Bugsy Siegel – 1906-1947
Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was a major figure in organized crime when, in 1945, using crime syndicate money, he began developing Las Vegas, Nevada, as a gambler’s paradise. When cost overruns became excessive, Siegel’s backers suspected that he was skimming syndicate money. On June 20, 1947, he was gunned down in his Beverly Hills, California, home.