The most brutal mafia. The most famous mafiosi: list, biographies, interesting facts

Intelligence, cunning, and sober calculation - that's what helped these bandits stay afloat. Oh yes, we almost forgot: they were also helped by their composure, cruelty, and desire for blood.

1. Al Capone (1899 - 1947)

Legend underworld of those times and the most famous mafia boss in history. Was a prominent representative criminal America. His areas of activity were:

• bootlegging (illegal sale of alcohol during Prohibition in the USA);
• prostitution;
• gambling business.

Known as the organizer of the most brutal and significant day in the history of the criminal world - the St. Valentine's Day Massacre (then seven influential gangsters from Bugs Moran's Irish gang were shot, including right hand boss).

Al Capone was the first among all gangsters to “launder” money through a huge network of laundries, the prices of which were very low. Capone was the first to introduce the concept of “racketeering” and successfully dealt with it, laying the foundation for a new vector of mafia activity.

Alfonso received the nickname “Scarface” at the age of 19, when he worked in a billiards club. He then confronted violent criminal Frank Galluccio and insulted his wife. After this, a fight and a stabbing occurred between the bandits. Result: Capone received the famous scar on his left cheek. By right, Al was a person, the most influential and terrifying at everyone, including the government, which was able to put him behind bars just for tax evasion.

Find out about Capone's most notorious crimes in the following video:

2. Lucky Luciano (1897 - 1962)

Originally from Sicily, Lucky became, in fact, the founder of the criminal world in America. His real name is Charles. They began to call him Lucky (translated as “Lucky”) after the bandit was taken to a deserted highway, tortured, beaten, cut, burned in the face with cigarettes, and he remained alive after that.

The people who tortured him turned out to be Maranzano gangsters. They wanted to know the location of a drug cache. But Charles did not give up. After unsuccessful torture they quit bloody body without any signs of life by the road, thinking that Luciano is dead. There, 8 hours later, the poor fellow was picked up by a patrol car. Luciano received 60 stitches and survived.

After this incident, the nickname “Lucky” remained with him forever. Luckey organized the “Big Seven,” a group of bootleggers to whom he provided protection from the authorities. He became the boss of Cosa Nostra, which controlled all areas of activity in the criminal world.

Source: wikipedia.org

3. Pablo Escobar (1949 - 1993)

The most brutal and daring Colombian drug lord. He entered the history of the 20th century as the most brutal criminal and the head of the largest drug cartel. He organized the supply of cocaine to different parts of the world, mainly to the USA, on a grand scale, even transporting tens of kilograms on airplanes. Him as the head of Medellin cocaine cartel they assign the murders of more than 200 judges and prosecutors, more than 1,000 police officers and journalists, presidential candidates, ministers, and prosecutors general. Escobar's net worth in 1989 was more than $15 billion.

Source: wikipedia.org

4. John Gotti (1940 - 2002)

John Gotti was a famous figure, the press loved him, he was always dressed to the nines. Numerous New York law enforcement charges always failed, Gotti escaped punishment for a long time. For this, the press nicknamed him “Teflon John.” He received the nickname “Elegant Don” when he began to dress only in fashionable and stylish suits with expensive ties

John Gotti has been the leader of the Gambino crime family since 1985. During his “reign” this group was one of the most influential.

Source: wikipedia.org

5. Carlo Gambino (1902 - 1976)

It was Gambino who became the founder of the above-mentioned and one of the most influential families in criminal America. After taking control of a row of high profitable areas, including illegal bootlegging, a government port and an airport, the Gambino family became the most powerful of the five families.

Carlo forbade his people from selling drugs, considering this type of business dangerous and attracting public attention. At its height, the Gambino family consisted of more than 40 groups and teams, and controlled New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Miami and Los Angeles.

Source: wikipedia.org

6. Meir Lansky (1902 - 1983)

Meir was born in Belarus, the city of Grodno. Coming from Russian Empire became the most powerful man in the United States and one of the country's crime leaders. He is the creator of the “National Crime Syndicate” and one of the progenitors of the gambling business in the states. He was also the biggest bootlegger.

Source: wikipedia.org

7. Joseph Bonanno (1905 - 2002)

Patriarch of the Bonanno family and one of the richest mobsters in history. The reign of Joseph, who was called “Banana Joe,” goes back 30 years. At the end of this period, Bonanno voluntarily retired and lived in his personal huge mansion. Joe organized a criminal family that still operates in the United States.

Hardly anyone today has not heard of the mafia. In the mid-nineteenth century, this word entered the Italian dictionary. It is known that in 1866 the authorities knew about the mafia, or at least what was called by this word. The British consul in Silicia reported to his homeland that he was constantly witnessing the activities of the mafia, which maintained connections with criminals and owned large sums of money...

The word "mafia" most likely has Arabic roots and comes from the word: mu`afah. It has many meanings, but none of them come close to the phenomenon that soon became known as the “mafia.” But there is another hypothesis about the spread of this word in Italy. Allegedly this happened during the uprisings of 1282. There was social unrest in Sicily. They went down in history as the “Sicilian Vespers.” During the protests, one cry was born, which was quickly picked up by the protesters, it sounded like this: “Death to France! Die, Italy! If you make an abbreviation from the first letters of words Italian, it will sound like "MAFIA".

The first mafia organization in Italy

Determining the origins of this phenomenon is much more difficult than the etymology of the word. Many historians who have studied the mafia say that the first organization was created in the seventeenth century. They were popular in those days secret societies, which were created to fight the Holy Roman Empire. Others believe that the origins of the mafia as a mass phenomenon should be sought at the Bourbon throne. Because it was they who used the services of unreliable individuals and robbers, who did not require much remuneration for their work, in order to patrol parts of the city that were characterized by increased criminal activity. The reason that criminal elements in the service of the government were content with little and did not have large salaries was that they took bribes so that the violation of laws would not become known to the king.

Or maybe the Gabelloti were the first?

The third, but no less popular hypothesis for the emergence of the mafia points to the Gabelloti organization, which acted as a kind of intermediary between the peasants and the people who owned the land. Representatives of the Gabelloti were also required to collect tribute. History is silent about how people were selected for this organization. But all those who found themselves in the bosom of Gabelloti were dishonest. They soon created a separate caste with their own laws and codes. The structure was unofficial, but it had enormous influence in Italian society.

None of the theories described above have been proven. But each is built on one thing common element- the huge distance between the Sicilians and the government, which they considered imposed, unfair and alien, and, naturally, wanted to remove.

How did the mafia come about?

In those days, the Sicilian peasant had absolutely no rights. He felt humiliated in his own state. Majority ordinary people worked at latifundia - enterprises owned by large feudal lords. Work on the latifundia was hard and poorly paid physical labor.

Dissatisfaction with the authorities was twisting like a spiral that was bound to shoot one day. And so it happened: the authorities stopped coping with their responsibilities. And the people chose new government. Positions such as amici (friend) and uomini d`onore (men of honor) became popular, becoming local judges and kings.

Honest bandits

We find an interesting fact about the Italian mafia in Brydon Patrick’s book “Travel to Sicily and Malta,” which was written in 1773. The author writes: “The bandits became the most respected people on the entire island. They had noble and even romantic goals. These bandits had their own code of honor, and those who violated it died instantly. They were loyal and unprincipled. Killing a person means nothing to a Sicilian bandit if the person had guilt in his soul.”

The words Patrick said are still relevant today. However, not everyone knows that Italy once almost got rid of the mafia once and for all. This happened during the reign of Mussolini. The head of the police fought the mafia with its own weapons. The authorities knew no mercy. And just like the mafia, she did not hesitate before shooting.

World War II and the rise of the mafia

Perhaps if the Second had not begun World War, we would not be talking now about such a phenomenon as the mafia. But ironically, the American landing in Sicily equalized the forces. For the Americans, the mafia became the only source of information about the location and strength of Mussolini's troops. For the mafiosi themselves, cooperation with the Americans practically guaranteed freedom of action on the island after the end of the war.

We read about similar arguments in the book “The Great Godfather“Vito Bruschini: “The mafia had the support of its allies, so it was in its hands that the distribution of humanitarian aid - a variety of food products. For example, food was delivered to Palermo based on the population of five hundred thousand people. But, since the majority of the population moved to quieter rural areas near the city, the mafia had every opportunity to withdraw the remaining money after distribution. humanitarian aid to the black market."

Help the mafia in the war

Since the mafia practiced various sabotage against the authorities in peacetime, with the beginning of the war it more actively continued such activities. History knows at least one documented case of sabotage, when tank brigade The Goering, which was stationed at the Nazi base, refueled with water and oil. As a result, the engines of the tanks burned out, and the vehicles ended up in workshops instead of the front.

Post-war time

After the Allies occupied the island, the influence of the mafia only intensified. "Intelligent criminals" were often appointed to the military government. In order not to be unfounded, we present statistics: out of 66 towns, people from the criminal world were appointed chief in 62. The further flourishing of the mafia was associated with the investment of previously laundered money into business and its increase in connection with the sale of drugs.

Individual style of the Italian mafia

Each member of the mafia understood that his activities involved some risk, so he made sure that his family did not go into poverty in the event of the death of the “breadwinner”.

In society, mafiosi are very harshly punished for connections with police officers, and even more so for cooperation. A person was not accepted into the mafia circle if he had a relative from the police. And for appearing in public places, a law enforcement representative could be killed. Interestingly, both alcoholism and drug addiction were not welcomed in the family. Despite this, many mafiosi were fond of both, the temptation was very great.

The Italian mafia is very punctual. Being late is considered bad manners and disrespect for colleagues. During meetings with enemies, killing anyone is prohibited. They say about the Italian mafia that even if families are at war with each other, they do not strive for cruel reprisals against competitors and often sign peace agreements.

Italian mafia laws

Another law that honors Italian mafia- family comes first, no lies among your own. If a lie was answered in response to a question, it was considered that the person had betrayed his family. The rule, of course, is not without meaning, because it made cooperation within the mafia safer. But not everyone adhered to it. And where big money was involved, betrayal was an almost obligatory attribute of relationships.

Only the boss of the Italian mafia could allow members of his group (family) to rob, kill or loot. Visiting bars unless strictly necessary was not encouraged. After all, a drunken mafioso could blurt out too much about his family.

Vendetta: for the family

Vendetta is revenge for violation or betrayal. Each group had its own ritual, some of which are striking in their cruelty. It did not manifest itself in torture or terrible murder weapons; as a rule, the victim was killed quickly. But after death, they could do whatever they wanted with the body of the offender. And, as a rule, they did.

It is curious that information about the laws of the mafia in general became public knowledge only in 2007, when the father of the Italian mafia, Salvatore La Piccola, fell into the hands of the police. Among the boss's financial documents, they found the family charter.

Italian mafia: names and surnames that went down in history

How not to remember which one is connected with drug trafficking and a network of brothels? Or, for example, who had the nickname “Prime Minister”? Italian mafia names are known throughout the world. Especially after Hollywood filmed several stories about gangsters at once. What is shown on the big screens is true and what is fiction is unknown, but it is thanks to films that in our days it has become possible to almost romanticize the image of the Italian mafioso. By the way, the Italian mafia likes to give nicknames to all its members. Some choose them for themselves. But the nickname is always associated with the history or character traits of the mafioso.

The names of the Italian mafia are, as a rule, bosses who dominated the whole family, that is, they achieved the greatest success in this difficult work. Most of the gangsters who did the grunt work are unknown to history. The Italian mafia still exists today, although most Italians turn a blind eye to it. Fighting it now, when we are in the twenty-first century, is practically pointless. Sometimes the police still manage to catch " big fish" is hooked, but most mafiosi die of natural causes in old age or are killed by a gun in their youth.

New "star" among the mafiosi

The Italian mafia operates under cover of obscurity. Interesting facts about her are very rare, because Italian law enforcement agencies are already having problems finding out at least something about the actions of the mafia. Sometimes they are lucky, and unexpected, or even sensational, information becomes public knowledge.

Despite the fact that most people, when they hear the words “Italian mafia,” think of the famous Cosa Nostra or, for example, the Camorra, the most influential and brutal clan is the ‘Ndranghenta. Back in the fifties, the group expanded beyond its area, but until recently remained in the shadow of its larger competitors. How did it happen that 80% of the total drug traffic ended up in the hands of the 'Ndrangenta? European Union- fellow gangsters themselves are surprised. The Italian mafia "Ndranghenta" has an annual income of 53 billion.

There is a myth very popular among gangsters: the 'Ndranghenta has aristocratic roots. Allegedly, the syndicate was founded by Spanish knights who had the goal of avenging the honor of their sister. Legend has it that the knights punished the culprit and themselves went to prison for 30 years. They spent 29 years, 11 months and 29 days in it. One of the knights, once free, founded the mafia. Some continue the story with the assertion that the other two brothers are precisely the bosses of Cosa Nostra and Camorra. Everyone understands that this is just a legend, but it is a symbol of the fact that the Italian mafia values ​​​​and recognizes the connection between families and adheres to the rules.

Mafia hierarchy

The most revered and authoritative title sounds approximately like “boss of all Bosses.” It is known that at least one mafioso had such a rank - his name was Matteo Denaro. Second in the mafia hierarchy is the title “king - boss of all bosses.” It is awarded to the boss of all families when he retires. This title does not carry privileges, it is a tribute of respect. In third place is the title of the head of an individual family - don. The Don's first consultant, his right-hand man, bears the title "Advisor". He has no authority to influence the state of affairs, but the don listens to his opinion.

Next comes the Don's deputy - formally the second person in the group. In fact, he comes after the advisor. A capo is a man of honor, or rather, the captain of such people. They are mafia soldiers. Typically, one family has up to fifty soldiers.

And finally small man- last title. These people are not yet part of the mafia, but they want to become one, so they carry out small assignments for the family. Young men of honor are those who are friends of the mafia. For example, bribe takers, dependent bankers, corrupt police officers and the like.

If you ask the first person you meet which country is the birthplace of the mafia, even the least knowledgeable person will give the correct answer without much thought: Italy. This country can actually be called a “flower garden” of the mafia, which has become one of the favorite topics in history and cinema textbooks.

It cannot be said that the mafiosi did something positive and outstanding, but many still admire the unsurpassed talent of the most famous criminals, most of which, of course, have Italian roots.

Al Capone, of course, this name is well known not only in the sunniest country located on the Apennine Peninsula, but throughout the world. The name is scandalous famous gangster is probably the most recognizable. And it’s not surprising: several films were made about Capone, the most popular of which was the 1987 film “The Untouchables” with Robert De Niro in the title role.

The story of the notorious Mafia figure, who was born in Brooklyn in 1889 after his family migrated to the United States, begins in 1919, when he entered the service of Johnny Torii. In 1925, he headed the Torii family and since then his “criminal” career has grown rapidly. Soon Capone was no longer afraid of anyone or anything: his people were engaged in gambling, selling drugs and prostitution. He earned a reputation as an honest, intelligent, but endlessly cruel man.

One need only remember the famous St. Valentine's Day massacre, when a group led by a gangster killed many mafia leaders.

When the police were lucky enough to apprehend the great criminal, they simply could not charge him with anything other than tax evasion. However, in the end, Al Capone still ended up behind bars: he was in the famous Alcatraz prison, from where he was released seven years later with fatal disease and soon died.

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Bernardo Provenzano

Bernardo Provenzano, a native of a small village located on, was simply destined to become one of the members of the group of the same name. Already in his youth he fell into the Corleone clan, and after a couple of years he had already killed several people and carried out a lot of illegal transactions. For 10 years, the name Provenzano hung in police stations on the “Wanted” stand, but the local carabinieri did not even try to find him dangerous criminal. Meanwhile he continued to move along career ladder and gain authority. It was rumored that Provenzano for some time controlled all the illegal business in Palermo, from drug sales to prostitution. He was known for his intransigence and stubbornness, for which he received the nickname Bulldozer.

Many years later, the police managed to detain the criminal: they saw a thin old man in ordinary jeans and a T-shirt. Provenzano will spend the rest of his days in prison.

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Albert Anastasia

Like many of his colleagues, Albert Anastasia was born in sunny Italy (the city of Tropea), but soon after his birth he migrated with his parents to America. The first time he went to prison was in his youth, when he killed a longshoreman in Brooklyn. He was sentenced to several years, but after some time the main witness in the Anastasia case died in mysterious circumstances, and the criminal himself was released.

Albert Anastasia gained fame as one of America's most ruthless killers.

He was a member of the Masseria gang, but over time he went over to the side of his boss’s competitors, and a couple of years later he was even present at the murder of his former boss. After this, Anastasia became the head of the gang of highly professional killers “Murder Inc.”, the Gambino clan. Police say the group has been involved in at least 400 deaths. The killer himself was killed on the order of one of the American mafiosi.

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It so happened that any criminal groups or gangs, groups of participants in money fraud, smugglers. The governments of all states are trying to fight them, but members of mafia organizations carry on their criminal activities, no matter what. Their circles have their own laws and rules; they are cruel and self-willed.

And today in the criminal world there are also organized groups headed by authorities. They conduct illegal business, persuade business owners and government officials to submit, they manage to evade criminal penalties, they are rich and fearless. The most famous mafiosi have gone down in history, their names are known all over the world and still inspire fear and horror.

Everyone knows that the birthplace of the mafia is Sicily. It was in sunny Italy that such a phenomenon as the mafia originated. The most famous Italian mafiosi are still on everyone’s lips.

Racketeer

Al Capone was born in Italy in 1899. At a young age, his parents moved him to America. In Al Capone, he worked during the day at a bowling alley, in a pharmacy and even in a candy store, and at night he visited entertainment venues. So, one day while working in a billiards club, he had a fight with a woman. As it turned out later, she was the wife of Frank Galluccio. A fight ensued between Al Capone and Frank, during which he received a knife wound on his cheek. It is believed that this is the turning point in his life.

At the age of 19 he was accepted into the “Gang of 5 Trunks”. His first crime was the murder of 7 authoritative leaders at once, subordinate to Bugs Moran. Moreover, for committing this and other criminal acts, he was not punished in court. But he was still sentenced to 11 years in prison for tax evasion. He served only five years of them and was released.

Al Capone is the most famous mafioso. The whole world shook at his name. He was involved in racketeering, drugs, bootlegging, gambling and murder. He was very cruel and heartless. The police were unable to catch him and they lacked evidence and grounds to put him in jail. In 1947 he fell ill with pneumonia and died at the age of 48.

"The Godmother" - La Madrina

There were women in the world of the mafia. Maria Licciardi is a native of Italy, born in 1951. She was the leader of the "Licciardi" clan in Naples. Maria entered women's list the most famous mafiosi in the world. When two brothers and a husband were put behind bars, she took on the role of leader of a powerful group. It was she who was able to unite several mafia families and expand the drug market.

In 2001, Maria was arrested for fraudulently luring underage girls into prostitution.

Lucky

Born in 1897 in Sicily into a poor family. When he was a young man, his family moved to America to make a life for themselves. new way. As a child, he was a street hooligan; bad companies always surrounded him.

At the age of 18, he was sentenced to prison for drug distribution. When the sale of alcohol was prohibited in the States, he was part of a smuggling organization for the supply of alcohol. So, by breaking the law, he turned from a beggar into a millionaire. It should be noted that at the time when Prohibition was introduced in the United States, the most famous mafiosi of all time rose to prominence in bootlegging.

At the age of 34, the mafioso organized the “Big Seven”, which included smugglers. Thus, Charles becomes the leader of the Cosa Nostra clan, which, in turn, subordinates the entire criminal structure of the United States.

They nicknamed Luciano “Lucky” - the lucky one, because he was on the verge of death after being tortured by the Maranzano gangsters.

Lucky Luciano currently tops the list of the most famous mafiosi in America. He killed 10 leaders of competing criminal organizations in 24 hours. This made him the rightful master of New York. He also created the Five Families of New York and the National Syndicate. In 1936, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison for pimping. While in prison, Lucky still retained his authority and continued to give orders from his cell. Soon he was released early and then deported to his homeland in Italy. In 1962, the mafioso suffered a heart attack from which he died.

Gambler

Meer Lansky was born in the Russian Empire in 1902. At the age of 9, he and his parents moved to New York. There he met Charles Luciano. Lansky was a leader and authority in the underworld, in no way inferior to Lucky. He smuggled alcohol and opened illegal bars and bookmakers. Meer successfully developed gambling in America. He also managed to conduct and control affairs in other countries. Thus, the most famous Russian mafioso becomes one of the most influential leaders of the US criminal circle.

The police began to closely monitor him and collect facts of crimes, so he decided to move to Israel. Two years later he had to return back to America. He never suffered punishment and lived until he was 80 years old. In 1983 he died of cancer.

Drug lord

Pablo Escobar was born in Colombia in 1949. In his youth, he stole tombstones, erased the inscriptions from them and resold them. From an early age, he was involved in drug and cigarette speculation, and also counterfeited lottery tickets. As he grew up, he moved on to larger transactions - car theft, robbery, racketeering and even kidnapping. Already at the age of 22, Pablo became an authority in criminal areas.

This is the most famous mafioso - drug lord. He was incredibly cruel, and his drug empire had the ability to supply cocaine anywhere in the world. By the age of 40, he was a billionaire thanks to drug sales. He was involved in the murder of one thousand people. In 1991 he was arrested and a year later escaped from prison. In 1993, Pablo was shot and killed by a sniper.

Carlo Gambino

Carlo Gambino is the founder and leader of the Gambino mafia empire. As a teenager, he traded in theft and extortion, and later began to engage in smuggling.

The Gambino crime family consisted of 40 groups, these most famous mafiosi kept fear and had power over the most major cities America. It should be noted that Carlo himself was not involved in drug trafficking, he loved gambling, put people on the “counters”, and “protected” businesses. And he was imprisoned once in 1938 for 2 years for tax evasion. At 74 he died of a heart attack.

Albert Anastasia

Albert was born in 1902. He was part of the Gambino family. He organized his own criminal gang, Murder Inc. The gangsters of this group killed more than 700 people. The killers did not leave any witnesses, so Anastasia remained unpunished. But in 1957, Albert ordered the murder of Carlo Gambino.

Elegant Don

John Gotti was born in 1940. He grew up in a large poor family, he had 12 sisters and brothers. Even as a young boy, he fell under the influence of the gangster Aniello Dellacroce.

John Gotti was part of the Gambino family group, and later replaced its boss, Paul Castellano. His name terrified and feared all of New York. But, like many other mafiosi, despite numerous crimes, he managed to evade criminal punishment.

He was nicknamed “The Elegant Don” for his impeccable taste in dressing. Gotti got rich from theft, he was involved in racketeering, car theft and murder. Next to John was always Salvatore Gravano, whom Gotti considered his reliable friend. But in 1992, Salvatore, whom Gotti trusted so much, turns him over to the police. The court sentenced him for all his “dark deeds” - life imprisonment. In 2002, he died from cancer.

Banana Joe

Joseph Bonanno Born in 1905 into a poor family in Italy. At the age of fifteen, he lost his parents and moved to the United States. At the age of 26, Joseph organized the Bonanno crime family. He was the leader of this group for 30 years of his life. While leading the clan, he becomes a multimillionaire, the likes of which have never been seen in history. “Banana Joe” decided to leave crime in order to quietly retire in his old age. But at the age of 75, he was still arrested for illegal sales of real estate. He served 14 months in prison and died in 2002, when he was 97 years old.

Godfather

When listing the names of the most famous mafiosi and clans, it is necessary to note the Genovese family and its organizer, Vincent Gigante. He was born in 1928 in New York. At the age of 9 he dropped out of school and went into professional boxing. At the age of 17 he begins to commit his first crimes. In one of the authoritative criminal groups he becomes a leader - the “Godfather”, and then an adviser.

In 1981, Vincent organized the Genovese family. This mafioso is a cruel and unbalanced person. I could go for a walk at night in just my dressing gown. Thus, he created the opinion of himself as a mentally ill person. So, he hid from the police for 40 years. In 1997, the court nevertheless decided to imprison him for 12 years. Even while behind bars, Vincent managed to commit criminal acts. In 2005, his heart gave out and he died.

Big man

Marat Balagula was born in 1943 in Odessa. At the age of 34, he moved to America, where he joined a group whose leader was Yevsey Agron. Russia's most famous mafiosi fled to the United States after imprisonment in search of a good life, or to avoid long-term criminal punishment in their home country.

In 1985, after the murder of Yevsey Agron, Balagula becomes the leader of the clan. He successfully established relationships with such families as Cosa Nostra, Genovese, and Luchese. He organizes a gasoline business. Then running the scam with credit cards citizens for a huge amount, comes across to the police. But he doesn't have to go to jail. He is released on bail of 500 thousand dollars and Marat flees to South Africa. After 4 years, he was still arrested for 8 years. For tax evasion, he gets another 14 years.

Godfather of the Russian mafia

Vyacheslav Ivankov - nicknamed Yaponchik - was an authoritative thief in law in the 90s. Vyacheslav was born in 1940. He decided to commit his first crime at the age of 25. Then he falls under the influence of Gennady Korkov, nicknamed Mongol. So, Yaponchik begins to engage in extortion, blackmailing underground millionaires, collectors and blackmailers. They, in turn, do not want to go to the police so as not to talk about their illegal income, so they obeyed and paid money.

In 1974, Ivankov gets involved in a fight in which one of the criminals dies from a bullet. Vyacheslav will end up in “Butyrka” (Butyrka prison), where he receives the status of thief in law. The Jap sat on the bunk more than once. And while in prison, he had to prove his authority: he fought with fellow inmates, his punishment was tightened. There was an attempt on his life, but he died in 2009 in a hospital from cancer.

The most famous mafiosi, as a rule, did not commit criminal acts themselves, but gave orders to other gang members. That is why the police were unable to find evidence for criminal punishment. Often the police know the leaders of the groups by sight and sometimes do not even try to catch them or convict them of anything. Today, many films are made about mafias. Gangsters are idealized, admired and tried to imitate their manners.