Dixie Mafia

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The Dixie Mafia was a criminal organization operating primarily in the southern states, hitting its peak during the 1970s, but still operating on a smaller scale today. It was particularly well known for violence, and was primarily a loosely knit group that used each member's talents in various crime categories to help move stolen merchandise and illegal alcohol and drugs for profit.^[1]

Beginning in the late 1960's, the gang began working as a loose knit group of traveling criminals, specifically performing residential and home burglary, robbery, and theft. They also became known for doing contract killings and assassinations of persons usually associated somehow with the group. The Dixie Mafia did not function as historical mafia groups did, with a set chain of command, but rather was led by whoever had the largest amount of money, and therefore the strongest power hold.

Particularly in Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, the group had very strong ties. Their strongest operating areas centered around Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Atlanta, Georgia. However, satellite operations were harder to pinpoint, and usually in less visible locations.^[2]^[3]^[4]

They usually, but not always, chose to set up operations in areas that lacked strong, coordinated law enforcement, particularly in small communities throughout the south. By doing this, murders, intimidation, or other criminal activities could easily take place without local law enforcement being able to directly link the crimes to the organization. Small town and county law enforcement agencies, especially in poorer sections of the south up to the 1990s, were usually inadequately equipped, and rarely had officers with extensive experience in the investigation of Homicide or Organized Crime. Therefore, a murder could be somewhat easily carried out without much concern for local law enforcement officials making the connection to the Dixie Mafia.

Usually, an operator would set themselves up in a small business, typically the buying and selling of items, whether it be junk or antiques, and at first sight this business would seem legitimate. From this base, they would give themselves a front to accumulate and sell stolen items provided to them from others within the network. Although these operations might be suspected of criminal activity, they would usually operate only long enough to arouse suspicion, then move on to another location.

Many members of the Dixie Mafia were former prisoners from either the state or federal prison systems. It was usually while in prison that they were recruited as members, and generally a member had to have a history of violence. According to an article written on the topic in the Las Vegas Journal Review, the gang was well known for its violence in enforcing debts owed to gambling houses and strip clubs. The Dixie Mafia also had one precept that members were expected to adhere to: "Thou shalt not snitch to the cops".^[5] One of the gang's most notable members was Kirksey McCord Nix Jr., who was convicted of the murder of wealthy New Orleans grocery owner Frank Corso, and was a suspect in the assassination attempt on McNairy County, Tennessee Sheriff Buford Pusser and his wife.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10] Notable exceptions to that rule are Sheriff Leroy Hobbs and Chief of Police Craig Monroe.^[11]

The terms "Dixie-Mafia" and "Southern Mafia" have been used apparently interchangebly. Uses are documented back to 1993 when Scarfone writes about "Dixie-Mafia" or "Southern Mafia" working together with "Italian Mafia" in the South. His writing about the "Good Ol' Boy's Southern-Mafia" in Chapters 3 and 4 shows its indigenous nature.^[12]