Bugsy Siegel

Benjamin Bugsy Siegel ˈsiːɡəl February 28 1906 June 20 1947 was a JewishAmerican mobster who was a driving force behind the development of the Las Vegas Strip Siegel was influential within the Jewish Mob along with his childhood friend and fellow gangster Meyer Lansky the ItalianAmerican Mafia and the largely ItalianJewish National Crime Syndicate Described as handsome and charismatic Siegel became one of the first frontpage celebrity gangsters Siegel was one of the founders and leaders of Murder Inc and became a bootlegger during American Prohibition After the Twentyfirst Amendment was passed in 1933 repealing Prohibition he turned to illegal gambling In 1936 Siegel left New York and moved to California His time as a mobster during this period was mainly as a hitman and muscle as he was noted for his prowess with guns and violence In 1941 Siegel was tried for the murder of friend and fellow mobster Harry Greenberg who had turned informant he was acquitted in 1942 Siegel traveled to Las Vegas Nevada where he handled and financed some of the citys original casinos He assisted developer William R Wilkersons Flamingo Hotel after Wilkerson ran out of funds Siegel assumed control of the project and managed the final stages of construction The Flamingo opened on December 26 1946 in a threeday event that was well received Without a hotel to accompany the casino the Flamingo struggled and closed from February 6 until the hotel reopened March 1 1947 Siegels mob partners were convinced that an estimated US1 million of the construction budget overrun had been skimmed by Siegel his girlfriend Virginia Hill or by both of them On June 20 1947 Siegel was shot dead at the age of 41 by a sniper through the window of Hills Linden Drive mansion in Beverly Hills California Description above from the Wikipedia article Bugsy Siegel licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia