The Genovese family soon rose to the top of the LCN, and Vito kept running things even while serving time in a federal prison in Atlanta after his conviction for conspiracy to traffic narcotics in But convictions for racketeering, murder conspiracy and obstruction of justice kept Gigante in U.
Mob bosses outside the United States are somewhat more distinguishable. Part of the explanation could be that foreign bosses in general find it easier to hide from, or pay off, the authorities, even in the digital age.
Some enjoy the political clout that money can buy in local and national governments, as in Russia, Italy, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, Mexico and many countries in Central and South America.
Still others are captured and jailed even before they reach infamy. The grand don of world crime bosses has to be Semion Mogilevich of Russia. Multiple websites mention Mogilevich — 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing about pounds and a heavy smoker — as first among his mobster peers, if he has any.
After his apprenticeship, he started his own syndicate, the Solntsdevo gang. Of Jewish heritage, and once in possession of an Israeli passport, Mogilevich stole millions of dollars from Jews seeking to leave Russia for refuge in Israel in the s. He used the proceeds to invest in both criminal and legitimate enterprises. Yet he remains a free man in Russia, almost certainly thanks to protection from friends in high places. The division did not seem to help the Kobe gang.
