Organized Crime 11th Edition Abadinsky Test Bank

Organized Crime 11th Edition
Abadinsky Test Bank

Visit to Download in Full:
https://testbankdeal.com/download/organized-crime-11th-edition-abadinsky-test-bank/
Name: Class: Date:
Chapter 06: Russia and the Former Soviet Union

Multiple Choice
1. In the Soviet Union, “organized crime” was simply a system of corrupt relationships among various sectors of society
with the Communist Party in the dominate role, rather than what kind of organization?
a. Albaninan organized crime-style
b. Mafia-style
c. Mexican cartel-style
d. Colombian cartel-style
ANSWER: b
2. Which of the following is/are part of Russian organized crime since the lifting of Communist control?
a. crime
b. politics
c. business
d. crime, politics, and business
ANSWER: d
3. Which type of structures do Russian organized crime groups create on an as-needed basis to carry out particular
crimes?
a. floating
b. rigid
c. strict kinship
d. distinct
ANSWER: a
4. Post-1987 economic liberalization in Russia paved the way which of the following?
a. criminal organizations
b. improved law enforcement
c. bank regulations
d. stronger judicial efforts to reduce crime
ANSWER: a
5. In post-Soviet Russia, several years of market reform changed the nature of the nation’s economy, and also:
a. improved the standard of living for most people.
b. brought hyperinflation.
c. reduced the level of unemployment.
d. stabilized the political system.
ANSWER: b
6. The breeding and training ground for Russian organized crime was established during the:
a. Communist era.
b. Military era.
c. Democratic era.
d. Weimar era.
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 1

Name: Class: Date:
ANSWER: a
7. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Nomenklatura were considered to be ________________ who merged with
the criminal underworld to take advantage of the political and economic opportunity.
a. thieves with a code of honor
b. elite Communist bureaucrats
c. czarists
d. Chechen crime groups
ANSWER: b
8. Where did the vory develop?

a. in church
b. in prison
c. in the slums
d. in saloons
ANSWER: b
9. What did vory members often have that revealed their status in the organization’s hierarchy and even their criminal
specialty?
a. jackets
b. flags
c. tattoos
d. jackets, flags, and tattoos
ANSWER: c
10. During World War II, the vory split into two factions, one supporting efforts to defeat the invading Nazis and the other
loyal to the thieves’ underworld. What were these two factions called?
a. patriots; traditionalists
b. traditionalists; realists
c. conservatives; realists
d. realists; patriots
ANSWER: a
11. What is one of the most nefarious activities associated with Russian organized crime, which only began occurring
after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991?
a. hijacking airline cargo
b. illegal alcohol distribution
c. sex trafficking of women
d. gun smuggling
ANSWER: c
12. Vory membership requires all of the following, except for:

a. three sponsors.
b. a formal ceremony.
c. an oath of allegiance to abide by all 18 rules.
Name: Class: Date:
d. the murder of at least one random person on behalf of the organization.

ANSWER: d
13. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, three overlapping categories of Russian organized crime groups appeared.
Which of the following is NOT one of these three groups?
a. sportsmen and veterans
b. vory
c. religious-based groups
d. ethnic-based groups
ANSWER: c
14. Which of the following is true about the contemporary vory?

a. They allow female members.
b. Tattoos are not required.
c. Only former convicts can be members.
d. They are less well-organized than the old vory.
ANSWER: b
15. Who are reportedly the only criminal group in Russia that does not respect the territoriality of the vory?
a. Siberians
b. Latvians
c. Georgians
d. Chechens
ANSWER: d
16. What does the term “Vory v zakone” mean?

a. “good for nothing”
b. “hall or gathering place”
c. “thieves with a code of honor”
d. “men of violence”
ANSWER: c
17. The Chechen organized crime portfolio includes all of the following except for:
a. arms trafficking.
b. currency counterfeiting.
c. financial document counterfeiting.
d. child trafficking.
ANSWER: d
18. Which of the following activities is associated with Russian organized crime?
a. trafficking in women for the sex industry
b. trafficking in marijuana
c. smuggling immigrants into the country
d. cloning cell phones
Name: Class: Date:
ANSWER: a
19. Russian gangsters have long been involved in the production and sale of what powerful drug?
a. heroin
b. methamphetamine
c. cocaine
d. methadone
ANSWER: d
20. Vory members’ _____________ often reveal their status within the organization’s hierarchy and even their criminal
specialty area.
a. back patches
b. weapon they carry
c. color of outer clothing
d. tattoos
ANSWER: d
21. In reference to its level of organized crime activity, which area has been likened to “Chicago of the twenties”?
a. Georgia
b. Moscow
c. Chechnya
d. Odessa
ANSWER: c
22. Today, many of the criminals who work for Russian organized crime operations in the United States tend to be of
what descent?
a. Hungarian
b. Yugoslavian
c. Jewish
d. Polish
ANSWER: c
23. Which of the following is NOT true about Russian organized criminals in the United States?
a. They are educated.
b. They have military experience.
c. They began their criminal careers as members of adolescent street gangs in ethnic ghettos.
d. They exploit the Russian émigré community.
ANSWER: c
24. During the 1990s in the United States, Russian organized crime groups were involved in a number of different
schemes, including tax fraud and evasion on certain products like alcohol and:
a. chocolate.
b. fuel oil.
c. cigarettes.

Name: Class: Date:
d. seafood.
ANSWER: b
25. In 1995, Ivankov’s reign as the reputed leading Russian crime boss in the United States ended when he was arrested
for violations of which law?
a. RICO
b. the Hobbs Act
c. the Harrison Act
d. immigration laws
ANSWER: b
26. Russian crime groups in the United States are typically fluid, membership is transient, and about what size?
a. 5–20 people
b. 30–40 people
c. about 50 people
d. upwards of 100 people
ANSWER: a
27. Notorious Russian mobster and member of the Soltntsevskaya Bratva crime group, Semion Mogilevich made his first
fortune by defrauding which group fleeing to the United States to avoid Soviet rule?
a. Jews
b. Italians
c. Catholics
d. Protestants
ANSWER: a
28. Which of the following statements is false regarding Russian organized crime?
a. Russian criminals began their criminal careers as members of adolescent street gangs in ethnic ghettos.
b. Russian organized crime encompasses any ethnic or national groups from the territory of the former Soviet
Union.
c. In the former Soviet Union, law enforcement resources have been inadequate to deal with the menace of
organized crime.
d. The breeding and training ground for Russian organized crime was established during the Communist era.
ANSWER: a
29. In what section of New York City did many Russian émigrés settle and where many Russian organized crime groups
have headquartered their illicit operations?
a. Manhattan
b. Upper West Side
c. Brighton Beach
d. Upper East Side
ANSWER: c
30. The Russian wiseguy, like his Sicilian mafioso counterpart, acts in what capacity so that persons who do not trust one
another can transact business with a significant degree of confidence?
Name: Class: Date:
a. conservator
b. motivator
c. guarantor
d. contractor
ANSWER: c
True / False
31. Most Russian criminals began their criminal careers as members of adolescent street gangs in ethnic ghettos.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
32. In the former Soviet Union, law enforcement resources have been inadequate to deal with the menace of organized
crime.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
33. The vory developed among hardcore prison camp inmates.

a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
34. The vory is one of the few organized crime groups in the world that allow woman.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
35. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, vory groups were no longer an important element in Russian organized crime.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
36. Currently, in the territory of the former Soviet Union, organized crime wields power over all the economy.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
37. Russian criminals who come to the United States typically possess martial skills learned in the military and some
degree of advanced education.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

Name: Class: Date:

38. Russian organized criminal groups have a long historical involvement in the trafficking of women for the sex industry
both in and beyond Europe.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
39. In reference to organized crime in Russia, certain ethnic groups like the Chechens are no longer involved in illicit
activities.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
40. In the former Soviet Union, “organized crime” was a system of corrupt relationships among various sectors of society
with the Communist Party in the dominant role.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
Completion
41. The three overlapping categories of Russian organized crime are sportsmen and veterans, _____________, and the
vory.
ANSWER: ethnic-based groups
42. The breeding and training ground for Russian organized crime was established during the Soviet _____________ era.
ANSWER: Communist
43. The _____________, highly regarded thieves who control many of the current Russian organized crime rackets,
developed among hardcore prison camp inmates.
ANSWER: vory
44. Russian organized crime has more in common with the historical American _____________ of the early 1900s than
with the likes of the original Sicilian Mafia of the 1920s and 30s that impacted such areas as New York City and Chicago.
ANSWER: Robber Barons
45. Durkheim’s concept of _____________ fits Russia’s present day situation of social unrest.
ANSWER: anomie
46. _____________ are informal organizations whose members share a set of behaviors and expectations.
ANSWER: Clans
47. A meeting between Russian Mafia bosses to resolve business disputes is the _____________, where both sides are
accompanied by armed guards.
ANSWER: strelka
48. _____________ is an acronym for the Russian prison service and a term used to identify penal colonies.
ANSWER: GULAG
Name: Class: Date:
49. Semion Mogilevich, a Ukrainian-born Jew with a degree in economics, made his first fortune by defrauding fellow
Jews who were fleeing to _____________ before later joining the infamous Moscow-based organized crime group known
as the Solntsevo Brotherhood.
ANSWER: the United States
50. The ethnic-based organized group known as the ________________ are reportedly the only criminal group that does
not respect the territoriality of the vory.
ANSWER: Chechens
Essay
51. How did the collapse of the Soviet Union change Russian organized crime?
ANSWER: It created opportunity for a huge expansion of organized crime, because formerly collectively owned
businesses became available for private ownership. Some organized crime figures became wealthy beyond the
wildest dreams of the Soviet-era vory. Violence escalated dramatically as organized criminals fought for
power. The former tattoos and coded language diminished in importance, as criminals pursued wealth rather
than symbolism. Politicians and bureaucrats, formerly in collusion with organized crime, became their
business partners after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The legal system failed to keep pace with the dramatic
social and economic changes, so organized crime became providers of legal and law enforcement services,
such as security and contract enforcement.
52. Explain the history of the vory, including who they are and what they represent. Next, what happened to the vory
during WWII?
ANSWER: While the former Soviet Union did not have organized crime in the pattern of the American racketeer, it did
have an extensive professional underworld with roots that date back to the end of the seventeenth and
beginning of the eighteenth century when gangs of itinerant petty criminals began to form a criminal hierarchy
called by law enforcement the vory v zakone, “thieves with a code of honor.” In the tradition of the Neapolitan
Camorra (discussed in Chapter 4), the vory thrived among hard-core prison camp inmates. With the growth of
a revolutionary movement in Russia, the czar consigned large numbers of educated political dissidents to
prison camps where they replaced the older criminal leadership and established a vory code that forbade
adherence to a conventional lifestyle. The vory conspiratorial code forbade any involvement in politics or
collaboration with the state. Alexander Yarmysh (2001) considers this an extension of the “peasant commune
mentality” according to which involvement with official authorities is forbidden—the state being viewed as
hostile and oppressive. However, the vory collaborated with prison authorities in order to gain for themselves
better conditions, in exchange for which they helped maintain order (Rawlinson 2010). Prison domination
serves to temper anti-vory activity because criminals recognize that they may at some point become
incarcerated and subject to vory control. As Stalin’s gulags began to fill up with political enemies, an even
more rigid vory code of behavior evolved, and during World War II the leadership began establishing an
interregional corporate-type structure (Cheloukhine 2008). During World War II, the vory split into two
factions: one (patriots) supported efforts to defeat the invading Nazis, whereas the other (traditionalists)
remained aloof. By 1953, the patriots had been driven out of the “thieves’ world” for their disloyalty to its
traditions (Chalidze 1977; Friedman 2000). Eventually, the vory “changed its law to permit the scabs back in
and to accept involvement with the authorities” (Schulte-Bockholt 2006: 164).
Thus, during World War II, the vory split into two factions; one (patriots) supported efforts to defeat the
invading Nazis, whereas the other (traditionalists) remained aloof. By 1953, the patriots had been driven out of
the “thieves’ world” for their disloyalty to its traditions. Eventually, the vory “changed its law to permit the
scabs back in and to accept involvement with the authorities” (Schulte-Bockholt 2006: 164). Today they are
still considered to be some of the most notorious Russian organized crime figures, operating in Russia and
beyond.
Name: Class: Date:
53. How was the new vory that emerged in the 1980s different from the previous version of the organization? Why did it
change?
ANSWER: It was more violent, less interested in ritual and tradition, and focused on material gain. In concert with the
economic structural change in Russia in the 1980s, the vory became more economically driven and less
ritualistic. Their organizations became more structured in order to conduct larger economic pursuits and
quicker operations. To do this, they abandoned some of the thieves’ traditions. Most importantly, the wealth
they can now command through bank fraud, drug trafficking, and other organized criminal activities far
exceeds what the old vory could achieve in their old tradition-bound subculture.
54. Describe the role that the ethnic-based group known as the Chechens has had with the proliferation of organized crime
activities in both Russia and beyond.
ANSWER: One of these groups originated in the Central Asian region of the Caucasus Mountains due north of the
Georgian Republic. Largely Muslim, historically hostile to Moscow, and legendary warriors, Stalin accused
Chechens of collaborating with the Nazis during World War II, and in 1944 they were subjected to massive
deportations. In 1957, after Stalin’s death, Chechens were allowed to return to the region. Known for strong
family loyalties and a sense of personal honor, Chechens, like Sicilians, are governed by the concept of
omertá—adat requires vengeance to uphold family honor (Gallagher 1995a; “History of Antagonism” 1994).
And the Russian attitude toward Chechens parallels that of northern Italians toward Sicilians.
In 1991, Chechen leaders declared their independence and quickly became locked in violent conflict with the
Russian military. Independence leader Dzhokar Dudayev is reported to have turned Chechnya into “Chicago
of the twenties.” “Chechen mafiosi engaged in some of the most spectacular criminal scams Russia has ever
known. With Dudayev’s police looking the other way (or, more likely, cooperating at every turn), Grozny [the
capital] became a center of illegal trade. The city’s airport served as a hub for unsanctioned flights hauling
contraband and outlaws.… The flights—from the Middle East, Turkey, central Asia, and elsewhere—brought
in huge amounts of narcotics and ‘duty free’ goods, and a succession of bandits in hiding. Mafiosi were also in
the habit of robbing cargo trains traveling through Chechen territory” (Remnick 1995: 53). After two wars,
one from 1994 to 1996 and a second that began in 1999, Russian forces were finally successful in thwarting
the independence movement and installing a pro-Moscow regime headed by Ramzan A. Kadyrov. Kadyrov is
notorious for his iron-fisted rule, and has turned Chechyna into an Islamic republic, albeit a moderate one. He
is dependent on Russian financial support, which has allowed him to amass a heavily armed militia. He is a
strong backer of Russia’s Vladimir Putin (Herszeihorn 2015). Vast supplies of arms were left in Chechnya by
the Russian military; arms trafficking and counterfeiting of currency and financial documents are important
parts of the Chechen crime portfolio.
Chechen crime groups operate in many areas of the former Soviet Union, including Moscow. “The group is
more structured than most. Most important for them is the strict hierarchical arrangement of their clan
relationships. It is a closed organization, recruiting only from among their own people. Chechens actively
recruit juveniles from the Chechen regions where unemployment is high. This ensures a degree of ‘purity’ in
the membership, making it difficult for law enforcement agencies lacking personnel that speak Chechen to
infiltrate the group.… Each group has a clear structure: leader, senior advisors, soldiers, and associated
members” (Serio 1992b: 5). Exhibiting the value of a bad reputation, Chechen crime groups guard their
reputation for violence; any group claiming a Chechen connection that fails to carry out its threats—devaluing
the brand—is likely to be “visited” by the genuine article (Glenny 2008). Protection rackets, enforcement of
restraint-of-trade agreements, and narcotics and weapons trafficking are all part of the Chechen crime
repertoire. The Chechen reputation for being both violent and fearless is often sufficient to cow an opponent—
but sometimes not: In 1993, a group of well-armed gangsters drove to a building across the Moscow River
from the Kremlin to extort money from a local businessman. They were met by the businessman’s protectors,
Chechens, who opened fire, killing the gangster boss and four of his men (LeVine, McKay, and Lebedeva
1993). Members of Chechen groups have been found throughout Eastern and Western Europe and have sent
members to New York to set up operations. Some have entered the United States for contract crimes—murder,
Name: Class: Date:
extortion, fraud— after which they return home before authorities can detect and apprehend them. Chechens
are reportedly the only criminal group that does not respect the territoriality of the vory (Cheloukhine 2008).
55. In what way did the economic liberalization that transpired after the fall of the Soviet Union help foster and cultivate
the growth of organized crime in Russia?
ANSWER: It awakened the entrepreneurial spirit of capitalism, and paved the way for the entry of criminal organizations.
It solidified the connection between the shadow (black market) economy and the criminal organizations, as
they scrambled for greater power and wealth.
The sudden onset of a market economy gave rise to unrestrained aspirations—the classic condition Émile
Durkheim referred to as anomie (discussed in Chapter 2). Although written in 1897, Durkheim’s concept fits
the situation of present-day Russia: “The collapse of the previous system brought in fundamental changes in
social and political order which shaped the personal lives of individuals in the most profound way. Several
years of market reforms which changed the nature of the country’s economy also brought with them
hyperinflation, a sharp rise in unemployment and an overall drop in the standard of living” (Frisby 1998: 27).
In 1991, when the Soviet Union broke into fifteen independent states, Russia struggled to establish a modern
market economy and achieve strong economic growth. The economy initially contracted despite the country’s
wealth of natural resources, its well-educated population, and its diverse—although increasingly dilapidated—
industrial base. Concomitantly, rapid social transformation resulting from market reforms created fantastic
wealth for the few nouveau riche. Ironically, most of those who had power under communism not only
retained their material status, but frequently improved it considerably. Under Vladimir Putin, a former
intelligence agency chief, Russia has experienced the curtailing of civil liberties, and opposition political
candidates have not been allowed to compete in national elections (Chivers 2008a).
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the nomenklatura (elite communist bureaucrats) merged with the
criminal underworld to take advantage of political and economic opportunity. Expanding illegal business
activities to gain maximum profit in minimum time, however, is potentially dangerous, and the new pirate
capitalists formed criminal organizations. “Thus, as strange as it might seem, the communist ideology was
easily replaced by a criminal one and the former party leaders eagerly entered into cooperation with the
criminal world” (Dryomin 2003: 57). Since the collapse of communism, the legal system has failed to keep
pace with dramatic social and economic changes. The sudden transition to a market economy occurred in the
absence of a legal structure that could reliably protect property rights, enforce contracts, and settle business
disputes. Criminal organizations emerged to fill this vacuum (Varese 2011). Vulnerable businessmen began
relying on the suddenly increasing private protection services, a large number of which operate without proper
registration or licenses. Many resorted to taking justice into their own hands, often with assistance from the
criminal fraternity. As a result, a kind of “shadow justice” appeared, dominated by criminals (Frisby 1998).
Wars broke out as criminals struggled to claim state enterprises and property, leading to informal agreements
that defined territories and functional boundaries. In industries owned or extorted by criminals, the result was
higher prices passed on to consumers by industry-wide cartels. Criminals became deeply entrenched in the
Russian economy (Tomass 1998). Nascent capitalism, a relaxation of the totalitarian law enforcement
apparatus, and liberalization of travel provided a fertile environment for criminals schooled in a system rife
with corruption and an underground economy.

Organized Crime 11th Edition Abadinsky Test Bank

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Organized Crime 11th Edition Abadinsky Test Bank

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Organized Crime 11th Edition

Abadinsky Test Bank

Chapter 06: Russia and the Former Soviet Union

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 1

Chapter 06: Russia and the Former Soviet Union

8. Where did the vory develop?

12. Vory membership requires all of the following, except for:

Chapter 06: Russia and the Former Soviet Union

d. the murder of at least one random person on behalf of the organization.

14. Which of the following is true about the contemporary vory?

16. What does the term “Vory v zakone” mean?

Chapter 06: Russia and the Former Soviet Union

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 4

Chapter 06: Russia and the Former Soviet Union

Chapter 06: Russia and the Former Soviet Union

33. The vory developed among hardcore prison camp inmates.

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 6

Chapter 06: Russia and the Former Soviet Union

Chapter 06: Russia and the Former Soviet Union

Chapter 06: Russia and the Former Soviet Union

Chapter 06: Russia and the Former Soviet Union

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 10

You might also like