The head of Murder, Inc. is executed
Louis Lepke Buchalter the head of Murder Inc.is executed at Sing Sing Prison in New York.Lepke was the leader of the countrys largest crime syndicate throughout the 1930s and was making nearly 50 million a year from his various enterprises.
His downfall came when several members of his notorious killing squad turned into witnesses for the government.Lepke began his criminal career robbing pushcarts as a teenager.When he met Jacob GurrahShapiro while trying to rob the same pushcart the two quickly became a formidable team.With Shapiros brute strength the two established an extortion business forcing pushcart owners to pay for protection.
Lepke and Shapiro then joined Jacob Little Augie Orgens Lower East Side gang and turned their attention to bigger game.One by one Lepke and the gang terrorized the local garment workers unions.They took over control of the unions and forced kickback payments from both the members and the employers.Soon they had taken over the entire New York garment industry.
In the 1920s they added liquor bootlegging and gambling and later began importing heroin and other narcotics.Lepke assembled a large team of hired killers to enforce his control.At one time this team may have included as many as 250 hit men.Lepke also began to coordinate operations with the other big crime kingpins around the nation.
With Lucky Luciano Meyer Lansky and Dutch Schultz Lepke virtually controlled organized crime throughout the country.In 1935 Schultz wanted to kill New York District Attorney Thomas Dewey but Lepke fearing that it would bring even more intense scrutiny and pressure from law enforcement had Schultz killed instead.In order to generate more income and keep his hit men occupied Lepke started Murder Inc.in 1933.
Murder Inc.was authorized to kill anyone (approved by the syndicate) for a profit.With his hit squad protecting him from rivals and paid-off judges and officers keeping him out of jail Lepke was Americas premier criminal until he was betrayed by his own men.
Reportedly he was able to order final hits on his betrayers from jail before his execution.
