Prohibition-era
During Prohibition, many Polish-American criminal gangs took advantage of the opportunity to make money through the illegal sale of alcohol. In Chicago, Joseph Saltis and Jake Guzik allied themselves with Al Capone's Chicago Outfit. However, fighting Capone was the North Side Gang, which, while mostly Irish-American, had a large Polish presence as well, with leaders Bugs Moran and Hymie Weiss both having a Polish heritage. . Fred Goetz was involved in carrying out the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
In Philadelphia, the organization led by Mickey Duffy, born William Michael Cusick, was the dominant bootlegging gang in the Delaware Valley until his murder in August 1931.
The infamous gangster Meyer Lansky, one of the leaders of the so-called National Crime Syndicate and associate of Lucky Luciano, was actually a Polish Jew.
Joseph Filkowski led a mostly Polish bootlegging ring in Cleveland, Ohio, along with gangster Joseph Stazek. In Pittsburgh, Paul Jarwarski was also a prominent figure, carrying out the first armored car robbery.
Read more about this topic: Polish Mob