In his book, Five Families, longtime New York Times organized-crime columnist Selwyn Raab wrote that a number of scholars have questioned whether Luciano was directly involved in "the Combination." According to Raab, there was evidence that Luciano profited from prostitution, and several members of his family ran a protection racket that ensnared many of New York City's madams and brothel keepers. However, Raab wrote, several Mafia and legal scholars believed that it would have been "out of character" for a crime boss of Luciano's stature to be directly involved in a prostitution ring.