Meyer Irving (1904–1931) and William "Willie" Shapiro (1911–1934), collectively known as the Shapiro Brothers were the leaders of a group of Jewish-American mobsters

Jewish-American organized crime

Jewish-American organized crime , emerged during the late 19th century and early 20th century....

 from New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 and based in Williamsburg

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...

. Well established in the local garment industry, long dominated by Jacob "Gurrah" Shapiro

Jacob Shapiro

Jacob "Gurrah" Shapiro was a New York mobster who, with his partner Louis "Lepke" Buchalter, controlled industrial labor racketeering in New York for two decades and established the Murder, Inc. organization.-Early years:...

 and Louis "Lepke" Buchalter

Louis Buchalter

Louis "Lepke" Buchalter was a Jewish American mobster and head of the Mafia hit squad Murder, Inc. during the 1930s. After Dutch Schultz' request of the Mafia Commission for permission to kill his enemy, U.S. Attorney Thomas Dewey, the Commission decided to kill Schultz in order to prevent the hit...

 since the 1927 death of Jacob "Little Augie" Orgen

Jacob Orgen

Jacob "Little Augie" Orgen was a New York gangster involved in bootlegging and labor racketeering during Prohibition.-Biography:...

, the two began to move against them in the summer of 1931. As the two sides battled for the garment industry in Brooklyn, Irving and Meyer Shapiro were killed by Joseph and Louis Amberg

Louis Amberg

Louis "Pretty" Amberg was in a criminal organization with his brothers Joseph and Hyman Amberg competing against Jacob "Gurrah" Shapiro, Louis "Lepke" Buchalter and the Shapiro Brothers for control of Brooklyn's racketeering activities during the 1920s and early 1930s. Ambergs body was found in a...

; Irving was gunned down near his apartment on July 11, and Meyer was found shot to death in the basement of a tenement building on Manhattan's Lower East Side on September 17, 1931. The following year, on orders from Buchalter, Willie Shapiro was finally killed by Murder Inc. members Martin "Bugsy" Goldstein

Martin Goldstein

Martin "Buggsy" Goldstein was a member of a gang of hitmen, operating out of Brooklyn, New York in the 1930s, known as Murder, Inc.....

 and Abe "Kid Twist" Reles

Abe Reles

Abe "Kid Twist" Reles was a New York mobster who was widely considered the most feared hit man for Murder, Inc., the enforcement contractor for the National Crime Syndicate. Reles later turned government witness and sent several members of Murder, Inc...

, supposedly being buried alive in a sandpit in the marshland of Canarsie by Reles, the Amberg brothers, and Frank Abbandando

Frank Abbandando

Frank Abbandando , nicknamed "The Dasher", was a New York contract killer who committed many murders as part of the infamous Murder, Inc. gang.-Early years:...

 and Harry Maione

Harry Maione

Harry "Happy" Maione was a New York mobster who served as a hitman for Murder, Inc. during the 1930s...

 on the night of July 20, 1934.

Reles would implicate Buchalter in the murders during talks with District Attorney William O'Dwyer

William O'Dwyer

William O'Dwyer was the 100th Mayor of New York City, holding that office from 1946 to 1950.-Biography:O'Dwyer was born in County Mayo, Ireland and migrated to the United States in 1910, after abandoning studies for the priesthood...

 after agreeing to become a government informant in 1941. His later testimony would result in the conviction of Buchalter and the rest of Murder Inc., who were all eventually sentenced to death.

Further Reading

• Downey, Patrick. "Gangster City: The History of the New York Underworld 1900-1935" Barricade Books 2004, 20009

External links

• Meyer Shapiro at Find-A-Grave
• Irving Shapiro at Find-A-Grave
• Willie Shapiro at Find-A-Grave