extortion - Blog - Gangsters Inc. - www.gangstersinc.org
2024-03-28T15:45:45Z
https://gangstersinc.org/blog/feed/tag/extortion
The New American Mafia: MS-13 member admits extorting Langley Park, Maryland business owners
https://gangstersinc.org/blog/the-new-american-mafia-ms-13-member-admits-extorting-langley-park
2022-09-03T13:47:23.000Z
2022-09-03T13:47:23.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10802640291?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>By David Amoruso for <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a></p>
<p>The American Mafia had its hands in many pies, but it could always fall back on its core rackets. Among them the relatively simple act of extortion. With its name feared far and wide it was easy to frighten business owners into paying up. Though MS-13 started out as a street gang, it is currently extorting businesses the same way the mob did. In its own backyard no less.</p>
<p>While the influence of the American Mafia families has dwindled, <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/street-gangs" target="_blank">MS-13</a> spent the past two decades terrorizing gangland foes and civilians alike in multiple countries. Using any weapon its members could get their hands on and attacking any person they saw as a target, they quickly gained a fearsome reputation.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: </strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/blog/dominating-behind-bars-ms-13-gangsters-shank-member-of-feared-mex"><strong>Dominating Behind Bars: MS-13 gangsters shank member of feared Mexican Mafia</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>Such a reputation can be turned into cold, hard cash.</p>
<p>Last Monday, 27-year-old Jilmer “Toro” Hernandez-Alvarado, a member of MS-13, pleaded guilty to extorting business owners in Maryland. MS-13 in Maryland is organized into “cliques,” smaller groups operating in a specific area. Hernandez-Alvarado was a member of the Fulton clique of MS-13.</p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size:14pt;">Paying “rent”</span> </strong></p>
<p>According to Hernandez-Alvarado’s guilty plea, MS-13 generated income from various sources, including extorting money from businesses, such as unlicensed businesses which operated in the territory of MS-13.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: </strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/blog/like-chopping-wood-vicious-ms-13-gangster-gets-life-for-brutal-st"><strong>Like “chopping wood” – Vicious MS-13 gangster gets life for brutal stabbing murder of 2 teenagers</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>From at least February 2018 to December 2020, Hernandez-Alvarado and other MS-13 members conspired to extort money or “rent” payments from Langley Park, Maryland business owners through the threat of violence.</p>
<p>Each week, Hernandez-Alvarado and his co-conspirators demanded rent payments from business owners for operating in territory controlled by MS-13 and threatened to harm business owners if the rent was not paid.</p>
<p>Hernandez-Alvarado faces a maximum sentence of 20 years and in prison for the extortion conspiracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 5, 2022.</p>
<p><em>NOTE: Photo above shows a scene from The Godfather 2 depicting a member of the Black Hand, the Italian-American organization involved in extorting business owners.</em></p>
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Underworld Fame: Genovese Mafia family capo and “Albanian Gangster” movie actor busted in extortion scheme
https://gangstersinc.org/blog/underworld-fame-genovese-mafia-family-capo-and-albanian-gangster
2022-05-06T10:10:38.000Z
2022-05-06T10:10:38.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10468433070?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>By David Amoruso for <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a></p>
<p>It’s no secret that the underworld and Hollywood have a longtime love affair. Filmmakers love gangsters and gangsters love movies about their exploits. Some even try to become an actor. But it is not every day that you see an actor get involved in the gritty gangland stuff. Enter Genovese crime family capo Anthony “Rom” Romanello and indie film actor Luan Bexheti. Both men were caught up in an extortion bust on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Bexheti is the odd man out in this indictment. As an actor he is not usually involved in real crimes, only the fictional kind. Born in Macedonia in 1972 to Albanian parents, he came to the United States in 1995 and studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10468434087,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="299" height="299" alt="10468434087?profile=RESIZE_400x" /></a>According to renowned movie website imdb, Bexheti (right) “has worked in 41 independent films, 12 commercials and 29 plays. He has also worked with Michael Moore on a show called Michael Moore Live. He had the main role in "Maree", a film that was shot in Venice, Italy and has been screened at 96 different film festivals around the world so far. Luan collected a "special mention" award for his acting at the Berlin Film Festival (Berlinale 2004).”</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: </strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/famous-movie-star-and-respected-gangster-profile-of-14k-triad-bos" target="_blank"><strong>Famous movie star and respected gangster - Profile of 14K Triad boss Michael Chan</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>In 2018, he starred as The Waterbug in the critically acclaimed film “<a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/realism-is-key-in-bronx-based-albanian-gangster-as-it-depicts-war" target="_blank">Albanian Gangster</a>” directed by Matthew A. Brown. At that time, Gangsters Inc. <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/realism-is-key-in-bronx-based-albanian-gangster-as-it-depicts-war" target="_blank">interviewed</a> Brown about making this film. The movie was praised for its realism, much of which came from its leading actor John Rezaj, an Albanian who grew up on the mean streets of New York and served time in prison.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Illegal side hustle</strong></span></p>
<p>Since participating in that film, Bexheti has only one other project listed on his <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0996465/?ref_=nm_mv_close" target="_blank">imdb sheet</a>. Not exactly a steady income.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: </strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/realism-is-key-in-bronx-based-albanian-gangster-as-it-depicts-war" target="_blank"><strong>Realism is key in Bronx-based “Albanian Gangster” as it depicts “war-torn psyche fused with honor code”</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>Prosecutors allege that Bexheti worked as a bookmaker to make the kind of money his acting career did not provide him with. In 2017, he loaned money to the owner of an Italian restaurant. But at some point, the man refused to pay back his debt.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Mafia capo and soldier join the fray</strong></span></p>
<p>That is when Bexheti allegedly enlisted the help of <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/the-genovese-crime-family" target="_blank">Genovese family</a> mobsters Anthony “Rom” Romanello and Joseph Celso in collecting the money. Prosecutors claim Bexheti is an associate of New York’s Genovese crime family.</p>
<p>At 84 years old, Romanello should probably have been doing other things with his life then getting involved in, alleged, crimes. But he is who he is. A capo in the Genovese family. And someone who is used to getting debtors to pay what they owe.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>INTERVIEW: </strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/pinky-rings-and-murder-brooklyn-gangland-of-the-80s-comes-to-life" target="_blank"><strong>Pinky rings and murder: Brooklyn gangland of the ‘80s comes to life in new Mafia series Gravesend</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>In 2006, he was charged with extorting the owner of a bakery and ultimately convicted of conspiring to obstruct justice by tampering with a witness. In 2012, he pleaded guilty to racketeering, extortion and gambling charges. One charge involved Romanello conspiring to intimidate a debtor in 1990.</p>
<p>Romanello has been at this game for a long time and, allegedly, is in no hurry to retire or take it easy. When he confronted the debtor in this case, he “allegedly punched the restaurateur in the face to convince him to pay up,” a law enforcement source told <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/05/03/albanian-gangster-actor-enlisted-genovese-mobsters-to-collect-debt/" target="_blank">the New York Post</a>.</p>
<p>Not that the elderly wiseguy needed it, but he was backed up by 49-year-old Joseph Celso, who allegedly is a soldier in the Genovese family. He, too, has a notorious past. He was charged in the 1991 murder of 19-year-old Dominican Queens College student Manuel Mayi, who was beaten to death by an angry mob of almost a dozen people after they chased him for sixteen blocks. His crime? They saw him allegedly spraying graffiti in Corona.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10468434875,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="10468434875?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a><strong><em>Photo: Joseph Celso and Anthony Romanello.</em></strong></p>
<p>Celso was the only one charged in the murder, but was acquitted after the main witness against him left the country and did not testify at his 1993 trial.</p>
<p>Exactly how and why a lowly Albanian mob associate could ask a made man and a Mafia captain to collect a debt he was owed, remains unclear. <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/05/03/albanian-gangster-actor-enlisted-genovese-mobsters-to-collect-debt/" target="_blank">The New York Post</a> bases its story on an anonymous law enforcement source. If true then the motive can probably be found in money. Greed has always been the engine that keeps Cosa Nostra and its octogenarian members running.</p>
<p>All men charged in this case pleaded not guilty.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Actor from The Sopranos busted for extortion</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10468439669,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="300" alt="10468439669?profile=RESIZE_400x" /></a>Though unusual, this isn’t the first case involving an actor known for playing gangster roles making his debut in the real world of organized crime. Gangsters Inc. listed several examples in <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/art-imitating-life-imitating" target="_blank">this article</a>. </p>
<p>In 2011, actor Tony Darrow, real name Anthony Borgese (right), known for his bit part in “<a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/the-truth-behind-movie-classic-goodfellas" target="_blank">Goodfellas</a>”, as the owner about whom Ray Liotta’s voice-over said: “Fuck you! Pay me!”, and his role as Larry Boy Barese in The Sopranos, <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/art-imitating-life-imitating" target="_blank">pleaded guilty</a> to extortion conspiracy.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: </strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/the-truth-behind-movie-classic-goodfellas" target="_blank"><strong>The Truth Behind Movie Classic Goodfellas</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>Borgese was asked by a friend to help collect the debt. Several <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/gambino-crime-family-overview" target="_blank">Gambino family</a> mobsters then lend a helping hand and beat up the extortion victim causing a broken jaw and broken rib.</p>
<p>When it comes to Hollywood and the underworld there is an attraction that can only be described as devastating.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/the-genovese-crime-family">Genovese crime family section</a> or <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/gangsters-inc-s-showbiz" target="_blank">Showbiz section</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
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<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p></div>
Six Genovese Mafia family wiseguys hit with gambling and extortion charges
https://gangstersinc.org/blog/six-genovese-mafia-family-wiseguys-hit-with-gambling-and-extortio
2022-04-27T16:48:51.000Z
2022-04-27T16:48:51.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10443831701?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>By David Amoruso for <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a></p>
<p>Six Genovese crime family mobsters were charged with racketeering conspiracy involving illegal gambling and extortion on Tuesday. Among them are alleged captains Nicholas Calisi and Ralph Balsamo (photo above in an older mugshot) and alleged soldiers Michael Messina and John Campanella.</p>
<p>37-year-old Michael Poli and 64-year-old <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/blog/i-just-yelled-at-people-profile-genovese-mafia-family-associate-t" target="_blank">Thomas Poli</a> were also charged and named as alleged Genovese family associates. Both men were arrested on in and around New York City on Tuesday along with Balsamo and 47-year-old Campanella. 63-year-old Calisi was apprehended that same day in Boca Raton, Florida.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: </strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/profile-genovese-crime-family-boss-liborio-bellomo" target="_blank"><strong>The man who runs New York: Profile of Genovese crime family boss Liborio Bellomo</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>69-year-old Messina had already been arrested on April 12, 2022.</p>
<p><a href="https://nypost.com/2022/04/26/6-nyc-mobsters-busted-for-gambling-extortion-conspiracy/" target="_blank">The NY Post reported</a> that 51-year-old Balsamo and <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/blog/i-just-yelled-at-people-profile-genovese-mafia-family-associate-t" target="_blank">Thomas Poli</a> pleaded not guilty at their arraignments on Tuesday. They will await their day in court while under house arrest.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>The crimes</strong></span></p>
<p>“From extortion to illegal gambling, the Mafia continues to find ways to prey on others to fill its coffers,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said.</p>
<p>According to the indictment, these men were part of the Genovese crime family and involved in its criminal activities from 2011 until at least this month. Prosecutors allege they participated in loansharking, extortion, operating illegal gambling businesses, and transmission of gambling information.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: </strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/a-man-alone-the-story-of-genovese-family-mobster-david-petillo" target="_blank"><strong>A Man Alone: The story of Genovese Family mobster David Petillo, a vicious killer also known as “The Fag Hitman”</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>“For years, members of the Genovese crime family have terrorized New York communities with violence and illegal businesses,” New York State Attorney General Letitia James stated. “These individuals allegedly made their money through illegal gambling and loan sharking — saddling victims with incredible debt that they cannot repay. Today’s indictment makes clear that we will continue to root out organized crime wherever it exists.”</p>
<p>If convicted each man faces 20 years in prison.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><strong>UPDATE</strong></span>: By February 9, 2023, all six Genovese family wiseguys had pleaded guilty. Full story <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/blog/genovese-mafia-family-captains-soldiers-associates-plead-guilty-t" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/the-genovese-crime-family">Genovese crime family section</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
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Bombs rock Italian towns as Sacra Corona Unita Mafia demands extortion payments from shopkeepers
https://gangstersinc.org/blog/bombs-rock-italian-towns-as-sacra-corona-unita-mafia-demands-exto
2022-01-18T16:28:22.000Z
2022-01-18T16:28:22.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10024165255?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>By David Amoruso for <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a></p>
<p>Shopkeepers in the area around the Italian city of Foggia were treated to an explosive start of the new year. Eight bomb attacks have rocked their businesses. It is believed that the Sacra Corona Unita, Italy’s fourth largest Mafia group, is behind the bombings, as it seeks extortion payments.</p>
<p>The last two bombs went off in the town of San Severo in the dark, early morning on Tuesday, January 11. At around 3:30 am, a bomb destroyed a hair dresser. A short while later, a company selling fireworks was laid to waste by another bomb.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10024165657,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10024165657?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="700" /></a><em><strong>Photo: Shop in San Severo destroyed by bomb.</strong></em></p>
<p>Authorities and anti-Mafia organizations believe these bombings are the work of the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/blog/sacra-corona-unita-meet-italy-s-fourth-largest-mafia-group" target="_blank">Sacra Corona Unita</a>. This Mafia group ranks fourth below the ‘Ndrangheta, Cosa Nostra, and the Camorra. It operates primarily in the Puglia region in Italy, but has branches in other parts of Europe and even the United States.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Extortion racket</strong></span></p>
<p>All Italian Mafia groups use extortion as the foundation on which their criminal empires are built. The steady income is used to invest in other ventures – both legit and illicit – like drug trafficking and real estate. Italians call this racket “<a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/gangsters-inc-s-mafia-speak" target="_blank">pizzo</a>”.</p>
<p>Though the use of violence in demanding extortion payments is common, mobsters try to keep things low key. First they will enter the store with a kind smile and offers of help or favors. When that fails they might make life a bit more unpleasant. Shopkeepers may arrive at their business one morning and find that their locks have been plastered with glue, making it impossible for them to get in without an expensive locksmith.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: </strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/profile-sacra-corona-unita-boss-davide-vadacca" target="_blank"><strong>Profile of Sacra Corona Unita boss Davide Vadacca</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>When all that doesn’t bring a target in line, things have a high probability of turning violent. Or devastating. A bomb will wreck everything and leave a businessman or woman in ruins.</p>
<p>But bombs also draw attention.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>What is the Sacra Corona Unita?</strong></span></p>
<p>Attention doesn’t bother the Sacra Corona Unita much, though. It was founded not so long ago, in 1981. Since those years it has maintained ties to any crime group that offered profitable opportunities. As the younger and less powerful and somewhat dysfunctional little brother of Italy’s Mafia groups, the Sacra Corona Unita has a reputation for hair-trigger violence and hot-headed actions.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: </strong><a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/powerful-italian-mafia-not-immune-to-metoo" target="_blank"><strong>Powerful Italian Mafia not immune to #MeToo</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>A bombing campaign to establish itself as the “real gangster” in town fits their modus operandi. Whether it helps them achieve their goal remains to be seen. Blue lights are flashing through the smoke and gangsters tend to have trouble operating with the law breathing down their necks.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>AddioPizzo and Libera</strong></span></p>
<p>Not to mention the fact that more and more shopkeepers have formed anti-Mafia organizations to stop the practice of extortion payments. In Sicily, <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/basta-how-sicily-s-antimafia-movement-is-successfully-standing-up" target="_blank">AddioPizzo</a> has been successful at protecting businesses from Cosa Nostra’s demands.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: Basta! <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/basta-how-sicily-s-antimafia-movement-is-successfully-standing-up" target="_blank">How Sicily’s Anti-mafia movement is taking back the island</a> and successfully standing up to Cosa Nostra</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Nationwide, Libera. Associazioni, nomi e numeri contro le mafie has established itself as a fighter for hardworking Italians under pressure from the four Mafia groups. A spokesperson of the group talked to Italian news agency ANSA about these bombings, saying: “These are grave acts but shopkeepers must not retreat in their fight against protection rackets.”</p>
<p>The bombs might not have the effect certain people hoped they would.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/italian-organized-crime">Italian organized crime section</a> or the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/blog/sacra-corona-unita-meet-italy-s-fourth-largest-mafia-group">Sacra Corona Unita section</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Check out the latest news on organized crime and the Mafia at our <a href="https://gangstersinc.ning.com/blog/list/tag/news">news section</a></strong></li>
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<p><strong>Copyright © Gangsters Inc.</strong></p></div>
Coney Island West End Enterprise hitman sentenced to 32 years for murder and extortion of public works
https://gangstersinc.org/blog/coney-island-west-end-enterprise-hitman-sentenced-to-32-years-for
2021-12-01T13:44:15.000Z
2021-12-01T13:44:15.000Z
Gangsters Inc.
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<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/9867729262?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>By <a href="http://www.gangstersinc.org" target="_blank">Gangsters Inc.</a> Editors</p>
<p>A member of Brooklyn street gang West End Enterprise was sentenced to 32 years behind bars on Monday. 35-year-old Michael Liburd (photo above) had pleaded guilty on November 18 to racketeering conspiracy, which included a 2016 murder and extortion of public works employees.</p>
<p>Liburd was known on the streets as “Mike Mike” or “Mitty”. The gang he was a part of, the West End Enterprise, was composed of individuals residing in and around the Sea Rise Apartments, the Gravesend Houses and Surfside Gardens, also known as the “Mermaid Houses,” located in Coney Island. </p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>“Sex Money Murder”</strong></span></p>
<p>Gang members committed multiple crimes, including the extortion of public works employees at a Brooklyn construction site, violent robberies, witness intimidation and retaliatory shootings against members of rival gang “<a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/sex-money-murder-the-violent-rise-and-fall-of-deadly-bronx-gang-i" target="_blank">Sex Money Murder</a>”. </p>
<p>All this violence resulted in the January 17, 2016 murder of Antwon Flowers. Liburd murdered Flowers in retaliation for the victim’s purported role in the killing of a West End Enterprise leader the previous day. </p>
<ul>
<li><strong>READ: <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/sex-money-murder-the-violent-rise-and-fall-of-deadly-bronx-gang-i" target="_blank">Sex Money Murder</a>: The violent rise and fall of deadly Bronx gang ingrained in New York underworld’s history</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>As captured on surveillance video, Liburd and other gang members followed Flowers as he exited the Mermaid Houses, at which point, he pulled out a gun and shot Flowers in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Liburd’s co-defendant Maurice Washington was previously sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment for his role in the racketeering conspiracy and murder.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Back to the <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/street-gangs" target="_blank">Street Gangs section</a> or <a href="https://gangstersinc.org/profiles/blogs/black-organized-crime" target="_blank">Black organized crime</a> on Gangsters Inc.</strong></li>
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