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LITTLE MEYER LANSKY #996395
09/01/20 09:31 AM
09/01/20 09:31 AM
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 9,300
N
NYMafia Offline OP
NYMafia  Offline OP

N

Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 9,300

As per my promise to our fellow forum member who goes by the same "handle", here's my spin on the iconic Meyer Lansky. Hope you enjoy it!

https://thenewyorkmafia.com/meyer-lansky/

Re: LITTLE MEYER LANSKY [Re: NYMafia] #996397
09/01/20 10:18 AM
09/01/20 10:18 AM
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 4,368
M
MeyerLansky Offline
Underboss
MeyerLansky  Offline
M
Underboss
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 4,368
very nice ! ! thanks !

Re: LITTLE MEYER LANSKY [Re: NYMafia] #996398
09/01/20 12:05 PM
09/01/20 12:05 PM
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,908
ralphie_cifaretto Offline
Underboss
ralphie_cifaretto  Offline
Underboss
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,908
Not my favorite article. I happen to know for an absolute fact he had a ton of pull all the way up until his dying day and also had access to large sums of money. Meyer Lansky never owned property. He didn't even own The Riviera. He owned people.

Re: LITTLE MEYER LANSKY [Re: ralphie_cifaretto] #996414
09/01/20 11:29 PM
09/01/20 11:29 PM
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 19,512
AZ
Turnbull Offline
Turnbull  Offline

Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 19,512
AZ
According to Robert Lacey, author of "Little Man - Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life" (the absolute best and most thoroughly researched Mob bio, IMO), Lansky never was worth more than $5-6 million at his peak. Hank Messick, a Miami-based reporter, erroneously wrote that Lansky was "boss of the Eastern Syndicate" and was worth $300 million--both the wildest kind of exaggerations. But, like all Mob exaggerations, it stuck, resulting in the Justice Department harassing him for the rest of his life. He may have had money stashed away somewhere, but not even Jimmy Blue Eyes was able to find it; and it is credible that he died broke.

He had tons of pull in Havana because Fulgencio Batista, the once and future president of Cuba, liked and trusted him. When he returned to power in 1952, Batista immediately brought Lansky in to clean up gambling, which was so crooked that tourists were staying away in droves. Lansky got a $100,000/year retainer to operate the Nacional's casino, and he installed his brother, Jake, to oversee it. But, he didn't have an ownership interest in a Havana casino until he and other investors (including Batista) built the Riviera. Santos Trafficante was the biggest Mob owner in Havana. The Riviera opened in March '58; Castro confiscated it the following year. So much for the Mob's "genius."

One of the reasons he died peacefully at 80, according to Lacey, is that he was never as big as he was portrayed. "He was the accountant, not the boss."


Ntra la porta tua lu sangu � sparsu,
E nun me mporta si ce muoru accisu...
E s'iddu muoru e vaju mparadisu
Si nun ce truovo a ttia, mancu ce trasu.
Re: LITTLE MEYER LANSKY [Re: Turnbull] #996416
09/01/20 11:46 PM
09/01/20 11:46 PM
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 9,300
N
NYMafia Offline OP
NYMafia  Offline OP

N

Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 9,300
Originally Posted by Turnbull
According to Robert Lacey, author of "Little Man - Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life" (the absolute best and most thoroughly researched Mob bio, IMO), Lansky never was worth more than $5-6 million at his peak. Hank Messick, a Miami-based reporter, erroneously wrote that Lansky was "boss of the Eastern Syndicate" and was worth $300 million--both the wildest kind of exaggerations. But, like all Mob exaggerations, it stuck, resulting in the Justice Department harassing him for the rest of his life. He may have had money stashed away somewhere, but not even Jimmy Blue Eyes was able to find it; and it is credible that he died broke.

He had tons of pull in Havana because Fulgencio Batista, the once and future president of Cuba, liked and trusted him. When he returned to power in 1952, Batista immediately brought Lansky in to clean up gambling, which was so crooked that tourists were staying away in droves. Lansky got a $100,000/year retainer to operate the Nacional's casino, and he installed his brother, Jake, to oversee it. But, he didn't have an ownership interest in a Havana casino until he and other investors (including Batista) built the Riviera. Santos Trafficante was the biggest Mob owner in Havana. The Riviera opened in March '58; Castro confiscated it the following year. So much for the Mob's "genius."

One of the reasons he died peacefully at 80, according to Lacey, is that he was never as big as he was portrayed. "He was the accountant, not the boss."

--------
Bingo! Thats my take on it as well. He was a very well respected guy. But NOT who people or the federal government made him out to be.

He was indeed a sharp guy, as I also mentioned, the "mobs accountant" and trusted as such. Close to Alo, Costello, Luciano, etc. Thats What REALLY gave him his strength IMO.

Did he make money, absolutely. Millions? I don't doubt it. But after "busting out" in Cuba, and living another 2-3 decades the money just goes. The old connections die. So do the rackets. And pretty soon you're an old man with no assets left to speak of.

It's happened more times than you'd care to imagine with wiseguys.

Re: LITTLE MEYER LANSKY [Re: Turnbull] #996423
09/02/20 05:19 AM
09/02/20 05:19 AM
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,442
Alfa Romeo Offline
Underboss
Alfa Romeo  Offline
Underboss
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,442
Hmmm, Turnbull, I don't know.

ML was said to have set up a Swiss bank for the syndicate. I have long been a believer that the original syndicate bosses had at least some of their money laundered through ML's Swiss Bank. I read somewhere that they would access the funds by getting some sort of zero interest loans. This couldn't be done if the criminals simply would have gotten anonymous numbered Swiss bank accounts. They would have to also own the bank, and they did.

So ML was not just the accountant, he was possibly the principle money launderer for the old syndicates' drug(?) profits. The smaller rackets likely kicked up through the hierarchy in a more direct way. There is no need to launder loan shark book revenue by first sending the cash to Switzerland.

ML never worth more than 5 to 6 million at his peak? 5 to 6 million sounds like one single payment a money launderer that size would get.


"For us, rubbin'out a Mustache was just like makin' way for a new building, like we was in the construction business."
Re: LITTLE MEYER LANSKY [Re: NYMafia] #996425
09/02/20 05:35 AM
09/02/20 05:35 AM
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,908
ralphie_cifaretto Offline
Underboss
ralphie_cifaretto  Offline
Underboss
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,908
Originally Posted by NYMafia
Originally Posted by Turnbull
According to Robert Lacey, author of "Little Man - Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life" (the absolute best and most thoroughly researched Mob bio, IMO), Lansky never was worth more than $5-6 million at his peak. Hank Messick, a Miami-based reporter, erroneously wrote that Lansky was "boss of the Eastern Syndicate" and was worth $300 million--both the wildest kind of exaggerations. But, like all Mob exaggerations, it stuck, resulting in the Justice Department harassing him for the rest of his life. He may have had money stashed away somewhere, but not even Jimmy Blue Eyes was able to find it; and it is credible that he died broke.

He had tons of pull in Havana because Fulgencio Batista, the once and future president of Cuba, liked and trusted him. When he returned to power in 1952, Batista immediately brought Lansky in to clean up gambling, which was so crooked that tourists were staying away in droves. Lansky got a $100,000/year retainer to operate the Nacional's casino, and he installed his brother, Jake, to oversee it. But, he didn't have an ownership interest in a Havana casino until he and other investors (including Batista) built the Riviera. Santos Trafficante was the biggest Mob owner in Havana. The Riviera opened in March '58; Castro confiscated it the following year. So much for the Mob's "genius."

One of the reasons he died peacefully at 80, according to Lacey, is that he was never as big as he was portrayed. "He was the accountant, not the boss."

--------
Bingo! Thats my take on it as well. He was a very well respected guy. But NOT who people or the federal government made him out to be.

He was indeed a sharp guy, as I also mentioned, the "mobs accountant" and trusted as such. Close to Alo, Costello, Luciano, etc. Thats What REALLY gave him his strength IMO.

Did he make money, absolutely. Millions? I don't doubt it. But after "busting out" in Cuba, and living another 2-3 decades the money just goes. The old connections die. So do the rackets. And pretty soon you're an old man with no assets left to speak of.

It's happened more times than you'd care to imagine with wiseguys.



Absolute nonsense. Throughout his entire life, Lansky was never the owner of anything on record. The money he had in his own name was transferred to his brother in the early '70s when he got in trouble with the IRS. According to Meyer's own family, that was about $15 million at the time (around $100 million in today's money). You should see how Jake's family is living these days lol. That's just one example. I'm not even mentioning all the things he did for his mistress and some friends of his. Giving them condos, cars, you name it. I'm a lot closer to the situation than you think.

Re: LITTLE MEYER LANSKY [Re: Alfa Romeo] #996426
09/02/20 05:43 AM
09/02/20 05:43 AM
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,908
ralphie_cifaretto Offline
Underboss
ralphie_cifaretto  Offline
Underboss
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,908
Originally Posted by Alfa Romeo
ML never worth more than 5 to 6 million at his peak? 5 to 6 million sounds like one single payment a money launderer that size would get.


I actually laughed out loud when I saw that. A lot of this misconception comes from Lacey's biography. I believe his main source was Buddy Lansky who nobody was even speaking to. He didn't talk to organized crime figures or anyone from that world. Not that long ago, Phil Leonetti mentioned Lansky's involvement with Monte Carlo. Him and Scarfo had that meeting with him in the late '70s, I believe. The respect Lansky got from those guys was unparalleled. He even had Benny Squint's ear. If you know anything about anything, Benny was the man back then.

Re: LITTLE MEYER LANSKY [Re: NYMafia] #996428
09/02/20 07:45 AM
09/02/20 07:45 AM
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 9,300
N
NYMafia Offline OP
NYMafia  Offline OP

N

Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 9,300
The proof is in the pudding as they say... Ralph you say that you known them, If that is true then this is as easy enough fix.

I don't know how old you are, but if you were old enough to have been around when Lansky died, and you have been close enough to have seen his daughter and sons, and nephews and nieces, and grandchildren, live like kings and queens with no explanation of wealth?? Then there ya go!

More than likely they are enjoying Lansky's illicit cash. (Unless they made tons of money in their own right that you know about, which I doubt).

We KNOW Jake had solid money. He saved and saved. And I'm sure he did well financially with his brother. But Meyer should have done much better right??

So look at "Meyers family lineage", not Jake's and see how they are living today. Not simply a house, or a condo. BUT LARGE!

Because one things for sure, they ain't ALL gonna hide their money. If they have it they will flaunt it. They are NOT subject to the government, etc.

Thats the best any of us can do for an answer I'd imagine. Do you agree?

Last edited by NYMafia; 09/02/20 08:40 AM.
Re: LITTLE MEYER LANSKY [Re: NYMafia] #996601
09/05/20 10:02 PM
09/05/20 10:02 PM
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 23,923
H
Hollander Offline
Hollander  Offline
H

Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 23,923
Lansky and his guys helped (the dutch) Franklin Roosevelt in the 1932 Democratic National Convention.


"The king is dead, long live the king!"
Re: LITTLE MEYER LANSKY [Re: NYMafia] #996614
09/06/20 07:54 AM
09/06/20 07:54 AM
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 6,531
P
pmac Offline
pmac  Offline
P

Joined: May 2012
Posts: 6,531
No joke I wonder what his pension was. He must have been on some payroll for his whole life. Some union.


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