Mickey Cohen

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Mickey Cohen (July 29, 1914-1976) was a gangster in 1940s and 1950s Los Angeles.

Born as Meyer Harris Cohen in Brownville, New York on July 29, 1914 Cohen lived in Brooklyn until Cohen's family moved to Los Angeles, California in 1920 where his family ran a drug store. Cohen delivered alcohol from the pharmacy's gin mill operated by his older brother until his arrest in 1923 at the age of nine. However with his brother's local connections Cohen was never charged with the crime.

As a teenager Cohen began to box in illegal prizefights before heading for the east coast to train as a professional boxer, fighting in the Midwest, before arriving in New York where he lost a match against World Featherweight Champion Tommy Paul. While in New York, Cohen became associates with Tommy Dioguardi, brother of New York labor racketeer Johnny Dio, and later Owney Madden.

Cohen became involved in organized crime working as an enforcer for the Chicago Outfit, where he briefly met Al Capone, before being arrested in a gunfight during a card game where several mobsters were killed. Released shortly afterwards Cohen began running card games and other illegal gambling operations later becoming an associate of Mattie Capone, a younger brother of Al Capone. While working for Jake Guzik, Cohen was forced to flee Chicago after an argument with a rival gambler. In Cleveland Cohen again worked for Lou Rothkopf, an associate of Meyer Lansky and Benjamin Siegel, however as there was little work for him Rothkopf arranged for him to work with Siegel in California.

Returning to the West Coast, Cohen became the bodyguard of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel taking control of Siegel's gambling operations upon Siegel's murder in 1947. According to one account, which does not appear in newspapers of the period however, Cohen purportedly reacted violently to Siegel's murder, later entering the Roosevelt Hotel where he believed the killers were staying, and firing two .45 semiautomatic pistols into the ceiling of the lobby, demanding the assassins to meet him outside in ten minutes. However, as no one appeared, Cohen was forced to flee after police arrived on the scene.

After the Los Angeles crime syndicate was taken over by Frank Carbo of the Dragna crime family, Cohen continued to run its gambling operations. However his violent methods came to the attention of state and federal authorities investigating the Dragna crime families operations. During this time constant attempts were made on his life including his home being bombed. Cohen soon converted his home into a fortess installing floodlights, alarm systems, and a well equipped arsenal as well, as he often joked, next to his 200 tailor made suits. He also hired bodyguard Johnny Stompanato briefly before he was killed by Lana Turner's teenage daughter Cheryl Crane. While he paid for Stompanato's funeral he ordered a cheap coffin and sold Lana Turner's love letters to the press.

Murray Chotiner persuaded Cohen to supply funds for Nixon's election campaigns in 1946 and 1950. This story was published by Drew Pearson in 1956 and 1959. Nixon did not sue Pearson but the story was not confirmed until Cohen signed confession in October, 1962. At the time he was in Alcatraz prison. Cohen claims he raised $75,000 for Nixon in 1950 in return for political favours. This deal was arranged via Chotiner. In his autobiography, Cohen claims that the orders to help Nixon came from Meyer Lansky. This is interesting as there is evidence that Bebe Rebozo, Nixon and Lansky were involved in business deals in pre-Castro Cuba.

Cohen was later investigated by the Kefauver Commission in 1950 and, as a result, was sentenced to prison for four years for tax evasion. He was again convicted for tax evasion in 1961, serving part of his sentence at Alcatraz during which an inmate had attempted to kill Cohen with a lead pipe. He was released from the Atlanta Federal Pennitentiary in 1972, where he spoke out against prison abuse, and died in his sleep in 1976.

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Cultural references

Cohen appears as a minor character in some of James Ellroy's novels, such as The Big Nowhere.
The 1991 Bugsy, telling the story of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel had Harvey Keitel portraying Mickey's character.
In the 1997 film adaptation of Ellroy's L.A. Confidential, Cohen was played by Paul Guilfoyle.

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