The 1920s were a time of great prosperity in the United States, but with the prosperity came many very dangerous crimes. The mafia, a general term for all criminal organizations in the 1920s, made this country one of the most prosperous and crime-plagued countries in the world. These gangs were run by very high level thugs who could not be touched due to their rank and power. Whatever they said went, and if you couldn't follow their rules then you had to be "dealt with" as some mobsters might have said. These people were the linchpins of society and played a huge role in our history. They caused more pain than ever in our country and Mickey Cohen was one of the worst. Mickey Cohen was one of the most feared and revered gangsters of his time. He was part of the mafia at a very young age and met very shady people. Even though the biggest trouble came when he was much older, he always got into trouble with the law, regardless of age. This led him to run away from home and begin his career in crime. Cohen then became one of the most feared names in all of Los Angeles and even the entire United States of America. Mickey Cohen was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 4, 1913. His widowed mother was an Orthodox Jew, so naturally he followed in her footsteps. After a few years in New York his family decided to move west and landed in Los Angeles, California. Mickey was then forced to work for his family, selling documents and helping out in his brother's pharmacy. Mickey eventually realized that selling bootleg alcohol was much more profitable than buying newspapers to sell. That's when his first days of crime truly began. Being the troublemaker that he was, Cohen attended reform school twice before... middle of paper... Cohen had his fair share of corrupt cops and politicians at the time. Those politicians would have done anything Cohen wanted as long as they had the money. This was one of Cohen's biggest mistakes because it made him vulnerable to high-level leaders and his dirty politicians who were paid more by other people than he paid them. This was one of the biggest problems in his network. Eventually the politicians turned against him and had him arrested for tax evasion. This was ultimately what ended Cohen's career in crime. Mickey Cohen Biography Cited: http://www.biography.com/people/mickey-cohen-329432#early-mob -roles&awesm=~oCWuUBph07Ksut Mickey Cohen's Private Life: Main Newspaper Document: "Mickey Cohen: The Private Life of a neighborhood" Mickey Cohen Biography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Cohen Mickey Cohen on Alcatraz: Main Document: “Last Stop: Alcatraz”