Meyer Lansky was a legendary mafia tycoon who applied his intelligence to making millions from illegal gambling. From an early life of persecution in the anti-Jewish pogroms of Russia he worked his way up the lower levels of New York's gangland. A close associate of Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Lansky played a pivotal role in the power shift from old guard mobsters to the ambitious "Young Turks" who dreamed of being more than mere street thugs. Meyer Lansky was part of the vanguard for the rise of the modern gangster; rich, businesslike and unlikely to ever be directly connected to any crime.Despite his astronomic rise to power and fortune Meyer Lansky eventually lost his millions and faced prolonged legal persecution. An American legend, Lanksy was a pivotal force in the evolution of modern organised crime.