The easy joke, of course, is that they set it up.
From the International Herald Tribune:
Organized crime represents the biggest segment of the Italian economy, accounting for €90 billion in receipts, according to an annual report issued Monday.
The report, titled "SOS Businesses" and released by the Confesercenti, a major business association in Italy, asserts that through various activities - extortion, usury, contraband, robberies, gambling and Internet piracy - organized-crime syndicates account for 7 percent of Italy's gross domestic product.
"From the weaving factories, to tourism to business and personal services, from farming to public contracts to real estate and finance, the criminal presence is consolidated in every economic activity," the report said.
The €90 billion, or $128 billion, compares with the figure of €75 billion in the group's 2006 report.
Also highlighted is the trend of collusion that big businesses, especially in public works, participate in. "The businessmen prefer to make a pact with the Mafia rather than denounce the blackmail," the report said....MORE
