Meyer Lansky: A Biography on the Genovese Family's Little Man

Meyer Lansky, Chait, and Zwillman were said to be the only leading mobsters with Jewish backgrounds who were in a position to act as peacemakers between the Jewish Mob and the powerful Italian underworld, both locally and nationally.

Meyer (The Little Man) Lansky - aka "Bugs Meyer", "Bugsy Meyer", and "Meyer the Bug" - was born in 1902 as Meier Suchowlanski (TN) in Grodno, Poland. He immigrated to the USA in 1911.

For many years, Meyer lived in exclusive sections of the Bronx and midtown Manhattan before permanently relocating down to Miami and eventually the Hallandale section of Florida. He resided for years at 612 Hibiscus Drive in Hallandale.

Meyer Lansky

FBI # 791783, NYCPD # B-70258

He was identified for decades as a top “associate member” in the Luciano/Genovese Family of LCN.

Since 1918 Meyer, had nine arrests for:

>> Disorderly Conduct

>> Narcotics

>> Felonious Assault

>> National Prohibition Act

>> Conspiracy

>> Common Gambling

>> Forgery

>> Murder

He had only one minor conviction for conspiracy-common gambling and was sentenced to serve 30-days and pay a $2,500. fine.

As evidenced by his criminal record for felony assault and murder, Lansky, back in his youth, although small in stature, was said to be a tough hood, and ready with a gun -- he and partner Bugsy Siegel headed the “Bugs and Meyer Mob”.

Meyer Lansky

The Jewish Mob had different divisions of operation. The names below were of hoodlums who for the most part ran the “street rackets” in New York City.

They ranged from policy racketeers, bookmakers, loansharks, extortionists, narcotics dealers, and strong-arm killers, to the more “white collar” mob figures who specialized in business frauds and the garment rackets.

One journalist had dubbed them as “The Gang Nobody Knows” because they typically operated in such a low-keyed fashion that, for the most part, the public never knew who most of them were!

Considered their leader, Lansky’s top associates in the loosely organized “Jewish Mob”, originally based off the Delaney Street area on the New York’s Lower East Side included:

Jacob (Jake) Lansky • Louis (Max the Jew) Schrager • Nicholas (Bobby Blanch) Belangi

Jack Grill • Benjamin (Benny) Levine • Hyman (Red) Martin • Philip (Little Farvel) Kovolick

Joe Flax • Samuel (Red) Levine • Tom Cutty • Hyman (Red Hymie) Siegel

Samuel Jacobson • Daniel Jacobson • Ralph (The Beak) Jacobson • Solomon (Solly) Bloom

Harry (Little Lefty) Strasser • Milton (Milty) Wekar • Benjamin (Benny the Bug) Levine

Willie Alter • Marty Kahn • Solomon (Solly Porkchop) Margolies • Bennie Fine

Murray Shebert • Danny Danzis • Babe Mann • Irving (Chink) Sherman • Joe Miller

There were hundreds of others in NYC and thousands throughout the country.

Slowly but surely, Lansky became their “de facto” overall leader or “Boss” as a direct result of his close recognized friendship and affiliation with close friend Charlie Luciano and the Luciano/Genovese crime Family -- who were also the dominant force on the Mafia’s national Commission.

Between the power that gave him, and his uncanny natural business acumen in dominating the garment industry, other labor unions, and eventually the legal casino industry, making his underworld partners untold millions, Meyer became the big “Mahoff” (or Boss) as Jewish people say and their undisputed leader!

Vincent Alo

Bobby Blanch was identified as an inducted Genovese soldier, who nonetheless “worked” under Meyer.

Bobby was in Vincent Alo’s crew and had been assigned to help Lansky as needed.

Alo, a capo himself, was the mob’s lifelong “watchdog” over Meyer and was thought to be Lansky’s main partner and very close friend.

A sampling of the power Lansky and his “Jewish Mafia” wielded within the underworld is listed below:

Hidden ownership and interests in:

>> Legal gambling casinos in Las Vegas, Cuba, Nassau-Bahamas, and later Puerto Rico. For a time, they were also active in operating casinos in London, England.

>> Garment district rackets -- They had top control for decades in every facet of the apparel manufacturing industry.

Lansky allegedly controlled David Dubinsky -- president of the entire ILGWU -- as his minion. It was said that Meyer would secretly pass messages and orders through his longtime attorney Moses Polakoff.

>> Labor/union racketeering -- They had extensive control over varied unions in many industries, installing the elected union leadership, and giving them huge power over the marketplace.

>> They were major players in many street racket operations such as all facets of illegal gambling, narcotics, shylocking, liquor smuggling, extortion rackets, etc., working in unison with their Italian friends and counterparts throughout NY, Miami, and the rest of the country.

Starting with Luciano, Lansky was lifetime “partners” with the top bosses of the original Luciano/Costello/Genovese crime Family.

Staying close with Lucky and Frank, and continuing with Vito and Jerry, Lansky was considered a prized associate.....”The goose that lays the golden eggs” and one to be “coveted and protected”!

Of the many, many top mafiosi and varied underworld leaders he was close with throughout his life, the men below were paramount:

• Salvatore (Lucky) Luciano

• Francesco (Frank Costello) Castiglia

• Joseph (Joe Adonis) Doto

• Gerardo (Jerry) Catena

• Vincent (Jimmy Blue Eyes) Alo

• Abner (Longy) Zwillman

• Abraham (Abe) Chait

• Joseph (Doc) Stracher

• Charlie (The Blade) Tourine

Lansky, Chait, and Zwillman were said to be the only leading mobsters with Jewish backgrounds who were in a position to act as peacemakers between the Jewish Mob and the powerful Italian underworld, both locally and nationally.

He also developed and controlled a race-wire news service operating since the 1940s to facilitate race track information to all the bookmakers throughout the country.

Lansky was a long-standing partner of Jerry Catena in nationwide gambling in the United States, and it was said that Catena was second only to Lansky in “owning points” in Las Vegas Casino operations.

Las Vegas in bygone years.

Meyer had connections and did business on a worldwide basis.

He operated throughout the country. but his primary areas of activity were New York, Florida, Nevada, Cuba, Bahamas, and Arkansas.

Lansky also operated in Switzerland where he helped facilitate the numbered bank accounts alleged to hold the mobs untold millions.

Almost all of the major Las Vegas casinos took their orders from Lansky and his associate “Doc” Stacher.

Authorities suspected Lansky’s gambling casino investments in Las Vegas, Nevada to have included, among many others:

• The Fremont

• The Sands

• The Flamingo

• The Thunderbird Hotel

• The Horseshoe

• The Stardust (he had the Cleveland mob and Moe Dalitz leading).

Their investments in Cuba included:

• Hotel Nacional & Casino

• Montmartre Nightclub & Casino

• The Habana-Riviera

• Orientale Park Race Track & Casino

• The Deauville

• The San Souci

• Varadere International Hotel-Casino

• Savilla-Biltmore

Among the casino mob overseers, floor managers, pit bosses, and croupiers included many hoods who originated from the NY area, but who had been designated to other outposts by Lansky and his Cosa Nostra partners.

Vegas, Florida, Bahamas, and Cuba key casino associates included:

Benjamin (Bugsy) Siegel • Dino Cellini • Eddie Cellini • Morris Rosen

Moey Sedwa • Nathan (Nate) Green • Charlie Kandel

Gilbert (Doc Apples) Seider • Sam Garfield • Sandford (Sandy) Waterfman

Richard Kornick • Mike Wassell • Moses (Moe) Polakoff • Benjamin Siegelbaum

Lester Siegelbaum • Morris (Moe) Lewis • Allie Harris • Max Courtney

Charlie Brudner • Frank Reed • Dave Glass • George Sadlow

Hickey Kamm • Harry (Spinach) Coopersmith • Al Jacobs

Clarence Smith • “Toots” Smith • Lou Chesler • Hyman Abrams

Jack Entratter • Julie Levitt • Sam Cohen • Chester Sims

In Miami, Florida, Lansky was thought to have also invested through millionaire financier Morris Lansburgh in several major hotels, properties, and businesses along famed Collins Avenue including the Singapore Motel, Carlsbad Spa and Resort, Windrift Hotel, Plantation Restaurant in Hallandale. The property was owned by Jake Lansky.

Meyer died in 1983 at 80 years old.

There has been much controversy over how much money Lansky made in his lifetime, and equally how much money he left behind after his death.

Estimates ran as high as $300 million! His official estate registered only $54,000 cash!

One reliable source on the mob put it this way, “to understand Lansky you had to understand how he thought and operated. He never had any properties or assets in his name. No homes, businesses, or stock interests whatsoever.

He always held assets in the names of others so as to protect himself against the IRS and federal government investigators.”

So at his death, whatever wealth he had was probably lost to others.

Another source stated that he was broke! Lansky himself said as much.

When questioned about his massive financial losses after Castro kicked him out of Cuba, seizing all his assets, Meyer said “I crapped out”!

Over the next 25 years although he lived well, Meyer was said to never have again gained the power and finances he once had.

But his true financial portfolio and assets seem to have died with him!

Until next time..."The Other Guy!"

Meyer Lansky – “The Mob’s Accountant”

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