Mafia Seized Union Locals to Reach Apogee of Labor Racketeering
In December 2006, a jury found Anthony “Tony Muscles” Guardino, boss of New York City’s Brooklyn-based Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers Local 8, guilty of enterprise corruption crimes. Labor racketeering made the Mafia; when it was the Italians' turn, massive money was available in the labor rackets, making Cosa Nostra an institution. The 2004 indictment that named Guardino was historical; it was only the second time ever that a union itself was charged with racketeering under New York's Organized Crime Control Act of 1986. While Federal RICO laws typically target larger operations spanning multiple states, state versions typically target regional criminal enterprises. New York's law specifically criminalizes "enterprise corruption," and is described as New York's version of the federal RICO Act. Read more about federal and state RICO laws. The Local 8 indictment included 54 counts and charged eight with labor racketeering involvi...