Luis Buchalter: photo, early years, execution. The image in the cinema

Luis Buchalter was a famous gangster in the first half of the twentieth century in New York, and he also headed the "Murder Corporation" for some time. He was the only mafia leader in the United States to be sentenced to death. His journey began in the criminal world after the departure of the mother, to which the boy from the Jewish family was strongly attached. Perhaps at that time he saw for himself only such a decision.

The nickname of the gangster

Luis Buchalter was originally from a Jewish family who lived in the United States. Mother since childhood called him affectionately in Yiddish Leibkele, which in the Slavic manner meant Levushka. Since then, he was called Lepke, as an abbreviated version of the diminutive form of his name Luis.

early years

Born Lepke 06.02.1897 in Manhattan. Luis Buchalter, whose early years were closely associated with his mother, had to part with her. It happened after the death of his father, when the woman had to move to Arizona to amend her own health. She entrusted her son to her eldest daughter. But right after the mother's departure, the boy's house became the streets of New York.

The sister did not pay any attention to Luis's life. He needed to think about his own food and clothes. As a means of livelihood, the boy chose the path of crime. He engaged in petty theft with penetration into other people's homes.

For the first time, Lepke was arrested when he was sixteen years old. The police then surprised that the teenager had shoes of inappropriate size, stolen from different owners. And both were on the left foot.

As an attempt to influence the young man, he was placed in a Catholic shelter. But this did not help, because from there he was soon kicked out with the note "incorrigible".

At twenty-two, Lepke managed to serve his second term in Sing Sing prison, which was very strict and was located about fifty kilometers from New York.

Work with Jacob Shapiro

In 1919, Louis began to work in tandem with Jacob Shapiro, who was his childhood friend. They took up violence and gradually gained power over the unions of garment factories located in the Lower East Side.

Buchalter Luis with a partner began to receive a weekly tribute from the owners of garment factories. This they achieved with the help of controlled unions, which at any time could announce a strike. Gradually they moved on to protection patrolling.

"Murder Corporation"

In the thirties of the twentieth century, an independent union was organized by gangsters. To solve their problems, his representatives created the "Corporation of Murders". In its creation appeared such mafia as Charlie Luciano, John Torio, Meir Lansky, Luis Buchalter. Photos of these people are more likely to appear among those who are wanted by the police. And this is not surprising, since the organization was engaged in murders.

Over time, control over the organization moved to Lepke and Albert Anastasia. From that time, Louis began to search for all police countries. Custom-made murders were carried out throughout the United States, and with every successful transaction, the head of the "Murder Corporation" received thirty-three percent of commission.

Arrest and execution

Luis Buchalter understood that he was wanted. He decides to hide for a while, but the mafia leaders advise the gangster to surrender voluntarily and partially acknowledge his guilt. For example, in the drug case. Lepke agrees and surrenders to the authorities. For this he was sentenced to fourteen years of imprisonment.

But this was not the end of the matter, as Abe Reles gets to the police. He was one of the participants in the "Murder Corporation" and went to a deal. Arrested gave the prosecutor Lepke, telling in detail about the killings committed by his group.

For Louis it was the end. In 1941, he was accused of committing murders and sentenced to death by electric stool. The sentence was carried out three years later. The execution took place on 04/03/0194. By that time, the mafia leader had turned forty-seven.

But Luis Buchalter was not the only one who suffered from betrayal. Arrested another nine representatives of the "Corporations of Murders", six of which were also executed.

The traitor, Reles, soon fell out of the hotel room window under strange circumstances. Most likely, it was the revenge of the mafia. Although the official version recognized suicide.

The image in the cinema

Since 2015, the United States began to produce a documentary gaming television series, narrating about the most famous gangsters of America in the first half of the twentieth century. Luis Buchalter was born in the late nineteenth century, so all his criminal activities fell just at the beginning of the twentieth century. No wonder he is also the hero of this series. The head of the mafia world of New York at the time was Charlie Luciano.

The first part of the project is called "The Birth of the Mafia: New York". The authors were able to display the atmosphere of that time, using magnificent scenery and costumes, as well as conducting surveys on location. Characters in this case differ in their charisma. For the spectators are presented the reconstruction of real events, which are supplemented by interviews with writers, actors, former mayors of New York.

The head of the group "Corporation of Murders" was, as you know, Luis Buchalter. On the screen, the image of the gangster was embodied by Ivan Boimel.

In 2016, the next part of the project entitled "The birth of the Mafia: Chicago" was published. It reveals the activities of another gangster group, led by Al Capone.