Irish Gangs - The Westies

The Westies are a predominantly Irish American organized crime association operating from the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan's West Side in New York City. They were most influential from 1965 — 1986. During this time period, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) Organized Crime Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and other organized crime experts believe that the Westies murdered 60-100 people. Westies victims were often dismembered and in some cases tortured to death. Organized crime experts consider the Westies to have been one of the most violent and feared crime groups in New York City during the time of their operation.

Despite the long-time presence of Irish-American organized crime in Hell's Kitchen and the notorious generational rise to power in the mid-1960s, the Westies did not receive their title until 1977, from a detective investigating the murder of Genovese crime family-affiliated loanshark Charles "Ruby" Stein.

According to crime author T.J. English, "Although never comprised of more than twelve to twenty members — depending on who was in or out of jail at any given time — the Westies became synonymous with the last generation of Irish in the birthplace of the Irish Mob...."

The most notorious Westie figures were Michael "Mickey" Spillane, James "Jimmy" Coonan, Francis "Mickey" Featherstone, Eddie McGrath and Eddie Cummiskey.
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