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Hooky Rothman

Harold Rothman
Birth name Harold Rothman
Born 1910
New York City, New York, United States
Died August 18, 1948 (aged 38)
Los Angeles, California, USA
Allegiance  United States
Service/branch US Army
Years of service 1942–1945
Rank Private
Battles/wars World War II
Awards World War II Victory Medal
Other work Hitman, enforcer, bodyguard

Harold "Hooky" Rothman (1910 – August 18, 1948), also known as Harry Rothman, was a Jewish mobster and mob enforcer who was the right-hand man of Los Angeles kingpin Mickey Cohen during "The Battle of Sunset Strip" for the control of illegal activities in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

Not much is known about Rothman's early life but what is known is that he was born to Jewish parents and was born in New York City, New York. He had eight brothers and two sisters.

Rothman had a lengthy criminal career and served a term of imprisonment in 1938 in New York State.

Rothman served in World War II in the US Army as a private from 1942 to 1945, and received an Honorable Disharge.

After World War II, Rothman went to Los Angeles, California in mid-late 1945. In 1946, on orders of former New York mob boss and fellow hitman Benjamin Siegel and Mickey Cohen, Rothman murdered rival bookies Benny "the Meatball" Gamson and George Levinson in their apartment.

Cohen ordered their deaths, because Levinson and Gamson were moving in on his business, including: extortion, prostitution, narcotics and Siegel and Cohen's gambling rackets. Jimmy Fratianno had considered Harold "Hooky" Rothman to be Cohen's toughest and smartest man.


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