Reuben Sturman
Encyclopedia
Reuben Sturman was an American
pornographer
and businessman from Ohio
. He was featured as a subject in Eric Schlosser
's 2003 book on underground economies Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market
.
Sturman, the son of immigrant Russian Jews, grew up on Cleveland's East Side. He served in the Army Air Corps
during World War II
and then went on to study at Western Reserve University, graduating in 1948, before starting his own business selling comic book
s from his car. By the late 1950s his business had swelled to a major wholesale magazine company with affiliates in several American cities. During the 1960s Sturman started selling magazines with sexual content, a product he discovered could make profits that outmatched anything that could be achieved by selling any kind of comic book. By the late 1960s, Sturman was the biggest distributor of adult magazines in the US.
The first problems with the authorities started in 1964, when Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) agents raided a Cleveland warehouse, confiscating copies of a magazine entitled Sex Life of a Cop. This was the start of over two decades of legal difficulties. Though his operations were raided and large volumes of magazines were confiscated on numerous occasions, Sturman managed to avoid prosecution by counter-suits, shady business practices and by using at least 20 different aliases to protect his identity. Sturman became increasingly involved in semi-legal or all-out criminal activities during this time and had connections with the Gambino crime family
.
The American journalist and writer Eric Schlosser described Sturman in a US News & World Report article in 1997:
It was Sturman's refusal to pay any form of tax that finally brought him down. In 1989, Sturman was convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to 10 years in jail and $2.5 million in fines. Another charge, this time for the interstate transportation of obscene material, resulted in a plea bargain for Sturman, but he was later caught trying to bribe a juror and was sentenced to 19 additional years for extortion
. He briefly escaped prison in Boron, California, but was reapprehended in Anaheim. He died in a federal prison in Lexington, Kentucky
on October 27, 1997.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pornographer
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
and businessman from Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. He was featured as a subject in Eric Schlosser
Eric Schlosser
Eric Schlosser is an American journalist and author known for investigative journalism, such as in his books Fast Food Nation, Reefer Madness and Chew On This.- Personal History :...
's 2003 book on underground economies Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market
Reefer Madness (2003 book)
Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market is a book written by Eric Schlosser and published in 2003. The book is a look at the three pillars of the underground economy of the U.S., estimated by Schlosser to be ten percent of American GDP: marijuana, migrant labor, and...
.
Sturman, the son of immigrant Russian Jews, grew up on Cleveland's East Side. He served in the Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and then went on to study at Western Reserve University, graduating in 1948, before starting his own business selling comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s from his car. By the late 1950s his business had swelled to a major wholesale magazine company with affiliates in several American cities. During the 1960s Sturman started selling magazines with sexual content, a product he discovered could make profits that outmatched anything that could be achieved by selling any kind of comic book. By the late 1960s, Sturman was the biggest distributor of adult magazines in the US.
The first problems with the authorities started in 1964, when Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI) agents raided a Cleveland warehouse, confiscating copies of a magazine entitled Sex Life of a Cop. This was the start of over two decades of legal difficulties. Though his operations were raided and large volumes of magazines were confiscated on numerous occasions, Sturman managed to avoid prosecution by counter-suits, shady business practices and by using at least 20 different aliases to protect his identity. Sturman became increasingly involved in semi-legal or all-out criminal activities during this time and had connections with the Gambino crime family
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
.
The American journalist and writer Eric Schlosser described Sturman in a US News & World Report article in 1997:
It was Sturman's refusal to pay any form of tax that finally brought him down. In 1989, Sturman was convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to 10 years in jail and $2.5 million in fines. Another charge, this time for the interstate transportation of obscene material, resulted in a plea bargain for Sturman, but he was later caught trying to bribe a juror and was sentenced to 19 additional years for extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
. He briefly escaped prison in Boron, California, but was reapprehended in Anaheim. He died in a federal prison in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
on October 27, 1997.
