F-2 was the notorious New York City mobster, Charles “Ruby” Stein.
Ruby Stein lived and plied his criminal trade in New York City. As a young man he initially tried his hand as a prize-fighter and street hoodlum. But he soon found his life’s calling when he stumbled upon the usurious loan business.
Better known on the gritty streets of New York as the “shylock” racket, Stein quickly became a natural at it. With his base intelligence and sharp mind, Ruby excelled as a shylock, or loan-shark. He had a near photographic memory and was quick with numbers, which only added to his success in the business.
He started out by providing small loans to needy businessmen in Manhattan’s “Garment District” and around Queens County. But with his growing success, he soon attracted a few legitimate businessmen as investors who provided the young hoodlum with much needed funds to bankroll his growing “shylock book.”
By the mid-late 1940s, Stein had established himself as a major loanshark figure in the metropolitan area. By this point in time, he had also branched out into the field of illegal gambling as well. Specifically, horse and sports bookmaking.
With his natural ability at mathematics and sharp business acumen, bookmaking was another field of endeavor he was successful at. In fact, he soon became something of an “oddsmaker” that other local bookies utilized to set the days figures for races and games.
But his growing success did not go unnoticed. He soon came to the attention of various organized crime figures who realized Stein was an “independent” as they say, and not tied into any one crime Family.
Soon, other hoodlums started targeting him for ripoffs, strong-arm tactics, and shakedowns. They’d send in an innocent looking “beard” to ostensibly borrow money from Stein. But once the budding shylock went to collect his payments, they’d scare him off with threats of violence.
So, ever the businessman, he decided to go partners with another young hoodlum, a tough, up-and-coming mafioso by the name of Nicholas “Jiggs” Forlano. They dovetailed together beautifully. Coincidentally, Nick Forlano also happened to be a fully “inducted” soldier of Brooklyn’s notorious Joseph Profaci Family.
With Forlano now providing the muscle, and Stein providing the brains, their partnership was an instant success. From that time forward, nobody who ever borrowed money ever dared tried to “stiff” Stein again. They all paid their vigorish.
By the early 1950s, Stein and Forlano had become notoriously known throughout the underworld as simply, “Ruby and Jiggs.”
By this point in time, due to Forlano’s Mafia connections, old man Profaci was now adding to their growing shylock book by helping to bankroll their business with funds invested from the Profaci Family’s treasury. By the late 1950’s, top members of other New York Families were also investing money with Ruby and Jiggs.
All through the 1950s and 1960s era, “Ruby and Jiggs” were widely considered to be the biggest loan-sharks in the nation.
But, after several decades of unrivaled success, by the early 1970s, the magic that had once made for an unbeatable partnership was gone, and everything would change...for them both.
One day a man stepped outside into the pouring rain. He had no umbrella or hat, or head covering of any type. Yet, the rain didn't wet a single hair on his head.
Many of the "desperados" who were closely tied to some members of the Outfit, by the mid 1930's were killed by the Mafia mainly because of the sensitive jobs they previously did for them like the professional hits in the massacre or on Aiello and Barker
You mean George "Red" Barker? But wasn't he allegedly killed by the Touhy gang rather than the Mafia? Although maybe I am confusing him with some other gangster.
I remember there was a "conspiracy theory" about Dillinger not being really killed then, that the FBI mistakingly killed another man and tried to cover it up etc. Maybe it's all bullshit, I don't know, but 1 thing seems weird to me: when a few years ago they were going to do an exhumation of Dillinger's body to check whether it was really him, at the last moment it was canceled without explanation....I mean, why cancel it, if they just had a perfect chance to disprove the "fake death" theory once and for all?
I am not really into conspiracy theories, but the exhumation being canceled at the last moment doesn't really make sense to me, unless they had something to hide.
You wonder how a guy like Dillinger would act around the italian hoods like Aiuppa - I wonder if he was scared of those guys. He was a southern boy - you just wonder with these guys in the 30s still talking italian with the dark features and the racism against them coming from the south - would a tough guy like Dillinger call Aiuppa and his crew guineas and tell them to fuck off or pay tribute bc he knew how they operated?
My opinion is that "desperados" like Dillinger had a lot of courage and were very unpredictable by being very trigger happy. But as it was already said in one gangster movie something like "huge balls, but no brains". Many of the "desperados" who were closely tied to some members of the Outfit, by the mid 1930's were killed by the Mafia mainly because of the sensitive jobs they previously did for them like the professional hits in the massacre or on Aiello and Barker, which were executed with machineguns (some from a very long distance with military precision). Also, when Fred Burke went to prison while his buddies from the massacre were hunted down all around the country by the Mafia, Burke was personally visited in jail by Capone capo and connection guy Phil D'Andrea and both of them had a short private talk. Some of the prison guards and the warden at the time, speculated that the short chat was for Burke to keep his mouth shut or else.
@Chitown...the Matassa Sr pic is priceless, thanks a lot and pls keep them coming.
@H, yes he was a a cop, Mafioso, and also one of Giancana's bodyguards. The Outfit was never completely traditional, especially during the Giancana era.
Boeing's latest potential scandal is out of this world - literally.
Its Starliner spacecraft - which carried two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) last week - is unable to undock after several faults were found on the ship.
Teams have discovered five different leaks in the craft's propulsion system which would navigate the craft through space as it returns to Earth.
The astronauts were set to return on June 14, but that has been delayed until June 22 while Boeing and NASA scramble to fix issues, leaving the astronauts stranded until then.
Now, experts have said that NASA could be forced to launch a rescue mission that would be a highly embarrassing blow for the embattled Boeing which is dealing with spate of issues plaguing its commercial jets.
In fairness to Michael, Roth was stringing Michael along among others “gifting” their Hotel and pretending “to go along” with Michael moving Klingman out instead if Roth had been honest perhaps Michael and Roth could have worked out some mutually beneficial arrangement
As regards Roth's Havana business, I believe Michael understood that whilst Michael was Roth's successor, the heir apparent, Roth was always going to hold onto his Havana empire until Roth's retirement or death and at that time, Michael would inherit Roth's interests in the Havana operation but we all know Roth was somehow going to rule his empire forever!
Then both Michael and Roth could live happily for a hundred years! Nobody any the wiser
Michael, his "legitimate" life, decent American, gambling mogul, public Benefactor and Roth, the average neighbour, harmless old man, his carefully cultivated reputation as a retired investor on a pension intact
ChiTown what is the story behind Matassa Sr and Sinatra? He was a senior cop and a mafioso? That is strange Sicilian Cosa Nostra rules forbides members with ties to law enforcement.
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