Thomas Joseph McGinty, commonly known as Thomas Jefferson McGinty, (aka T.J. McGinty and Thomas "Blackjack" McGinty) was an early Cleveland mobster, one of the city's largest bootleggers during the

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

, as well as a longtime boxing promoter. A former professional boxer, McGinty was hired as muscle for ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

's'' circulation department and, by 1913, headed a gang of labor sluggers competing against rival ''

Cleveland News The ''Cleveland News'' was a daily and Sunday American newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio. It was published from 1905 until 1960 when it was absorbed by the rival paper ''The Cleveland Press''. History The ''Cleveland News'' traces its antecedents to 1 ...

'' sluggers the

Mayfield Road Mob The Cleveland crime family or Cleveland Mafia is the collective name given to a succession of Italian-American organized crime gangs based in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. A part of the Italian-American Mafia (or ''Cosa Nostra'') phenom ...

under Arthur McBride during Cleveland's "Circulation Wars". McGinty operated ''McGinty's Saloon'' on West 25th Street with two relatives, McGinty was indicted by a federal grand jury in 1924 on charges of operating a ''"gigantic wholesale and retail conspiracy"''. Although initially in hiding, McGinty turned himself in after several days and, pleading not guilty, he was convicted and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment. After his release from

Atlanta Federal Penitentiary The United States Penitentiary, Atlanta (USP Atlanta) is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Atlanta, Georgia. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justic ...

, he soon resumed his bootlegging activities without further interference from authorities (who may have been paid off by McGinty). U.S. Attorney A.E. Bernstein stated McGinty was the "King of the Ohio Bootleggers." During the 1930s and 1940s, McGinty operated gaming halls on West 25th Street and the Mounds Club in Lake County. McGinty was a member of the Cleveland Syndicate, which included Jewish gangsters

Moe Dalitz Morris Barney Dalitz (December 25, 1899 – August 31, 1989) was an American gangster, businessman, casino owner, and philanthropist. He was one of the major figures who shaped Las Vegas in the 20th century. He was often referred to as "Mr. Las V ...

, Maurice Kleinman,

Louis Rothkopf Louis Rothkopf, also known as Louis Rhody, Lou Rody or John Zarumba (October 11, 1902 – July 17, 1956), was an American businessman and career criminal. He was a bootlegger in Cleveland, Ohio, during Prohibition in the 1920s and 1930s. He was a ...

, Sam Tucker and Charles Polizzi, the adopted brother of

Alfred Polizzi Alfred Polizzi (born Alfonso Polizzi; ; March 15, 1900 – May 26, 1975) was a Sicilian emigrant to the United States who was boss of the Cleveland crime family in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1935 to 1945. He stabilized the Cleveland crime family after ...

, head of the Italian

. The Syndicate's gaming operations were located in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

, Covington, Kentucky, Newport, Kentucky and as far away as Florida. McGinty and other members of the Syndicate were stockholders of the Las Vegas casino ''

Desert Inn The Desert Inn, also known as the D.I., was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, which operated from April 24, 1950, to August 28, 2000. Designed by architect Hugh Taylor and interior design by Jac Lessman, it was the ...

'' during the 1950

He was also involved in Meyer Lansky's

Hotel Nacional "Hotel Nacional" ("National Hotel") is a song by Cuban-American recording artist Gloria Estefan. It was released as the second single from her studio album '' Miss Little Havana'' (2011). Written by Estefan, the song portrays the need to dance, g ...

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McGinty held an interest in numerous race tracks, including Maple Heights, Fair Grounds Race Course, Thistledown Racecourse, Fairmount Park Racetrack,

Aurora Downs History Aurora Downs was a horse racing facility in Aurora, Illinois, that hosted thoroughbred racing and harness racing events as early as 1891. The Downs was originally a half-mile track named Aurora Driving Park, located north of Illinois Avenu ...

, and the Agua Caliente Racetrack.http://www.marlowcasinochips.com/links/genetrimble/illegaloftheday/JohnCroftKY.pdf McGinty testified before the Kefauver Committee about the Cleveland Syndicate and organized crime.

References

*Fox, Stephen. ''Blood and Power: Organized Crime in Twentieth-Century America''. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1989. {{DEFAULTSORT:McGinty, Thomas Joseph Year of birth missing Year of death missing American gangsters of Irish descent American gangsters Gangsters from Cleveland

Further reading

References