The gang was nationally organized and tied in with large construction companies. One scheme was they would be building apartment complexes across the country, install air conditioning units so the owner insurance would kick in for say for one unsuspecting owner in Florida and one in Texas, they would then "steal" all the units one night, throw them in semis and truck them across the country to swap them out. Then the owner would pay over the insurance to replace the units they already had on hand. So basically doubling their money on that for a few bucks in transportation.

He did end up in federal prison for racketeering once the insurance figured it out, but I had never realized how profitable being in a gang can become and why people get in that line, and why the government has such an interest in nipping gangs at the beginning before they get so powerful.