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Line 2: {{Use mdy dates\|date=August 2020}} {{Infobox person \| image = File:Bugsy Siegel with his attorneys (cropped).jpg \| caption = Siegel in 1944 \| other_names = Ben, Benny \|birth_name = Benjamin Siegel<ref name='Gragg, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel' />▼ <ref>{{cite web \| url=https://themobmuseum.org/notable_names/benjamin-bugsy-siegel/ \| title=On This Day in 1906 – "Bugsy" Siegel is born\| How he influenced modern Las Vegas }}</ref> \|birth_date = {{Birth date\|1906\|02\|28}}▼ ▲\| birth_name = Benjamin Siegel<ref name='Gragg, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel' /> ~~\|birth_place = New York City, U.S.~~ \|~~death_date~~ birth_date = {{~~Death~~Birth date ~~and age\|1947\|06\|20~~\|1906\|02\|28}} \|~~death_place~~ birth_place = [[~~Beverly~~New ~~Hills,~~York ~~California~~City]], U.S. ▲\|~~birth_date~~ death_date = {{~~Birth~~Death date and age\|1947\|06\|20\|1906\|02\|28}} \|death_cause = [[Gunshot wounds]]▼ \| death_place = [[Beverly Hills, California]], U.S. \|resting_place = [[Hollywood Forever Cemetery]]▼ ▲\| death_cause = [[Gunshot wounds]] \|occupation = ▼ ▲\| resting_place = [[Hollywood Forever Cemetery]] \|spouse = {{marriage\|Esta Krakower\|January 28, 1929\|1946\|reason=div}}▼ ▲\| occupation = \|partner = {{unbulleted list\|[[Wendy Barrie]] (1942–1943)\|[[Virginia Hill]] (1945–1947)}}▼ ▲\| spouse = {{marriage\|Esta Krakower\|January 28, 1929\|1946\|reason=div}} \|children = 3▼ ▲\| partner = {{unbulleted list\|[[Wendy Barrie]] (1942–1943)\|[[Virginia Hill]] (1945–1947)}} \|signature = Bugsy Siegel signature.svg▼ ▲\| children = 32 ▲\| signature = Bugsy Siegel signature.svg }} '''Benjamin''' "'''Bugsy'''" '''Siegel''' ({{IPAc-en\|ˈ\|s\|iː\|g\|əl}}; February 28, 1906 – June 20, 1947) was an American [[gangster\|mobster]]<ref>{{cite web\|title=Bugsy Siegel Part 25\|url=http://vault.fbi.gov/Bugsy%20Siegel%20/Bugsy%20Siegel%20Part%2025%20of%2032/view\|work=FBI Records: The Vault\|publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation\|access-date=October 8, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018123757/http://vault.fbi.gov/Bugsy%20Siegel%20/Bugsy%20Siegel%20Part%2025%20of%2032/view\|archive-date=October 18, 2012\|url-status=live}} According to an FBI report, his reputation of individuals fearing him was acknowledged because "he thought nothing of grabbing a gun and shooting someone when they crossed him."</ref> who was a driving force behind the development of the [[Las Vegas Strip]].<ref name=nytobit /> Siegel was influential within the [[Jewish-American organized crime\|Jewish Mob]], along with his childhood friend and fellow gangster [[Meyer Lansky]], and he also held significant influence within the [[American Mafia\|Italian-American Mafia]] and the largely Italian-Jewish [[National Crime Syndicate]]. Described as handsome and charismatic, he became one of the first front-page celebrity gangsters.<ref name="Headstuff">{{cite web\|first=Ciaran\|last=Conliffe\|url=https://www.headstuff.org/culture/history/bugsy-siegel-celebrity-mobster/\|title=Bugsy Siegel, Celebrity Mobster\|website=Headstuff.org\|date=May 23, 2016\|access-date=May 20, 2018\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180521193043/https://www.headstuff.org/culture/history/bugsy-siegel-celebrity-mobster/\|archive-date=May 21, 2018\|url-status=live}}</ref> Siegel was one of the founders and leaders of [[Murder, Inc.]]<ref name="Killer Ring"/> and became a [[Rum-running\|bootlegger]] during [[Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution\|American Prohibition]]. The [[Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution\|Twenty-first Amendment]] was passed in 1933 repealing Prohibition, and he turned to gambling. In 1936, he left [[New York (state)\|New York]] and moved to [[California]].{{sfnp\|Turkus\|Feder\|2003\|p=268}} His time as a mobster during this period was mainly as a hitman and muscle, as he was noted for his prowess with guns and violence. In 1941, Siegel was tried for the murder of friend and fellow mobster [[Harry Greenberg]], who had turned informant. He was acquitted in 1942. Siegel traveled to [[Las Vegas]], [[Nevada]], where he handled and financed some of the original casinos.{{sfnp\|Turkus\|Feder\|2003\|pp=284–285}} He assisted developer [[William R. Wilkerson]]'s [[Flamingo Las Vegas\|Flamingo Hotel]] after Wilkerson ran out of funds.{{sfnp\|Wilkerson\|2000\|p=141}} Siegel assumed control of the project and managed the final stages of construction. The Flamingo opened on December 26, 1946 in a driving rainstorm, resulting in a poor reception and technical difficulties, and it soon closed. It reopened in March 1947 with a finished hotel, but by then his mob partners were convinced that an estimated US$1 million of the construction budget overrun had been skimmed by Siegel's girlfriend [[Virginia Hill]] or by both of them. On June 20, 1947, Siegel was shot dead at the age of 41 by a sniper through the window of Hill's Linden Drive mansion in [[Beverly Hills, California]]. ==Early life== Benjamin Siegel<ref name='Gragg, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel'>{{cite book\|first=Larry\|last=Gragg\|title=Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel: The Gangster, The Flamingo, and the Making of Modern Las Vegas\|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group\|Praeger]]\|location=Santa Barbara, California\|year=2015\|pages=1–2\|isbn=9781440801853}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.biography.com/people/bugsy-siegel-9542063\|title=Bugsy Siegel \|website=Biography.com\|publisher=A&E Television Networks\|access-date=May 15, 2018\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422174529/https://www.biography.com/people/bugsy-siegel-9542063 \|archive-date=April 22, 2018\|url-status=live}}</ref> was born on February 28, 1906, in the [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn\|Williamsburg]] neighborhood of [[Brooklyn]] in [[New York City, New York]], the second of five children of a poor [[Ashkenazi Jewish]] family that had emigrated to the U.S. from the [[Galicia (Eastern Europe)\|Galicia]] region of what was then [[Austria-Hungary]].<ref name='Gragg, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel'/><ref>"Mobsters: Bugsy Siegel". 2 minutes in. Broadcast: April 3, 2007, [[The Biography Channel]].</ref><ref name="Biography of a Gangster">{{cite web\|title=Biography of a Gangster\|url=http://www.essortment.com/benjamin-bugsy-siegel-biography-gangster-20596.html\|work=Essortment.com\|access-date=May 31, 2012\|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120705023658/http://www.essortment.com/benjamin-bugsy-siegel-biography-gangster-20596.html\|archive-date=July 5, 2012}}</ref> His parents, Jennie (Riechenthal) and Max Siegel, constantly worked for meager wages.<ref>{{cite book\|first=Paul\|last=Donnelley\|title=Assassination! \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HLCXAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA162 \|publisher=Dataday\|location=London \|year=2012 \|pages=162–165\|isbn=9781908963031}}</ref> As a boy, Siegel left school and joined a gang on [[Lafayette Street]] on the [[Lower East Side]] of [[Manhattan]]. He committed mainly thefts until he met [[Moe Sedway]]. Together with Sedway, he developed a [[protection racket]] in which he threatened to incinerate pushcart owners' merchandise unless they paid him a dollar.<ref>{{cite news \|first=Ed \|last=Koch \|date=May 15, 2008 \|title='Bugsy' Siegel – The mob's man in Vegas \|work=[[Las Vegas Sun]] \|url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/2008/may/15/mobs-man-vega/ \|access-date=May 20, 2018 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180721191857/https://lasvegassun.com/news/2008/may/15/mobs-man-vega/ \|archive-date=July 21, 2018 \|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfnp\|Jennings\|1992\|p=25}} He soon built up a lengthy criminal record, dating from his teenage years, that included armed [[robbery]], rape and murder.<ref>{{cite book \|first=Alton \|last=Pryor \|title= Outlaws and Gunslingers \|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ty-j92yWtQ0C&q=bugsy%20siegel%20robbery%20rape&pg=PA29 \|publisher= Stagecoach Publishing \|location= Roseville, California \|year=2001 \|page=29 \|isbn= 978-0966005363}}</ref> ===The Bugs and Meyer ~~mob~~Mob=== {{Main\|The Bugs and Meyer Mob}} During adolescence, Siegel befriended [[Meyer Lansky]], who applied a brilliant intellect to forming a small mob whose activities expanded to gambling and [[Motor vehicle theft\|car theft]]. Lansky, who had already had a run-in with [[Lucky Luciano\|Charles "Lucky" Luciano]], saw a need for the Jewish boys of his Brooklyn neighborhood to organize in the same manner as the [[Italian diaspora\|Italians]] and [[Irish diaspora\|Irish]]. The first person he recruited for his gang was Siegel.{{sfnp\|Eisenberg\|Dan\|Landau\|1979\|pp=55–56}} Line 48 ⟶ 50: Following Maranzano's death, Luciano and Lansky formed the [[National Crime Syndicate]], an organization of crime families that brought power to the underworld.<ref name="Killer Ring">{{cite news\|title=Killer Ring Broken; 21 Murders Solved\|url=http://www.laborers.org/Murder.html\|work=[[New York Daily News]]\|date=March 19, 1940\|access-date=February 19, 2013\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321193223/http://www.laborers.org/Murder.html\|archive-date=March 21, 2012\|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|last=Raab\|first=Selwyn\|title=Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires\|year=2006\|publisher=St. Martin's Griffin\|location=New York \|pages=32–34}}</ref> [[The Commission (mafia)\|The Commission]] was established for dividing Mafia territories and preventing future [[Gang#Gang violence\|gang wars]].<ref name="Killer Ring" /> With his associates, Siegel formed Murder, Inc. After he and Lansky moved on, control over Murder, Inc. was ceded to Buchalter and Anastasia,{{sfnp\|Sifakis\|2005\|p=68}} although Siegel continued working as a hitman.{{sfnp\|Sifakis\|2005\|p=417}} Siegel's only conviction was in [[Miami]]; on February 28, 1932, he was arrested for [[gambling]] and [[vagrancy (people)\|vagrancy]], and, from a roll of bills, paid a $100 fine.<ref name=nytobit /> During this period, Siegel had a disagreement with the Fabrizzo brothers, associates of [[Waxey Gordon]]. Gordon had hired the Fabrizzo brothers from prison after Lansky and Siegel gave the [[Internal Revenue Service\|IRS]] information about Gordon's [[tax evasion]]. It led to Gordon's imprisonment in 1933.<ref name="Bugsy Siegel Part 3" /> Siegel hunted down and killed the Fabrizzos after they made an assassination attempt on ~~him~~Lansky and ~~Lansky~~him by penetrating Siegel's heavily fortified Waldorf Astoria suite with a bomb.<ref>{{cite web\|first=Tony\|last=Sokol\|url=http://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/boardwalk-empire/188237/boardwalk-empire-season-5-the-real-bugsy-siegel\|title=Boardwalk Empire Season 5: The Real Bugsy Siegel\|work=[[Den of Geek]]\|publisher=[[Dennis Publishing]]\|location=London\|date=October 24, 2014\|access-date=May 20, 2018\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180521105603/http://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/boardwalk-empire/188237/boardwalk-empire-season-5-the-real-bugsy-siegel\|archive-date=May 21, 2018\|url-status=live}}</ref> After the deaths of his two brothers, Tony Fabrizzo had begun to write a [[memoir]] and gave it to an attorney. One of the longest chapters was to be a section on the nationwide kill-for-hire squad led by Siegel. However, the mob discovered Fabrizzo's plans before he could ~~execute~~carry them out.{{sfnp\|Turkus\|Feder\|2003\|p=264}} In 1932, after checking into a hospital to establish an [[alibi]] and later sneaking out, Siegel joined two accomplices in approaching Fabrizzo's house and, posing as detectives to lure him outside, gunned him down.{{sfnp\|Turkus\|Feder\|2003\|pp=264–265}}{{sfnp\|Turkus\|Feder\|2003\|p=264}} In 1935, Siegel assisted in Luciano's alliance with [[Dutch Schultz]] and killed rival [[loan shark]]s brothers [[Louis Amberg\|Louis "Pretty" Amberg]] and [[Joseph C. Amberg]].<ref>{{cite web\|title=Bugsy Siegels\|url=http://www.nyctouristguide.com/bugsy-siegel-gangster-nyc.asp\|work=NYC Tourist Guide\|access-date=June 4, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101216183027/http://nyctouristguide.com/bugsy-siegel-gangster-nyc.asp\|archive-date=December 16, 2010\|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfnp\|Jennings\|1992\|p=35}} ==California== Siegel had learned from his associates that he was in danger: his hospital alibi had become questionable and his enemies wanted him dead.{{sfnp\|Turkus\|Feder\|2003\|pp=267–268}} In the late 1930s, the East Coast mob sent Siegel to [[California]].<ref>{{cite news\|last=Koch\|first=Ed\|title='Bugsy' Siegel – The mob's man in Vegas \|url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/may/15/mobs-man-vega/\|access-date=October 6, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201110207/http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/may/15/mobs-man-vega/ \|archive-date=December 1, 2012\|url-status=live\|newspaper=[[Las Vegas Sun]]\|date=May 15, 2008}}</ref> Since 1933, he had traveled to the [[West Coast of the United States\|West Coast]] several times,<ref>{{cite web \|last=Siler \|first=Bob \|url=http://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_317.html \|access-date=January 20, 2013 \|title=Walking In Their Footsteps – A Look At The Mob In Los Angeles \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052108/http://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_317.html \|archive-date=March 4, 2016 \|website=AmericanMafia.com \|date=September 2005 }}</ref> and in California his mission was to develop syndicate-sanctioned gambling [[racket (crime)\|rackets]] with [[Los Angeles crime family\|Los Angeles family]] boss [[Jack Dragna]].{{sfnp\|Sifakis\|2005\|p=156}} Once in [[Los Angeles]], Siegel recruited gang boss [[Mickey Cohen]] as his chief lieutenant.{{sfnp\|Tereba\|2012\|pp=37–38}} Knowing Siegel's reputation for violence, and that he was backed by Lansky and Luciano – who, from prison, sent word to Dragna that it was "in [his] best interest to cooperate"{{sfnp\|Sifakis\|2005\|p=417}} – Dragna accepted a subordinate role.<ref name="Ben Heads West">{{cite web \|last=Gribben \|first=Mark\|title=Bugsy Siegel: Ben Heads West \|url=http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/siegel/west_10.html \|work=Crime Library\|access-date=December 1, 2012 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130428170624/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/siegel/west_10.html\|archive-date=April 28, 2013}}</ref> On tax returns, Siegel claimed to earn his living through legal gambling at [[Santa Anita Park]].<ref>{{cite web\|title=Bugsy Siegel Part 2 \|url=http://vault.fbi.gov/Bugsy%20Siegel%20/Bugsy%20Siegel%20Part%202%20of%2032/view\|work=FBI Records: The Vault\|publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation\|access-date=October 6, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007204150/http://vault.fbi.gov/Bugsy%20Siegel%20/Bugsy%20Siegel%20Part%202%20of%2032/view\|archive-date=October 7, 2012\|url-status=live}}</ref> He soon took over Los Angeles's [[Numbers game\|numbers racket]]<ref name="Murder in Beverly Hills">{{cite magazine \|title=Crime: Murder in Beverly Hills \|magazine=[[Time (magazine)\|Time]]\|date=June 30, 1947 \|url=http://www.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,854710,00.html \|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204075951/http://www.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,854710,00.html \|url-status=dead \|archive-date=February 4, 2013 \|access-date=October 24, 2012}}</ref> and used money from the syndicate to help establish a drug trade route from Mexico and organized circuits with the [[Chicago Outfit]]\|Chicago Outfit's]] [[wire service]]s.<ref name="PBSBugsy">{{cite web \|title=Benjamin Siegel (1906-1947) \|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lasvegas/peopleevents/p_siegel.html \|work=American Experience \|publisher=[[PBS]] \|date=July 11, 2005\|access-date=March 31, 2015 \|url-status=live \|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150327064052/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lasvegas/peopleevents/p_siegel.html \|archive-date=March 27, 2015}}</ref><ref name=Tuohy>{{cite web\|last=Tuohy\|first=John William \|title=Bugsy \|url=http://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_166.html\|website=AmericanMafia.com \|publisher=PLR International\|access-date=September 21, 2012\|date=October 2001 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222033941/http://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_166.html \|archive-date=February 22, 2012}}</ref> By 1942, ~~[[United States dollar\|US~~$]]500,000 a day was coming from the syndicate's [[Bookmaker (gambling)\|bookmaking]] wire operations.<ref name="Murder in Beverly Hills" /> In 1946, because of problems with Siegel, the Outfit took over the Continental Press and gave the percentage of the racing wire to Dragna, infuriating Siegel.<ref name=Tuohy/><ref>{{cite book \|last=Capeci \|first=Jerry \|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia \|access-date=December 7, 2012 \|year=2002 \|publisher=Alpha Books \|location=New York \|isbn=978-0-02-864225-3 \|page=[https://archive.org/details/completeidiotsgu0000cape/page/92 92] \|url=https://archive.org/details/completeidiotsgu0000cape/page/92 }}</ref> Despite his complications with the wire services, Siegel controlled several offshore casinos<ref name="Greed Carpet" /> and a major [[prostitution]] ring.<ref name="First 100 Persons..." /> He also maintained relationships with politicians, businessmen, attorneys, accountants, and lobbyists who fronted for him.{{sfnp\|Tereba\|2012\|p=63}} ===Hollywood=== In [[Hollywood, Los Angeles\|Hollywood]], Siegel was welcomed in the highest circles and befriended movie stars.<ref name="Headstuff"/> He was known to associate with [[George Raft]], [[Clark Gable]], [[Gary Cooper]] and [[Cary Grant]],<ref name='Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel' /> as well as studio executives [[Louis B. Mayer]] and [[Jack L. Warner]].<ref>{{cite news\|first=Bill\|last=Martinez\|title=Legendary mobster's safe reveals nothing but rust\|url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2000/may/24/legendary-mobsters-safe-reveals-nothing-but-rust/?history\|newspaper=[[Las Vegas Sun]]\|date=May 24, 2000\|access-date=June 6, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807073607/http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2000/may/24/legendary-mobsters-safe-reveals-nothing-but-rust/?history\|archive-date=August 7, 2011\|url-status=live}}</ref> Actress [[Jean Harlow]] was a friend of Siegel and [[Godparent\|godmother]] to his daughter Millicent. Siegel bought real estate and threw lavish parties at his [[Beverly Hills, California\|Beverly Hills]] home.<ref name=PBSBugsy /> He gained admiration from young celebrities, including [[Tony Curtis]],<ref>{{cite web\|first=George\|last=Knapp\|title=Who Killed Bugsy Siegel?\|url=http://www.8newsnow.com/story/2083423/who-killed-bugsy-siegel\|publisher=KLAS-TV 8 News NOW\|date=July 23, 2010\|access-date=September 26, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727032639/http://www.8newsnow.com/story/2083423/who-killed-bugsy-siegel\|archive-date=July 27, 2013\|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Phil Silvers]], and [[Frank Sinatra]]. Siegel had several relationships with prominent women, including socialite Countess Dorothy [[House of Dentice\|di Frasso]]. The alliance with the countess took Siegel to ~~[[Kingdom of~~ Italy~~\|Italy]]~~ in 1938,<ref>{{cite book \|first=Tim \|last=Newark \|title=Lucky Luciano: The Real and the Fake Gangster\|location=London\|publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers\|Macmillan]] \|year=2010\|page=229}}</ref> where he met [[Benito Mussolini]], to whom Siegel tried to sell weapons. Siegel also met [[Nazism\|Nazi]] leaders [[Hermann Göring]] and [[Joseph Goebbels]], to whom he took an instant dislike and later offered to kill.<ref name="Bugsy Siegel Bio">{{cite web\|title=Bugsy Siegel Biography \|work=Biography Channel \|url=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/bugsy-siegel.html\|access-date=November 28, 2012\|url-status=dead \|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121027235848/http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/bugsy-siegel.html \|archive-date=October 27, 2012}}</ref>{{sfnp\|Sifakis\|2005\|pp=417–418}}<ref>{{cite book \|first=Jay Robert\|last=Nash\|title=Bloodletters and Badmen: A Narrative Encyclopedia of American Criminals from the Pilgrims to the Present \|year=1995\|publisher=M. Evans & Company \|location=Lanham, Maryland \|page=[https://archive.org/details/bloodlettersbadm00nash/page/566 566]\|isbn=978-0871317773 \|url=https://archive.org/details/bloodlettersbadm00nash/}}</ref> He only relented because of the countess's anxious pleas.<ref name='Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel'>{{cite web\|title=Gangster/Las Vegas Visionary\|work=The Internet Index of Tough Jews\|publisher=J-Grit\|access-date=June 1, 2012 \|url=http://www.j-grit.com/criminals-benjamin-bugsy-siegel.php\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602131633/http://www.j-grit.com/criminals-benjamin-bugsy-siegel.php \|archive-date=June 2, 2012\|url-status=live}}</ref> In Hollywood, Siegel worked with the syndicate to form illegal rackets.<ref name="Ben Heads West" /> He devised a plan of [[extortion\|extorting]] movie studios; he would take over local [[trade union]]s (such as the Screen Extras Guild and the Los Angeles Teamsters) and stage [[Strike action\|strikes]] to force studios to pay him off so that unions would start working again.<ref name=Tuohy/> Siegel borrowed money from celebrities and did not pay them back, knowing that they would never ask him for the money.{{sfnp\|Turkus\|Feder\|2003\|p=270}}{{sfnp\|Jennings\|1992\|pp=43–46}} During his first year in Hollywood, he received more than US$400,000 in loans from movie stars. ===Selling Atomite to Mussolini=== Line 66 ⟶ 68: ===Greenberg murder and trial=== On November 22, 1939, Siegel, [[Whitey Krakow]], [[Frankie Carbo]], and [[Albert Tannenbaum]] killed [[Harry Greenberg\|Harry "Big Greenie" Greenberg]] outside his Hollywood Hills apartment. Greenberg had threatened to become a police informant,<ref>{{cite news\|title=Held On Lepke Charge \|newspaper=The New York Times \|page=20 \|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0C1FFE3559167B93C5A8178FD85F458485F9 \|access-date=December 6, 2012 \|url-access=subscription\|date=April 17, 1941 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130428065818/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0C1FFE3559167B93C5A8178FD85F458485F9\|archive-date=April 28, 2013\|url-status=live}}</ref> and Buchalter ordered his killing.{{sfnp\|Turkus\|Feder\|2003\|p=275}} Tannenbaum confessed to the murder{{sfnp\|Turkus\|Feder\|2003\|p=280}} and agreed to testify against Siegel.<ref>{{cite news\|title=O'Dwyer Goes West In Murder Inquiry \|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/12/08/archives/odwyer-goes-west-in-murder-inquiry-may-take-up-plan-for-a-new.html\|access-date=December 6, 2012 \|url-access=subscription\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723064531/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/12/08/archives/odwyer-goes-west-in-murder-inquiry-may-take-up-plan-for-a-new.html\|archive-date=July 23, 2018\|url-status=live\|newspaper=The New York Times\|page=62 \|date=December 8, 1940 }} "District Attorney [[William O'Dwyer]] of Brooklyn left Friday afternoon by train for Los Angeles to confer with the prosecutor's office there concerning developments in the case of Benjamin (Bug) Siegel, West Coast racketeer chieftain"</ref> Siegel was implicated in the murder and put on trial in September 1941.<ref>{{cite news\|title=Reindicted In Murder; Siegel and Carbo Are Accused in 1939 Death of Greenberg\|newspaper=The New York Times \|page=25 \|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/09/23/archives/reindicted-in-murder-siegel-and-carbo-are-accused-in-1939-death-of.html\|access-date=December 8, 2012 \|url-access=subscription \|date=September 23, 1941\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723070357/https://www.nytimes.com/1941/09/23/archives/reindicted-in-murder-siegel-and-carbo-are-accused-in-1939-death-of.html\|archive-date=July 23, 2018 \|url-status=live}}</ref> The trial soon gained notoriety because of the preferential treatment that Siegel received in jail;: he refused to eat prison food, was allowed female visitors, and was granted leave for dental visits.<ref name="Murder in Beverly Hills" /><ref>{{cite news \|last=O'Neill\|first=Ann W.\|title=50 Years Later, Still a Mystery\|url=~~http~~https://~~articles~~www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-06-20~~/local/~~-me-~~5334_1_bugsy~~5334-~~siegel~~story.html\|access-date=October 6, 2012 \|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]\|date=June 20, 1997\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141119013924/http://articles.latimes.com/1997-06-20/local/me-5334_1_bugsy-siegel\|archive-date=November 19, 2014\|url-status=live}}</ref> Siegel hired attorney [[Jerry Giesler]] for his defense. Two state witnesses died<ref name="Murder in Beverly Hills" /><ref>{{cite news \|last=Safire\|first=William\|title=Defenestration \|work=[[The New York Times Magazine]] \|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/01/magazine/01ONLANGUAGE.html \|access-date=December 12, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427205357/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/01/magazine/01ONLANGUAGE.html \|archive-date=April 27, 2013\|url-status=live\|date=December 1, 2002}}</ref> and no additional witnesses came forward. Tannenbaum's testimony was dismissed.<ref name=Giesler /> In 1942, Siegel was acquitted because of insufficient evidence<ref name="Giesler">Giesler, Jerry; Martin, Pete (December 26, 1959). "I Defend a Mobster." ''[[The Saturday Evening Post]]''. p. 55</ref> but his reputation was damaged. During the trial, newspapers revealed Siegel's past and referred to him as "Bugsy.". Siegel hated the nickname because it was based on the slang term "bugs", meaning "crazy", and used to describe his erratic behavior. He preferred to be called "Ben" or "Mr. Siegel".<ref>{{cite news\|first=David\|last=Sedley\|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/bugsy-siegels-daughter-gets-las-vegas-jewish-burial/\|title=Bugsy Siegel's daughter gets Las Vegas Jewish burial\|work=[[Times of Israel]]\|date=November 22, 2017\|access-date=May 22, 2018\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522182828/https://www.timesofisrael.com/bugsy-siegels-daughter-gets-las-vegas-jewish-burial/\|archive-date=May 22, 2018\|url-status=live}}</ref> On May 25, 1944, Siegel was arrested for bookmaking. Raft and [[Mack Gray]] testified on his behalf, and he was acquitted again in late 1944.<ref>{{cite news\|first=Westbrook\|last=Pegler\|title=As Pegler Sees It\|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8Z9OAAAAIBAJ&pg=7132,4033076\|work=Ludington Daily News \|page=4 \|date=October 2, 1947\|access-date=January 4, 2013}}</ref> ==Las Vegas== Problems with the Outfit's wire service had cleared up in Nevada and [[Arizona]], but in California, Siegel refused to report business.{{sfnp\|Turkus\|Feder\|2003\|p=288}} He later announced to his colleagues that he was running the California syndicate by himself and that he would return the loans in his "own good time." The mob bosses were patient with him because he had ~~always~~ proven to be a valuable man.{{sfnp\|Turkus\|Feder\|2003\|p=289}}▼ ===Flamingo Hotel=== In 1946, Siegel found an opportunity to reinvent his personal image and diversify into legitimate business with [[William R. Wilkerson]]'s [[Flamingo Las Vegas\|Flamingo Hotel]].{{sfnp\|Wilkerson\|2000\|p=62}} In the 1930s, Siegel had traveled to southern [[Nevada]] with Sedway to explore expanding operations there. He had found opportunities in providing illicit services to crews constructing the [[Hoover Dam\|Boulder Dam]]. Lansky had handed over operations in Nevada to Siegel, who turned it over to Sedway and left for Hollywood.{{sfnp\|Wilkerson\|2000\|p=74}}{{sfnp\|Griffin\|2006\|pp=6–7}} In the mid-1940s, Siegel was ~~lining things up~~operating in [[Las Vegas]] while his lieutenants worked on a business policy to secure all gambling in Los Angeles.{{sfnp\|Turkus\|Feder\|2003\|p=288}} In May 1946, he decided that the agreement with Wilkerson had to be altered to give him control of the Flamingo.{{sfnp\|Wilkerson\|2000\|p=80}} ~~With~~Within the Flamingo, Siegel would supply the gambling, the best liquor and food, and the biggest entertainers at reasonable prices. He believed that these attractions would lure thousands of vacationers willing to gamble $50 or $100, as well as "high rollers".<ref name="Greed Carpet">{{cite news\|last=Koziol\|first=Ronald\|title=Bugsy Siegel Rolled Out The Greed Carpet For His Fellow Mobsters\|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-09-27/travel/8703130656_1_las-vegas-boulevard-flamingo-hotel-and-casino-bugsy-siegel\|access-date=September 26, 2012\|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]\|date=September 27, 1987\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130426224539/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-09-27/travel/8703130656_1_las-vegas-boulevard-flamingo-hotel-and-casino-bugsy-siegel\|archive-date=April 26, 2013\|url-status=live}}</ref> Wilkerson was eventually coerced into selling all stakes in the Flamingo under the threat of death, and he went into hiding in [[Paris]] for a time.{{sfnp\|Wilkerson\|2000\|p=98}} From this point the Flamingo became syndicate-run.{{sfnp\|Wilkerson\|2000\|p=81}} By October 1946, the Flamingo's costs were above $4 million.{{sfnp\|Wilkerson\|2000\|pp=83–84}} By 1947, the costs were over $6 M (equivalent to ${{Inflation\|US-GDP\|6\|1946\|r=0\|fmt=c}} M in {{Inflation-year\|US-GDP}}).{{sfnp\|Jennings\|1992\|p=6}} By late November of that year, the work was nearly finished.{{sfnp\|Jennings\|1992\|pp=169–171}} ~~===Las Vegas' beginning===~~ Siegel began a spending spree. He demanded the finest building that money could buy at a time of postwar shortages. As costs soared, his checks began bouncing. By October 1946, the Flamingo's costs were above $4 million.{{sfnp\|Wilkerson\|2000\|pp=83–84}} By 1947, the costs were over $6 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation\|US-GDP\|6\|1946\|r=0\|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation-year\|US-GDP}}).{{sfnp\|Jennings\|1992\|p=6}} By late November of that year, the work was nearly finished.{{sfnp\|Jennings\|1992\|pp=169–171}} According to later reports by local observers, Siegel's "maniacal chest-puffing" set the pattern for several generations of notable casino moguls.<ref name="First 100 Persons...">{{cite web \|last=Smith \|first=John L. \|date=February 7, 1999 \|title=Benjamin Siegel (1905-1947) 'Bugsy' \|url=http://www.1st100.com/part2/siegel.html \|work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]] \|access-date=March 14, 2012 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308034529/http://www.1st100.com/part2/siegel.html\|archive-date=March 8, 2012\|url-status=dead}}</ref> His violent reputation did not help his situation. He boasted one day that he had personally killed some men; he saw the panicked look on the face of head contractor [[Del Webb]] and reassured him: "Del, don't worry, we only kill each other."{{sfnp\|Jennings\|1992\|p=17}} Other associates portrayed Siegel in a different aspect; he was an intense character who was not without a charitable side, including his donations for the [[Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation\|Damon Runyon Cancer Fund]].<ref name="First 100 Persons..." /> Siegel's Las Vegas attorney Lou Weiner Jr. described him as "very well liked" and said that he was "good to people."<ref name="First 100 Persons..." />▼ ▲According to later reports by local observers, Siegel's "maniacal chest-puffing" set the pattern for several generations of notable casino moguls.<ref name="First 100 Persons...">{{cite web \|last=Smith \|first=John L. \|date=February 7, 1999 \|title=Benjamin Siegel (1905-1947) 'Bugsy' \|url=http://www.1st100.com/part2/siegel.html \|work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]] \|access-date=March 14, 2012 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308034529/http://www.1st100.com/part2/siegel.html\|archive-date=March 8, 2012\|url-status=dead}}</ref> ~~His violent reputation did not help his situation.~~ He boasted one day that he had personally killed some men; he saw the panicked look on the face of head contractor [[Del Webb]] and reassured him:, "Del, don't worry, we only kill each other."{{sfnp\|Jennings\|1992\|p=17}} Other associates portrayed Siegel in a different aspect; he was an intense character who was not without a charitable side, including his donations for the [[Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation\|Damon Runyon Cancer Fund]].<ref name="First 100 Persons..." /> Siegel's Las Vegas attorney Lou Weiner Jr. described him as "very well liked" and said that he was "good to people."<ref name="First 100 Persons..." /> ~~===Defiance and devastation===~~ ▲Problems with the Outfit's wire service had cleared up in Nevada and [[Arizona]], but in California, Siegel refused to report business.{{sfnp\|Turkus\|Feder\|2003\|p=288}} He later announced to his colleagues that he was running the California syndicate by himself and that he would return the loans in his "own good time." The mob bosses were patient with him because he had always proven to be a valuable man.{{sfnp\|Turkus\|Feder\|2003\|p=289}} ===Aftermath=== The Flamingo opened on December 26, 1946, ~~even~~despite ~~though only the casino, lounge, theater, and restaurant were~~being ~~finished~~unfinished.{{sfnp\|Griffin\|2006\|pp=9–10}} Local people attended the opening, ~~but~~and ~~few~~some celebrities ~~did.~~present Aincluded ~~handful drove in from Los Angeles, despite bad weather. Some celebrities present were~~George Raft, [[June Haver]], [[Vivian Blaine]], [[Sonny Tufts]], [[Brian Donlevy]], and [[Charles Coburn]]. They were welcomed by construction noise and a lobby draped with drop cloths~~. The desert's first air conditioning system broke down regularly~~. Gambling tables were operating, but the luxury rooms were not ready, which would have served as ~~the~~a lure for people to stay and gamble. Word made its way to Siegel during the evening that the casino was losing money, and he became irate and verbally abusive, ~~throwing~~and threw out at least one family.{{sfnp\|Griffin\|2006\|p=10}} After two weeks, the Flamingo's gaming tables were $275,000 in the red and the entire operation briefly shut down ~~in late January 1947~~.{{sfnp\|Wilkerson\|2000\|pp=99–104}} Siegel ~~did~~continued ~~everything he could to turn the Flamingo into a success by making renovations~~construction and ~~obtaining good press. He~~ hired [[Hank Greenspun]] as a publicist. The hotel reopened on March 1, 1947~~, with Lansky present~~,{{sfnp\|Wilkerson\|2000\|p=106}} and began turning a profit.<ref name="Siegel and the Flamingo">{{cite encyclopedia\|last=Burbank\|first=Jeff\|title=Bugsy Siegel and the Flamingo Hotel \|date=October 18, 2010 \|encyclopedia=The Online Nevada Encyclopedia \|publisher=Nevada Humanities \|url=http://www.onlinenevada.org/bugsy_siegel_and_the_flamingo_hotel \|access-date=December 16, 2012\|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130322123335/http://www.onlinenevada.org/bugsy_siegel_and_the_flamingo_hotel \|archive-date=March 22, 2013\|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|first1=Ed\|last1=Koch\|first2=Mary \|last2=Manning \|url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/may/15/mob-ties/ \|access-date=November 19, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121230183419/http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/may/15/mob-ties/ \|archive-date=December 30, 2012 \|url-status=live\|title=Mob Ties\|date=May 15, 2008 \|work=[[Las Vegas Sun]]}}</ref> However, by the time ~~that~~the profits began improving, the mob bosses above Siegel were tired of waiting.<ref name="First 100 Persons..." /> ==Death== [[File:Bugsy'sPlaque.JPG\|thumb\|right\|Siegel's memorial plaque in the Bialystoker Synagogue.]] On the night of June 20, 1947, as Siegel sat reading a copy of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', together with his associate Allen Smiley in ~~[[Virginia Hill]]'s~~the Beverly Hills home ~~reading~~that ~~the~~he ~~''[[Los~~had ~~Angeles~~leased ~~Times]]''~~for his girlfriend, an unknown assailant fired atinto ~~him~~the room through ~~the~~a window with a [[.30 Carbine\|.30 caliber]] military [[M1 carbine]], hitting ~~him~~Siegel ~~many~~several times, including twice in the head. ~~Some looked upon it as a cowardly approach, bushwhacking the formidable and weapons-proficient Siegel from a distance.<ref name="First 100 Persons..." />~~ No one was ever charged with killing Siegel, and the crime remains officially unsolved.<ref name=nytobit>{{cite news \|title=Siegel, Gangster, Is Slain On Coast. Co-chief of 'Bug and Meyer Mob' Here. Is Victim of Shots Fired Through Window. \|work=The New York Times \|page=7 \|date=June 22, 1947 \|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/06/22/archives/siegel-gangster-is-slain-on-coast-cochief-of-bugand-meyer-mob-here.html \|quote=Benjamin Siegel, 4241 years old, former New York gangster, was slain last midnight by a [[fusillade]] of bullets fired through the living room window of a [[Beverly Hills, California\|Beverly Hills]] house where he was staying. \|access-date=October 31, 2007 \|url-access=subscription \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712151702/https://www.nytimes.com/1947/06/22/archives/siegel-gangster-is-slain-on-coast-cochief-of-bugand-meyer-mob-here.html \|archive-date=July 12, 2018 \|url-status=live}}</ref> One theory is that Siegel's death was due to his excessive spending and possible theft of money from the mob.<ref>{{cite web\|last=May\|first=Allan\|title=Havana Conference – 1946 (Part Two) \|url=http://www.americanmafia.com/Allan_May_6-12-00.html\|work=AmericanMafia\|publisher=PLR International \|access-date=December 8, 2012\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829125345/http://www.americanmafia.com/Allan_May_6-12-00.html\|archive-date=August 29, 2012\|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfnp\|Turkus\|Feder\|2003\|p=290}} In 1946, a [[Havana Conference\|meeting was held]] with the "board of directors" of the syndicate in [[Havana]], Cuba so that Luciano, exiled in [[Sicily]], could attend. A contract on Siegel's life was the conclusion.{{sfnp\|Turkus\|Feder\|2003\|pp=290–291}} According to Stacher, Lansky reluctantly agreed to the decision.{{sfnp\|Eisenberg\|Dan\|Landau\|1979\|pp=238–241}} Another theory is that Siegel was shot to death preemptively by Mathew "Moose" Pandza, the lover of Sedway's wife Bee, who went to Pandza after learning that Siegel was threatening to kill her husband. Siegel apparently had grown increasingly resentful of the control Sedway, at mob behest, was exerting over ~~Siegel's~~his finances and planned to do away with him.<ref>{{cite magazine\|last=Wallace\|first=Amy \|title=Who Killed Bugsy Siegel? \|date=September 29, 2014\|magazine=Los Angeles Magazine \|url=http://www.lamag.com/longform/mobster-murder-moll-secret/ \|access-date=October 11, 2014 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009162825/http://www.lamag.com/longform/mobster-murder-moll-secret/ \|archive-date=October 9, 2014\|url-status=live}}</ref> Former [[Philadelphia crime family\|Philadelphia family]] boss [[Ralph Natale]] claimed that Carbo was responsible for killing Siegel, at the behest of Lansky.<ref name=Natalebook>{{cite magazine\|first=Seth\|last=Serranti\|title=The Story of the First Mob Boss to Turn Rat \|url=https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/the-story-of-the-first-mob-boss-to-turn-rat \|magazine=[[Vice (magazine)\|Vice]]\|date=March 15, 2017\|access-date=March 21, 2017\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322111628/https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/the-story-of-the-first-mob-boss-to-turn-rat\|archive-date=March 22, 2017\|url-status=live}}</ref> Siegel's death certificate states the cause of death as [[homicide]] and the immediate cause as "Cerebral {{sic\|nolink=y\|reason=error in source\|Hemorrage}} due to Gunshot Wounds of the Head."<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.bugsysiegel.net/deathcert.html \|title=Death certificate \|website=Bugsysiegel.net \|access-date=June 20, 2013 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090401205303/http://www.bugsysiegel.net/deathcert.html \|archive-date=April 1, 2009 \|url-status=dead }}</ref> Siegel was hit by several other bullets, including shots through his lungs.<ref name=Tuohy/> According to [[Florabel Muir]], "Four of the nine shots fired that night destroyed a white marble statue of [[Dionysus\|Bacchus]] on a [[Piano a coda\|grand piano]], and then lodged in the far wall". Line 104: ==Media portrayals== * [[Moe Greene\|Morris "Moe" Greene]] is a fictional character appearing in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''[[The Godfather (novel)\|The Godfather]]'' and the [[The Godfather\|1972 film of the same name]]. Both Greene's character and personality are based on Bugsy Siegel.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/the_godfather/7.html\|title=Fact and Fiction in The Godfather \|publisher=[[crimelibrary.com]]\|access-date=2014-07-07 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417023350/http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/the_godfather/7.html \|archive-date=2008-04-17}}</ref> * "Bugsy" is the name of a character played by [[James Russo]] in Sergio Leone's 1984 film [[Once Upon a Time in America]]. The character may be loosely based on Bugsy Siegel. * The 1991 motion picture drama [[Mobsters (film)\|''Mobsters'']], depicting the rise of [[The Commission (mafia)\|The Commission]], focused on the empire built by enterprising young criminals Lucky Luciano ([[Christian Slater]]), Meyer Lansky ([[Patrick Dempsey]]), and Bugsy Siegel ([[Richard Grieco]]).<ref>{{tcmdb title\|id=83787}}</ref> * Siegel was mentioned in ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' season 7, episode 15 ''[[Badda-Bing Badda-Bang]]'' (February 22, 1999), at the 33 minute 21 second mark. The character Frankie refers to him as, "The man who built Las Vegas."<ref>{{Cite web \|title=The Deep Space Nine Transcripts - Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang \|url=http://www.chakoteya.net/DS9/566.htm \|access-date=2023-12-27 \|website=www.chakoteya.net}}</ref> * A character going by the same name, portrayed by [[Edwin Richfield]], appears in the sixth episode of the second series of the 1960s cult British [[spy-fi (neologism)\|spy-fi]] TV series ''[[The Avengers (TV series)\|The Avengers]].'' * ''[[Bugsy]]'' (1991) is a highly fictionalized movie biography of Siegel, featuring [[Warren Beatty]] in the title role.<ref>{{cite news\|last=Ebert\|first=Roger\|authorlink=Roger Ebert\|title=''Bugsy''\|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]\|via=[[RogerEbert.com]]\|date=December 20, 1991\|url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bugsy-1991\|access-date=November 5, 2015\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026120642/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bugsy-1991\|archive-date=October 26, 2015\|url-status=live}}</ref> Line 113 ⟶ 115: * He is a central character in [[Frank Darabont]]'s television series ''[[Mob City]]'', portrayed by [[Edward Burns]].<ref>{{Cite magazine \|last=Thorp \|first=Charles \|date=December 18, 2013 \|title=Ed Burns Enjoys "Beating The Crap" Out Of People For Work On Mob City \|url=https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/ed-burns-mob-city-finale-interview-20131812/ \|magazine=[[Us Weekly]] \|language=en-US \|access-date=June 18, 2018 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618203603/https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/ed-burns-mob-city-finale-interview-20131812/ \|archive-date=June 18, 2018 \|url-status=live }}</ref> * He is portrayed by Jonathan Stewart in the [[American Movie Classics\|AMC]] series ''[[The Making of the Mob: New York]],'' a docudrama focusing on the history of the mob with the first season about [[Lucky Luciano\|Charlie "Lucky" Luciano]]'s life story.<ref>{{Cite web \|url=https://www.amc.com/shows/the-making-of-the-mob/cast-crew/benjamin-bugsy-siegel \|title=Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel \|website=Making of the Mob official website \|publisher=[[AMC (TV channel)\|AMC]] \|language=en-US \|access-date=June 18, 2018 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618204749/https://www.amc.com/shows/the-making-of-the-mob/cast-crew/benjamin-bugsy-siegel \|archive-date=June 18, 2018 \|url-status=live }}</ref> * In ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'', there is a character named Benny, who is visually based on Siegel. He is also a contributor to the development of the New Vegas Strip, based on the Las Vegas Strip and similar to Siegel's role in the birth of Las Vegas gambling. Benny shares Siegel's charismatic demeanor and criminal background. * [[Joe Mantegna]] portrayed Siegel in the 2015 film ''[[Kill Me, Deadly]]''.<ref>{{cite web\|last=Scheck\|first=Frank\|title='Kill Me, Deadly': Film Review\|date=April 5, 2016\|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]\|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/kill-me-deadly-film-review-880848\|access-date=August 8, 2017\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809092909/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/kill-me-deadly-film-review-880848\|archive-date=August 9, 2017\|url-status=live}}</ref> * Siegel was mentioned in the song ~~titled~~ ''[[2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted]]'' by [[Tupac Shakur]] and [[Snoop Dogg]] in the album ''[[All Eyez On Me]]''. HeIn ~~was~~the ~~mentioned~~fourth byverse, Snoop Dogg inraps, ~~the~~"But ~~fourth~~my ~~verse~~dream is own a fly casino, like Bugsy Siegel, and do it all legal." * [[Jonathan Sadowski]] portrayed a heavily fictionalized Siegel in the ''[[Legends of Tomorrow\|DC's Legends of Tomorrow]]'' episode "Miss Me, Kiss Me, Love Me"; a science fiction series with supernatural overtones, it featured Siegel being resurrected after his assassination, although he is finally terminated in [[Hell]] by the character [[John Constantine]]. * David Cade portrays Siegel in the 2021 film ''[[Lansky (2021 film)\|Lansky]]''. Line 162 ⟶ 165: {{s-ttl\|title=[[Murder, Inc.]]<br />Boss\|years=1931}} {{s-aft\|after=[[Louis Buchalter\|Lepke Buchalter]]}} ~~{{s-bef\|before=}}~~ ~~{{s-ttl\|title=[[Cohen crime family]]<br />Boss\|years=1933–1947}}~~ ~~{{s-aft\|after=[[Mickey Cohen]]}}~~ {{s-bef\|before=[[William R. Wilkerson]]}} {{s-ttl\|title=[[Flamingo Las Vegas\|Flamingo Hotel]]<br />Owner\|years=1946–1947}} Line 170: {{s-end}} ~~{{Cohen crime family}}~~ {{Genovese crime family}} {{American Mafia}} {{Organized crime groups in New York City}} ~~{{Chicago Outfit}}~~ {{Chicago Outfit}}{{Murder, Incorporated}}{{Portal bar\|Biography}} {{Authority control}} Line 185 ⟶ 184: [[Category:American casino industry businesspeople]] [[Category:American crime bosses]] ~~[[Category:American people convicted of murder]]~~ [[Category:American people of Austrian-Jewish descent]] [[Category:American rapists]] Line 192 ⟶ 190: [[Category:Genovese crime family]] [[Category:History of Clark County, Nevada]] ~~[[Category:Male murder victims]]~~ [[Category:Murder, Inc.]] [[Category:Jewish American gangsters]]