LEPKE

Lepke rose in the ranks of the mob through the control of the unions and owners in the garment industry. He and Lucchese worked together in the garment industry and were able to gain a hold on it to a degree that made the costs of dealing with the mob part of the accepted business procedures. Lepke had been one of the early proponents of a national Syndicate to bring "peace" to the rackets, but he was greedy, too. A cartel, he had argued at the summit meeting with Johnny Torrio, would make intergang warfare a thing of the past. But that didn't mean that he didn't covet things belonging to other gangsters. Lepke was not just an industrial mobster; he had his fingers in other traditional Mafia areas, as well. During Prohibition, Lepke was a rumrunner (or rather his gangsters were), and had developed an intricate narcotics smuggling operation, receiving a cool 33 percent of the profits from any drugs brought into the country. Once the drugs were in the U.S., they belonged to Lucky Luciano Thanks in part to the efforts of a an ambitious prosecutor ( Dewey) and a New York County grand jury, Lepke now seated on the national Syndicate's tribunal, got his chance to move in on rival gang's operations. The major difference between the two men was Lepke's utilization of violence as a major tool in gaining control.

For years after Luciano gained control of the mob and worked toward a standardization of mob business procedures, the Bugs and Meyer Gang were utilized as the strong arm to enforce the laws of the Commission. But when Siegel moved west to expand mob interests and Lansky began to assume the role of head business officer for the Commission a new organization was needed to enforce rules created to protect mob interests. What was needed was someone who had a background of violence but at the same time recognized the importance of their role in keeping the lid on mob disputes. The review of personnel files brought forth the name of Louis Buchalter as a prime candidate. As the supreme head of New York's industrial rackets, Lepke needed a stable of gunmen to preserve order. That's where gunmen like Kid Twist, Mendy Weiss, Happy Maione Pittsburgh Phil, Vito Gurino and Buggsy Goldstein served the Lepke organization. Lepke culled his gunmen - mostly Jewish - from other mobs. By the time his good friend Lucky Luciano became chairman of the board, Lepke had an army of more than 200 first-rate killers.

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