Murder, Inc.

Murder Inc. as it was called by the press, was a chapter of a so-called National Crime Syndicate[?] in USA. It was an enforcement arm that specialized in contract killing. It operated from the end of Prohibition until the 1950s.

Murder, Inc was established in New York and initially lead by Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel and Meyer Lansky who also supplied the first killers from their gangs Jewish and Italian gangsters in Brooklyn N.Y.. Later it was controlled by Louis Buchalter[?] and Albert Anastasia[?]. They reported to higher syndicate bosses.

Most of the killers were recruited from gangs of Ocean City, Brownsville and East New York. They accepted murder contracts from mob bosses all around USA.

Murder Inc idea was based on the fact that killers would be strangers to the city and sometimes even their victims and therefore harder to trace. Police would concentrate on local suspects when killers were already enroute to their hometowns. They killed quickly and effectively with numerous methods. Practically all the targets were informers[?] or gang members who had embezzled mob money.

Average fee was $1000-5000 per killing plus regular salaries when their expertise was not needed. Their families also received monetary benefits. If they were caught, mob would supply the best lawyers.

Murder Inc’s killers included Frank Abbandando, Louis Capone[?], Motel Goldstein[?] Seymour Magoon[?], Harry Maione[?], Abe Reles[?], Harry Strauss and Albert Tannenbaum[?],

In 1932 Abe Wagner informed of the syndicate to the police. He fled to St Paul, Minnesota and adopted a disguise to evade possible pursuit. Two killers, George Young[?] and Joseph Schafer[?] found and shot him but were late apprehended. Bugsy Siegel failed to get them released.

One of the more famous victims was a mob boss Dutch Schultz[?] who had defied the syndicate, Mendy Weiss[?] and Charles Workman[?] shot him – and three others – in October 23 1935 in Palace Chop House.

In the 1930’s Louis Bucalter used Murder Inc to murder witnesses and suspected informants when he was investigated by district attorney Thomas E. Dewey. In one case four killers hacked loan shark George Rudnick to pieces for a mere suspicion of being on informant in May 11 1937. In October 1 1937 they wounded seriously Buchalter’s ex-associate Max Rubin.

In 1940’s Murder Inc employee Harry Rudolph[?] was framed for murder and sentenced to Riker’s Island, He decided to talk to district attorney Burton B. Turkus[?]. Turkus arrested Abe Reles, Goldstein and Maffetore upon his information. When Reles and Maffetore learned that they had became the next targets lest they talk, they became informants. Albert Tannenbaum, arrested later, also decided to talk.

Abe Reles was promised immunity from prosecution. He informed on many killers, including Abbandando, Maione and Strauss and described many of his own murders in court. Syndicate promised $100.000 reward for his death. Reles fell to his death from a guarded hotel room in Half Moon Hotel[?] in Coney Island in November 12 1941.

Louis Buchalter was executed at Sing Sing Prison[?] in Ossining, New York[?] on March 4, 1933.

Murder Inc vanished in a couple of years. Most members were sent to electric chair. Mafia switched to murder deals arranged between individual gang bosses.

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There is also a 1990s hip hop record label called Murda Inc.