Eastman Gang

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Eastman Gang

Monk Eastman leader of the Eastman Gang from a New York Police Department mug shot, 1903
Founded	1890s
Founded by	Monk Eastman
Founding location	Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York
Years active	1890s–1910s
Territory	Manhattan, New York
Ethnicity	predominantly Jewish-American but also some Irish-Americans, Italian-Americans and English-Americans[1][2][3]
Criminal activities	Armed robbery, theft, illegal gambling, extortion, prostitution, and peddling opium
Allies	Batavia Street Gang, Lenox Avenue Gang
Rivals	Five Points Gang, Whyos, Yakey Yakes
Notable members	Richie Fitzpatrick Max "Kid Twist" Zwerbach "Big" Jack Zelig Jack Sirocco Chick Tricker Julie Morrell

The Eastman Gang was a predominately Jewish-American street gang that dominated parts of the underworld in New York City during the late 1890s until the early 1910s. Along with the increasingly Italian-American and Italian immigrant Five Points Gang under Italian-American Paolo Antonio Vaccarelli, best known by his pseudonym Paul Kelly, the Eastman gang succeeded the long dominant Whyos as the first non-Irish street gang to gain prominence in the underworld during the 1890s. Its rise marked the beginning of a period of strong Jewish-American influence within organized crime in New York City.

Under the leadership of Monk Eastman, a well known bouncer and hired thug, the Eastman Gang spent the next decade establishing a criminal empire in Manhattan's Lower East Side through criminal activities, including prostitution and illegal gambling. They operated stuss games, and established strong political connections through Tammany Hall.