The United States Organized Crime Strike Force was created in the late 1960s for the purpose of finding and prosecuting illegal
racketeering
Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit.
Originally and ...
. It was formed in a
congressional effort led by Senator
Robert F. Kennedy.
Specifically, the Strike Forces were directed toward the identification and investigation of
taxpayer
A taxpayer is a person or organization (such as a company) subject to pay a tax. Modern taxpayers may have an identification number, a reference number issued by a government to citizens or firms.
The term "taxpayer" generally characterizes o ...
s and labor officials who derived substantial income from
organized criminal activities. The coordination of enforcement efforts and close cooperation and liaison with other federal, state, and local enforcement agencies are necessary for effective Strike Force operations.
[Internal Revenue Manual - 9.5.6 Organized Crime & Strike Force](_blank)
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Many of the early investigations conducted by the Strike Forces, particularly those involving labor racketeering, were led by the Labor Department's Office of Organized Crime and Racketeering. Since 1966, the Labor Department had been investigating the connection between organized crime and organized labor as part of a Justice Department task force. Under Senate pressure the department created a separate office and put it under the inspector general's control.
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Around 2000, the federal Strike Forces were largely disbanded in favor of state or local efforts. However, during its time, the organizations were jointly responsible for the successful investigation and conviction of high-ranking Mafiosos such as Joseph Aiuppa of the Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit (also known as the Outfit, the Chicago Mafia, the Chicago Mob, the Chicago crime family, the South Side Gang or The Organization) is an Italian-American organized crime syndicate or crime family based in Chicago, Illinois, ...
, Anthony Salerno of the Genovese Family
The Genovese crime family, () also sometimes referred to as the Westside, is an Italian-American Italian-American Mafia, Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City and New Jersey as ...
of New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
and Paul Castellano
Constantino Paul Castellano (; June 26, 1915 – December 16, 1985), was an American crime boss who succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family. Castellano was killed in an unsanctioned hit on December 16, 1985.
Early life
Cast ...
of the Gambino Family, in addition to removing large amounts of corruption from The Teamsters.[https://www.oig.dol.gov/public/reports/laborracpaper.pdf {{Bare URL PDF, date=May 2022]
From October 2003 through September 2004, the OIG's labor racketeering program had 130 open cases involving organized crime groups. In addition, during this time frame, its racketeering investigations resulted in over $36.5 million in monetary accomplishments, including restitutions and forfeitures, plus 260 indictments and 143 convictions.
References
https://www.irs.gov/irm/part9/irm_09-005-006.html
Defunct federal law enforcement agencies of the United States