Joseph Amberg (1892 – September 30, 1935), a.k.a. "Joey", was a Russian-born American

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

mobster who, with his brothers

Hyman Hyman is the surname of: * Alan Hyman (1910–1999), author and screenwriter * Albert Hyman (1893–1972), co-inventor of the artificial pacemaker * Anthony Hyman (disambiguation), several people * Ben Zion Hyman (1891–1984), Canadian-Jewish ...

and Louis "Pretty" Amberg, was involved in labor racketeering and other criminal activities. During the 1920s and 1930s the brothers competed with rivals such as Jacob "Gurrah" Shapiro, Louis "Lepke" Buchalter, Abe "Kid Twist" Reles and the

Shapiro Brothers Meyer (1908–1931), Irving (1904–1931) and Willie Shapiro (1911–1934), collectively known as the Shapiro Brothers, were the leaders of a group of Jewish-American mobsters from New York City and based in Williamsburg. Well established in ...

. On September 30, 1935, Amberg was murdered alongside associate Morris Kessler. The pair were ambushed in a

Brownsville, Brooklyn Brownsville is a residential neighborhood in eastern Brooklyn in New York City. The neighborhood is bordered by Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Crown Heights to the northwest; Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Bedford–Stuyvesant and the subsection of ...

auto repair garage and, after being ordered to line up against the wall, were gunned down by members of

Murder, Inc. Murder, Inc. (Murder, Incorporated) was an organized crime group active from 1929 to 1941 that acted as the enforcement arm of the National Crime Syndicatea closely connected criminal organization that included Italian-American Mafia, the Jewish ...

Criminal Career

During his life, "Joey" Amberg amassed a lengthy criminal record. On January 11, 1914, Amberg was arrested by Detective Capone in

. The police had searched for him in connection with a shooting. On October 7, 1913, Amberg had shot two men, Joseph Schaefer and David Goldstein, both of

Brooklyn, New York City Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. Goldstein had been shot in the hand when he attempted to come to the rescue of Schaefer, who was the first to get shot. It took months for the police to arrest Amberg, but it finally happened on January 11, 1914. The next day, Amberg, who was described as being "dreaded generally throughout Brownsville", was held without bail by Magistrate Steers on two charges of felonious assault. Amberg later plead guilty to assault in the first degree and illegally carrying a revolver. On February 9, 1914, County Judge Tiernan sentenced him to eight years imprisonment."Judges Will Give Gunmen Long Terms". ''The Standard Union''. February 9, 1914. p. 1.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amberg, Joseph 1892 births 1935 deaths Criminals from Brooklyn Date of birth unknown Deaths by firearm in Brooklyn Murdered Jewish American gangsters Murdered American gangsters Jewish American gangsters People murdered by Murder, Inc. People murdered in New York City People murdered in 1935 20th-century American Jews Burials at Montefiore Cemetery