing patrons at gunpoint and destroying  everything in sight.

Meanwhile, the Montreal, Canada, Mafia has been active, but also having a hard time staying ahead of the law.  Last December, a suspected Mafia war was unleashed when Nick Rizutto Jr, son of the alleged top mob boss in Montreal, was murdered. Eighteen Italian-owned restaurants were firebombed after the killing, presumably as a retaliation.  Last week, Montreal police rounded-up the perpetrators of the arsons, whom were (oops!) also caught on video during two of the attacks.

The Mafia isn’t dead yet, but they’re no longer Men of Respect, as they once fancied themselves. Their rapid descent into  irrelevance may have been accelerated by the loss of the old honor code, members too easily turning into police informers to avoid sentences that have become exceedingly long thanks to governments’ zero tolerance. Perhaps megalomaniacs  like John Gotti did their part to destroy the mystique of their organization, which is what differentiated them from the ordinary hoodlums. With so many of its capos out of circulation, the Mafia’s days may be numbered.

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