Highlighted Crime
Story of the Week -
On September 25, 1959, mob boss Anthony Carfano, known as
Little Augie Pisano was shot to death in New York City on Meyer Lansky’s
orders. Lansky, one of the few organized crime figures who managed to survive
at the top for several decades. The son of Russian immigrants, Lansky had an
eighth-grade education, which put him far ahead of many other criminals.
According to legend, Lansky was a straight arrow until one day in October 1918,
when he joined a fight between teenagers Bugsy Siegel and Lucky Luciano over a
prostitute. After the three were charged with disorderly conduct, Lansky and
Siegel became friends and began running a high-stakes craps game.
The two later expanded into bootlegging, car theft, and
extortion, and helped form the New York “syndicate.” Lansky, a ruthless leader
who would not tolerate disloyalty, ordered the murder of a thief who failed to
provide an adequate kickback. Although he was shot several times, the thief
survived to name Lansky as one of the assailants. Lansky then poisoned his
hospital food, and though he survived a second time, the threat was enough to
change his attitude toward testifying. Later, he even rejoined Lansky’s gang.
In June 1947, Lansky ordered the death of his old friend
Bugsy Siegel in Beverly Hills, California. Siegel, who had been sent to the
West Coast in order to establish a new mob presence, came up with the idea of building
The Flamingo, Las Vegas’ first major casino. The casino had been built with mob
money, and Lansky was angry over the pace of Siegel’s loan payments.
When Lansky ordered the murder of Anthony Carfano twelve years
later, Carfano had been intruding on Lansky’s gambling interests in Florida and
Cuba. His death eliminated all competition and opened up emerging markets for
Lansky in South America. During the 1960s and 1970s, Lansky made a special
effort to stay out of the public eye and was fairly successful. He died of lung
cancer in 1983.
Check back every
Monday for a new installment of “This Week in Crime History.”
Michael Thomas Barry is the author of seven nonfiction books
that includes In the Company of Evil
Thirty Years of California Crime 1950-1980. Visit Michael’s website www.michaelthomasbarry.com for
more information. His book can be purchased from Amazon through the following
link:
