Gangster bio

Quiz: Al Capone, Public Enemy Number One Capone also became a member of the James Street Boys gang during this period, which was run by Before Capone turned 21, he was involved in several violent incidents. In a youthful scrape at the Harvard Inn, a young hoodlum named Frank Galluccio slashed Capone with a knife or razor across his left cheek after Capone made a crude comment to Galluccio’s sister, prompting the later nickname “Scarface.” Capone later shot the winner of a neighbourhood craps game to death as he robbed him of his winnings. Despite being questioned by the police, Capone was let go because no one had witnessed the Torrio had moved from New York to Chicago in 1909 to help run the giant brothel business under Chicago crime boss After a stint in Scarface: The Shame of a Nation (1932), directed by

(1943-2012) Who Was Henry Hill? Henry Hill was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 11, 1943. Although not related by blood, Hill worked his way up in the Lucchese crime family from a young age. Arrested for drug trafficking in 1980, Hill became a federal informant and joined the Witness Protection Program for a number of years. Hill’s life is the basis of the 1990 Goodfellas. Early Life Born on June 11, 1943, in Brooklyn, New York, Hill grew up in an area of Brooklyn that was dominated by the Lucchese crime family. Fascinated by gangsters, he began dreaming of being in the Mafia at age 12. Life in the Mafia The son of an Irish father and Sicilian mother, Hill could never be a "made" Mafia member because he wasn't a full-blooded Italian, but his charm and cunning made him welcome inside the Lucchese family. Hill soon became a close associate and friend of Paul Vario, one of the more respected capos in the family. In his teenage years, Hill would do errands for Vario and his crew and eventually moved to more serious crime. His time in the Mafia would span three decades, beginning in 1955. Hill lived up to the gangster image by having a number of affairs and staying out until all hours, drinking, partying and playing cards. After beating up a non-paying gambler whose sister happened to work at the F.B.I., Hill was sentenced to 10 years in jail. Once inside, he soon realized that Mafia members received preferential treatment by convicts and guards, who were paid off by crime f...

Bootlegger Jack "Legs" Diamond proved nearly impossible to kill as he withstood rivals like Dutch Schultz — until fate finally caught up with him and he was gunned down in 1931. Four times, gunmen shot notorious bootlegger and gangster Jack “Legs” Diamond. And four times, Diamond walked away with his life. Diamond made his fortune during Prohibition. But the gangster also made enemies. He “borrowed” $200,000 from a pair of racketeers, blew the money on a cruise to Europe, and never paid them back. He shot a man for arguing with him in a speakeasy. And he slipped away from the feds after the infamous “million dollar seizure.” Bettmann/Getty A 1930 police mugshot of Jack “Legs” Diamond. Most impressively, Legs Diamond escaped multiple gunmen who tried to kill him — until the gangster’s luck finally ran out. Legs Diamond, Gangster In Training The child of Irish immigrants, the future gangster was born Jack Diamond on July 10, 1897. Diamond grew up in Philadelphia until the family relocated to Brooklyn after his mother’s death in 1913. Young Diamond After a stint in prison, Diamond started working for gangster Philadelphia Police A 1929 mugshot of Legs Diamond taken in Philadelphia. Instead of making hooch in hidden distilleries, Diamond found an easier way to break into the bootlegging business. He simply hijacked trucks carrying illegal booze. Diamond’s victims couldn’t go to the police, leaving Diamond with a never-ending supply of alcohol. How did Jack Diamond earn the nic...

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(1902-1935) Who Was Dutch Schultz? Infamous gangster Dutch Schultz first turned to burglary after his father left his family and later began bootlegging. Soon he expanded into illegal gambling, clashing with rival gangsters Legs Diamond and Vincent Coll. In the 1930s he was targeted by both the IRS and special prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey. Schultz was killed by members of the notorious hit squad "Murder, Inc." in 1935. Early Life Dutch Schultz was born Arthur Flegenheimer on August 6, 1902, in the Bronx section of New York City. During his relatively brief life, Schultz became a powerful figure in the New York crime world, earning the nicknames "Beer Baron of the Bronx" and "The Dutchman." The son of Jewish immigrants from Germany, he grew up in the slums of the Bronx. His father abandoned the family when Schultz was in his early teens, and soon after, Schultz left school and started working odd jobs. But Schultz soon discovered that crime was more lucrative than a day job. At the age of 17 he was arrested for burglary and served 17 months in prison for the crime — the only prison sentence he would ever serve. After his release, Schultz returned to the streets and his gang of thugs. His associates gave him the nickname "Dutch Schultz," after a local gangster who was known for his violent, brutal ways. Bootlegging Empire In the 1920s, Schultz became involved in bootlegging during the Prohibition and became associated with the likes of gangsters In his quest for power and weal...

EPIX’s Godfather of Harlem chronicles the struggle of one of America’s most notorious African-American mobsters as he fought to reclaim his neighborhood after more than a decade in prison. Oscar winner Forest Whitaker stars as real-life Harlem mob boss Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson, who has been portrayed in multiple films, most notably Ridley Scott’s 2007 EPIX’s 10-episode series, which premieres Sept. 29, is inspired by Johnson’s incredible life and picks up in 1963, immediately after his 11-year sentence in Alcatraz on a drug conspiracy charge. Upon his return, Johnson finds much has changed in Harlem during his time away. He jokes that the only thing that remains is the famous Apollo Theater. In Godfather of Harlem, Johnson adjusts to life as a free man while simultaneously attempting to regain control of his turf, which has been overtaken by the Italian Genovese crime family—led by Vincente Gigante, played in the series by Vincent D’onofrio. In addition to Gigante, the show depicts Johnson crossing paths with larger-than life figures from the time period, including Malcolm X (Nigél Thatch) and Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (Giancarlo Esposito). Photo Courtesy David Lee/EPIX Ellsworth Raymond Johnson was born in Charleston, S.C., on Oct. 31, 1905. He was given the nickname “Bumpy” as a young boy due to a bump on the back of his head. Johnson’s family moved north when he was 10 to avoid a lynch mob when his older brother was accused of killing a white man. He went on to move...

[ ] Dapper and Deadly: The True Story of Black Charlie Harris, by Taylor Pensoneau. Downstate Publications, 258 pp. $18.95. Available in Springfield at Barnes During the Prohibition Era of speakeasies, swanky gangsters and machine gun massacres, Illinois was home to some of the most powerful and respected figures in the underworld. When it comes to Illinois bootleggers, most people think of Al Capone in Chicago, but the rest of the state had its own collection of criminal figures who made names for themselves flouting the law – men who seemed to have no qualms about killing to protect their territory, reputation and honor. Among them was Charles Bryan Harris, a southern Illinois native whose fate was intertwined with the infamous Shelton Gang. In a new book published earlier this year titled Dapper and Dangerous: The True Story of Black Charlie Harris, author Taylor Pensoneau of New Berlin tells Harris’ story, from his “Jekyll and Hyde” personality to his mysterious alleged involvement in numerous murders spanning 1947 to 1964. When Pensoneau published his previous book, Brothers Notorious: The Sheltons, chronicling the Sheltons’ lives and legacies, readers requested that Pensoneau flesh out the character of Charlie Harris as introduced in that book. Dapper and Dangerous is the result. Born June 26, 1896, Harris grew up in Wayne County, near the county seat of Fairfield. He was a childhood acquaintance of Carl, Earl and Bernie Shelton, the brothers behind the Shelton Gang...