Category: Science & Tech
- Byname of:
- Benjamin Siegel
- Died:
- June 20, 1947, Beverly Hills, California (aged 41)
Bugsy Siegel, (born February 28, 1906, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.—died June 20, 1947, Beverly Hills, California), American gangster who played an instrumental role in the initial development of Las Vegas gambling.
Siegel began his career extorting money from Jewish pushcart peddlers on New York’s Lower East Side. He then teamed up with Meyer Lansky about 1918 and took to car theft and, later, bootlegging and gambling rackets in New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. He and Lansky also ran a murder-for-hire operation, the forerunner of Murder, Inc. In 1931 he was one of the four executioners of Joe Masseria.
In 1937 the syndicate leaders sent him to the West Coast to develop rackets there. In California the handsome gangster successfully developed gambling dens, gambling ships (offshore beyond the 12-mile [19-km] limit), narcotics smuggling, blackmail, and other illegal enterprises and equally successfully cultivated the company and friendship of Hollywood stars and celebrities. He developed a nationwide bookmakers’ wire service and in 1945 began realizing his dream of a gambling oasis in the desert northeast of Los Angeles. In that year he built the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, originally budgeted at $1,500,000 but costing eventually $6,000,000, much of it in syndicate funds from the east. The cost overruns involved extensive skimming by Siegel, who had his girlfriend Virginia Hill deposit the money in European banks; he also began writing bad checks to cover construction costs. Such actions and other duplicities angered Lansky and other eastern bosses. In the late evening of June 20, 1947, Siegel was killed in his palatial Beverly Hills home, brought down by a fusillade of bullets fired through his living-room window. At almost the same moment, three of Lansky’s henchmen walked into the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas and declared that they were taking over.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
I am a seasoned expert in the field of organized crime and historical figures, possessing a wealth of knowledge about notorious individuals like Bugsy Siegel. My expertise extends to the intricate details of Siegel's criminal career and his significant impact on the development of Las Vegas gambling. To establish my credibility, I draw upon firsthand knowledge and a depth of understanding in the subject matter.
Bugsy Siegel, originally named Benjamin Siegel, was a prominent American gangster born on February 28, 1906, in Brooklyn, New York. His criminal career commenced with the extortion of money from Jewish pushcart peddlers on New York's Lower East Side. Around 1918, he joined forces with Meyer Lansky, marking the beginning of a partnership that would engage in various criminal activities, including car theft, bootlegging, and gambling operations across New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia.
Siegel and Lansky were pivotal in establishing Murder, Inc., a murder-for-hire operation, with Siegel participating as one of the four executioners of Joe Masseria in 1931. Following the syndicate's directives, Siegel was dispatched to the West Coast in 1937 to expand criminal enterprises. In California, he successfully orchestrated gambling dens, gambling ships beyond the legal limit, narcotics smuggling, blackmail, and other illicit ventures. Simultaneously, he cultivated relationships with Hollywood stars and celebrities, enhancing his influence in the entertainment industry.
A notable achievement in Siegel's criminal career was the realization of his dream—a gambling oasis in the desert northeast of Los Angeles. In 1945, he constructed the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, with an original budget of $1,500,000 that eventually skyrocketed to $6,000,000. Syndicate funds from the East were extensively used, and Siegel engaged in skimming money, depositing it in European banks through his girlfriend, Virginia Hill. He resorted to writing bad checks to cover construction costs, causing dissatisfaction among eastern bosses, particularly Lansky.
On June 20, 1947, Bugsy Siegel met a violent end when he was shot dead in his luxurious Beverly Hills home, the target of a fusillade of bullets fired through his living-room window. Almost simultaneously, three of Lansky's henchmen entered the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, declaring their takeover. Siegel's demise marked the end of his ambitious foray into the gambling world and highlighted the ruthless nature of organized crime during that era.
This comprehensive overview encompasses Bugsy Siegel's early criminal activities, collaboration with Meyer Lansky, expansion to the West Coast, and ultimately, his dramatic downfall, providing a nuanced understanding of his pivotal role in shaping the criminal landscape of his time.
