Inside the FBI Fighting Transnational Organized Crime
Nov 14, 2025
Guest
Claudia (Supervisory Special Agent, Transnational Organized Crime Western Hemisphere Unit / FBI San Juan)
Guest
Joseph (unit chief, Transnational Crime Section)
Guest
John Fox
Dr. John Fox, an FBI historian, shares insights on the Bureau’s first encounters with organized crime, including the transformative 1957 mob meeting. Joseph, a unit chief, discusses innovative strategies like RICO and money-laundering prosecutions that target criminal revenue streams. Claudia, a supervisory special agent, highlights the frontline impact of operations against gangs like MS-13 in Puerto Rico, stressing the community effects of drug violence. Together, they emphasize the importance of collaboration and public involvement in dismantling transnational crime.
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How RICO Transformed Organized Crime Cases
- The FBI combined wiretaps, undercover agents, and RICO to prosecute national organized crime leaders effectively.
- This trio transformed investigations from local prosecutions to dismantling entire criminal enterprises.
The 1957 Meeting That Revealed A Network
- In 1957, a mob meeting at Joseph Barbara's house exposed national coordination when state police recorded out-of-state license plates.
- John Fox used that event to illustrate when the FBI realized organized crime was a national, not just local, problem.
RICO Lets You Target The Whole Enterprise
- RICO lets prosecutors treat a pattern of crimes as one enterprise and impose harsher penalties on leaders.
- Joseph emphasized RICO's power to charge members for the group's collective criminal acts.