k clean. However, he did not escape the wrath of the hungry Thomas E Dewey, a powerful district attorney. The underworld mastermind was brought up on 90 charges of racketeering but was released unscathed. Luciano and the US worked a deal where Luciano would expose vital facts about Italy regarding a US invasion. “Lucky” was granted deportation to Italy without prison time where he would perish in 1962 (Charles 3). Meyer Lansky was a man described by Luciano as “the toughest guy, pound for pound, I have ever met”. This was a lot to say about a Russian mob boss that stood only 5 feet tall. Lanksy’s intelligence, toughness, and organizational skills brought him to the top and earned him respect from fellow New York crime bosses. Lansky began his criminal activity in his teen years by studying gambling operations. Upon learning all the tricks, he would hustle others out of their money using his wits. He became a blue-collar worker until the Prohibition Era began. It was then that he turned to a full life of crime. Teaming up with Bugsy Siegel, they formed a one-two combination of brains and brawn. Siegel and Lansky were brought up under the wing of Anastasia Rothstein, the powerful New York boss responsible for the fixing of the 1919 World Series (Meyer 3). Lanksy came up by forming a liquor distribution business with Rothstein and Lucky Luciano. They would distribute liquor to speakeasies and rival families and gain great profits and power. Upon the repeal of prohibition with the ratification of the 21st Amendment, Lansky turned to gambling. He helped develop gambling rackets in Saratoga, Arkansas, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Florida. He died at the age of 83, a rich man with assets in Cuba, Vegas, and New York (Meyer 6).Not only did Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky have a large influence on organized crime, but the nation felt the wrath of Dutch Schultz as well. The “Dutchman” as h...
