Samuel Christian (March 20, 1939 – March 6, 2016) also known as Richard Carter, Sam 'Beyah' Christian, and Suleiman Bey, was the founder of the Philadelphia Black Mafia. Christian changed his name upon joining the

Nation of Islam The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious and political organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. A black nationalist organization, the NOI focuses its attention on the African diaspora, especially on African ...

and eventually became captain in their paramilitary unit, the

Fruit of Islam The Fruit of Islam (FOI) is the security and disciplinary wing of the Nation of Islam (NOI). It has also been described as its paramilitary wing. The Fruit of Islam wear distinctive blue, brown or white uniforms and caps and have units at all N ...

FBI most wanted

Christian was the 321st person to be added to the

FBI's Ten Most Wanted The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives is a most wanted list maintained by the United States's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, and William K ...

list as a suspect in the 1972 murder of Tyrone "Fat Ty" Palmer, who was shot in the face at

Club Harlem Club Harlem was a nightclub at 32 Kentucky Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Founded in 1935 by Leroy "Pop" Williams, it was the city's premier club for black jazz performers. Like its Harlem counterpart, the Cotton Club, many of Club Harlem' ...

, and as a suspect in the 1973 murder of

Major Coxson Major Benjamin Coxson, also known as The Maj, ( – June 8, 1973) was an American drug kingpin from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a flamboyant entrepreneur, civil rights activist, inner city power broker and intermediary between Italian-Americ ...

and shooting of several others at Coxson's residence. Because there were no witnesses willing to testify against him, he was not convicted of either murder.

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requiem for a gangster
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christian, Samuel 1939 births 2016 deaths African-American gangsters American gangsters Black Mafia FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives Fugitives Members of the Nation of Islam Gangsters from Philadelphia 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people