Part 10/12:
The Appalachian meeting is often cited as a pivotal moment in American crime history. Not only did it reveal the sheer scale of the Mafia, but it also catalyzed significant federal pushback. The incident awakened the FBI and prompted an aggressive crackdown on organized crime, shattering the Mafia’s carefully constructed facade of invisibility.
The Downfall of Vito Genovese
In the wake of the Appalachian debacle, Genovese felt the heat of federal investigations closing in. As a criminal charged with narcotics-related crimes, his luck ran out with a conviction in 1959. Sentenced to 15 years in prison, Genovese’s career marked an ironic and tragic conclusion—he’d achieved the pinnacle of his ambitions but at the cost of exposing the entire Mafia infrastructure to police scrutiny.