Question 1

Triad groups are nonhierarchical and informal.

Accepted Answer

Triad groups are nonhierarchical and informal, meaning that they do not have a formal structure or hierarchy, and that members are typically on an equal footing.

Question 2

Russian crime groups in the United States are fluid, with transient membership in each group varying from 5 to 20 persons.

Accepted Answer

Russian crime groups in the United States are known for their fluidity, with membership in each group often changing and ranging in size from 5 to 20 persons, reflecting their adaptable and decentralized organizational structure.

Question 3

The term transnational crime refers to criminal activities that take place across county/state lines in one country.

Accepted Answer

Transnational crime refers to criminal activities that cross international borders, not just county or state lines within one country.

Question 4

Organized crime first came to the United States with Italian immigrants, as a "Mafia transplant."

Accepted Answer

Organized crime existed in the United States before the arrival of Italian immigrants, with various other groups involved in criminal activities, such as the Irish and Jewish gangs, among others. The Mafia, while a significant part of organized crime, was not its origin in the U.S.

Question 5

Money laundering refers to making clean or washing "dirty money."

Accepted Answer

Money laundering is the process of making large amounts of money generated by a criminal activity, such as drug trafficking or terrorist funding, appear to be legally obtained.

Question 6

The most powerful international drug trafficking organization in the world was the Medellin cartel of Colombia.

Accepted Answer

The Medellin cartel, led by Pablo Escobar, was once considered the most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world, dominating the cocaine trade into the United States and other countries during the 1980s and early 1990s.

Question 7

Enterprise theory argues that organized crime and normal business are similar activities on different ends of a spectrum of legitimacy.

Accepted Answer

Enterprise theory posits that organized crime operates similarly to legitimate businesses, differing primarily in the legality of their activities, thus placing them on a spectrum of legitimacy.

Question 8

According to the Italian American Syndicate, organized crime groups and their leaders resemble a medieval system of shifting warlords in which whoever has the most power and is able to render the greatest services controls support.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the Italian American Syndicate, organized...

Question 9

The strength of organized criminal groups is based on their willingness and ability to use force or threats of force to assure discipline within and outside the organization.

Accepted Answer

Organized criminal groups rely on the use of force or threats of force to maintain internal discipline and control over their operations, ensuring loyalty and compliance within the organization and deterring opposition or competition from outside entities.

Question 10

Arson, murder, and bribery are essential strategic tools of organized crime.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Arson, murder, and bribery are essential strategic...

Question 11

Blackmail is not easily achieved by organized crime figures.

Accepted Answer

Organized crime figures often use blackmail as a tool to exert control, influence, and to extort money or services from individuals, making it a tactic that can be effectively and relatively easily achieved by those with the resources and networks to gather compromising information.

Question 12

Racketeering is characterized by the three steps of placement, layering, and integration.

Accepted Answer

Racketeering refers to criminal activities, typically involving extortion or fraud, carried out by organized groups. The three steps of placement, layering, and integration describe money laundering, not racketeering.

Question 13

With major crackdowns on traditional organized crime activities such as extortion and bid-rigging rackets, mafia crime groups in New York in the '90s were shifting some of their focus to health frauds, prepaid phone cards, and Wall Street scams.

Accepted Answer

During the 1990s, as law enforcement intensified its efforts against traditional mafia activities like extortion and bid-rigging, organized crime groups in New York began diversifying their operations to include more sophisticated schemes such as health frauds, prepaid phone card scams, and Wall Street-related frauds. This shift was part of a broader strategy to adapt to changing circumstances and continue generating revenue despite increased legal pressures.

Question 14

Loan sharks illegally lend money at usurious interest rates.

Accepted Answer

Loan sharks typically operate outside the law, lending money at extremely high interest rates that are often considered usurious, exploiting borrowers in desperate financial situations.

Question 15

Success at small business permits mob infiltration of big business, which is the heart of the nation's economy.

Accepted Answer

The statement implies that success in small businesses allows organized crime to infiltrate large businesses, which are crucial to the national economy.

Question 16

Organized criminal activity is an example of career crime, in which crime is pursued as a livelihood.

Accepted Answer

Organized criminal activity is indeed considered an example of career crime, as individuals involved in such activities often engage in criminal acts as a means of earning a living, treating crime as their profession.

Question 17

The Hobbs Act is an antiracketeering act that can basically be interpreted to mean that any interference with interstate commerce to any degree whatsoever is in violation of the act.

Accepted Answer

The Hobbs Act criminalizes robbery and extortion affecting interstate or foreign commerce, and courts have interpreted it broadly to cover any interference with commerce.

Question 18

Assets forfeiture (seizure) is an example of laws that have been used against organized crime.

Accepted Answer

Assets forfeiture laws allow the government to seize assets derived from or used in criminal activities, effectively disrupting the financial infrastructure of organized crime groups.

Question 19

List two to three sources of information, according to Lipsha (1982).

Accepted Answer

The answer of List two to three sources of information,...

Question 20

List and describe two types of organized crime according to Albini.

Accepted Answer

The answer of List and describe two types of organized...

Quiz 13: Organized Crime