The Mafia: The History of the Mob in America

The Birth of the American Mafia

This American Justice program examines the Sicilian origins of the Mafia and follows the crime syndicate's rise in the United States, from its start through Prohibition.

The Prohibition Years

This American Justice program traces the origins of organized crime in the U.S., from the Irish bootleggers to the arrival of the Italian Mafia, which cracked down on the Irish and Jewish gangs. Distributed by A&E Television Networks.

The Kennedys and the Mob

Unions and the Mob

Empire of Crime

This American Justice program reveals how the Mafia worked with the U.S. military to protect the America during World War II.

Lucky Luciano: Chairman of the Board

He ran the Mob like a corporation--diversifying rackets, organizing gangs and running his own political candidates--and his top-secret war efforts earned him parole from a 50-year sentence.

Meyer Lansky: Mob Tycoon

From the pogroms of Eastern Europe to the heyday of the Vegas Mob, rare footage and interviews reveal the double life of the man known as the Mob's financial leader.

Genovese: Portrait of a Crime Family

Known for their high level of sophistication, the Genovese family not only played a leading role in creating the structure of organized crime in America, but in shaping how the mob used its vast power.

Bugsy Siegel

Handsome, glamorous and the most vicious crime boss of all, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel began as a hit man on the streets of Brooklyn and died the victim of a mysterious murder, but not before turning a desert mirage into a Las Vegas dreamland.

Al Capone and the Machine Gun Massacre

Crime boss Al Capone elevated the violence of Prohibition Chicago to a new level with the Thompson submachine gun, a messenger of death that led to one of the most famous mass murders in history.

America and the Mob: Wartime Friends

Did WWII spur a partnership between the U.S. government and organized crime? In 1942, fire broke out on the luxury liner-turned-troop carrier, the Normandie. While some mafia leaders claimed responsibility, an alleged protection deal with the government kept the blame on “Nazi sabotage.

The Gambinos: First Family of Crime

Trace the rise and fall of one of the most famous Mafia families, from crime legend Carlo Gambino to his successor Paul Castellano, and the reign of John Gotti.

American Justice: Mob Hitmen

Episode 14