Since the growth of La Guardia, Kennedy and NewArk Airports in the 1950s, and they started moving large amounts of freight and cargo the mob has tried to take it all. From Clothing, to Electronics, to Hard Cash. The 3 of 5 New York Family's who control the airports are The Colombo, Luchesse and Gambino Familys. The Bonnano and Genovese Familys tend to stick to the waterfront rackets. Perhaps the most famous truck hijacker was James 'Jimmy The Gent' Burke, name the Gent because he used to give his victims a tip instead of a bullet or a beating. He was an irsh man who was so big that two Sicilian crews, The Colombos and the Luchesses made a deal to share him. He used to have connections wtih bookmakers who had customers in debt working at the Airports. In exchange for there debt being cleard, they would tell him about valuable cargo's coming in. Also Airpot personel such as 'Frenchy' McHoan, named because he worked and gave tips about the Air France terminal at Kennedy. His tips resulted in a theft of almost $500,000 by Jimmy and freinds, Tommy DeSimmone and Henry hill. When he Hijacked a truck it was usually somewhere out side the ariport. He would ask for the drivers union card and pretend to look at it, or write down his adress to scare the driver into not ratting to the cops. He would then hand them the equivelant of a weeks wages. The truck is then taken to a rented wharehouse where all the load, say its leather Jackets, Is stocked. Usually neighbohood guys are highered to unload it, depending on your budget if you can afford this. The load could be anything, smokes, watches, perfume, fur coats, sugar, coffee, shripm, salmon, lobster, pizza dough, tvs, DVD players. Anything that Stores and restaurant will buy cheap, and can be sold on the streets for cheap. Once the swag is in the wharehouse the truck is disposed of. The Hijacker would then call his fence who would either buy the whole load off of him in hope to sell it all, or be paid a cut off the score if he arranged with some garment stores to by then at a fraction of the actuall price. Any that couldn't be sold will be sold on the streets from the boots of cars (Movie reference: When The Young Henry and Tommy are selling cheap smokes to factory workers in Goodfellas).

This method of using a gun and hooking the truck off the street is called a Stick-Up.

The other method is called a Give-Up.

A give-Up is when a driver or Worker si in on the Hijacking. So for example a truck driver has a shipment of Perfume worth 20 grand. He gives you a call about the load and says he'll be stopping off at a certain truck stop diner. You pay him a sum of cash, say, $2,500. You go to the Diner and when you see his truck, and him inside the diner, you take the truck, the driver would usually convienently leave the keys in the truck, you then take it to a wharehouse and do exactly as you would in a stick-up. To make sure this valuable driver dosn't lose his job, you put your influence and muscle into the union and force them to keep his job.

Often the cargo you take is not in a truck, But in a wharehouse or factory, or lock-up. With this you need a way of getting in, maybe stealing a key and getting it copied, or maybe bribing security, how ever you do it it dosn't matter. You then need a truck of your own, or a van, or even car, depending on how big the load is. You need a small crew for the heist, from then its a simple matter of getting the cargo out of there and into you wharehouse, or wherever your store place is, then fencing it all off. Many wiseguys don't have a wharehouse or storage place that they own or can rent out, so in there own homes and in the backrooms of mob hangouts, swag is stacked up high in big piles against the walls, but this is risky because if the Feds come knocking at your door, then you've got trouble. Not all of the swag is sold off, alot of the time items are picked out for the wisegusy them selves. You get a shipment of Versaci suits, then you might like a few, maybe you give one to your boss, out of respect, you send a couple to your couson for his birthday, you get a truck of dresses you let your wife and girlfreinds have a few, all the women in your family, one for the bosses wife and one for his daughter. Some stolen jewlerry for your self, and some perfume for your wife. A couple of DVD players, and a few bottles of booze. All of it off the back of a truck, and you didn't pay for any of it.

 

Robbery comes in many different forms. bank Robberies, A stick-up at a 7-11, a wharehouse heist, stealing a suti case of money form an airport. Robbing a store usually takes at least two guys fro it to be succseful, and dosn't generate that much income, but if your young, hot-headed, and in need of cash, then this is for you. You need a car, and someone two drive it, and 1-2 people to do the actuall robbery, pick a time when there won't be that many witnesses, but lots aof cash. 7:00 AM isn't good, no witnesses, but no cash. Near the end of the day, evening, during the week is probably good, because every one has done there shopping there, or if its a bank, put there money in, ( on a Friday there would probably be plenty of people in there cashing in the paycheck though). You park the car in a position for a quick get away and leave the ignition on with the driver still in it, the other guys walk in with there faces covered (Ski masks and tench coats are good clothing) when they get to the cashier, they draw there guns, take there money, and what ever else they want in the store (you could do your weekly shopping while your in there for free), you then get the hell out of there as fast as you can and into the car, driving to soem kind of hideaway. The whole thing shouln't take more than a minute.  

House burgalery is also common. Back in the good old days houses were easy to brake into, many people even left there doors unlocked. Today people have all the latest in security technology. So you need some one who can get past these sorts of things if you want to break into asn empty house. But if you are going to reak into an unempty house, just knock on the door in a cop costume, flash your fake badges and tell the people in the house to get up against the wall, take all there jewlerry and money, then leave them there, handcuffed, and helpless. Then fence off all the material goods and move onto your next robbery.

 

Now car theft is seen as low, something that only young street gang leaders would  do for fun, but it is a big money maker for the mob. You will need, some way of selling the cars, and Auto-Dealers would be perfect, but if you just have a phone that will do. What you have to do is a get a little crew together, guys who can brake into cars. And if you own an Auto Dealers, a front man. A guy gives your front mana call asking for say a silver Mercedes sl300. He knows that your business isn't all that squecky clean because the cars a so much cheaper than any where else. You notify your crew and when they find the merc they tell you, the colour dosn't really matter because you can have it resprayed. They take it to you, the guy gives you the cash and its his for say $10, 000. You give the guy who stole it $200 or something like that. Some guys Like Henry Hill did the same thing, except when there crew stole cars he the sold them onto car dealers in Taihiti where people would pay alot for American cars.