Moses Polakoff
Moses Polakoff (born March 24, 1896 in the Lower East Side of Manhattan , † June 12, 1993 ibid) was an American lawyer . In particular, he became known for his work for the mobsters Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano .
Life
Early years
Polakoff attended Townsend Harris High School , a public school that issued scholarships . During World War I he served in the US Navy ; after the war he studied at New York Law School . After graduating, he worked for Hayward & Clark until 1921 , but then became assistant to the New York City District Attorney. In 1924 he married Ruth Kirsch , whom he had met in the public prosecutor's office. In 1925 he opened his own law firm, which he operated until 1989.
Polakoff's clientele was widespread; Among other things, he represented the boxer Jack Dempsey and his wife Hannah Williams in the early 1940s . He was the legal representative for numerous nightclubs , including the well-known The Versailles Club .
Lucky Luciano
The trial of Lucky Luciano began on May 11, 1936. Thomas E. Dewey was charged with pimping .
“Frankly, my witnesses are prostitutes, madams, heels, pimps and ex-convicts…. I wish to call to your attention that these are the only witnesses we could possibly have brought here. We can't get Bishops to testify in a case involving prostitution. And this combination was not run under the arch lights of Madison Square Garden. We have to use the testimony of bad men to convict other bad men. "
"Frankly, my witnesses are prostitutes, puffmothers, pimps, marauders and ex-convicts. I wish to let you know that these witnesses are the only ones where it has been possible to bring them here. We did not get a bishop who was involved in prostitution. And that connection did not take place under the glaring light of Madison Square Garden. We have to use the statements of bad men to judge other bad men. "
A total of 68 witnesses, including 40 prostitutes, testified at the trial and Luciano was sentenced to 30-50 years of service at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora , Clinton County, New York ; in the end it only became ten years. The conviction shocked the Mobster of La Cosa Nostra , later ruled pentito Joe Valachi in his own testimony before the US authorities.
Despite these shady witnesses and the involvement of attorney George Wolf - an experienced criminal defense attorney - Polakoff failed to successfully defend Luciano, despite numerous errors in the indictment being disclosed. According to his own statements, a witness had never seen Lucky Luciano himself in his life. In addition, Polakoff himself is said to have been seen at one of the meetings in the Waldorf Astoria, where Luciano lived.
"I was never at his Waldorf apartment."
"I was never in his [Lucky Luciano] apartment in the Waldorf."
However, Luciano's sentence was later reduced in another way; Polakoff became the liaison between Luciano and the naval secret service when they began working with Luciano during the Second World War . Polakoff had written to the parole board that Luciano was ready to collaborate.
In particular, breakfast is said to have taken place on April 11, 1942 at Longchamps Restaurant on West 58th Street with Meyer Lansky, Polakoff, District Attorney Murray Gurfein, and Intelligence Officer Charles Haffenden. Since Polakoff and Lansky considered the distance from Luciano's detention center to be too far to establish constant contact, they both suggested moving Luciano to Sing Sing , which was rejected. For this, Luciano was transferred from Dannemora to Meadow Prison in Comstock (New York) on May 12, 1942 , where the Navy Secret Service could hold discreet meetings with him.
Luciano accepted the offer; in return, he asked for a noticeable reduction in his sentence. In addition, Luciano insisted on absolute secrecy regarding his cooperation, as he presumably already expected to be deported to Italy later due to his lack of citizenship . After the World War, the US Navy officially denied any collaboration with Luciano, Meyer Lansky or other criminal persons. A 1954 conducted official investigation by the investigating judge of the State of New York , William B. Herlands , came to the conclusion that "Salvatore Lucania" and other important exponents of the mafia had actively participated in the military activities of the United States during the Second World War. (see in detail Lucky Luciano: Second World War )
Polakoff was actually able to get Luciano released in 1946 with Thomas E. Dewey. As early as February 1943, George Wolf had appealed the amount of the sentence imposed on Luciano. In 1945 Luciano was summoned before a pardon committee.
Luciano, however, had to leave the country and went to Naples . When Luciano boarded his ship at Pier 7 on February 8, 1946, Polakoff was one of the guests who saw him off.
reputation
Polakoff's work for gangster greats was not without controversy. During a hearing before the " Kefauver Committee " he was asked by the Republican Senator Charles W. Tobey from New Hampshire how he could work for such people ( Lansky , Luciano etc.).
“If I were Council and this dirty rat came in, I would say 'Your entiteled to representation but you can't get it from me. I will have no fellowship with you. Get out of my office and find your representaion somewhere else. '”
“If I were a counselor and that filthy rat walked in, I would say [to her], 'You're innocent until proven wrong, but they won't get it from me. I don't want to be in touch with you. Leave my office and find your representative somewhere else. '"
Polakoff also had a bad reputation in the press . When the New York World Telegram in 1957 portrayed him as shady because of his connection, he successfully sued the paper in court.
Moses Polakoff died of natural causes in his Manhattan apartment at the age of 97. His wife, with whom he had three daughters, had died in 1955.
Movies and movie quotes
In the 1999 film Meyer Lansky - American Roulette , Moses Polakoff is played by actor Ron Perkins . In particular, the situation is re-enacted in one scene when Senator Charles Tobey Polakoff attacked personally in the “Kefauver Committee”.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Short Return of Charlie Lucifer (Part I) ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on www.americanmafia.com by John William Tuohy (English)
- ↑ Dannemora Gets Lucky: A mobster's not-so-hard time at Clinton Correctional by Michael Berdan at www.adirondacklife.com (English)
- ↑ a b The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano - Revisited (Part Two) on www.americanmafia.com by Allan May (English)
- ↑ Kathryn Meyer, Terry M. Parssinen: Webs of smoke: smugglers, warlords, spies, and the history of international drug trade ; Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc. 1998; ISBN 0-8476-9016-4 (2002); P. 263
- ↑ a b Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair: Whiteout: the CIA, drugs, and the press , Verso December 2, 1999, ISBN 1859842585
- ^ Charles Lucky Luciano ( Memento December 16, 2002 in the Internet Archive ) on gangstersinc.tripod.com
- ↑ "The American Mafia: Chronology - Section IV 1932-1949" ( Memento of the original from April 22, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at www.onewal.com (English)
- ↑ InStoria, Il contributo mafioso alla Vittoria Alleata in Sicilia
- ↑ The Honorable Society - Power, Myth and Murder of the Mafia by Norman Lewis at www.spiegel.de from Der Spiegel issue 51 of December 16, 1964
- ↑ Mob Corner ( Memento of the original from July 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. by Thom L. Jones on realdealmafia.com (English)
literature
- Rodney Campbel: The Luciano Project: The Secret Wartime Collaboration of the Mafia and the US Navy ; (McGraw-Hill) 1977
Web links
- Moses Polakoff Is Dead at Age 97; What Lawyer for Lucky Luciano on June 14, 1993 at www.nytimes.com (English)
- The Short Return of Charlie Lucifer by John William Tuohy in July 2001 on www.americanmafia.com (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Polakoff, Moses |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American criminal defense attorney |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 24, 1896 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Manhattan , New York |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 12, 1993 |
| Place of death | Manhattan , New York |