Mickey Cohen: A Notorious Mobster

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Recommended: National Prohibition and American Society in the 20th Century

The 1920’s were a time of much prosperity in the U.S., But along with prosperity came lots of very dangerous crime. The mafia, a general term for all crime organizations in the 1920’s, made this country one of the most crime ridden as well as prosperous countries in the world. These gangs were run by very high level hoodlums that couldn't be touched because of their rank and power. Whatever they said, went, and if you couldn't follow their rules then you had to be “dealt with” as some mobsters might have said. These people were the kingpins of society and they played a huge role in our history. They caused more grief in our country than ever before and Mickey Cohen was one of the worst. Mickey Cohen was one of the most feared and revered gangsters of his time. He was in with the mafia at a very young age and met some very shady people. Even though the big trouble came when he was much older he was always getting into trouble with the law no matter the age. This led to him running away from home and starting his career in crime. Cohen then became one of the most feared names in all of Los Angeles and even the entire United States of America. Mickey Cohen was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 4, 1913. His widowed mother was an Orthodox Jews so, naturally he followed in her footsteps. After a few years in New York his family decided to move out west and landed in Los Angeles, California. Mickey was then made to work for his family and sold papers and helped out at his brother’s drug store. Eventually Mickey realized that selling bootleg alcohol made a much better profit than buying papers to sell. This is when his first days of crime really started. Being the troublemaker that he was, Cohen was in reform school twice before hi... ... middle of paper ... ...o at the time Cohen had his fair share of dirty cops and politicians. Those politicians would do anything that Cohen wanted as long as they got the money. This was one of Cohen’s biggest mistakes because it left him vulnerable to high up leaders and his dirty politicians getting paid by other people more than he paid them. This was one of the biggest problems in his network. Eventually the politicians turned against him and got him caught for tax evasion. This was eventually what ended Cohen’s career in crime. Works Cited Mickey Cohen Biography: http://www.biography.com/people/mickey-cohen-329432#early-mob-roles&awesm=~oCWuUBph07Ksut Mickey Cohen Private Life: Primary Newspaper Document: “Mickey Cohen: the private life of a hood” Mickey Cohen Biography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Cohen Mickey Cohen in Alcatraz: Primary Document: “Last Stop: Alcatraz”

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