Polish-American organized crime
| Founded by | Polish American immigrants |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Poland, United States |
| Years active | 1920s–present |
| Territory | Poland, Western and Central Europe, New York City, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Buffalo |
| Ethnicity | Poles, Polish Jews, and Polish Americans (in the USA) |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, weapon trafficking, Racketeering, loansharking, extortion, kidnapping, gambling, murder, theft |
| Allies | Chicago Outfit |
| Rivals | Irish Mob, Russian Mafia |
Polish-American organized crime has existed in the United States throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Although not as well known as Russian, Italian-American, Irish, or Jewish mafias, the Polish mob has a presence in many urban Polish American communities.
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 New Jersey, the organization led by Mickey Cusick, was the prominent boss of bootlegging in Southern Jersey.
The infamous gangster Meyer Lansky, one of the leaders of the 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.
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Wikipedia