“H2O” – Violence and Relation to Power in Organized Crime

Antonio Nicaso

Lecturer, Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures

Synopsis: Professor Antonio Nicaso is a researcher who studies Mafia and mafia-type criminal organizations. He is regularly asked for input on organized crime activities by international governments and law-enforcement agencies. He has recently had his true crime novel Business or Blood: Mafia Boss Vito Rizzuto’s Last War turned into a television series called Bad Blood on City TV. In this episode, Nicaso explains how he came to research Mafia and other organized crime. While he does use empirical evidence, such as court documents, to gather information, he also collects data from the “under world and the upper world” to show all sides of the issue. Nicaso then discusses how he handles confidentiality and meetings with those involved in this area, as well as his own findings on how organized crime creates connections to the “upper world.”

Please visit Antonio’s website for more information about his research.