Gus Greenbaum was an American gangster in the casino industry, best known for taking over management of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas after the murder of co-founder Bugsy Siegel.
12 Facts About Gus Greenbaum
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Gustave "Gus" Greenbaum was born in Chicago to Jewish immigrant tailor parents Herman Greenbaum and Sarah Goldberger, who initially lived between New York City and Nebraska before settling in Illinois, according to the 1900 census.
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Gus Greenbaum's parents originated from the Austro-Hungarian empire, with Sarah's birthplace documented as "Poland" on her birth record.
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An associate of Meyer Lansky, Greenbaum joined his organization on New York's Lower East Side in the mid or late 1910s.
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Gus Greenbaum set up in the Luhrs Tower and developed strong relationships with Phoenix leaders even, allegedly, future Senator Barry Goldwater.
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Sedway and Greenbaum ran the El Cortez Casino in 1945, until Greenbaum was asked by William R Wilkerson to manage casino operations for the Flamingo Hotel.
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Gus Greenbaum had been able to secure funding from Phoenix-based bank Valley National Bank, the first bank to lend money to the mob.
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Gus Greenbaum planned to retire to Arizona and rejected offers to run the Riviera for Tony Accardo, though after Gus Greenbaum's sister-in-law was murdered, he accepted the job.
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Shortly after his close friend and Chicago-enemy union organizer Willie Bioff's murder, Gus Greenbaum's worsening gambling, womanizing, and drug habits eventually caused him to begin skimming from casino operations.
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Gus Greenbaum was found in bed with a heating pad and his television turned on.
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Gus Greenbaum's head was padded with newspaper and a towel, seemingly to avoid blood stains on the furniture.
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Gus Greenbaum's name was merged with Moe Sedway's to inspire the name for the character "Moe Greene" in the crime drama film The Godfather.