The 1920s and 1930s were the height of the city’s prosperity. In those days, Hollywood was thriving, and the economy was booming, attracting tourists and Americans from different cities. All of them were driven by the desire for a better life. However, underlying the appealing picture was the city’s darker side.
The truth is that Los Angeles was the most corrupt city in the United States. During that time, all the bodies, including the police, judges and politicians alike, were bribed by criminals. Find out more about this historical period at layes.info.
Preconditions
It is worth noting that the early years of organized crime in California were marked by the division into various Italian street gangs. One example from the early twentieth century was the Black Hand, which represented a kind of Italian racket. The Matrangas were the most famous family involved in this. They had a legitimate business selling fruit, but they also used threats, violence, arson and extortion to control the Plaza region (which was formerly the center of the Italian-American community in Los Angeles).
In 1915, Joseph “Iron Man” Ardizzone returned to power after being imprisoned for some time on charges of murdering George Maisano, a member of the Matranga family gang. Due to a lack of evidence and witnesses willing to testify, the criminal was acquitted.
As a result, Joseph Ardizzone formed a criminal partnership with Jack Dragna that lasted more than ten years and was defined by the following:
- during Prohibition, the men were involved in smuggling in Southern California, gambling and extortion
- by the end of the 1920s, the bandits’ authority and influence had grown significantly
- Ardizzone became the central figure of criminal activities in the city, therefore organized crime began to operate under his banner
- after founding the Italian Defense League in the 1930s, Ardizzone established himself as the leader of the criminal underworld in Los Angeles. The organization was led by Jack Dragna as president, Ardizzone as vice president and California State Senator Joseph Pedrotti as chairman. Such an organization served both political and social purposes, strengthening the criminal family’s status.
- in 1931, during a trip to visit his cousin in Etiwanda, California, Ardizzone mysteriously disappeared. Thus, his rule came to an end.
The reign of Jack Dragna
Following Ardizzone’s mysterious disappearance, Jack Dragna took charge and rule, and in 1931 made peace with the National Mafia Syndicate (the National Crime Syndicate). It was a multi-ethnic group of criminal organizations closely associated with the American Confederation. Founded in 1929 by Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky, the criminal organization was responsible for hundreds of committed murders.
Jack Dragna was widely regarded as the most successful leader of the city’s crime family. He was unable to join any entertainment industry unions, but he and his family did become involved in the sector. During his reign, the Los Angeles mafia reached a new level.
Subsequently, he was even invited to the Commission (the American Mafia’s governing body, led by Charles “Lucky” Luciano). It was a true honor. Then Jack Dragna started running usurious and illegal gambling activities.
Dragna had his own method of influencing people. For example, he sent his gang members to businesses that threatened him. The proprietors of these businesses then paid Dragna for protection. This approach has been effective for many years. Despite his best efforts, Dragna was unable to control independent gambling fully.
Bugsy Siegel
This is a well-known American bandit who was instrumental in the creation of the Las Vegas Strip. He was a key figure in the Jewish mafia and was pals with fellow gangster Meyer Lansky. Reading more about his biography, you can see that “Bugsy” was a charismatic and handsome man. He became one of the first famous gangsters to make it to the front pages.
He founded and became the leader of the criminal organization Murder, Inc., and during Prohibition, he was involved in the rum trade or smuggling.
Before discussing “Bugsy’s” criminal life, it’s important to consider his personal life. In 1929, he married Esta Krakower, his childhood sweetheart. They had two daughters, Millicent and Barbara, but their marriage ended in 1946. The man had a reputation for being a womanizer, and his list of mistresses was extensive. Esta Krakower and her teenage daughters relocated to New York.
Siegel and Hollywood
The gangster was welcomed in the highest circles of Hollywood and had many friends among movie stars and studio managers. He liked to host large parties at his Beverly Hills residence. He had Countess Dorothy di Frasso as one of his women, so he spent some time in Italy thanks to their connection.
In Hollywood, the man worked together with the syndicate to organize an illegal racket, demanding money from film studios. He frequently borrowed money from celebrities and did not repay it, well aware that no one would dare to ask for money from the leader of a criminal organization. In just one year in Hollywood, he collected almost $400,000 in loans from movie stars.
Siegel’s life ended abruptly. He was shot by a sniper through the window of Hill’s Linden Drive mansion in Beverly Hills. He was succeeded by Mickey Cohen.
Cohen’s Gang, or who is Meyer Harris Cohen?
We are referring to Mickey Cohen’s gang, whose members terrorized the city. They robbed shops, banks and casinos, instilling fear in local residents.
The criminal war between different gangs, combined with corruption in different branches of the legislative branch and cruelty, made Los Angeles one of America’s most dangerous cities in the 1920s and 1930s.
The man was an American gangster, boxer, entrepreneur and the leader of the Cohen crime family. Mickey was born in New York, and his family emigrated from Kyiv to the United States. He and his family relocated to Los Angeles when he was very young, and at the age of 8, he started working. Already in 1922, Mickey was sent to a correctional facility for minor crimes (stealing in various establishments).
Mickey Cohen’s criminal career started in Cleveland. He then met Lou Rothkopf, a friend of Gunster Moe Dalitz. There wasn’t much work to do in Cleveland, so he agreed with Rothcopf that Cohen would work together with Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel. Mickey Cohen began as a security guard for the syndicate but rose to become chairman of the Sunset Strip following the murder of Siegel.
He met and married a girl of easy virtue named Lavonne Weaver. Throughout his rule, Cohen faced numerous attempts on his life. This forced him to turn his house into a fortress, complete with spotlights and alarm systems.
The story of Mickey Cohen inspired the creation of:
- films, for example, “Bugsy” (1991), “L.A. Confidential” (1997), “The Lincoln Lawyer” (2011) and “Gangster Squad” (2013)
- Frank Darabont’s television series “Mob City” and miniseries “The Offer”
- games, for example, the 2011 video game “L.A. Noire”
- literary works, for example, James Ellroy’s “L.A. Quartet book series” and Howard Scott Williams’ memoir “The Gangster’s Butler” (2017).
Richard Rayner and the Los Angeles crime history
It is possible to learn a little more about Los Angeles’ criminal history thanks to the efforts of a British writer who has lived in the city for over 20 years. He is not only a writer, but a producer and regular columnist for the Los Angeles Review of Books. The author’s works will guide you through a historical tour of criminal Los Angeles. Mafiosi, gangs, racketeers and corrupt politicians were all part of the city’s history, and later, it inspired many writers, directors and other great people to create films, television shows and books.