The Life and Times of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel

Along with New York, he began to make plans for The Commission, a nation-wide governing body for organized crime. He also became one of the Big Six bootleggers, dealing drugs on a larger scale (“Lucky Luciano Biography.com.” Edited by Biography.com, The Biography.Com website, A&E Television Networks, 17 June 2015, www.biography.com/people/lucky-luciano-9388350). At some point in Luciano’s life, Masseria and Maranzano-- the top bosses-- were engaged in a turf war. After hiring Luciano to take out Masseria, Maranzano launched him to the top alongside him. However, Maranzano soon decided Luciano was a threat and attempted to take him out. Luciano heard of this plan and beat him to it, ensuring his power over the Genovese family of organized crime in New York

When we think of the mafia and gangs, one name comes to mind, Al Capone. Al Capone, also known as Scarface, was an infamous mafia leader who was active in Chicago during the Prohibition era. Having committed numerous criminal deeds and being the man behind countless murders, Capone was finally arrested for tax evasion . Now, you might ask, “How was he able to commit all these violent deeds without being imprisoned?” Well, we first have to go to the beginning of Capone’s life.

After the El Rancho was established, three more Western Casinos opened for business. In 1941, El Cortez opened as the first large hotel downtown. The hotel Last Frontier opened on the strip in 1942, and in 1946, the Golden Nugget opened downtown. The one big casino to the Western motif was Benjamin Siegel’s The Flamingo which opened in 1946. Siegel was a mobster with ties to the Chicago and California networks, envisioned a “jewel in the desert.” The Flamingo was not a success and was temporarily closed. It then re-opened and had a diverse theme-oriented style in the hotel casino industry in Las Vegas.

Crime is a timeless component of society. For as long as humans have existed among each other, crime has coincided. Throughout time, crime has taken many different forms, some much more subtle than others. Alphonse Capone, a first generation American-Italian born in Brooklyn, would dramatically redefine the nature of criminality. Al Capone was a notorious Chicago mob boss who played a crucial role in the Chicago Outfit as well as the bootlegging industry. Throughout his rise to power in the Chicago, Capone took part in many nefarious dealings that culminated in the creation of a undisputed “King of Crime” until his death in 1947. However, Capone is a timeless figure, his impact on Chicago and influence he’s had on the world of crime, continues to live on.

Despised by many, admired by few, but known by all, history had never seen an outlaw quite like Al Capone. Capone rose to his notorious fame during Chicago’s 1920’s Prohibition era through organized crime and extreme celebrity status. Though his legacy today remains one of violence and murder, Capone’s heyday was full of glamour and good deeds. Due to his staunch pursuit of the American Dream, charitable nature, and effective business tactics, Al Capone’s legacy should not only be a violent gangster but additionally as an ambitious businessman on his own unique path to success.

now the story behind him. What made him to be the most feared gangster in the city of Chicago? How did this kid from a rough neighborhood and no money grow up to have $60,000,000? I’ve always been fascinated with organized crime but had never been taught anything in school about it. This report gave me the chance to explore something interesting and also educational. The more I researched Al Capone, the more I wanted to learn about him. He may look like an innocent Italian at a glance, but he

Conceived in 1899 in New York, to poor settler guardians, Al Capone went ahead to end up noticeably the most notorious criminal in American history. In 1920 amid the prohibition heights, Capone's multi-million dollar Chicago undertakings in prostitution, betting and bootlegging ruled the sorted out wrongdoing scene. Capone was in charge of numerous ruthless demonstrations of viciousness, mostly against different criminals. St. Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929 was the most famous killings, in which he requested the death of seven adversaries. Capone was never prosecuted for his racketeering yet was, at last, conveyed to equity for money tax avoidance in 1931. After serving six-and-a-half years, Capone was discharged (Kobler, 2003). However, his death occurred in Miami in 1947. Capone's life caught the general population creative ability, and his hoodlum persona has been deified in the numerous books and movies propelled by his exploits. Additionally, this paper tries to give an outline of Al Capone life, violations, and passing.

Al Capone and George “Bugs” Moran fought each other for power. Al Capone helped fund the assassination of Moran’s gang members and “Machine Gun” Mcgurn planned the assassination. Mcgurn wanted revenge on Moran for the assassination attempt and wanted to destroy Moran’s entire gang. Mcgurn hired gunmen, stole a police car and dressed them up in police uniforms to trick Moran’s gang into thinking they are real cops. Mcgurn tricked Moran by telling a booze hijacker to contact him about a shipment of whiskey he is willing to sell. “Moran quickly agreed and told the hijackers to meet him at the garage at 10:30 the following morning” (Rosenburg 2). “The four gunmen (Fred “Killer” Burke, John Scalise, Albert Anselmi, and Joseph Lolordo) jumped out” (Rosenburg 2). The plan worked. Moran’s gang thought they were real cops, so they did what they were told. They were told to line up against a wall, and then the gunmen started firing. Each person in Moran’s gang was shot mostly in the head and chest. Neighbors hear the

Notably, the film Goodfellas is a classic film that is recognized as one of the greatest films of all time in regards to the crime genre. Indeed, the film Goodfellas is about American citizens who partake in criminal activity in order to make money. Furthermore, another film was made, shortly after Goodfellas achieved great success in the box office. Additionally, another film titled “The Real Goodfella” is the uncensored documentary explaining the reality behind Goodfellas, and gives a practical insight of the real dangers that could not be shown in Goodfellas. Also there are two articles that explain the explicit truth behind the criminal activity that mobsters justify as work. These sources show that mobsters have a hard time. Mobsters classify as above working class because they constantly have to steal, murder, and deal drugs just to stay alive and have money.

Siegel didn’t start out with a rich family, and he wanted to become someone that everyone dreamed of, and that was to be rich. During the prohibition era, Siegel started bootlegging and made off with some really good cash. Siegel thought this was a hit until the prohibition ended and he could no longer make the is bucks from alcohol. This leads into Meyer Lansky. Lansky started up a gambling business, and tried to make the big bucks during rough times. Making money back then was pretty rough, and without a good background people were left in the lower class. Lansky and Siegel held significant influences within the Italian-American Mafia and the National Crime Syndicate. “Lansky and Siegel started the Bugs-Meyer Gang which was a scary Jewish gang, that was a bunch of contract killers, under the name Murder, Inc.” (Biography). Siegel ended up befriending Lansky and wanted to become a man of his own gang. With Siegel pushing away from Lansky, Lansky new there would be trouble at some point, and that Siegel would be in trouble. Siegel was known as a ruthless man who wouldn’t care what the job was if he was told to do something gruesome, he did not mind, and did what he was told. This is where his nickname “Bugsy” came from, since he was so brutal with his killing as a hit man. It was said that Luciano ordered a hit on Joe “The Boss” Masseria, and Siegel stepped to the plate and killed one of the biggest mob bosses during this time. This was mostly the only time Siegel worked with Luciano. Siegel was also married to Esta Krakower, who was his childhood sweetheart, and had two children, to which Siegel ended up getting a bad reputation with other women. This ended the two’s marriage and Esta left with their two

When talking about a true American crime story, one can start and end the discussion with one of the most powerful and influential true stories ever told: GoodFellas. Based on the incredible true story, the film follows the rise and fall of Lucchese crime family associates Henry Hill and his friends throughout the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 1980s. Originally written as the non-fiction novel “Wise Guys” by Nicholas Pileggi, the story takes you deep into the world of arguably the most notorious crime posse America has ever known: the Italian Mafia. It is viewed by scores of critics and moviegoers alike as one of the greatest crime/drama movies ever filmed – so needless to say, with such a

The Gevonese crime family is one of the strongest organized crime families in the country and is one of the “Five Families” of New York. In the 1930’s, the family was established after Charles Lucky Luciano but was reestablished after Vito Gevonese took control in 1957. The family is unique in the fact that they have had just five members testify against them as witnesses for the state in their history. Their regard for Omertá has protected them from prosecution and helped to maintain their influence in New York and nearby areas. In years past, however, they could not escape mockery as they were controlled by Vincent “The Chin” Gigante, who walked aimlessly in the streets

However, Bugsy was shot to death in his home a few months later in an apparent gangland execution. There are various theories as to why the mafia ordered the hit, the consensus being that Bugsy was looting the profits from the casino. Nonetheless, Lansky’s associates, Gus Greenbaum and Moe Sedway, took over management of the Flamingo within 20 minutes after the shooting. Gambling lore is overstated with the notion that Bugsy Siegel “created” Las Vegas; however, his image and the publicity surrounding his murder created a notoriety which helped to build the popularity of Las Vegas due to America’s fascination with the mafia. Also, his vision of a glamourous, buttoned-down version of Las Vegas began to develop in the

One of the most successful Mafia bosses involved in bootlegging and prostitution was Charles "Lucky" Luciano. He was born in 1897 in Sicily, Italy. At the age of 9 he moved to the Lower East Side of New York. In 1920 he began his own prostitution

Mafia bosses often start out as street thugs. But over time, the ones who make it to the top transform their appearance. They take to wearing impeccably tailored suits and owning legitimate businesses.”