Return to the violent years of the Prohibition Era in these true stories of New York's notorious gangland bootleggers, bookmakers, thugs and killers - straight from the man who arrested them all. Based on the memoirs of Detective Barney Ruditsky, commanding officer of the city's famed Gangster Squad, "The Lawless Years" focuses on organized crime and high-profile gangsters, as did "The Untouchables," which debuted the very same year.
BIRTH OF THE ORGANIZATION: A protracted gang war leaves 23 dead in 23 days. Louie Kassoff steps in with a peace plan designed to stop the killing and consolidate the contentious mobs into a national syndicate.
FRAMED: Mobsters falsely accuse Detective Ruditsky of taking bribes.
HEYDAYS OF THE ORGANIZATION: The newly formed syndicate is determined to kill, "Legs" Diamond, who has refused to join them.
MUDDY KASSOFF: The body of the kidnapped man is discovered in an alley, full of lead.