The beginning of organized crime in Russia can be traced back to outlaw peasant bands in the early 17th century. Modern organized crime in Russia has grown out of four centers of criminality: (1) common criminals in well-structured gangs with established codes of conduct. Authorities relied on them to run the prisons from inside and the cooperation between gangs and government officials opened up more sophisticated financial crimes; (2) corrupt Communist party members, government officials, and business figures; (3) various ethnic and national groups; and (4) criminal associations based on control of a particular geographic region, a specific criminal activity, shared experiences, membership in certain clubs or a particular leader. The post-Soviet government has neither the power of the Communist government to control crime nor new laws and enforcement agencies to take on the task. The article examines the emergence of Russian organized crime in the United States, which began in the 1970's, partially as the result of expanding immigration policies. References