Rudy Giuliani’s Fight Against the Mafia: A New Season on Fox Nation

Before earning the nickname “America’s Mayor,” Rudy Giuliani served as a U.S. attorney targeting notorious Mafia leaders. The latest season of the Fox Nation series unveils the courageous initiatives that aimed to bring these dangerous men to justice.

The third season of ‘Stories of the American Mafia,’ narrated by Eric Shawn, features the episode “Rudy and the RICO Act,” chronicling Giuliani’s journey from an obscure lawyer to a prosecutor confronting feared crime bosses. The show explores how 1980s Manhattan’s escalating crime rates provided a fertile ground for the Mafia to strengthen its hold on the city.

“When you have a vacuum like that, you’re gonna have this shadow government step in,” explained former NYPD inspector Paul Mauro in a new episode.

Giuliani devised a strategy to counteract the rise of organized crime syndicates. As a former New York City Mayor and U.S. Attorney, Giuliani played a crucial role in prosecuting prominent leaders of New York’s crime families.

In 1985, Giuliani initiated the Mafia Commission Trial, indicting 11 individuals, including heads of the ‘Five Families.’ The indictments utilized the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), incorporating charges like murder for hire, extortion, and labor racketeering. This allowed prosecutors to target entire Mafia organizations rather than specific members, simplifying the process of holding criminals accountable.

“Previously, you had to make these cases based essentially on conspiracies,” noted Mauro. “What RICO did is change that paradigm. All you had to do is agree to act for an organization and then do something for that organization. This meant that guys would flip.”

Louis Ferrante, a former Gambino associate, commended Giuliani’s approach, describing it as removing “the head off the Hydra.” Ferrante highlighted the challenge Mafia groups faced in replacing their leaders with equally competent individuals, which marked the beginning of the Mafia’s decline.

“That’s not going to be able to repair itself,” Ferrante remarked. “Not because they couldn’t replace the bosses, but they couldn’t replace the boss with the talent that they once had. And that’s what led to the beginning of the end for the Mafia. Realistically, I would argue that they’ve never recovered from that.”

Throughout Season 3, “Stories of the American Mafia” presents other captivating tales, including the brief rise and collapse of Murder, Inc., the violent death of William “Billy Batts” Bentvena, FBI agent Joe Pistone’s undercover dismantling of the Bonanno crime family, and more astounding true stories from the American Mafia.

Former FBI undercover operative Giovanni Rocco, alongside Mauro and Ferrante, provides thorough analysis of these compelling mob accounts.

All five episodes are now exclusively accessible for streaming on the Fox Nation platform.

Fox Nation offers on-demand viewing of programs, available via mobile app, for FOX Nation subscribers. Visit Fox Nation to start a free trial and explore the vast library of content featuring favorite FOX Nation personalities.

Benji Ferraro, a recent University of Maryland graduate and new digital production assistant, specializes in channel coverage and culture stories. Contact him at [email protected] for any story tips.