The Obedient New York Mob

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:01][music] [music] [music] [music] >> For decades, the mob families in New York operated like an apex predator, boisterous, ultra violent, and fearless of the law. But if you look at them in present day, they seem somewhat obedient. It's as if the FBI didn't just put away the majority of its members, but rather trained them. After 40 years of relentless legal pressure, FBI agents effectively taught the mob exactly what will be tolerated before the hammer drops. Essentially, the government broke the mob's once egotistical spirit. This so-called training began in the 1980s with a single weapon called RICO. Prior to that, mob bosses could order a hit and remain legally safe from prosecution. The FBI, acting on behalf of the government, basically used RICO to teach the mob a brutal lesson, one that they never forgot, which is if your people commit crimes to benefit the family, you're going to prison for life.

[00:01:19]The 1985 commission case alone took out the heads of the families in New York, sending a clear message, if you act like a kingpin, you'll be charged and given a life sentence. The most critical lesson that the FBI taught the mob was the violence threshold. In the past, anyone who stepped out of line was deemed a threat or wound up in the crosshairs were immediately killed, no questions asked. The government eventually made the cost of blood too high to bear. If a high-profile murder or any mob hit for that matter is carried out in present day, the FBI just doesn't hunt down the shooter or the hit team, they investigate everyone from the family's administration down. In addition, they freeze out the family's entire economic infrastructure and use all their sources and informants to get to the bottom of who's involved. Their ultimate mission is to turn every associate into an informant. I've spoken about this topic before. The FBI has numerous people inside of every single family, the West Side included. They have people from low-level associates to plugged-in associates, members, captains, and in some instances, administrative level people. Why do you think they allowed it to be publicly known they're scaling back in the organized crime departments?

[00:02:36]They no longer need the manpower that they once did. Many people took this as a sign that the government feels organized crime is no longer a problem or possibly no longer exists. Incorrect.

[00:02:49]Modern technology and having the right people in the right places gave the FBI the control that they've always wanted, total control. The FBI engineered a culture of total paranoia. Handing out indictments and prison sentences is their MO. Think about it. In every aspect of life, it's best practice to know thy enemy. Wise guys understand their enemy as well, the FBI. They know that they offer people facing an indictment or a prison sentence a way out, cooperating. One of the FBI's tactics is to approach a guy and let him know that he's about to go down. If that person agrees to switch teams, they have him secretly feed them information and he becomes a confidential informant.

[00:03:32]This kind of person is critical to the FBI because he provides real-time intelligence, invaluable. As far as the traditional code of silence, the FBI crushed it because it's what the mob needed to survive. One example of this was Joe Massino, who began cooperating in 2004. When news got out that Massino went bad, as they say in the street, it created psychological warfare. Here was the official boss of the family cooperating with the government, which gave big bragging rights to the FBI and consequently caused the mob to fear each other. If you can't trust the boss of your family, who could you trust?

[00:04:10]Everything spoken about so far is the reason behind why modern mob meetings are pathetic compared to the past.

[00:04:18]Bosses using walkie-talkie freezes to whisper to one another, leaving their phones with underlings blocks away because they're paranoid of being detected, is what it's come down to. And yes, they have come up with a few creative ways of meeting, but at the end of the day, those creative ways were not successful enough because the FBI is aware of all their efforts of avoiding detection. Over and above that, they know what they're talking about. Stop and think about that. These are essentially modern-day commission meetings that they might as well have uploaded to YouTube or Instagram. So, what does this all mean? It means a great deal and it's a display of just how damaged and fractured the mob is currently. The mob in New York is by no means completely extinct, but as mentioned, it has been thoroughly tamed.

[00:05:08]They've accepted their role as a quiet second-tier criminal organization that avoids the spotlight at all costs. It's always been the FBI's goal to wipe them off the face of the map. However, instead, they conditioned them to operate in a tightly controlled box, one with an invisible line in the sand that loudly says, "No violence whatsoever and keep the rackets to a minimum." Which emphasizes a sort of psychological agreement between law enforcement and organized crime. Traditional violence instantly triggers federal racketeering investigations. So, the family captains of 2026 are more like corporate compliance officers. Today's disputes are settled quietly, efficiently, and often through intermediaries. There's very little drama, no shouting or cursing, and beefs are handled with strict diplomacy by everyone involved.

[00:06:02]The mob of today wants all those beefs squashed ASAP. This is in order to prevent any law enforcement attention.

[00:06:09]They don't want it. Families like the West Side and the Gambinos have set that low-key tone. They're the templates.

[00:06:16]Those ruthless days of the '80s and '90s, where dropping bodies in the street was the end-all conclusion, are long over. This enforced pacifism fundamentally broke the mob's image.

[00:06:27]Every wiseguy knows one single bullet could mean the end of his freedom, as well as the members of his family. More essentially than the understanding of its members, the bosses know what any violence means for them. The administration of the family are pocketing big money. They obviously live well and good lives. So, who would want to give all that up? Most of these guys spent time in prison and know how miserable of an existence prisons are.

[00:06:54]It's a shitty environment to find yourself in. Trust me, I speak from experience. From my time as a Lucchese member and a member of the mob itself, the one thing I learned was they did what they wanted, made no excuses, and bowed down to no one. I'm sure many would agree, all good qualities when it comes to being a man and even greater for a group of men. Back then, if someone were to tell me the FBI would have the mob in check, I would have told them that they were out of their minds.

[00:07:23]But as the years gone by, this seemed more and more evident. Let me just state, in no way do I think people in the mob are cowards. They just finally came to their senses. Here's why. The Michael Mellish hit made believers out of many people, because when the dust settled, the entire Lucchese administration went down. And that was over a decade ago. If you haven't liked this video yet, please take the time now and give it a like as it helps with YouTube's algorithm. Anyone who'd like to show their appreciation for videos like this, or more importantly, help me to continue making them, you can donate with the Super Thanks icon down below, or through the PayPal Cash App links in the video's description. Let me quickly mention my blog, also called Sit Down News, especially for those of you who still enjoy reading. The site can be found at sitdownnews.com and is a paid subscription.

[00:08:16]Sure, the mob's still out there trying to earn and uphold the image it once had. They figured out that survival is not so much about standing tall as it is as appearing small, laying low. Members of the mob today are more like punch-the-clock employees in a criminal enterprise. Each member is expected to tow the line, but ask yourself, who really created that line? The mob will have its people believe they did, the decision-makers. However, in reality, and as quiet as it's kept, it was the government and the FBI that drew that line. Just like the invisible words associated to it, if you act up, we, your federal trainers, will put you right back in your cage.

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