Benjamin Hymen Siegelbaum was born on February 28th, 1906 in Brooklyn and was murdered on June 20th, 1947 in Los Angeles.
He was a famous American mafia man known for having notably participated in the development of Las Vegas and the establishment of the mafia in the city of gambling.
His nickname was “Bugsy” meaning "the madman" in reference to his blood temperament.
Bugsy was one of the founders and directors of “Murder Incorporated”, (a gangster company managing murders within organized crime) and became a bootlegger during the prohibition period.
It is when the 21st amendment prohibited the consumption and sale of alcohol in 1933, that he turned to gambling and left New York for California where he became a contract killer.
He then moved to Las Vegas and became the manager of some of the very first casinos.
He also bought a hotel-casino, the "Flamingo", under construction and decided to finish the work. He convinced other mafia groups to invest into the project. The construction cost up to 6 million dollars (equivalent to 60 million dollars today), A sum far too large compared to the affordable price at which the casino should have been built.
The work continued but the famous gangster never saw the success of his casino. He died with bullets in his head and chest on the evening of June 20th, 1947 while he was reading his diary at his mistress's home, the well-known Virginia Hill. Virginia Hill, an ally of the Mafia and Siegel's partner, was embezzling money earned with her man into Swiss accounts without his knowledge.
The perpetrator of the criminal's death has never been found, hypotheses have been put forward, the most likely one being that he was killed because the price of his casino work had become too high. A murder that was never solved and whose mystery remains unsolved to this day.
In popular culture, Bugsy is portrayed in several films, including one by Barry Levinson with the same title as the mobster's nickname.
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