Chapter 7 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 7 delves into one of the biggest moneymaking operations of the wiseguys, the airport in Queens. Valuable cargo is shipped in and out of the airport regularly, and the wiseguys learn to bribe and employ everyone from customs officials to cargo loaders to truck drivers and security men. In addition to stealing cargo, Jimmy Burke's men use stolen credit cards to buy airline tickets for resale. Frank Sinatra Jr.'s manager is a frequent customer, and is eventually convicted for using the stolen tickets; the wiseguys who sell him the tickets, however, are untouchable. Jimmy arranges for perhaps a dozen murders a year to silence people foolish enough to threaten to reveal his operation. Jimmy's love for hijacking finds its highest expression at the airport, and his reputation for violence frightens even the most hardened mafiosos. In fact, on his wedding...