Murder, Inc., name given to the band of professional killers who operated (1930–40) throughout the United States as the enforcement arm of the Syndicate, composed of the national heads of organized crime organized crime, criminal activities organized and coordinated on a national scale, often with international connections. The American tradition of daring desperadoes like Jesse James and John Dillinger, has been superseded by the corporate criminal organization.
..... Click the link for more information. . Originally a gang of neighborhood thugs in Brooklyn, N.Y., they soon came to the attention of Louis (Lepke) Buchalter, a member of the Syndicate, who extended their activities to the national scene. With Albert Anastasia, allegedly the connection between the Troop, as the gunmen of Murder, Inc., were called, and the Syndicate, the band committed well over a hundred murders. They continued their criminal acts for years, allegedly protected by politicians, and it was not until the late 1930s with the investigations of Thomas E. Dewey that their existence came to public notice. Law-enforcement authorities led (1940–41) an assault on Murder, Inc.; it resulted in numerous convictions and several executions, including that of Buchalter. However, the mysterious death of Abe (Kid Twist) Reles, chief killer of Murder, Inc., and the state's star witness, hampered the prosecution.

Bibliography

See B. Turkus and S. Feder, Murder, Inc. (1951, repr. 1972).

Murder, Inc.

Popular name for an arm of the U.S. national crime syndicate founded c. 1930 in Brooklyn, N.Y., to threaten, maim, or murder designated victims for a price. Its services were available to any syndicate member anywhere in the country; many of its victims were themselves syndicate members who were killed for “business reasons.” Its principal figures were Louis Buchalter, known as Louis Lepke, and Albert Anastasia. Investigated by Thomas Dewey, it was exposed in 1940–41 by a former member, Abe “Kid Twist” Reles, who described some 70 murders and suggested hundreds more; he himself died mysteriously in the middle of the investigation.