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| Round table: Reporting on Organized Crime
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 The Philadelphia Inquirer reporter George Anastasia took part in a discussion about the role of the media in the fight against organized crime on September 29, 2004 at the CSD. Mr. Anastasia has been writing about organized and disorganized crime for the past twenty years, covering the action from Atlantic City and South Philadelphia.
Mr. Anastasia pointed out two major tasks of the reporters: to enlighten a problem and generate a public discussion about its impact on the society. He also stressed on the three main instruments of the US law enforcement to tackle organized crime:
• the RICO law
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act provides for extended penalties for criminal acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. The law was enacted in the 70s but prosecutors started to implement it in the 80s.
• high-tech electronic surveillance
Tape recording was given as an example of the importance of electronic surveillance in a case when there is a good reason for keeping track of a suspect. The right to put bugs in someone’s office is however subject to the checks and balances system.
• testimony of the gangsters themselves
Further, George Anastasia made a parallel between the organized crime of the 20th century and the terrorism today saying that while the aim of the first was to corrupt the system, the terrorists want to destroy the system which requires a different policy and approach.
 Referring to the case of Bulgaria, Mr. Anastasia pointed out that the will to fight against the organized crime is not sufficient if there are not mechanisms and instruments to counteract.
Participants from the Academy of the Ministry of Interior, CSD experts and investigative journalists took part in the discussion sharing their own experience on researching and investigating organized crime.
George Anastasia
Biographical data
The Philadelphia Inquirer reporter is the author of five books. He has been featured on several network television news magazine reports about organized crime and has worked as a consultant on projects for ABC Primetime, the Discovery Channel and the History Channel.
His latest book is “The Last Gangster" (March 2004), the story of Ron Previte, Skinny Joey Merlino and the demise of the Philadelphia mob. His other books include “Blood and Honor” (1991), which Jimmy Breslin called it “the best gangster book ever written”; “The Summer Wind”(1999) about the Thomas Capano-Anne Marie Fahey murder case; “The Goodfella Tapes" (1998), and “Mobfather” (1993).
Anastasia is the author of a novella, “The Big Hustle” (Philadelphia Inquirer Books, 2001) and has contributed to two anthologies of Italian-American writers, “A Sitdown with the Sopranos” and “Don’t Tell Momma.”
Mr. Anastasia is a graduate of Dartmouth College (1969) with a B.A. in French Literature. He has been a newspaper reporter for the past thirty years.
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