Arnold Schuster
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Arnold Schuster (1928-March 9, 1952) was a Brooklyn clothing salesman and amateur detective, known for his involvement in the capture of bank robber Willie "The Actor" Sutton and gangland murder by the Gambino crime family.
A longtime Brooklyn resident, 24-year-old Schuster recognized wanted bank robber Willie Sutton while riding on a New York subway in February 1952. Following Sutton to a garage, Schuster quickly notified police of Sutton's whereabouts resulting in his later arrest as Sutton was changing a dead battery from his car which had stalled in the street.
Receiving a modest amount of publicity from New York City press, Schuster himself was murdered outside his home after being shot twice in the groin and once in each eye on March 9, 1952. Although a manhunt was quickly organized by police, their search failed to apprehend any suspects eventually settling on Frederick J. Tenuto. Tenuto, an associate of Sutton's, was also a member of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list and positively identified by witnesses leaving the scene of the crime.
Several years later, government informant Joe Valachi claimed Albert Anastasia had ordered Schuster's death after witnessing one of his television interviews. Although Sutton had no connection of the Gambino crime family, Anastasia was reportedly angered by Schuster, stating "I can't stand squealers!" and had Tenuto killed to eliminate any links to the criminal organization. It has been speculated that the negative publicity from Schuster's death may have been one of the factors contributing to Anastasia's murder in 1957, by mobsters who believed the New York mobster to be out of control.
[edit] References
- Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3
- Sifakis, Carl. The Encyclopedia of American Crime. New York: Facts on File Inc., 2001. ISBN 0-8160-4040-0
