Matteo Messina Denaro, the so-called "boss of bosses" from Cosa Nostra or the Sicilian Mafia, has been a wanted man since 1993, and his days on the run may be drawing to a close as authorities seize the wealth -- $3.8 billion since 2009 -- that props him up as reported by Tom Kington for the Los Angeles Times: "investigators will not say whether they believe an arrest is imminent, but police have ramped up seizures of businesses they believe are fronting for Messina Denaro," and are hoping that he "could yet be betrayed by otherwise loyal entrepreneurs exasperated by the growing number of seizures of their bank accounts, properties and businesses."
U.S. law enforcement could take a page from Italy's anti-Mafia playbook by targeting the so-called legitimate businesses which front for and otherwise associate with the mob families. Indeed, the Treasury Department should designate New York's five families as transnational criminal organizations under Executive Order 13581 which would freeze their U.S. assets and ban Americans from conducting business with them. Inexplicably, the American authorities have ignored this powerful tool in going after the Italian mob and left its economic infrastructure in place.
Further reading that may be of interest:
Treasury Department Targets Latino Gang; Continues To Ignore Italian Mob
