As part of the Department of Criminology Spring Speaker Series, Dr. Jay Albanese, Virginia Commonwealth University criminology professor, spoke to students about organized crime on Thursday, April 22, 2010.
An estimated 150 students and faculty attended the presentation, “100 Years of Organized Crime: Old Cons, New Criminals.”
Albanese said organized crime began in the late 1800s in New Orleans when David Harnessers, the police chief at the time, was shot at his doorstep. “Organized crime took off in the 1920s after prohibition laws were passed,” Albanese said. In recent times, new versions of organized crime have shifted to things such as Internet gambling, synthetic drugs, sex trafficking, money laundering, and property theft.
Albanese ended his presentation saying that organized crime will continue to exist and change in the future.
