Best American mobsters relied on their BRAINS

Louis Ferrante, the former member of the notorious New York Gambino family once said ‘accomplished mobsters are just like top business leaders’.

A new study supports this claim, and has found the best-educated mobsters become the highest earners – suggesting it’s brains not brawn that got them to the top.

American mafia in the 1930s to 1960s could increase their earnings by eight per cent with just one additional year of education, a new study has found.

 

At 14 Al Capone (pictured), the infamous American mobster nicknamed ‘Scarface’, was expelled for punching a teacher – a year longer than most mafia members. Research suggests  on average earnings increased by eight per cent with just one additional year of education

WELL-EDUCATED MOBSTERS

At 14 Al Capone, the infamous American mobster nicknamed ‘Scarface’, was expelled for punching a teacher.

Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano, considered the father of modern organized crime in the US, left school at the same age.

This might seem young but it was a year longer than most of their fellow mafia members, and could have been why they rose to the top.

The average mobster spent eight years in education – one year less than the average person of a similar age and race.

Joe Bonanno founded one of the nation’s most enduring Mafia families.

He studied at a well-regarded Scicilian nautical institute before migrating to the US aged 19. 

The most prolific hitman in New York, known only as ‘Buster from Chicago’, was described as ‘a college boy’. He died in 1931.

Born in 1920, Louis Dragona was one of the top earners in the Los Angeles mafia and spent two years in college.

To excel at gambling enterprises, drug distribution and selling and loan sharking, the top personal needed to be able to understand logistics, probabilities and risk.

Researchers, led by Giovanni Mastrobuoni from the University of Essex, found the average mobster spent eight years in education – one year less than the average person of a similar age and race.

‘But our research also revealed that for every additional year a mobster spent in education, the average increase in income was in fact quite high’, researchers wrote in an article for The Conversation.

‘So although most mafia members did not attend school for very long, they saw a large economic benefit from any extra time spent there.’

Researchers found mobsters involved in business crime, such as embezzlement, forgery, fraud, counterfeiting, gambling and liquor offences could earn between 13 to 18 per cent more from an extra year of education.

For workers from similar immigrant backgrounds, the increase was just nine per cent, resesarchers found.

For those involved in non-business crime the gains were significantly smaller – between four to six per cent.

Dr Mastrobuoni was inspired by A Man of Honour, the biography of Joe ‘Bananas Bonanno’, writes The Times.

Bananas Bonanno founded one of the nation’s most enduring Mafia families and studied at a well-regarded Sicilian nautical institute before migrating to the US aged 19.

As leader of the Bonanno family, the mafia leader sued the publishers of his book for depicting him as a ‘cheap gangster’ as he claimed he was a venture capitalist.

Charles 'Lucky' Luciano, considered the father of modern organized crime in the US, left school at the age of 14. Researchers found mobsters involved in business crime could earn between 13 to 18 per cent more from an extra year of education

Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano, considered the father of modern organized crime in the US, left school at the age of 14. Researchers found mobsters involved in business crime could earn between 13 to 18 per cent more from an extra year of education

Joe Bonanno (pictured) founded one of the nation's most enduring Mafia families. He studied at a well-regarded Scicilian nautical institute before migrating to the US aged 19

Joe Bonanno (pictured) founded one of the nation’s most enduring Mafia families. He studied at a well-regarded Scicilian nautical institute before migrating to the US aged 19

WHAT DID THEY DO?

The study looked at the 1940 population census for 723 mobsters listed with the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN).

This database reveals the details of education attainment, occupation, wages, employment, address and housing value.

This was cross-referenced with the individual’s mob engagement and criminal career, collected for investigative purposes.

Bonanno is not the only well-educated gangster that rose to fame.  

The most prolific hitman in New York, known only as ‘Buster from Chicago’, who died in 1931, was described as ‘a college boy’.

Born in 1920, Louis Dragona was one of the top earners in the Los Angeles mafia and spent two years in college.

At 14, Al Capone, the infamous American mobster nicknamed ‘Scarface’, was expelled for punching a teacher.

Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano, considered the father of modern organized crime in the US, left school at the same age. 

Although this may seem young it was a year longer than most of their fellow mafia members.

The study looked at the 1940 population census for 723 mobsters listed with the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN).

This database reveals the details of education attainment, occupation, wages, employment, address and housing value.

Louis Ferrante (pictured), the former member of the notorious New York Gambino family once said 'accomplished mobsters are just like top business leaders'

Louis Ferrante (pictured), the former member of the notorious New York Gambino family once said ‘accomplished mobsters are just like top business leaders’

This was cross-referenced with the individual’s mob engagement and criminal career, collected for investigative purposes.

‘Our research also demonstrates how participation in the Italian American mafia allowed first and second generation immigrants of Italian origin to achieve fairly large economic benefits from education’, researchers wrote.

‘But this was only true for those involved in ‘white collar’ crimes – where cognitive abilities were likely to be more valuable.’

 



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