FBI Boston Dissolves Organized Crime Unit as Mafia Power Fades
The FBI's Boston office has disbanded its organized crime squad, marking the end of an era for the once-powerful New England Mafia. This reorganization reflects the dramatic decline of traditional organized crime in the region, with agents being reassigned to focus on more pressing threats like terrorism, foreign espionage, and cybercrime.
Black and white photo of Patriarca smoking
The New England Mafia's influence has significantly diminished over the past decades. Current estimates suggest only about 30 "made" members remain, compared to hundreds during the organization's peak in the 1960s. Former Massachusetts State Police detective lieutenant Steve Johnson describes today's mafia as "mostly figurehead people and wannabes."
This decline coincides with the recent death of Luigi "Baby Shacks" Manocchio, 93, the last "old-school" boss of the Patriarca crime family. The family's downfall began after the 1984 death of its most powerful leader, Raymond Patriarca, leading to internal warfare between Rhode Island and Boston factions.
Several factors contributed to the organization's collapse:
- Extensive federal prosecutions in the 1980s and 1990s
- Advanced surveillance technology, including the first-ever recording of a Mafia induction ceremony
- Breaking of the "Omerta" code of silence by members
- Eight bosses and underbosses being imprisoned
The FBI's Boston office's history with organized crime is notably marked by the Whitey Bulger saga. Bulger, leader of the Irish American Winter Hill Gang, served as an FBI informant while simultaneously receiving leaked information from corrupt FBI agent John Connolly. This relationship led to multiple murders, including that of World Jai Alai owner Roger Wheeler and company president John Callahan.
Connolly received a 40-year sentence in 2002 for various charges related to his dealings with Bulger and was paroled in 2021. Bulger himself was captured in 2011 after 16 years as a fugitive and was later murdered in prison in 2018 by an inmate connected to the Patriarca family.
Despite disbanding the organized crime squad, the FBI maintains it will continue allocating resources to combat transnational and regional criminal enterprises.
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