On this day, June 20, in 1947, organized crime leader Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was fatally shot at his mistress’ mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif. The gangster had been talking to an associate when he was struck by three bullets fired through his window.
Siegel got his start in the gambling and bootlegging businesses in New York City and became associated with the Genovese crime family. In the 1930s, East Coast mobsters sent him to set up a crime syndicate in Los Angeles. He is credited with bringing organized crime to the West Coast and contributed to Las Vegas’ development.
Siegel’s killer has never been identified and the crime remains unsolved.
– Emily Babay
