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[h3]Meyer Lansky, born to Jewish parents, grew up on the Lower East Side of New York. He was destined to becoming a law abiding citizen until, one day, as he was walking home from his apprenticeship as a toolmaker, he heard a woman screaming in a deserted building.[/h3]

When he went in to investigate, he stumbled upon a young Benjamin Siegel fighting a young Charles Luciano over the free services Siegel had been receiving from one of Luciano's prostitutes (the screaming woman). Not knowing either person, Lansky decided to come to the aid of Siegel, and beat Luciano over the head with a monkey wrench, becoming friends with the pair.

During the 1920s their gang was involved with gambling, burglaries, and smuggling, and together they formed Murder Inc., a band of assassins for hire who worked closely with Luciano.

Lansky assisted Luciano in his takeover of the New York mob, and was charged with handling the finances and money laundering for Luciano's national crime syndicate.

He became best known as [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/968:0/Charles_Lucky_Luciano.htm]Charles "Lucky" Luciano's[/urlnew] right hand man and, the financial mastermind behind the mob, Lansky was the most powerful Jewish mobster of the twentieth century.

In 1936, Lansky established gambling operations in Florida, New Orleans and Cuba. He was also the major investor in the Flamingo Hotel and Casino started by Bugsy Siegel in Las Vegas. However, he later consented to Siegel's murder in 1947 when he became convinced that his partner was fiddling the books.

By the 1960s Lansky was involved in drug smuggling, pornography, prostitution and extortion. He had also invested heavily in legal businesses such as hotels and golf-courses.

During the 1970s, Lansky fled to Israel to escape tax evasion charges. Two years later, Israel sent him back to the States despite his attempts to claim Israeli citizenship under the country’s unique immigration law, the Law of Return - which states that every Jew in the world is eligible to become an Israeli citizen.

Finally in 1973, following heart surgery, Lansky went on trial in Miami. It proved to be a disaster for the US Government as Lansky was acquitted.

Lansky's last years were spent quietly at his home in Miami Beach. In January 1983, he succumbed to lung cancer. He was 78 and was survived by a wife and three children. At the time, the FBI believed he left behind over $300 million in hidden bank accounts, but they never found any money. On paper, Meyer Lansky was worth almost nothing.

His life is portrayed in movies such as 'Mobsters' and 'Billy Bathgate'.
Meyer Lansky biography




Meyer Lansky biography




Meyer Lansky biography