Dutch Schultz Biography

Dutch Schultz was a gangster in the Bronx, New York City, who operated during the 1920s and 1930s. Born as Arthur Flegenheimer, he was of German-Jewish-American descent. He made a huge fortune out of organized crimes that included bootlegging and the numbers racket in Harlem. He started committing crimes like burglary when he was just a teenager. However, he was caught while stealing from an apartment and taken to prison on Blackwell’s Island. This is believed to be the first and only time Dutch was ever arrested. Over the years, he managed to create an entire criminal network based on bootlegging, illegal gambling and murders. His friends named him “Dutch Schultz” after an earlier gangster, who was known for his brutality. Mobster Legs Diamond was one of his biggest enemies. In the beginning, most of his criminal activities were only in and around the Bronx area, the same place where he grew up. However, he later realized that Manhattan was a more lucrative place for his criminal activities. Thus began his rivalry with Legs Diamond, a powerful Irish mobster who was already operating there. Dutch did not take long to establish himself as a dreaded mobster and soon started making millions of dollars every year. It is believed that he had treasures in Phoenicia, New York, and many people continue to look for it even today.