Sam Farkas
Alleged American underworld figure (1917–2006)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sam Farkas (May 15, 1917 – August 13, 2006) was an American bookmaker and bodyguard, best known for his criminal affiliation with Los Angeles mob boss Mickey Cohen. A mobster of 20th-century California, Farkas was indicted by a U.S. federal government organized-crime task force on multiple criminal charges in 1974.
Sam Farkas | |
|---|---|
Mugshot of Farkas taken c. 1959 | |
| Born | May 15, 1917 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 13, 2006 (aged 89) Los Angeles County, California, U.S. |
| Criminal charge | |
Biography
Farkas was described as Mickey Cohen's bodyguard in 1950 when he, Cohen, and one Dominic "Highpockets" Faranacci attended the funeral of Cohen's murdered lawyer, Sam Rummel.[1] In 1951, Farkas was one of the "gangland figures" connected to the brothel of Hollywood madam Barrie Benson.[2] A man named Joe DiStefano, reportedly visiting from New York, tried to shoot Farkas in 1952.[3]
Sam Farkas married Mickey Cohen's ex-wife, La Vonne Cohen, in 1959.[4] At some point in the 1960s, Farkas and his wife lived in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood, and his next-door neighbor later recalled that "he always wore a sport coat to hide the gun I occasionally glimpsed in the holster just under his left arm".[5] The couple moved out of the building after it was machine-gunned by men in black cars.[5]
In 1974, Farkas was indicted by the U.S. government on multiple charges including extortion and loans sharking.[6] Farkas was described by the Los Angeles Police Department as a "major bookmaker".[7] Farkas died in Los Angeles County, California, in 2006.[8]
