MEYER LANSKY
Meyer Lansky was born in Grodno, Russia (now Hrodna, Belarus) to Jewish parents
(Father: Max Suchowljansky; Mother: Yetta Lansky). In 1911, his family emigrated
to the United States and settled on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York.
While Lansky was in school, he met young Lucky Luciano who tried to shake him
down (extort money from Lansky). When Lansky refused to pay, Luciano was
impressed with the younger boy's bravery; the two boys became friends for life.
Lansky met Bugsy Siegel when he was a teenager. They also became lifelong
friends and, together with Luciano, formed a lasting partnership. Lansky was
instrumental in Luciano's rise to power by organizing the 1931 murder of mafia
powerhouse Salvatore Maranzano. As a youngster, Siegel saved Lansky's life
several times, a fact Lansky always appreciated. The two of them adroitly
managed the Bugs and Meyer Mob despite its reputation as one of the most violent
Prohibition mobs.
By 1936, Lansky had established gambling operations in Florida, New Orleans, and
Cuba. This was the same year that his partner Luciano was sent to prison. As
Alfred McCoy records,
"During the 1930s, Meyer Lansky "discovered" the Caribbean for northeastern
syndicate bosses and invested their illegal profits in an assortment of
lucrative gambling ventures... He was also reportedly responsible for organized
crime's decision to declare Miami a "free city" (i.e., not subject to the usual
rules of territorial monopoly)."[citation needed]
Later on, Lansky also became a big investor in Siegel's Flamingo Hotel project
in Las Vegas.
After Al Capone's 1931 conviction for tax evasion, Lansky realized his own
vulnerability to tax evasion prosecution. In response, he transferred illegal
funds from his casinos to Europe, where he opened up a numbered bank account
following the 1934 Swiss Banking Act.[citation needed] Later, according to Lucy
Komisar, Lansky would even buy an offshore bank in Switzerland, which he used
for money laundering through a network of shell and holding companies. ("Offshore
Banking: The Secret Threat to America," Dissent, Spring 2003)
Meyer Lansky was born in Grodno, Russia (now Hrodna, Belarus) to Jewish parents
(Father: Max Suchowljansky; Mother: Yetta Lansky). In 1911, his family emigrated
to the United States and settled on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York.
While Lansky was in school, he met young Lucky Luciano who tried to shake him
down (extort money from Lansky). When Lansky refused to pay, Luciano was
impressed with the younger boy's bravery; the two boys became friends for life.
Lansky met Bugsy Siegel when he was a teenager. They also became lifelong
friends and, together with Luciano, formed a lasting partnership. Lansky was
instrumental in Luciano's rise to power by organizing the 1931 murder of mafia
powerhouse Salvatore Maranzano. As a youngster, Siegel saved Lansky's life
several times, a fact Lansky always appreciated. The two of them adroitly
managed the Bugs and Meyer Mob despite its reputation as one of the most violent
Prohibition mobs.
By 1936, Lansky had established gambling operations in Florida, New Orleans, and
Cuba. This was the same year that his partner Luciano was sent to prison. As
Alfred McCoy records,
"During the 1930s, Meyer Lansky "discovered" the Caribbean for northeastern
syndicate bosses and invested their illegal profits in an assortment of
lucrative gambling ventures... He was also reportedly responsible for organized
crime's decision to declare Miami a "free city" (i.e., not subject to the usual
rules of territorial monopoly)."[citation needed]
Later on, Lansky also became a big investor in Siegel's Flamingo Hotel project
in Las Vegas.
After Al Capone's 1931 conviction for tax evasion, Lansky realized his own
vulnerability to tax evasion prosecution. In response, he transferred illegal
funds from his casinos to Europe, where he opened up a numbered bank account
following the 1934 Swiss Banking Act.[citation needed] Later, according to Lucy
Komisar, Lansky would even buy an offshore bank in Switzerland, which he used
for money laundering through a network of shell and holding companies. ("Offshore
Banking: The Secret Threat to America," Dissent, Spring 2003)