What Paulie and the Organization does is offer protection for people who can't go to the cops. That's it.
9 seconds sound clip from the Goodfellas movie soundboard.
You can hear this line at 00:08:54 in the Blu-ray version of the movie.
Quote context
[...]
- Hundreds of guys depended on Paulie, he got a piece of everything they made.
- It was a tribute, just like in the old country, except they were doing it here, in America.
- All they got from Paulie was protection from other guys looking to rip them off.
- And that's what it's all about. That's what the FBI could never understand.
- That's all it is. They're like the police department for wiseguys.
- People looked at me differently, and they knew I was with somebody.
- I didn't have to wait in line at the bakery on Sunday mornings for fresh bread.
[...]