Jack ‘Legs’ Diamond: The clay pigeon of the underworld
A bootlegger, enforcer, dopeman and erstwhile folk hero, Jack “Legs” Diamond was like a charming archvillain in a lurid detective novel or serialized crime drama, with death-defying, law-evading cliffhangers closing each episode. Unfortunately for Diamond, the years of partying hard, seducing showgirls and dodging bullets finally came to an end on December 18, 1931, in Albany, New York. Today, he is not a particularly well-known gangster. Which is ironic, considering his pivotal role in the larger landscape of a burgeoning new underworld structure and economy during the 1920s. No good reason to become a criminal Diamond was born on July 11, 1898, in ...
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The fall of Salvatore Maranzano, and the rise of the new Mafia
The autocratic reign of self-proclaimed boss of all bosses Salvatore Maranzano came to a bloody end 92 years ago this…
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Ten years ago this month, Whitey Bulger was found guilty on 31 counts, including 11 murders
Whitey Bulger is depicted at the defense table during his 2013 trial in this courtroom sketch by Jane Flavell Collins. The Mob Museum Collection
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Joseph Valachi’s autobiography reveals Mafia’s inner workings
New York mobster Joseph Valachi sits at the witness table, bottom right, facing members of a U.S. Senate investigation subcommittee in Washington, D.C., on October 8, 1963. In the background are four charts of New York crime families with names and pictures of mobsters identified by Valachi. AP Photo
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DEA marks 50th anniversary of fighting drug traffickers at home and abroad
On June 17, 1971, President Richard Nixon explained a special message sent to Congress asking for an extra $155 million for a new program to combat drug abuse. He labeled drug abuse “a national emergency” and said the money would be used to “tighten the noose around the necks of drug peddlers and thereby loosen the noose around the necks of drug users.” Nixon’s efforts eventually led to creation of the Drug Enforcement Administration in 1973. At left is Egil Krogh, deputy director of the Domestic Council. At right is Dr. Jerome Jaffe, recruited by Nixon to lead a new drug strategy. AP Photo/Harvey Georges
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Tentacles of organized crime once had firm grip on Japanese politics
The yakuza, Japan’s premier organized crime group, is becoming more visible in modern pop culture. From HBO’s Tokyo Vice to…
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Mob movie classic ‘The Friends Of Eddie Coyle’ turns 50
The Boston-based movie The Friends of Eddie Coyle was released 50 years ago, in June 1973, introducing viewers to a…
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The Kansas City Massacre prompted legal reforms that bolstered federal law enforcement
On June 17, 1933, an ambush at Kansas City’s Union Station railroad depot left five men dead and two wounded….
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