Abraham Weinberg
Encyclopedia
Abraham "Bo" Weinberg was a Russia
n-born, Jewish New York City
mobster who became a hitman
and chief lieutenant for the Prohibition
-era gang boss Dutch Schultz
. As Schultz expanded his bootlegging
operations into Manhattan during Prohibition, he recruited Abe Weinberg and his brother George
into his gang. Abe Weinberg would become one of Schultz's top gunmen during the Manhattan Bootleg Wars and was a later suspect in the high-profile gangland slayings of Jack "Legs" Diamond, Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll, and mob boss Salvatore Maranzano
.
In 1933, Schultz was indicted for tax evasion. Rather than face the charges, Schultz went into hiding and Abe Weinberg assumed control of his criminal operations. When Schultz returned from hiding, he became suspicious of Weinberg. It was rumored that Weinberg had been secretly negotiating with mob boss Lucky Luciano
and Murder, Inc.
boss Louis Buchalter
to retain control of the Schultz organization.
On September 9, 1935, Bo Weinberg left a Midtown Manhattan
nightclub and was never seen again. Conflicting reports emerged about the manner of his death. Gangland lore held that Schultz had personally executed him with a .45 automatic in a Midtown hotel room, while Schultz's lawyer Dixie Davis reported witnessing Schultz's bodyguard Lulu Rosenkrantz shoot Weinberg in the back of a car after a night of drinking; Davis later maintained that the shooting could have been accidental. Schultz himself informed Weinberg's brother George that "We hadda put a kimono on Bo," Schultz's code phrase to indicate that Weinberg's corpse had been encased in cement and dropped into the East River
.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-born, Jewish New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
mobster who became a hitman
Hitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
and chief lieutenant for the Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
-era gang boss Dutch Schultz
Dutch Schultz
Dutch Schultz was a New York City-area Jewish American gangster of the 1920s and 1930s who made his fortune in organized crime-related activities such as bootlegging alcohol and the numbers racket...
. As Schultz expanded his bootlegging
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
operations into Manhattan during Prohibition, he recruited Abe Weinberg and his brother George
George Weinberg (mobster)
George Weinberg was a New York mobster and, with brother Abraham Weinberg, an associate of Dutch Schultz as a mob accountant during the 1920s and 30s...
into his gang. Abe Weinberg would become one of Schultz's top gunmen during the Manhattan Bootleg Wars and was a later suspect in the high-profile gangland slayings of Jack "Legs" Diamond, Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll, and mob boss Salvatore Maranzano
Salvatore Maranzano
Salvatore Maranzano was an organized crime figure from the town of Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, and an early Cosa Nostra boss in the United States. He instigated the Castellammarese War to seize control of the American Mafia operations, and briefly became the Mafia's "Boss of Bosses"...
.
In 1933, Schultz was indicted for tax evasion. Rather than face the charges, Schultz went into hiding and Abe Weinberg assumed control of his criminal operations. When Schultz returned from hiding, he became suspicious of Weinberg. It was rumored that Weinberg had been secretly negotiating with mob boss Lucky Luciano
Lucky Luciano
Charlie "Lucky" Luciano was an Italian mobster born in Sicily. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for splitting New York City into five different Mafia crime families and the establishment of the first commission...
and Murder, Inc.
Murder, Inc.
Murder, Inc. was the name given by the press to organized crime groups in the 1920s through the 1940s that resulted in hundreds of murders on behalf of the American Mafia and Jewish Mafia groups who together formed the early organized crime groups in New York and...
boss Louis Buchalter
Louis Buchalter
Louis "Lepke" Buchalter was a Jewish American mobster and head of the Mafia hit squad Murder, Inc. during the 1930s. After Dutch Schultz' request of the Mafia Commission for permission to kill his enemy, U.S. Attorney Thomas Dewey, the Commission decided to kill Schultz in order to prevent the hit...
to retain control of the Schultz organization.
On September 9, 1935, Bo Weinberg left a Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
nightclub and was never seen again. Conflicting reports emerged about the manner of his death. Gangland lore held that Schultz had personally executed him with a .45 automatic in a Midtown hotel room, while Schultz's lawyer Dixie Davis reported witnessing Schultz's bodyguard Lulu Rosenkrantz shoot Weinberg in the back of a car after a night of drinking; Davis later maintained that the shooting could have been accidental. Schultz himself informed Weinberg's brother George that "We hadda put a kimono on Bo," Schultz's code phrase to indicate that Weinberg's corpse had been encased in cement and dropped into the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
.
In popular culture
Bo Weinberg would be portrayed in the following films:- Billy BathgateBilly Bathgate (film)Billy Bathgate is a 1991 American crime film directed by Robert Benton, starring Loren Dean as the titular character and Dustin Hoffman as gangster Dutch Schultz. The film co-stars Nicole Kidman, Steven Hill, Steve Buscemi, and Bruce Willis. It is based on the novel of the same name by E.L....
1991 by Bruce WillisBruce WillisWalter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
(in which Weinberg is depicted as being dropped alive into the East River after having his feet fixed in cement). - Gangster WarsGangster Wars-Synopsis:The film tells the story of three teenagers, based on real life gangsters Charles "Lucky" Luciano , Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel and Michael Lasker , growing up in New York's ghettos during the early 1900s to their rise though organized crime.-Adaptation:This movie is based on...
1981 by Dana Goldstone - Hit the Dutchman 1991 by Matt Servito
- Hoodlum 1997 by Joe Guzaldo
External links
- Abraham Weinberg at Find-A-Grave