COURT

U.S. Court for the Southern District of New York

Topic: Dismantling the Mafia Commission, 1985

BACKGROUND GUIDE TO BE RELEASED
RULES OF PROCEDURE GUIDE TO BE RELEASED

Committee Profile

In the height of the 1980s, New York City became the United States’ epicenter for organized crime. Fueled by decades of silence, extortion, and corruption, the Italian-American Mafia embedded itself into the Big Apple. They controlled labor unions, construction rackets, and criminal gambling operations. All of this was made possible by the Mafia’s unspoken ‘governing body’ known as the Commission. This “board of directors” was composed of the bosses of New York’s Five Families, and for years, it had operated with near-total impunity. Law enforcement had long known of the Commission's existence, but proving it in a court of law was another matter entirely. 

It wasn't until the relentless ambition of U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani, armed with the powers of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, that the federal government finally had the tools that it needed to strike at the heart of the criminal empire. In this committee, delegates will be tasked with determining the guilt or innocence of Anthony Salerno and his fellow Commission members on charges of racketeering, extortion, fraud, and criminal gambling; all while navigating the treacherous intersections of law, loyalty, and power, as the fate of the most notorious criminal organization in American history rests in your hands.

Committee Chair

  • Fordham University at Rose Hill 

    Leila Carson is a first-year student at Fordham University, majoring in Political Science on the Pre-Law Track. She has participated in Model UN all throughout high school, taking on the role of president of her school’s club during her sophomore year. This will be her 5th year with PacMUN (1 as a delegate, 3 as a co-chair, and 1st year as a Chair!), and she is very excited to meet all of her delegates and see how they interact with the crises presented before them. Outside of MUN, you can find her binging whatever show is trending on TikTok, reading, or wandering around NYC trying to find the best matcha place. She looks forward to some engaging and dramatic debate as her delegates navigate the unique challenges that a court committee has to offer!