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34 - Extortion and Organized Crime

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 October 2014

By
Ernesto U. Savona  and
Marco Zanella
Edited by
Mangai Natarajan
Ernesto U. Savona
Affiliation:
The Catholic University of Milan, Italy
Marco Zanella
Affiliation:
The Catholic University of Milan, Italy
Mangai Natarajan
Affiliation:
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York
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Summary

INTRODUCTION

Extortion is “the obtaining of property from another, with his consent, induced by wrongful use of actual or threatened force, violence, or fear, or under color of official right” (The United States Code 18 U.S.C. § 1951(b)(2)). The legal definitions of extortion in other countries are similar to the US. definition.

When extortion is committed on a regular basis, it turns into racketeering: “an institutionalized practice whereby tribute is collected on behalf of a criminal group that, in exchange, claims to offer […] protection” (Volkov, 2002: 1).

This chapter deals with extortion, racketeering, and organized crime in Europe. The overall argument is that market opportunities for extortion driven by lack of trust in market dynamics and variations in the characteristics of organized criminal groups may give rise to two different types of extortion racketeering: systemic and casual. Extortion racketeering is systemic when it is deeply rooted and extends across a territory since it is a core part of organized crime groups’ activities. Extortion racketeering is casual when it is not extended across a territory since criminal organizations do not routinely engage in such a criminal activity. These types of extortion racketeering are shaped by four interrelated variables: 1. market opportunities; 2. the organizational structure of criminal groups; 3. their presence at local level and 4. the victim/ofender relationship.

Type
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Information
International Crime and Justice , pp. 261 - 267
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

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References

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