They controlled large illegal gambling, loansharking and bookmaking rackets. Ruggiero soon became successful in bookmaking, extortion and loansharking rackets. DiLeonardo also used his club as a headquarters for his bookmaking and loansharking, gambling operations. He was also involved in other drugs, football bookmaking, loansharking and legitimate businesses as well. This crew was involved in activities such as extortion, loan sharking, and bookmaking. They derived social power from robbery, violence, racketeering, illegal bookmaking and the control of gambling. Michael soon became involved in bookmaking, drug dealing, prostitution, robbery, and extortion. At first Persico did bookmaking and loan-sharking, then moved into burglaries and hijackings. By 1942, $500,000 a day was coming from the syndicate's bookmaking wire operations. These included numbers games, bookmaking, and underground casinos. A police report in 1979 alleged he was involved in illegal bookmaking. In 1992, he was convicted of criminal conspiracy and bookmaking charges. Perfection in the art of bookmaking is encouraged. In 1944 he gave evidence when Bugsy Siegel was on trial for bookmaking. He previously served three prison-stints for robbery, assault, bookmaking and firearm offenses.