QUIZ Inside America’s Deadliest Crime Syndicate

Study Notes – QUIZ America’s Deadliest Crime Syndicate

• The Rise of Murder Inc.

  • Murder Inc. was America’s Deadliest Crime Syndicate in the 1930s and 1940s, led by Louis “Lepke” Buchalter, responsible for over 1,000 contract murders.
  • It functioned as the hit squad for the National Crime Syndicate, established by mobsters with the goal of controlling crime across various cities, including gambling and extortion.
  • Key figures in its establishment included Louis “Lepke” Buchalter, who orchestrated the hits, working alongside other Jewish and Italian-American mob leaders like Meyer Lansky and Charles “Lucky” Luciano.
  • Abe “Kid Twist” Reles was a prominent hitman for Murder Inc. who later became an informant.

  Organizational Structure and Operational Methods

  • Murder Inc. was highly structured, mirroring corporate hierarchies with specific roles for secrecy, efficiency, and compartmentalization. It was this level of efficiency that made it America’s Deadliest Crime Syndicate.
  • Louis “Lepke” Buchalter served as the boss, making executive decisions on contract murders.
  • Albert Anastasia, known as “Lord High Executioner,” was Buchalter’s chief lieutenant, responsible for organizing hit squads.
  • Enforcers/Hitmen, such as Harry “Pittsburgh Phil” Strauss and Abe “Kid Twist” Reles, carried out the killings, often working in teams and sometimes specializing in particular methods.
  • The Brownsville Boys were a subsidiary unit that handled many executions under leaders like Reles and Harry Maione, with rank-and-file members having limited knowledge of full operations.
  • Supporting roles included getaway drivers, finger-men/spotters (who identified targets), and contract brokers like Louis Capone, who sometimes acted as intermediaries for assignments.
  • The organization was highly compartmentalized, meaning each individual involved in a killing only knew enough to perform their specific task, minimizing exposure if caught.
  • Enforcement relied on fear and violence, including threats, beatings, and murders, to ensure compliance and silence.
  • Contract killings, numbering between 400 and 1,000, were formally assigned by “The Commission,” comprising major mob bosses such as Lucky Luciano and Albert “The Mad Hatter” Anastasia.
  • Payments for killers typically ranged from $1,000 to $5,000 per hit, along with a retainer salary and family benefits if the killer was apprehended or killed.
  • Operating from innocuous hubs like Midnight Rose’s candy store, which served as a headquarters and messaging center, they coordinated their activities.
  • Murder Inc. as a deadly Crime Syndicate preferred quick, discreet executions over public violence. This was to avoid drawing unwanted attention from law enforcement and to protect the larger business interests of the Syndicate.
  • They maintained a code against murdering political figures or law enforcement to prevent intensified scrutiny.
  • Their operations extended across the United States, targeting individuals for various mob bosses without personal connections to the victims.

  Killing Techniques

  • Murder Inc. employed a range of methodical and brutal killing techniques, often chosen for silence and efficiency, and to minimize forensic evidence.
  • A signature method was thrusting an ice pick through the ear or skull to cause swift death with minimal noise and visible blood, often making it appear as a natural cerebral hemorrhage.
  • The .38 caliber revolver was commonly used for quick, efficient shootings, especially at close range or in vehicles, due to its ease of use and disposal.
  • Strangulation with ropes or garrotes was utilized when stealth was critical and gunshots were undesirable.
  • Knives and meat cleavers were used for stabbings or hacking, sometimes with mutilation intended as a warning.
  • More extreme methods, such as burning, drowning, or burial alive, were occasionally used to dispose of bodies or intimidate rivals.

  Notorious Members and Their Downfall

  • Louis “Lepke” Buchalter, as the top boss, oversaw all operations, and his eventual capture and execution marked a significant victory against organized crime.
  • Buchalter became the only major mob leader to be executed in the electric chair, facing his fate at Sing Sing Prison in 1944, largely due to the efforts of Thomas E. Dewey.
  • Albert “The Mad Hatter” Anastasia was a key figure who organized violent acts and worked with gangsters like Bugsy Siegel and Frank Costello to expand the group’s influence.
  • The downfall of Murder Inc. as a Crime Syndicate began with trials in the late 1930s due to key informants.
  • Law enforcement, particularly Brooklyn District Attorney William O’Dwyer, dismantled Murder Inc. using pressured informants, intensive interrogations, and the credible threat of capital punishment.
  • Abe “Kid Twist” Reles, a notorious hitman, became a pivotal government witness, providing detailed insider testimony that linked bosses and henchmen to numerous murders.
  • Prosecutors relied heavily on the testimonies of underworld turncoats like Reles, Seymour Magoon, and Albert Tannenbaum to secure convictions, helping resolve an estimated 85 murders.
  • Interrogation tactics included threats of the death penalty, strategic use of existing evidence to force confessions, and isolating suspects to foster betrayal.
  • Major trials for the murders of George Rudnick, Irving Feinstein, and Joseph Rosen Led to the convictions and executions of key figures like Frank “The Dasher” Abbandando, Harry “Happy” Maione, Harry “Pittsburgh Phil” Strauss, Martin “Buggsy” Goldstein, Louis Capone, and Emanuel “Mendy” Weiss.
  • Reles’ suspicious death in 1941, while under police protection, interrupted the prosecution of Albert Anastasia but did not prevent the overall collapse of the organization.

  Legacy in Popular Culture

  • Murder Inc.’s story as America’s Deadliest Crime Syndicate has been extensively depicted in films and literature, portraying the grim reality of organized crime and its impact.
  • These representations often explore the lives of leaders like Louis “Lepke” Buchalter, their violent methods, and the dramatic courtroom battles that eventually led to their demise.