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The Purple Gang
Criminal mob group of the 1920s / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the Detroit Purple Gang. For the Italian-American criminal group, see East Harlem Purple Gang.
For other uses, see Purple Gang.
The Purple Gang, also known as the Sugar House Gang, was a criminal mob of bootleggers and hijackers composed predominantly of Jewish gangsters. They operated in Detroit, Michigan, during the 1920s of the Prohibition era and came to be Detroit's dominant criminal gang. Excessive violence and infighting caused the gang to destroy itself in the 1930s.
Quick Facts Founded, Founding location ...
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Founded | 1910s |
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Founding location | Detroit / Muskegon, Michigan, U.S. |
Years active | 1910s–1932 |
Territory | Detroit |
Ethnicity | Jewish American |
Activities | Murder, extortion, theft, armed robbery, kidnapping, gambling, bootlegging |
Allies | Chicago Outfit Fred "Killer" Burke |
Rivals | The Detroit Partnership Fred "Killer" Burke after 1927 |
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