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Crime in America reveals West Coast graft and gambling rings
In a Condensed extract from Crime In America by Estes Kefauver the Los Angeles fight against bookmaking and protection rackets is laid bare. Chief William H. Parker battles Mickey Cohen and a county sheriff’s office turf war while Lt. James Fiske acts beyond jurisdiction and secures markers torn up in a Sunset Strip operation. The piece covers Sammy Rummel’s murder, Cohen’s finances and tax evasion, Arthur H. Samish’s beer lobby influence, the 5-cent Samish fund, and the wider graft network linking politicians and mobsters on the West Coast.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Los Angeles
William H. Parker
Guarantee Finance Co
Sunset Strip
Parker
James Fiske
Fiske
al Guasti
Sammy Rummel
Mickey Cohen
Arthur H. Samish
Samish
Hot Springs
Ark
Joe Adonis
Phil Kastel
Frank Costello
New Orleans
California State Brewers’ Institute