Las Vegas Mob Buried Far Fewer Bodies in Desert Than Previously Believed
The mob's control over Las Vegas casinos from the mid-1940s to late-1970s is well-documented, but contrary to popular belief, they didn't use the surrounding desert as a mass burial ground for their victims.
"The bodies found in the desert can be counted on two hands, as opposed to the hundreds that people believe are out there," explains Geoff Schumacher, vice president of exhibits at the Las Vegas Mob Museum.
Mob victims' bodies found in desert
This misconception gained traction following the 1963 New York Times bestseller "The Green Felt Jungle," which first exposed the criminal ownership behind Las Vegas Strip casinos.
Mobsters deliberately avoided committing murders in Las Vegas to protect their casino interests. Notable mob hits occurred elsewhere:
- Bugsy Siegel was killed in Beverly Hills
- Gus Greenbaum met his end in Phoenix
- Tony Spilotro was murdered in Chicago
- Russian Louis Strauss was killed in California
The mob's influence diminished due to several factors:
- The 1967 Corporate Gaming Act allowed corporations to own casinos
- Howard Hughes's casino purchasing spree beginning in 1967
- Governor Michael Callahan's appointment of incorruptible Gaming Control Board members in the 1980s
While organized crime still exists in Las Vegas, it's now limited to illegal activities like drugs, prostitution, and money laundering, rather than casino operations. The 2022 discovery of a body in a Lake Mead barrel likely dates back to the mob's decline, possibly an informant killed during a period of heightened paranoia within the organization.
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