In an article that I read in my Sunday paper they said that the leaders of the 5 mafia families in New York were in jail. How is this possible?

Prior to 1970, a Mob boss (not just a Don, but anyone who gave orders instead of carrying them out) could avoid prison through caution. If he lived modestly, laundered his money carefully, declared income from a "legitimate" job and paid taxes on that income, gave orders to subordinates one at a time without witnesses present, and was careful not to speak on the phone or in places that could be bugged, he had little to fear from the authorities. But in 1970, Congress passed the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act, which made it a felony, punishable by double-digit sentences, to conspire to be part of, or lead, a "criminal enterprise." "Conspiracy" is critical because, in most US courts, a felony conviction requires a "corroborating witness"--someone who'll back up the main witness against the defendant. And, as we know, witnesses against Mob bosses were few and far between. A conspiracy case doesn't require a corroborating witness.
What's more, even victims of the Mob can be prosecuted under RICO. A loan-shark victim, for example, who was forced to hand over his business to the Mob for unpaid debts and run it or "bust it out" for them, could be charged under RICO. This vastly increased the number of people who were willing to testify against mobsters in return for reduced charges.
Four NYC Mob bosses were indicted on RICO charges (the fifth, Vincent "Chin" Gigante, was declared non compos mentis-- mentally unfit to stand trial at that time). They were nailed by a combination of wiretaps and other electronic surveillance, and witnesses. Three went to prison for 90 years or more. Paul Castellano was whacked before he went to trial. John Gotti, who was not yet head of the Gambinos, was due to go on trial under RICO with his then-boss Aniello "Mr. Neil" Dellacroce, but Mr. Neil died on the day the trial was to begin, and the government took many months to separate out Gotti's case from Mr. Neil's. Gotti was eventually acquitted on the RICO charge, but as you know, he was nailed for Castellano's murder and died in prison last year.

Thankyou turnbull. As far as my mafia knowledge goes I don't really study the history or who the different heads were. Yet, what I do understand are their laws and stories which I've read about in many books. But not a day goes by that I don't jump at the chance to here a persons opinion or if there's something about it on the news. Anyway thanks for answering my question. It was rather hard to believe since there are so many levels between a soldier and the Don himself. And as in the "Godfather" I owe you a servise to repay this gratitude.

i don't know anything really--at least nothing to some people on here!--but my knowledge has increased immensely since joining here. i hadn't even heard of John Gotti before registering on here!

mick

ps. as ever, great answer turnball. the introduction of the RICO act must have been a major kick in the teeth for the Mafiosi.

Gotti would be turning over in his grave if he read your post, Mick!
Yes, indeed: RICO was one of two body-blows to the Mafia. The other was drugs. Contrary to their own myth-making, the Mob had always been involved in drugs. But, as long as the drug traffic was largely confined to blacks, Hispanics and other groups that society didn't care much about, the authorities usually looked the other way. In the Sixties, drug use exploded among white middle-class youngsters--many of whom were children of cops, politicians, judges, etc. That's when the authorities here started cracking down on the drug rackets and handing down big sentences. Facing big sentences, Mob guys started breaking omerta and implicating higher-ups. Don Corleone was prescient when he predicted that drugs would be the ruination of the Mafia.