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15 Vintage Photos Showing The Rise & Fall of American Mafia

  • The American Mafia started in the 1920s when the mob bosses ran the bootlegging industry during Prohibition.
  • From there, the Mafia became a national organization dealing with prostitution, gambling, and bribery.
  • The mob is most well known for its brutal murders and beatings.
  • Al Capone was one of the most famous mobsters who brutally murdered his rivals.

While many associate the Mafia with HBO’s hit show “The Sopranos,” the mob is a very real and ruthless organization with a bloody history.

Headquartered in New York, the American Mafia got its start in the ’20s and hit its peak during the ’40s and ’50s, eventually reaching a downfall in the ’80s. Throughout that time, the mobsters ran a brutal, bloody, and illegal operation, mostly under the radar.

Keep scrolling to learn more about the Mafia’s gruesome history in the US.

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