Sin City Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas is a fast-paced account of how the mob created and controlled Las Vegas. It contains accounts of how the most powerful mobsters in the country built, bought, and controlled not only gambling casinos in Vegas, but also many important politicians, who did the mob's bidding. Some of the more notorious mobsters were Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Moe Dalitz, Sam Giancana, Tony Accardo, and Nick Civella, as well as the men they chose to carry out their plans, such as Tony Spilotro, Lefty Rosenthal, and Donald Angelini. Sin City Gangsters devotes a chapter to Jimmy Hoffa, and how the Teamsters Pension Fund financed the mob's casinos. The book also offers fascinating accounts of the roles of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley in Vegas. Another chapter is devoted to Howard Hughes, who arrived in the dead of night in a sealed, germ-free railroad car and did not leave his suite at the Desert Inn for years. During that time he bought one casino after another as if playing Monopoly. Following his exit and that of the mob, Vegas became the domain of Jay Sarno, Kirk Kerkorian, Steve Wynn, and Sheldon Adelson. They were visionaries who transformed Vegas into the entertainment capital of the world by building billion-dollars-plus resorts and hiring the most popular contemporary entertainers. Sin City Gangsters is the only book that charts Vegas from the first modest mob-owned casinos to the present billion-dollar-resorts; its cast of characters is an assembly of exceedingly ambitious risk takers who let nothing stand in their way of turning their dreams into stunning realities.
Jeffrey Sussman is the author of 16 books, six of which have been published by Rowman and Littlefield. Sin City Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas follows the publication of his popular Big Apple Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in New York. Jeffrey lives in New York City.
Introduction Chapter 1. Don't Ever Call Him Bugsy Chapter 2. Moe Sedway and Gus Greenbaum Chapter 3.Meyer Lansky: Godfather of the Skim Chapter 4. Moe Dalitz: Mr. Las Vegas Chapter 5. Jimmy Hoffa: Las Vegas Financier Chapter 6. The Man Who Bought Las Vegas Chapter7.The Entertainment Capital of the World Chapter 8.The Ant, Lefty, & Genius Chapter 9. The Outfit Crapped Out Chapter 10. New Faces of Vegas: Sarno, Kerkorian, Wynn, and Adelson
Sin City Gangsters presents the most factual and penetrating exposure of the relationships, dealings, and assassinations amongst the highest ranking members of organized crime. It is an exceptional book. -- S. M. Chris Franzblau, former federal prosecutor and criminal defense attorney for alleged organized crime figures and professional boxers Jeffrey Sussman's research and attention to detail make this book the go-to source on the infamous relationship between the Mob and Las Vegas. The chapter on Sinatra alone makes it worth the cost of admission into the seamy yet enticing underbelly of Las Vegas. -- Gary Jenkins, Producer of Gangland Wire Podcast and Documentary film Brothers against Brothers: The Civella Spero War, Author of Leaving Vegas: The True Story of How FBI Wiretaps Ended Mob Domination of Las Vegas Casinos
