In the 21st century , the Mafia has continued to be involved in a broad spectrum of illegal activities . These include murder , extortion , corruption of public officials , gambling , infiltration of legitimate businesses , labor racketeering , loan sharking , tax fraud schemes and stock manipulation schemes . Another factor contributing to the Mafia 's downfall is the assimilation of Italian Americans , which left a shallower recruitment pool of new mobsters . Although the Mafia used to be nationwide , today most of its activities are confined to the Northeast and Chicago . While other criminal organizations such as the Russian Mafia , Chinese Triad , Mexican drug cartels and others have all grabbed a share of criminal activities , the Mafia continues to be the dominant criminal organization in these regions , partly due to its strict hierarchical structure . Law enforcement is concerned with the possible resurgence of the Mafia as it regroups from the turmoil of the 1990s , although FBI and local law enforcement agencies now focus more on homeland security and less on organized crime since the September 11 attacks . In 2002 the FBI estimated that the Mafia earns $ 50 – $ 90 billion a year . To avoid FBI attention and prosecution , the modern Mafia also outsources a lot of its work to other criminal groups , such as motorcycle gangs
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
American Mafia