10 Surprising Acts Of Kindness From Big-Time Mafia Leaders

When a massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan in 2011, the Yakuza showed up to help. They were the least expected group.

Two major Yakuza factions, known for extortion and prostitution rings, provided aid.These factions moved supplies to emergency centers in the Kobe region.They brought food, water, and medical supplies. At least 27,000 people died, and thousands more suffered from the quake. Some thought this was a trick to get police leniency. Others, including Yakuza members, claimed they wanted to skip government red tape and aid those in need.

Most people link Pablo Escobar to cocaine, brutal killings, and a huge drug operation. Few know Escobar spent millions of his own money helping Colombian citizens.Escobar helped the people of Colombia.Pablo Escobar appears in the list '10 Surprising Acts Of Kindness From Big-Time Mafia Leaders'.

He built schools, paved roads, brought clean water, offered healthcare, supported churches, and invested in affordable housing. Escobar's life of crime and murders is undeniable. His community investments greatly improved lives for poor and underserved Colombians.

Michael "Yuppie Don" Franzese was one of New York City's richest mobsters. In the 1980s, Franzese, a member of the Colombo crime family, ran a gasoline bootlegging racket. His arrest and 10-year prison sentence came in 1985.

After release, Franzese changed his life. He started the Breaking Out Foundation, an organization that helps young people avoid similar mistakes. He wroteMichael Franzese is listed in '10 Surprising Acts Of Kindness From Big-Time Mafia Leaders' for quitting the mob.Franzese published this in 1992 and traveled the country. He spoke on college campuses about the consequences of choices.

In 1964, the FBI struggled to find three civil rights workers missing in Mississippi. They hired Gregory Scarpa, a ruthless Colombo family enforcer, to travel to Mississippi and pressure KKK members untilthey revealed where the civil rights workers were buried.Gregory Scarpa appears in the list '10 Surprising Acts Of Kindness From Big-Time Mafia Leaders'.

A court testimony from Scarpa's girlfriend showed he used an extra-legal interrogation to find the workers' graves. This led authorities to find the workers' final resting place and hold the responsible KKK members accountable.

Emmanuel "Manny" Garofalo, 64, used charity to give back to his community and himself. In 2013, while serving time for a past mob crime, a federal judge shortened his sentence if he promised to help rebuild Sea Gate, a Brooklyn community destroyed by Hurricane Sandy.

The judge said there was a sense that Mr. Garofalo wanted to make amends. Garofalo looked after the frail and elderly members of his community. Enemies feared him, but neighbors loved him.

During WWII, Charlie "Lucky" Luciano held great influence in protecting New York City's docks and harbors.Luciano protected the docks of New York City and its harbors from strikes, German saboteurs, and other issues.Luciano protected the docks of New York City and its harbors from strikes, German saboteurs, and other issues.

New York Governor Thomas Dewey, who prosecuted Luciano's case, commuted his sentence. Dewey left the United States, and Luciano went back to Italy.

Making alcohol illegal during Prohibition in the 1920s did not stop Chicagoans' thirst for beer and liquor. Mob boss Al Capone met this huge demand by developing and monopolizing an international bootlegging market.Capone said, "All I do is supply a public demand.""Somebody had to throw some liquor on that thirst. Why not me?" Capone famously said.

Capone also bought legal immunity by bribing police and politicians. He still managed to please much of the community with his actions.

Without the mob's influence, legendary singer and trumpeter Louis Armstrong might never have gotten his break, solidifying his status as a top performer of traditional pop and jazz. In 1900s New Orleans, the Sicilian mob controlled the economy, including brothels, saloons, and speakeasies. Sicilian Henry Matranga, head of the Matranga family, opened businesses near the French Quarter for those who liked jazz.

Teenage Louis Armstrong earned his first paycheck playing trumpet in a Matranga-owned brothel.Italian and Jewish gangsters owned jazz clubs in the big cities.Jazz scholar Jerome Charyn wrote, "There would have been no 'Jazz Age' and very little jazz without white gangsters taking Black and white jazz musicians under their wing."White gangsters took Black and white jazz musicians under their wing.White gangsters took Black and white jazz musicians under their wing.

Arnold "The Brain" Rothstein financed Broadway, a worldwide institution, in large part."The Brain"Rothstein invested in speakeasies, casinos, and horse tracks, and rigged the 1919 Major League Baseball World Series.Rothstein invested in speakeasies, casinos, and horse tracks, and rigged the 1919 Major League Baseball World Series.On Broadway, Rothstein opened several businesses and cultural landmarks, such as the Selwyn Theater on 42nd Street.

Rothstein's efforts revitalized the area and community. Because of his investments, plays people love became huge hits.

Las Vegas is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the United States.Las Vegas is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the United States.Mobsters likely helped make Las Vegas a popular spot.This would not happen without the help of mobsters.During the 1930s, Meyer Lansky, leader of the Jewish crime organization Syndicate, controlled most gambling on the West Coast. He also ran casinos in Miami, Saratoga Springs, New York, and Cuba.

In 1945, Lansky built the Flamingo Hotel & Casino and passed it to Bugsy Siegel.Bugsy SiegelThe mob created a beloved American institution.