Las Vegas: The Mob Museum’s Newest Exhibit Explores Expansion of Organized Crime

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Category: Las Vegas

Published on Wednesday, 11 June 2025 11:00

Written by A&E Contributing Editor

The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, announces its newest exhibit, "National Syndicate," is now open. The exhibit spotlights the rise of New York's Five Families and their strategic collaborations with Jewish mobsters.

Featuring the stories of pivotal law enforcement and Mob figures as well as rare artifacts, "National Syndicate" explores the rise and national expansion of organized crime in the United States following Prohibition.

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The exhibit spotlights the rise of New York's Five Families and their strategic collaborations with Jewish mobsters. Underworld kingpins, including Arnold Rothstein, Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky, are prominently featured, tracing their roles in transforming local rackets into a national enterprise. It also highlights the emergence of organized crime in Harlem's Black community, led by influential figure Stephanie St. Clair and her enforcer, the future "Godfather of Harlem" Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson.  

Among the rare artifacts on display are the pistols once owned by two Detroit law enforcement figures—Detective William DeLisle and Officer Ben Turpin. Contemporaries, DeLisle and Turpin's interactions with Detroit's notorious Purple Gang exemplify how law enforcement agencies across the country evolved in response to organized crime's growing threat.

A striking centerpiece of the exhibit is a 1967 Life Magazine illustration mapping the syndicate's structure, accompanied by a video featuring insights from renowned Mob historian and Museum Advisory Council Member T.J. English. 

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"This exhibit brings into sharp focus the period toward the end of Prohibition when crime organizations reorganized and expanded their criminal enterprise beyond bootlegging in their local regions," said Geoff Schumacher, vice president of exhibits and programs, The Mob Museum. "The 'National Syndicate' reveals how mobsters collaborated across cities and ethnic lines to build a vast criminal network. It's a story of ambition, strategy and influence that's told through rare artifacts."

This exhibit was created with the generous support of Steven A. DeLisle and the DeLisle Family Trust.

Located on the Museum's third floor in the Tentacles Spread gallery, "National Syndicate" is included with regular Museum admission. The Mob Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit themobmuseum.org.

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ABOUT THE MOB MUSEUM
The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, provides a world-class journey through true stories—from the birth of the Mob to today's headlines. The Mob Museum offers a provocative, contemporary look at these topics through hundreds of artifacts and immersive storylines. Numerous interactive exhibits include a Crime Lab, Firearm Training Simulator and Organized Crime Today exhibit. The Museum is also home to The Underground, a Prohibition history exhibition featuring a speakeasy and distillery. The Mob Museum has accumulated numerous accolades, including being named one of Tripadvisor's "Top 25 U.S. Museums" and a 2024 "Travelers' Choice" Award recipient; one of Las Vegas Weekly's "Twenty Greatest Attractions in Las Vegas History" and "Best Museum" of 2021, 2023 and 2024; Vegas Magazine's "Best Historical Museum" of 2024; one of National Geographic's "Top 10 Things to Do in Las Vegas;" USA Today's "Best Museum in Nevada," 10Best Readers' Choice travel awards for "Best Las Vegas Attraction" in 2021 and 2022, "Top Five Best History Museums in the United States" in 2021 and one of its "12 Can't Miss U.S. Museum Exhibits;" named "A Must for Travelers" by The New York Times and one of "20 Places Every American Should See" by FOX News. The Museum is a two-time winner of the Mayor's Urban Design Award for Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Museum is open daily; visit the website for admission rates and operating hours. For more information, call (702) 229-2734, visit themobmuseum.org, or download the Museum's free mobile app. 

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