Russian mafia and the effects in society:

In todays society, the Russian mafia is a growing concern and a threat to American society. Criminal activities going on by the Russian organized crime in Europe has grown and connected to other criminal activities occurring in American soil by small cells of Russian-American gangs. Russian organized crime emerged here during the 1970s era of dtente with the former Soviet Union, caused by many Russian mobsters having to immigrate to the United States not for political asylum but to get together with their fellow comrades in New York. The major threat of illegal immigration involving mobsters is from what they bring such as a background of murders and dirty shame that they left back in their old country to bring to the United States. The Russian mafia in their home country had a lot of pull with governmental monopolies and made extortions to get their ways. In contrast to the United States, They have strict laws over them that causes them to pray on the weak.

Protection payments also known as protection rackets make society their client, and local businesses another source of income by charging a certain percentage of the businesses total net profit per month for protection if they are located in their Turf. Protection Money not paid to the Russian mafia cause them to make death treats, and hurt physically their victim to intimidate to pay or else. (2001 The Russian mafia: Private protection
in a new market economy. ALEXANDER SHVARTS) .

Sources of income for the Russian

organized crime group include money laundering, diamond and arms dealing, cigarette smuggling, health care and credit card fraud, cyber crime, and an appetite for violence. According to an undercover FBI agent covertly working inside the organized group have speculated that "The public has the perception that organized crime has largely gone away," Mark Mershon, the FBI assistant director in charge of New York. "That of course is not at all true." In a recent case in 2007 Russian crime lords have come up with a new strategy to save money in taxes, by transporting blue dyed vodka and labeling it windshield washer. This innovating new idea increases revenue for the organized crime by saving the alcohol taxes which would benefit society instead of benefiting their pockets. (Armen Keteyian Undercover Look Inside The Russian Mob CBS, May 13 2008 www.cbsnews.com//stories/2008/05/13/cbsnews_investigates/main4094344.shtml )

Russian governmental corruption may not spring to mind that it affects the United States in any way, but it does. The Russian organized crime in Russia is very well connected to government personnel and officials that are corrupt, example The exporting

of products and natural resources to Russia is very profitable while corrupt officials get involved with the profits, This gets the Russian mafia interested. Direct involvement, whether knowingly or not, commonly occurs when American businessmen and corporations form partnerships with Russian companies. Making the partnership brings in corrupt Russian officials and Russian mafia bosses to the deal for the profit sharing. According to a report by Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs there have been placed a large total amount of bribes and other illegal income received by government officials at $100 billion in 1993 and 1994 in connection to the mafia. All that money being received by the mafia and Russian governments were all by products sold by American businesses. (Anderson, A. (1995). The Red Mafia: A Legacy Of Communism Economic Transition in Eastern Europe and Russia: Realities of Reform http://maps.unomaha.edu/Peterson/funda/Sidebar/RussianMafia.html) All That money being tangled in Russia affects the American society in an economical point. Typically it does not directly affect anyone in particular but it does affect money that should be spent here in times of hardship.

The general public is not quite aware that fuel fraud is actually affecting directly inside the United States. This is taking place mostly in California and New York. Costing the federal and government a range of $2 billion in taxes. The Fraud is made by falsifying state and federal tax forms which in fact creates the gas station owner more wealthy by falsely putting the wrong amount of gasoline sold. Fuel fraud is also made by extending fuel with blending tax-free additives such as transmix or alcohol and selling lower grade

fuel as a premium product. These criminal groups will import tax exempt fuels from other states or Mexico. Fuel will be exported out of state. Once exported out of state, the tax liability will be extremely difficult to track. According to ("The Looting of Russia." U.S. News and World Report, March 7, 1994.) To make more profit these groups tend to use violence to intimate the other local competitors to either increase their price of gasoline, sell their property at a lower price than market value, or to close their gasoline station. With Gasoline prices going up, the Russian mafia takes advantage of this by mostly watering down the gasoline with alcohols and other addictives to increase their pure gasoline and decrease their price per gallon. The fuel fraud is being monitored by the FBI due to losses of tax money and scams arising out of this situation affecting millions of people in New York.

The Russian government has moved forward with the full intent of completely elimination the Russian organize crime ring. Problems have come up with this due to the weak governmental power in Russia and their heavy corruption this will be difficult to maneuver around .Russia can not do all the work, They must open themselves to broader help such as the United States and the European countries. Promoting ideas and practices increases Russias thoughts and ideas in how to dismantle the Russian crime ring with the big help of the FBI and keep America safe from all the fraud and violence going on. Russia must look within itself to solve this vast problem of organized crime, and some solutions are quite simple. For example, the requirement of businesses to apply for operation licenses could be replaced with requiring them to register, which would lessen

the power and discretion of government officials (James Ruth The Russian Mob: Organized Crime in a Fledgling Democracy http://smu.edu/ecenter/discourse/ruth.htm ) In todays American culture, the media makes up a good portion of what the American house hold thinks that there is a majority of the Russian mafia still out there. The Russian mafia does exists but they do not show themselves as they are part of that group, marking and signs that reflect of who they are and what they belong to are kept secret from the outside world to avoid any attention.

Works Cited
2001 The Russian mafia: Private protection in a new market economy. ALEXANDER SHVARTS http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/rusorg4.htm

Armen Keteyian Undercover Look Inside The Russian Mob CBS, May 13 2008 www.cbsnews.com//stories/2008/05/13/cbsnews_investigates/main4094344.shtml

Anderson, A. (1995). The Red Mafia: A Legacy Of Communism Economic Transition in Eastern Europe and Russia: Realities of Reform http://maps.unomaha.edu/Peterson/funda/Sidebar/RussianMafia.html

The Looting of Russia." U.S. News and World Report, March 7, 1994.

James Ruth The Russian Mob: Organized Crime in a Fledgling Democracy http://smu.edu/ecenter/discourse/ruth.htm

U.S Department of Justice :The threat of russian organized crime By:James Finckenauer Yuri A. Voronin http://ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/187085.pdf