Jeff Cohen

And then under them, you might have lieutenants who were kind of like their bosses on the street. You would direct groups of six, seven, eight, ten made guys who are really in the organization. And then beneath them, they might have all sorts of different associates and operators who were... a part of the organization, but not plugged into that level.

And then under them, you might have lieutenants who were kind of like their bosses on the street. You would direct groups of six, seven, eight, ten made guys who are really in the organization. And then beneath them, they might have all sorts of different associates and operators who were... a part of the organization, but not plugged into that level.

But they would still do the bidding of crew members or especially a street crew boss. So you had this kind of corporate hierarchical structure, pyramid type structure. And so when you have a conspiracy case that kind of chops the head off the snake, the organization tends to sputter and scatter.

But they would still do the bidding of crew members or especially a street crew boss. So you had this kind of corporate hierarchical structure, pyramid type structure. And so when you have a conspiracy case that kind of chops the head off the snake, the organization tends to sputter and scatter.

The whole way that the outfit operated, which was to try to be in the shadows, nobody really knows what's going on, kind of directing things behind the scenes, that started to become impossible when surveillance got so much better. Their sort of traditional structure just kind of became impossible to run without bringing major, major heat. And so it just kind of, it crumbled into looser groups.

The whole way that the outfit operated, which was to try to be in the shadows, nobody really knows what's going on, kind of directing things behind the scenes, that started to become impossible when surveillance got so much better. Their sort of traditional structure just kind of became impossible to run without bringing major, major heat. And so it just kind of, it crumbled into looser groups.

That's quite the family tale you've got there. Yes, it is. Holy shit.

That's quite the family tale you've got there. Yes, it is. Holy shit.

Yeah, as crazy as that sounds, it is actually true that most of the time drugs was not their business. For a variety of reasons, I guess. I think it was more difficult for them to control, I think is one of the elements that was typically a problem. You had large amounts of money moving between people that they couldn't necessarily keep their fingers on.

Yeah, as crazy as that sounds, it is actually true that most of the time drugs was not their business. For a variety of reasons, I guess. I think it was more difficult for them to control, I think is one of the elements that was typically a problem. You had large amounts of money moving between people that they couldn't necessarily keep their fingers on.

It was also a real area of heat back, especially in the 80s, when you had sort of the war on drugs. It just was not a clean business for them. It wasn't something that they could run tightly, make sure stayed under the radar. They could get reliable money out of it. It was none of those things. It could go sideways in a minute. You had major federal heat on it all the time.

It was also a real area of heat back, especially in the 80s, when you had sort of the war on drugs. It just was not a clean business for them. It wasn't something that they could run tightly, make sure stayed under the radar. They could get reliable money out of it. It was none of those things. It could go sideways in a minute. You had major federal heat on it all the time.

And it was just more trouble than it was worth, I think, a lot of times for them, even though it was big, big money. But whorehouses, chop shops, any kind of illegal business that's along that line definitely would have been within the outfits purview at that time. Whorehouses especially, anything related to sex and vice, they typically had a piece of it across the Chicago area.

And it was just more trouble than it was worth, I think, a lot of times for them, even though it was big, big money. But whorehouses, chop shops, any kind of illegal business that's along that line definitely would have been within the outfits purview at that time. Whorehouses especially, anything related to sex and vice, they typically had a piece of it across the Chicago area.