'Amish Mafia' TV Show: SPOILER Reveals The Truth Behind The Series' Legitimacy, Details
Discovery Channel's popular reality show "Amish Mafia" has continued to garner attention throughout the United States on a massive scale. While many viewers would conveniently like to believe that the Amish vigilantes are undertaking such enforcement measures, the truth behind the seemingly intimidating faction is now coming out.
Lebanon Levi, who is considered the Lancaster, Pennsylvania group's boss in the series, has been depicted as an Amish version of "The Godfather's" Vito Corleone.
"Lebanon is the cops. He is the courthouse, he is the bank and he is the insurance company," Esther, another show character says, according to Morning Call.
However, Karin Meacham, who runs the store Visitors Art & Glassworks along with her husband Gary Ziffer, did acknowledge that all on the Discovery network isn't what it seems, stating "We're just having fun with it."
Meacham states that her hubby jokingly composed a sign that read "This store is protected by Lebanon Levi" after a recent episode of "Amish Mafia" showed one of Levi's right-hand men leaving her store with a white envelope.
During the clip, Levi explains how he makes money by obtaining rent from the many properties he owns in "the community." In exchange for the fee, Levi states that he gives various store owners protection. However, he doesn't specify just what they may need protection from.
"The scene before, they were talking about how they protect Lancaster businesses, and then the next scene is they're coming out of our store with an envelope. I went, 'Oh my gosh, that is the funniest thing I've ever seen. Our store is protected by Amish?'" Meacham adds.
To top it off, the store owner even says she doesn't pay a single penny in protection money to Lebanon Levi. Hence, the Amish boss doesn't own the building either.
According to county property records, Meacham and Ziffer have actually been the owners of the establishment since 1989.
"Amish Mafia" airs on the Discovery Channel on Tuesdays at 10:30 p.m. ET.
