Virginia Hill – Queen of the American Mafia (7 photos)

Usually a beautiful woman is an element of image for a mafioso. How car, suit or watch. But this woman became full-fledged participant in a criminal scheme. And her intelligence was in no way inferior to her beauty.





"Virgo" or "virgin". This is how the name Virginia is translated (from lat. virgo). But Virginia Hill did not match him at all.



The little girl had to learn to defend herself from a young age. First she bought a frying pan for her father, a violent alcoholic, when the girl was 7 years. By adolescence, the girl clearly decided for herself that the only thing men are needed for is money.

In the 30s, she and her family moved to Chicago and settled down waitress in an establishment owned by Al Capone himself. At the restaurant she met the daughter-in-law of an odious Italian. What happened next was a matter of technique: the girl quickly joined the gangster society and became the official mistress of Joseph Epstein, who oversaw horse racing.

In reality, there was no relationship between them: the guy was of a different orientation, and he needed the beauty Virginia as cover and information provider. After all, even cautious mafiosi relaxed in the company of a beautiful, courteous girl, not expecting that she can remember spilled secrets and pass on information where it should go.

Hello love





By the age of 25, the girl became a full member of the mafia and one one of the largest black cash carriers in the country. And during one of so-called business trips Virginia met Benjamin Siegelbaum, known as Bugsy Siegel. He was in charge Los Angeles and all of California.

And it was love... Despite my own promise, Virginia fell in love with one of the most famous gangsters of the 30s and 40s. Siegel was married, but marriage did not interfere with further relationships. which were far from romantic, but fully justified the expression “living like on a volcano.” The couple quarreled, sorted things out with assault. After lovers reconciled no less violently and went out with smeared bruises.

With a dream of "Flamingo"



Virginia Hill and Bugsy Siegel

Siegel's instinct told him that Las Vegas was a promising bonanza. And he decided to legalize the gambling business by building a luxurious hotel with casino. The gangster decided to name the establishment in honor of his beloved - “Flamingo,” as he called the woman because of her long slender legs.

In a large-scale project that started with $1.5 million, solid colleagues in the shop invested. Due to Siegel's personal ambitions and supplier fraud, the estimate quickly grew to 6 million.



Investors began to show interest in the stalled construction site The check showed that there was no more money. It is possible that the lover was betrayed by Hill herself, on whose European accounts she settled a fair share of the funds.

The deception of the mafiosi, who were waiting for the construction to be completed, and the casino will begin to make a profit, was punishable by the only punishment - death. On June 20, 1947, Bugsy was waiting for his mistress in his bungalow, looking through newspapers. But instead of Virginia came death: a body The authoritative mafioso was hit by many bullets. The investigation went into dead end.

New life and logical outcome



Virginia wisely moved to Europe and decided start, if not a righteous, then at least a calm life. Married Austrian ski instructor Hans Hauser. During a short marriage gave birth to a son, Peter.

Family life flowed quietly and serenely until, in 1954, Hill were not charged with tax evasion. Property went with hammer, but the proceeds did not cover even a fifth of the debt.

The woman decided to escape and settled in Switzerland. The eternal "bride" mafia" were overcome by attacks of panic and paranoia. With whom she tried cope with alcohol and drugs.



Not a trace remained of the former luxury. The woman who lost only beauty, but also human appearance, eked out a miserable existence in furnished rooms and ate for the money he brought a teenage son who worked as a waiter.

As a result, cloudedher mind told her the solution - milk your colleagues from your previous business. The mafiosi agreed to a meeting in Naples. And they even gave the woman 10 thousand dollars. Just spend it She didn’t make it in time: on March 24, 1966, she was found dead. The official cause of death of the mafia queen was an overdose sleeping pills

According to another version, drink the drug forced by the boss's henchmen, who punished the woman for attempting to blackmail. The former queen of the mafia, in whose fragile hands she was once real power is concentrated, died at the age of 49. Staying in history as an example of a brave, cunning, free and unprincipled woman, having paid an exorbitantly high price for her choice.