Thomas Jefferson McGinty
Encyclopedia
Thomas Joseph McGinty was an early Cleveland mobster, one of the city's largest bootleggers during the Prohibition
, as well as a longtime boxing promoter.
A former professional boxer, McGinty was hired as muscle for The Plain Dealer's circulation department and, by 1913, headed a gang of labor sluggers competing against rival Cleveland News
sluggers the Mayfield Road Mob under Arthur McBride during Cleveland's "Circulation Wars".
Although a longtime boxing promoter, during Prohibition he became one of the largest bootleggers in the city during the early 1920s. Operating from McGinty's Saloon on West 25th Street with two relatives, McGinty was indicted by a federal grand jury in 1924 on charges of operating a "gigantic wholesale and retail conspiracy". Although initially in hiding, McGinty turned himself in after several days and, pleading not guilty, he was convicted and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment. After his release from Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, he soon resumed his bootlegging activities without further interference from authorities (who may have been paid off by McGinty).
During the 1930s, McGinty was involved in syndicate gambling operations as owner of Cleveland's Mounds Club and, whose gambling operations included Youngstown, Ohio
and Covington, Kentucky
and as far away as Florida, as well as a stockholder of the Las Vegas casino Desert Inn
with Moe Dalitz
, Morris Kleinman, Lou Rothkopf and others during the 1950s http://www.nevadaobserver.com/Organized%20Crime%20in%20the%20United%20States%201950%203.htm. He was also involved in Meyer Lansky
's Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba http://cuban-exile.com/doc_176-200/doc0190.html.
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
, as well as a longtime boxing promoter.
A former professional boxer, McGinty was hired as muscle for The Plain Dealer's circulation department and, by 1913, headed a gang of labor sluggers competing against rival Cleveland News
Cleveland News
The Cleveland News was a daily and Sunday American newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio, published from 1905 to 1960, when it was absorbed by rival paper The Plain Dealer.-History:...
sluggers the Mayfield Road Mob under Arthur McBride during Cleveland's "Circulation Wars".
Although a longtime boxing promoter, during Prohibition he became one of the largest bootleggers in the city during the early 1920s. Operating from McGinty's Saloon on West 25th Street with two relatives, McGinty was indicted by a federal grand jury in 1924 on charges of operating a "gigantic wholesale and retail conspiracy". Although initially in hiding, McGinty turned himself in after several days and, pleading not guilty, he was convicted and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment. After his release from Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, he soon resumed his bootlegging activities without further interference from authorities (who may have been paid off by McGinty).
During the 1930s, McGinty was involved in syndicate gambling operations as owner of Cleveland's Mounds Club and, whose gambling operations included Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
and Covington, Kentucky
Covington, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,370 people, 18,257 households, and 10,132 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,301.3 people per square mile . There were 20,448 housing units at an average density of 1,556.5 per square mile...
and as far away as Florida, as well as a stockholder of the Las Vegas casino Desert Inn
Desert Inn
The Desert Inn was a Paradise, Nevada, hotel/casino that operated from April 24, 1950, to August 28, 2000. Designed by noted New York architect Jac Lessman, it was the fifth resort to open on the Las Vegas Strip. The property included an 18-hole golf course. Locals nicknamed the resort "The D.I."...
with Moe Dalitz
Moe Dalitz
Morris Barney "Moe" Dalitz was a Jewish American bootlegger, racketeer, casino owner and philanthropist who was one of the major figures who helped shape Las Vegas, Nevada in the 20th century. He was often referred to as Mr...
, Morris Kleinman, Lou Rothkopf and others during the 1950s http://www.nevadaobserver.com/Organized%20Crime%20in%20the%20United%20States%201950%203.htm. He was also involved in Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky , known as the "Mob's Accountant", was a Polish-born American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States...
's Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba http://cuban-exile.com/doc_176-200/doc0190.html.
Further reading
- Reid, Ed and Demaris, Ovid. The Green Felt Jungle. Montreal: Pocket Books, 1964.