Early life
Mickey Cohen was born on September 4, 1913, of a Jewish family. His mother Fanny had immigrated to the U.
S. from Kiev, Russia. At age six, Cohen was selling newspapers on the street; his brothers Sam or Isiack would
drop him off at his regular corner. Soon Cohen and his brothers became involved in crime (Cohen's brother
Paul, an Orthodox Jew, was an exception). In 1923, at age nine, Cohen was delivering alcohol to customers from
a gin mill operated by his older brother in the drug store. Cohen was arrested that same year for this activity,
but avoided prosecution due to his brother's connections.
As a teenager, Cohen began boxing in illegal prizefights in Los Angeles. He eventually moved to the East Coast
to train as a professional boxer, doing fights in the Midwest along the way. His first professional boxing match
was on April 8, 1930 against Patsy Farr in Cleveland, Ohio. This was one of the preliminary fights on the card
for the Paul Pirrone/Jimmy Goodrich feature event. On April 11, 1933 he fought against Chalky Wright in Los
Angeles, California. Wright won the match and Meyer was incorrectly identified as "Mickey Cohen from
Denver, Colorado" in the Los Angeles Times sports page report. His last fight was on on May 14, 1933 against
Baby Arizmendi in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. On June 12, 1931 Cohen fought and lost a match against
World Featherweight Champion Tommy Paul, having been knocked out cold after 2:20 into the first round. It
was during this round he earned the moniker "Gangster Mickey Cohen". Cohen lived first in Cleveland, where
he met Lou Rothkopf, an associate of Moe Dalitz. Cohen moved later to New York, where he became associates
with Tommy Dioguardi, the brother of labor racketeer Johnny Dio, and with Owney Madden. Finally, Cohen
went to Chicago, where he ran a gambling operation for the Chicago Outfit, Al Capone's powerful criminal
organization.
Prohibition and the Chicago Outfit
During Prohibition, Cohen moved to Chicago and became involved in organized crime working as an enforcer
for the Chicago Outfit, where he briefly met Al Capone. During this period Cohen was arrested for his role in
the deaths of several gangsters in a card game that went wrong.
After a brief time in prison, Cohen was released and began running card games and other illegal gambling
operations. He later became an associate of Mattie Capone, Al's younger brother. While working for Jake
Guzik, Cohen was forced to flee Chicago after an argument with a rival gambler.
In Cleveland, Cohen again worked for Lou (Louis) Rothkopf, an associate of Meyer Lansky and Benjamin
"Bugsy" Siegel. However, there was little work available for Cohen in Cleveland, so Rothkopf arranged for him
to work with Siegel in California.
From syndicate bodyguard to Sunset kingpin
Mickey Cohen was sent to Los Angeles by Meyer Lansky and Lou Rothkopf to watch Bugsy Siegel. During
their association, Mickey helped set up the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas and ran its sports book operation. He
also was instrumental in setting up the race wire, which was essential to Vegas betting, a Nevada attraction
perhaps only second to the Hoover Dam. In 1947, the crime families ordered the murder of Siegel due to his
mismanagement of the Flamingo Hotel, most likely because Siegel or his girlfriend Virginia Hill was skimming
money. According to one account which does not appear in newspapers, Cohen reacted violently to Siegel's
murder. Entering the Hotel Roosevelt, where he believed the killers were staying, Cohen fired rounds from his
two .45 caliber semi-automatic handguns into the lobby ceiling and demanded that the assassins meet him
outside in ten minutes. However, no one appeared and Cohen was forced to flee when the cops arrived.
Cohen's violent methods came to the attention of state and federal authorities investigating the Dragna
operations. During this time, Cohen faced many attempts on his life, including the bombing of his home on
posh Moreno Avenue in Brentwood. Cohen soon converted his house into a fortress, installing floodlights,
alarm systems, and a well-equipped arsenal kept, as he often joked, next to his 200 tailor-made suits. Cohen
also briefly hired bodyguard Johnny Stompanato before his killing by actress Lana Turner's daughter. Cohen
bought a cheap coffin for Stompanato's funeral and then sold Lana Turner's love letters to Stompanato to the
press.
Stompanato ran a sexual extortion ring as well as a jewelry store. He was one of the most popular playboys in
Hollywood. Singer Frank Sinatra once visited Cohen at his home and begged him to tell Stompanato to stop
dating Sinatra's friend and ex-wife, actress Ava Gardner.
Later years
In 1950, Mickey Cohen was investigated along with numerous other underworld figures by a US Senate
committee known as the Kefauver Commission. As a result of this investigation, Cohen was convicted of tax
evasion and sentenced to prison for four years
When he was released, he started again, and became an international celebrity. He sold more newspapers than
anyone else in the country, according to author Brad Lewis. His appearance on television with Mike Wallace in
the late 1950s rocked the media establishment. He ran floral shops, paint stores, nightclubs, casinos, gas
stations, a men's haberdashery, and even an ice cream parlor on San Vicente Blvd. in the Brentwood section of
Los Angeles, according to author Richard Lamparski.
In 1957 Time Magazine wrote a brief about Mickey Cohen meeting with Billy Graham. Cohen said, "I am very
high on the Christian way of life. Billy came up, and before we had food he said—What do you call it. that thing
they say before food? Grace? Yeah, grace. Then we talked a lot about Christianity and stuff." Allegedly when
Mickey did not change his lifestyle, he was confronted by some Christian acquaintances. His response:
"Christian football players, Christian cowboys, Christian politicians; why not a Christian gangster?"
In 1961, Cohen was again convicted of tax evasion and sent to Alcatraz. His heavily armored Cadillac from this
period was confiscated by Los Angeles Police Department and is now on display at the Southward Car Museum
in New Zealand.[1] During his time on "the Rock," another inmate attempted to kill Cohen with a lead pipe. In
1972, Cohen was released from the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, where he had spoken out against prison
abuse. He had been misdiagnosed with an ulcer, which turned out to be stomach cancer. After undergoing
surgery, he continued touring the U.S., including television appearances, once with Ramsey Clark.
Cohen's girlfriend Liz Renay herself spent three years behind bars for refusing to squeal on him. One of his
many other girlfriends, Candy Barr, served prison time for marijuana possession. Two of his other favorites
were Tempest Storm and Beverly Hills, the former having her breasts insured with Lloyd's of London.
Mickey Cohen died in his sleep in 1976 and is interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City,
California.
Cohen's extended family number many cousins who today reside in New Jersey, New York, Florida, Washington
and Vermont.
Mickey Cohen was born on September 4, 1913, of a Jewish family. His mother Fanny had immigrated to the U.
S. from Kiev, Russia. At age six, Cohen was selling newspapers on the street; his brothers Sam or Isiack would
drop him off at his regular corner. Soon Cohen and his brothers became involved in crime (Cohen's brother
Paul, an Orthodox Jew, was an exception). In 1923, at age nine, Cohen was delivering alcohol to customers from
a gin mill operated by his older brother in the drug store. Cohen was arrested that same year for this activity,
but avoided prosecution due to his brother's connections.
As a teenager, Cohen began boxing in illegal prizefights in Los Angeles. He eventually moved to the East Coast
to train as a professional boxer, doing fights in the Midwest along the way. His first professional boxing match
was on April 8, 1930 against Patsy Farr in Cleveland, Ohio. This was one of the preliminary fights on the card
for the Paul Pirrone/Jimmy Goodrich feature event. On April 11, 1933 he fought against Chalky Wright in Los
Angeles, California. Wright won the match and Meyer was incorrectly identified as "Mickey Cohen from
Denver, Colorado" in the Los Angeles Times sports page report. His last fight was on on May 14, 1933 against
Baby Arizmendi in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. On June 12, 1931 Cohen fought and lost a match against
World Featherweight Champion Tommy Paul, having been knocked out cold after 2:20 into the first round. It
was during this round he earned the moniker "Gangster Mickey Cohen". Cohen lived first in Cleveland, where
he met Lou Rothkopf, an associate of Moe Dalitz. Cohen moved later to New York, where he became associates
with Tommy Dioguardi, the brother of labor racketeer Johnny Dio, and with Owney Madden. Finally, Cohen
went to Chicago, where he ran a gambling operation for the Chicago Outfit, Al Capone's powerful criminal
organization.
Prohibition and the Chicago Outfit
During Prohibition, Cohen moved to Chicago and became involved in organized crime working as an enforcer
for the Chicago Outfit, where he briefly met Al Capone. During this period Cohen was arrested for his role in
the deaths of several gangsters in a card game that went wrong.
After a brief time in prison, Cohen was released and began running card games and other illegal gambling
operations. He later became an associate of Mattie Capone, Al's younger brother. While working for Jake
Guzik, Cohen was forced to flee Chicago after an argument with a rival gambler.
In Cleveland, Cohen again worked for Lou (Louis) Rothkopf, an associate of Meyer Lansky and Benjamin
"Bugsy" Siegel. However, there was little work available for Cohen in Cleveland, so Rothkopf arranged for him
to work with Siegel in California.
From syndicate bodyguard to Sunset kingpin
Mickey Cohen was sent to Los Angeles by Meyer Lansky and Lou Rothkopf to watch Bugsy Siegel. During
their association, Mickey helped set up the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas and ran its sports book operation. He
also was instrumental in setting up the race wire, which was essential to Vegas betting, a Nevada attraction
perhaps only second to the Hoover Dam. In 1947, the crime families ordered the murder of Siegel due to his
mismanagement of the Flamingo Hotel, most likely because Siegel or his girlfriend Virginia Hill was skimming
money. According to one account which does not appear in newspapers, Cohen reacted violently to Siegel's
murder. Entering the Hotel Roosevelt, where he believed the killers were staying, Cohen fired rounds from his
two .45 caliber semi-automatic handguns into the lobby ceiling and demanded that the assassins meet him
outside in ten minutes. However, no one appeared and Cohen was forced to flee when the cops arrived.
Cohen's violent methods came to the attention of state and federal authorities investigating the Dragna
operations. During this time, Cohen faced many attempts on his life, including the bombing of his home on
posh Moreno Avenue in Brentwood. Cohen soon converted his house into a fortress, installing floodlights,
alarm systems, and a well-equipped arsenal kept, as he often joked, next to his 200 tailor-made suits. Cohen
also briefly hired bodyguard Johnny Stompanato before his killing by actress Lana Turner's daughter. Cohen
bought a cheap coffin for Stompanato's funeral and then sold Lana Turner's love letters to Stompanato to the
press.
Stompanato ran a sexual extortion ring as well as a jewelry store. He was one of the most popular playboys in
Hollywood. Singer Frank Sinatra once visited Cohen at his home and begged him to tell Stompanato to stop
dating Sinatra's friend and ex-wife, actress Ava Gardner.
Later years
In 1950, Mickey Cohen was investigated along with numerous other underworld figures by a US Senate
committee known as the Kefauver Commission. As a result of this investigation, Cohen was convicted of tax
evasion and sentenced to prison for four years
When he was released, he started again, and became an international celebrity. He sold more newspapers than
anyone else in the country, according to author Brad Lewis. His appearance on television with Mike Wallace in
the late 1950s rocked the media establishment. He ran floral shops, paint stores, nightclubs, casinos, gas
stations, a men's haberdashery, and even an ice cream parlor on San Vicente Blvd. in the Brentwood section of
Los Angeles, according to author Richard Lamparski.
In 1957 Time Magazine wrote a brief about Mickey Cohen meeting with Billy Graham. Cohen said, "I am very
high on the Christian way of life. Billy came up, and before we had food he said—What do you call it. that thing
they say before food? Grace? Yeah, grace. Then we talked a lot about Christianity and stuff." Allegedly when
Mickey did not change his lifestyle, he was confronted by some Christian acquaintances. His response:
"Christian football players, Christian cowboys, Christian politicians; why not a Christian gangster?"
In 1961, Cohen was again convicted of tax evasion and sent to Alcatraz. His heavily armored Cadillac from this
period was confiscated by Los Angeles Police Department and is now on display at the Southward Car Museum
in New Zealand.[1] During his time on "the Rock," another inmate attempted to kill Cohen with a lead pipe. In
1972, Cohen was released from the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, where he had spoken out against prison
abuse. He had been misdiagnosed with an ulcer, which turned out to be stomach cancer. After undergoing
surgery, he continued touring the U.S., including television appearances, once with Ramsey Clark.
Cohen's girlfriend Liz Renay herself spent three years behind bars for refusing to squeal on him. One of his
many other girlfriends, Candy Barr, served prison time for marijuana possession. Two of his other favorites
were Tempest Storm and Beverly Hills, the former having her breasts insured with Lloyd's of London.
Mickey Cohen died in his sleep in 1976 and is interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City,
California.
Cohen's extended family number many cousins who today reside in New Jersey, New York, Florida, Washington
and Vermont.
Meyer Harris Cohen (Mickey Cohen)
Mickey Cohen in Los Angeles
County Jail 1953, following an
assault by an attorney.
County Jail 1953, following an
assault by an attorney.
Mickey Cohen being booked into Los
Angeles County Jail.
Date unk.
Angeles County Jail.
Date unk.
LAPD Officer Voy Kay Apt in 1920's
ticketing Santa.
ticketing Santa.
Officer Apt, on left, after confiscating
weapons from a burglary ring.
Date unk.
weapons from a burglary ring.
Date unk.
Officer Voy Apt in a publicity photo.
Date unk.
Date unk.
Los Angeles Police Department Officer Voy Kay Apt. Born: 1897 Died 1974.
Joined the LAPD in 1922 and retired in 1946.
During the time Officer Apt was on the Department he somehow befriended Meyer Harris Cohen, know as Mickey Cohen.
While Mickey Cohen was in Federal Prison in Springfield, Illinois, they corresponded. Here are some examples of
the letters received from Mickey Cohen. These images were taken from the original letters and have never been published
previously. As all parties are not deceased there is no longer a privacy issue.
From the collection of F. Iverson, historian and police vehicle collector.
Joined the LAPD in 1922 and retired in 1946.
During the time Officer Apt was on the Department he somehow befriended Meyer Harris Cohen, know as Mickey Cohen.
While Mickey Cohen was in Federal Prison in Springfield, Illinois, they corresponded. Here are some examples of
the letters received from Mickey Cohen. These images were taken from the original letters and have never been published
previously. As all parties are not deceased there is no longer a privacy issue.
From the collection of F. Iverson, historian and police vehicle collector.
The following information is
courtesy of Wikipedia.
courtesy of Wikipedia.
Sample of envelope by Mickey Cohen to
Voy Apt from Federal Prison.
Cohen's name and booking number are
written under the flap and not visible in
picture.
Voy Apt from Federal Prison.
Cohen's name and booking number are
written under the flap and not visible in
picture.