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Post by pieter on Oct 17, 2011 11:37:45 GMT -7
Polish MobPolish-American organized crime has existed in the United States throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Although not as well known as Russian, Italian-American, or Irish mafias, the Polish mob has a presence in many urban Polish American communities. Prohibition-eraDuring Prohibition, many Polish-American criminal gangs took advantage of the opportunity to make money through the illegal sale of alcohol. In Chicago, Joseph Saltis and Jake Guzik allied themselves with Al Capone's Chicago Outfit. However, fighting Capone was the North Side Gang, which, while mostly Irish-American, had a large Polish presence as well, with leaders Bugs Moran and Hymie Weiss both having a Polish heritage. Fred Goetz was involved in carrying out the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. In Philadelphia, the organization led by Mickey Duffy, born William Michael Cusick, was the dominant bootlegging gang in the Delaware Valley until his murder in August 1931. The infamous gangster Meyer Lansky, one of the leaders of the so-called National Crime Syndicate and associate of Lucky Luciano, was actually a Polish Jew. Joseph Filkowski led a mostly Polish bootlegging ring in Cleveland, Ohio, along with gangster Joseph Stazek. In Pittsburgh, Paul Jarwarski was also a prominent figure, carrying out the first armored car robbery. Joseph "Polack Joe" SaltisJake GuzikBugs MoranHymie Weiss (real name, Earl Wojciechowski)Fred Goetz (1897 - 1934)GangsThe Kielbasa PosseThe Philadelphia Polish Mob, known as the Kielbasa Posse, are a Polish American organized crime group operating from the Port Richmond area in Philadelphia. Named after a type of Polish sausage, the gang is made up of Polish immigrants living in Port Richmond, Kensington, North Philadelphia, Northeast Philly, Bucks County, and South Jersey, as well as second-generation Polish Americans. The gang moved into territory occupied by Irish, Russian, and Italian Mafia outfits, namely the trafficking and dealing of Ecstasy, and are said to have moved into bookmaking and loansharking operations as well. They would meet several times a week at a local Polish bar and although they have a tough and fearsome reputation, they are said to be very polite and gentleman-like to local citizens and do not start fights unnecessarily. They do not have a good relationship with the K&A Gang who controls most of Northeast Philly, due to the fact that the Northeast is predominantly Irish. According to local residents, they are not well known and the older Polish residents of the neighborhood choose to ignore the existence of the gang. The Greenpoint CrewIn March 2006, the United States Attorney's Office in New York published a press release covering the indictment of twenty-one members of the so-called Greenpoint Crew, an infamous Polish criminal organization operating out of the heavily Polish neighborhood of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Led by Ostap Kapelioujnyj and Krzysztof Sprysak, the gang ran its operations of gunrunning, armed robbery, drug trafficking, extortion, car theft, credit card fraud and fencing (reportedly including a stolen 18th century Stradivarius violin) mostly in New York City, as well as having connections back in Poland and Eastern Europe. The gang was not above resorting to violence to achieve their aims, as one video used as evidence shows Kapelioujnyj discussing his threatening to kill a debtor with a golf club after already taking two computers, a camera, and an iPod. The Korney GangJohn "Korney" Kwiatkowski led a gang in Buffalo, New York called the "Korney Gang" that was involved in multiple murders and robberies. John "Korney" KwiatkowskiOtherPolish organized crime groups exist and have existed in New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo, and many other cities with large Polish American populations. Associates of organized crime with Polish heritage include Richard Kuklinski, a contract killer known in the underworld as " The Iceman." Contract killer, Richard Kuklinski
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Post by kaima on Oct 17, 2011 13:58:19 GMT -7
Pieter,
Reading this took me back to the Cleveland mafia of the 1950's, which through my father and his contacts I knew as the Jewish Mafia. So I googled Cleveland Jewish mafia and came up with a mafia primarily composed of Siscilians, but with a Jewish gang "holding" one part of the city. That must have been where we lived when I was small and my father continued to work there after we moved to the suburbs, a par of the White movement to the suburbs to avoid the expanding Black neighborhoods.
There is one particularly interesting fellow who was involved both in Cleveland and in the development of Las Vegas, Moe Dalitz. Here is a current writeup of one of his old associates who just retired as 12 year mayor of Las Vegas, who managed to re-invent himself as quite a respectable citizen:
Mayor reflects on Moe Dalitz, godfather of old Las Vegas Posted: Mar. 16, 2011 | 2:04 a.m.
As the 12-year run as the star of his hit one-man show "Happiest Mayor in the Universe" draws to a close, I suppose it's possible the abundant ironies of Oscar Goodman's public service have become lost on him.
Who would ever have believed a mob lawyer could successfully reinvent himself? Who would have handicapped that the mob mayor would become so popular he'd essentially be re-elected by acclamation?
I guess it's too late for Goodman to land a Reality TV show, but the story line has a made-for-primetime feel. And irony flashes like a neon marquee.
On Monday in Goodman's City Hall office, a place festooned with bobblehead dolls that all nod in affirmation -- not unlike the City Council, come to think of it -- the godfather of the new downtown entertained questions from Suzanne Dalitz, daughter of the godfather of the old Las Vegas, Moe Dalitz. A former journalist, she is working on a memoir of life with her father, and I'm helping her collect stories about her dad.
Although labeled a high-ranking associate of organized crime most of his life, Dalitz was never convicted of a felony. Dalitz and his Cleveland pals developed the Desert Inn and finished the Stardust. In later years he built the Sundance downtown. He is thought to have played an integral role in the controversial but highly profitable relationship between the Teamsters Central States Pension Fund and the Las Vegas casino industry. Through his partnership in Paradise Development, Dalitz also had a role in constructing Sunrise Hospital and other nongaming buildings.
Any man whose Wikipedia entry describes him as a "Jewish American bootlegger, racketeer, casino owner and philanthropist" is a fellow after Goodman's own heart. The mayor knows something about how difficult it can be to rebrand a reputation.
Goodman said his interactions with the Strip's elder statesman came mostly in social situations at the Las Vegas Country Club, which Dalitz helped build.
"He was like E.F. Hutton," Goodman said. "When he talked, everybody listened. They had different reasons why they listened, but they listened. He was remarkably respected. I never heard anybody, even law enforcement people, ever say anything critical of the way he conducted himself here in Las Vegas.
"That doesn't mean to say they wouldn't be critical of his reported history, that they knew nothing about, and they didn't know him as a person. But when they met him, there's certain people you meet in life that when they walk into the room, even if you don't know their name or what their background is, they have a certain charisma about them.
The truth of the matter is, when Moe walked into a room, for some reason, I don't think it was tangible or tactile, I just think it was visceral. He demanded respect."
Goodman didn't represent Dalitz, but he watched the aging boss move through the country club with an impressive grace. Many who knew and respected Dalitz believed in the power of Las Vegas to forgive a guy's past.
I'm guessing it's something Goodman can relate to.
"But that was the beautiful thing about Las Vegas ..." he said. "Folks who had issues in the cities from which they came were able to come out here and start with a clean slate and take them for their value and their worth for what they did here. I really believe that."
It's all supposition, of course, but I believe the godfather of the old Las Vegas would have loved to know downtown is coming back to life after struggling for so many years.
And I suspect something else would occur to him: If a cocky mob mouthpiece can reinvent himself in a town like Las Vegas, there's hope for the memory of Moe Dalitz, too.
It seems that a search shows some relation between the name Dalitz and Poland, but I did not find anything stating that this Dalitz has a Polish background. Sadly it seems that searching for Jewish mafia is a good way to locate right wing, anti-Jewish websites. More in a follow-up post.
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Post by kaima on Oct 17, 2011 14:33:42 GMT -7
One reference mentions Jimmy Hoffa marrying a Polish girl, and despite his later puritanical leanings, having an Italian mistress who introduced him to Dalitz. Later Hoffa led the Union pension fund into Las Vegas investments, bringing in millions of cash. One reference says there are 2700 pages to Dalitz's FBI file, but he managed to never be convicted of a felony. www.paperlessarchives.com/dalitz.htmlA more familiar name is: Meyer Lansky (born Meyer Suchowljansky;[1] July 4, 1902 – January 15, 1983), known as the "Mob's Accountant", was a Russian-born American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States. For decades he was thought to be one of the most powerful people in the country. Supposedly his mother was Polish...
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Post by Jaga on Oct 17, 2011 14:45:27 GMT -7
Pieter, Kai, thanks for posting. I did not know anything about it since every official publication about Polish immigrants is always positive. Interesting contribution to Polish American history
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Post by karl on Oct 17, 2011 15:10:15 GMT -7
One reference mentions Jimmy Hoffa marrying a Polish girl, and despite his later puritanical leanings, having an Italian mistress who introduced him to Dalitz. Later Hoffa led the Union pension fund into Las Vegas investments, bringing in millions of cash. One reference says there are 2700 pages to Dalitz's FBI file, but he managed to never be convicted of a felony. www.paperlessarchives.com/dalitz.htmlA more familiar name is: Meyer Lansky (born Meyer Suchowljansky;[1] July 4, 1902 – January 15, 1983), known as the "Mob's Accountant", was a Russian-born American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States. For decades he was thought to be one of the most powerful people in the country. Supposedly his mother was Polish... I am not so sure of the mother being Polish of Charles Luciano. Or, where you of reference to: Meyer Suchowljanski? Whilst working in the American Pacific North West, were as asset, Frank, Colacurcio with some work. These people are very knowledgeable with very good connections with the street people, who in turn, do business with husbands and wives of prominent people. If to turn with as little of loss as possible, for why not... And of present, what do I care, they were used and payed quite very good for their work... mafiatoday.com/other-mafia-orgs/seattle-godfather-pleads-not-guilty/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_LucianoKarl
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Post by pieter on Oct 17, 2011 15:31:35 GMT -7
Pieter, Reading this took me back to the Cleveland mafia of the 1950's, which through my father and his contacts I knew as the Jewish Mafia. So I googled Cleveland Jewish mafia and came up with a mafia primarily composed of Siscilians, but with a Jewish gang "holding" one part of the city. That must have been where we lived when I was small and my father continued to work there after we moved to the suburbs, a par of the White movement to the suburbs to avoid the expanding Black neighborhoods. Kai, I read an interesting book of an American Jewish author about the Russian maffia, and this writers stated that the Russian maffia is in majority jewish. He also said in his book that the Russian mob is worse than the Sicilian maffia, because they are more ruthless, kill more people and are larger and better organised, because there are forner KGB guys, Spetsnaz soldiers, corrupt politicians, bankers, state officials, top sport people and dubious business people amongst the Russian maffia. Thief in law (Wikipedia) Thief in law (Russian: вор в законе, vor v zakone; Ukrainian: злодій у законі, zlodiy v zakoni; Georgian: კანონიერი ქურდი, kanonieri kurdi; a more clear translation may be " A criminal who obeys The Thieves' Code") is a criminal who is respected, has authority and a high ranking status within the criminal underworld in the old Soviet Union, Russia and the republics that formed the former Soviet Union. Thieves in law are the elite of the Russian world of organized crime: an equivalent of the rank ' Godfather' in the Italian mafia or the rank of General in the army. According to various Russian new sources there exist hundreds of organized units which retain independence in their actions. Estimates concerning the number of " Vors" throughout the world range from several hundred to over 10,000. Many of thieves in law are no longer exclusively ethnic Russians but are drawn from other nationalities, including those living in other former Soviet states, notably former Warsaw pact nations such as the Czech Republic, Poland and Bulgaria. news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/03/98/russian_mafia/70095.stmnews.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7453388.stm
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Post by pieter on Oct 17, 2011 15:32:25 GMT -7
Israeli mafiaItzhak Abergil, center, escorted by Israeli police at Ben Gurion airport, Israel, January 12, 2011Francois Abutbul , one of Israel’s top organized crime figures was gunned down in July 2011 in a drive-by shooting.The Israeli mafia is the general term for organized crime groups operating in Israel and also internationally. Allegedly there are 16 crime families operating in Israel, five major groups active on the national-level, and 11 smaller organizations. Many heads and members of the crime groups have either been killed or are in prison. Organized crime in IsraelThe major crime groups are the Abergils, the Abutbuls, the Alperons, the Dumranis, the Shirazis, the Amir Mulner and Zeev Rosenstein syndicates. The illegal activities they are engaged in include: - Operating casinos and other forms of gambling inside and outside Israel - Prostitution and trafficking in women - Money Laundering - Protection and extortion rackets - Loan sharking - Drugs and arms dealing - Fencing stolen goods - Diamond smuggling According to Israel’s former Police Commissioner David Cohen, Israeli crime organizations had penetrated the formal economic sector and local governments, and “ equipped themselves with large quantities of combat means explosives and arms.” In a mob war starting in the early 2000s between the crime families, several crime bosses were killed. It also cost the life of innocent bystanders. Ex-Soviet organized crimeEx-Soviet organized crime in Israel began with the mass immigration of Russian Jews to Israel in 1989. The Russian mafia saw Israel as an ideal place to launder money, as Israel's banking system was designed to encourage aliyah, the immigration of Jews, and the accompanying capital. Following the trend of global financial deregulation, Israel had also implemented legislation aimed at easing the movement of capital. Combined with the lack of anti-money laundering legislation, " Russian" organised crime found it an easy place to transfer ill-gotten gains. In 2005, police estimated that Russian organised crime had laundered between $5 and 10 billion in the fifteen years since the end of the Soviet Union. Even non-Jewish criminals such as Sergei Mikhailov, sought to get an Israeli passport, using fake Jewish documentation. The Israeli mafia in the United StatesIn the 1980s Israelis set up a crime syndicate headed by Johnny Attias in New York, dubbed the “ Israeli mafia”. It pulled off the biggest gold heist in the history of Manhattan's jewellery district, getting away with over $4 million in gold jewellery. Attias was murdered in January 1990, and New York's Israeli mafia fell apart soon after. Several members among them Ron Gonen had turned informant and the authorities arrested the rest of the gang in September of that year. Israeli crime organizations such as the Abergil crime family and Zeev Rosenstein are heavily involved in ecstasy trafficking in the United States. In a statement before Congress in 2000, officials with the U.S. Customs Service noted that " Israeli organized-crime elements appear to be in control" of the multibillion-dollar U.S. Ecstasy trade, " from production through the international smuggling phase". The main drug supplier of former Gambino crime family underboss Sammy Gravano in his Arizona drug ring allegedly was New York based Israeli mobster Ilan Zarger, who allegedly distributed more than 1 million Ecstasy pills from May 1999 to May 2000 with a wholesale value of $7 million. He pleaded guilty to charges of running a drug gang that flooded Arizona and New York with almost four million Ecstasy pills over three years. Another Israeli, Oded Tuito, said to head one of the largest Ecstasy-smuggling organization, which imported millions of Ecstasy pills from Paris, Brussels and Frankfurt into New York, Miami and Los Angeles, was arrested in May 2001. In 2006 Zeev Rosenstein was extradited to the U.S., after being arrested in Israel. He pleaded guilty before a federal court in Florida to charges that he distributed ecstasy pills and was sentenced to 12 years in prison which he serves in Israel. In January 2011, Yitzik and Meir Abergil and three other suspects were extradited to the U.S. They are facing a 77-page, 32-count federal indictment that alleges murder, massive embezzlement, money laundering, racketeering and running a large Los Angeles-based Ecstasy ring. The trial is set for November 8, 2011 in the Los Angeles Federal District Court. Notable MembersAbergil Crime Family - Top criminal organization in Israel, involved mostly in drug trafficking and illegal gambling. Asi Abutbul - Head of the Abutbul Crime Family, got 13 years in prison for running a criminal organization, extortion, and money laundering. Yaakov Alperon - Head of the Alperon Crime Family, until his car bombing assassination on November 17, 2008. Ludwig Fainberg - He was a crime figure in America with connections to the Medellin Cartel and the Russian Mafia, until he got busted. He lives in Israel now. Semion Mogilevich - A Russian crime figure operating worldwide, said to be the most powerful crime figure in the world, he allegedly runs human trafficking, prostitution and other criminal operations in Israel and other countries, and allegedly launders a lot of his money in Israel. Zeev Rosenstein - He used to be the top crime figure in Tel-Aviv, until he was caught. He was heavily involved in drug trafficking, mostly ecstasy, and allegedly ran other criminal operations as well. Asi Abutbul - Head of the Abutbul Crime FamilyLudwig FainbergZeev Rosenstein
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Post by pieter on Oct 18, 2011 5:45:16 GMT -7
Crime in PolandMasked special-police agents in WarsawCrime in Poland is lower than in many countries of Western Europe. The 2005 surveys placed Poland below the European average, with victimisation rate lower than in Ireland, England and Wales, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Estonia, Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden and Norway. Newer studies (2009) report that the victimisation rate in Poland is constantly decreasing, and in 2008 Poland was 25th among 36 European countries. Nevertheless, the 2004 report on security concerns of European Union residents indicates that most afraid of crime is the population of Poland (along with Greece), which does not at all correlate with the actual crime threat. Car theft rate in Poland is about the European average and it is lower than in England and Wales, Portugal, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Bulgaria, Ireland, Spain, Netherlands, Iceland, Italy and Norway. The crime rate is the highest in Upper Silesia, where both the earnings and the unemployment is the highest and the number of social deviations is growing. Organized crimeWhile local organized crime in Poland existed during the interwar period, it has mostly developed during the time of fall of communism (late 1980s/1990s) with the introduction of capitalist system in Poland and the lessening of the police ( milicja) power. Currently the so-called Polish mob has two major groups: the Pruszków Mob and the Wołomin Mob. Four criminals connected with the Pruszków Mafia were arrested in March 2008 by officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Warsaw police. The gangsters planned to kidnap a daughter of a rich businessman.
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Post by pieter on Oct 18, 2011 5:54:38 GMT -7
Andrzej KolikowskiAndrzej Kolikowski nicknamed Pershing (1954–1999) was the leader of the so-called Pruszków Mafia in Poland and arguably the best-known Polish gangster of the 1990s. He was assassinated by his enemies while on vacation in Zakopane. Kolikowski was born in Ożarów Mazowiecki. He was first arrested by the police at the age of 17. When he graduated from a car service school, he started working for a local cable factory. In 1980s he first went to West Germany, from where he started smuggling dollars, cars and other goods unavailable in communist-controlled Poland. There he also met his later accomplices: Jeremiasz Barański ( Baranina) and Nikodem Skotarczak ( Nikoś). He invested the money in an illegal casino opened in Warsaw in late 1980s. After Poland regained independence in 1989, Kolikowski formed a group of roughly 100 people supporting his business. Among the best-known of its members were Mirosław Danielak (nicknamed Malizna), Leszek Danielak ( Wańka), Zygmunt Raźniak ( Bolo), Andrzej Banasiak ( Słowik) and Adam Szelast ( Szelma). In 1992 the group joined the Pruszków Mafia, the largest and the most influential mob at the time. As one of its leaders, Kolikowski started investing in legal ventures: record labels, restaurants, discos and such. He is also often credited as the person behind the popularity of " disco polo" music genre, promoted by the labels he owned or sponsored. In 1994 he survived the first of assassination attempts: a bomb had been planted under his car. In August of that year he was arrested by the police, together with 19 members of the Pruszków group. Accused of extortion, handling, counterfeit and coercion, two years later he was sentenced to four years in prison. About that time his group divided and one of the off-springs gained notoriety under the command of Marek Czarnecki ( Rympałek). Kolikowski left prison in 1998 and returned to his former activities. However, by that time the war over control of the Pruszków mafia was raging and his position was seriously endangered. In addition, one of the off-springs created after the arrest of the initial chiefs of the Pruszków group - dubbed the Wołomin Mafia - gained much influence. While on vacation, Kolikowski was killed in a shooting in Zakopane on December 5, 1999. Ryszard Bogucki was convicted for the murder of Kolikowski and sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment, with the possibility of parole after 20 years. The crime scene in Zakopane, where Kolikowski was assasinated on December 5, 1999Ryszard Bogucki, the assasin of Andrzej Kolikowski
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Post by pieter on Oct 18, 2011 6:10:58 GMT -7
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