Bonus: The mafia that even the mafia is afraid of that you've probably never heard of? The Jewish mafia.
Most of them were and are legit and the affinity just coming from jewish immigrants having a history in those fields living in europe. Not for money laundering what you implied. They are very well connected and help each other.
They are apparently so powerful they are the "Mafia of the Mafia", no sources just that they are "The Jewish Mafia". Are there Jewish mafiosi? Sure, like a lot of other nationalities and ethnic groups, but I doubt any mafiosi will see them as above them as the "puppet masters of international crime".
You call this intellectually honest?
A strawman attack. I was speaking of mafia in general in the first sentence.
>They are apparently so powerful they are the "Mafia of the Mafia"
Putting words in my mouth I never said, another strawman. There is a difference between saying they are the "mafia of the mafia" and saying they are a part of the mafia that even other mafia are afraid of.
>"puppet masters of international crime"
Far too simplistic a summarization of this much more nuanced and complex subject.
>You call this intellectually honest?
Yep, unlike your two comments.
Misha Glenny - author of the posted article - is also the writer behind BBC's McMafia (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05pksm8), which portrays the world (literally!) of organized crime through the eyes of a Russian Jewish 'mafia' family. Compelling viewing, and provides a lot of context for the comments of the parent post.
But it really was just another ethnic-based organized crime group, not substantially different from the others in any way, and most definitely not "The mafia that even the mafia is afraid of that you've probably never heard of?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOEGUAf3QxU