(2 of 2)
-- He surrounded himself with a group of thuggish henchmen who specialized in murder and mayhem rather than the silkier arts of persuasion and blackmail once favored by the Mafia. Unlike tradition-bound gangsters who obeyed the vow of silence when arrested, some of these lieutenants cut deals with the law. Over the past year, 270 so-called pentiti provided unprecedented details of the Mob's workings and helped investigators tighten the net around its chief. According to some sources, the tip that led to Riina's arrest came from at least one such stool pigeon who put more faith in the authorities' promises than in Riina's forgiveness.
-- He extended the Mob's traditional area of operations. Riina sent underbosses throughout the Continent to take advantage of Europe's open borders. He contracted with Colombia's cocaine cartels to distribute their wares, and was exploring ways to manipulate stock and currency markets. The threat of wider Mafia influence persuaded law-enforcement agencies across Europe and the U.S. to work together.
Riina's errors were all the more damaging because of a hardening public sentiment toward corruption. Unlike the U.S. Mafia, which makes most of its money through criminal activities like drug smuggling, loan-sharking, prostitution and gambling, the Italian Mob has gained most of its income by siphoning off public funds through rigged contracts, faked repairs and padded expenses for government projects.
Repeated bribery, corruption and kickback scandals have soured Italians on authority in general and politicians in particular. Suspected affiliation with the Mob, once dismissed as unprovable, has increasingly become a political kiss of death. Italian authorities believe that the Mob, with less of its money coming from state funds, will now be forced to turn to higher-risk crime.
As news of Riina's arrest spread through Palermo last week, some residents expressed jubilation, but most had nothing to say. "It's none of my business," grunted a young man on a motorcycle. "Knowing too much about that stuff is dangerous." It will remain so, even with Riina behind bars. At least five members of the Cupola are still at large. According to some sources, they long ago sketched out an agreement on how to divide the shepherd's fields and flock.