Mobster Names

Question: Taoka Kazuo’s byname was Kuma, which is Japanese for what?

Answer: The Japanese crime boss headed the giant organization known as the Yamaguchi-gumi.

Question: Who was known as “the Robin Hood of the Cookson Hills”?

Answer: He earned the name because he destroyed mortgage papers during bank robberies.

Question: What was John Gotti’s nickname?

Answer: Criminal charges against Gotti never stuck—until he was sentenced to life in prison in 1992.

Question: What was Al Capone’s nickname?

Answer: Capone earned the name after his cheek was slashed during a fight.

Question: Who was known as the “Mob’s accountant”?

Answer: He allegedly said that the mob was “bigger than U.S. Steel.”

Question: What was Lucky Luciano’s original first name?

Answer: Luciano earned his nickname for surviving a “one-way ride,” in which he was beaten, stabbed repeatedly with an ice pick, and had his throat slit from ear to ear.

Question: Who was born Lester Gillis?

Answer: He was known for his youthful appearance and short stature.

Question: What was Bugsy Siegel’s real first name?

Answer: Bugsy is slang for “crazy,” which was how colleagues often described Siegel. Siegel himself hated the name.