Latin America

Judi Lynn

(160,587 posts) Thu Dec 10, 2015, 03:54 PM Dec 2015

Heirs of Meyer Lansky want compensation for Cuban casino

Heirs of Meyer Lansky want compensation for Cuban casino
Reuters
By Daniel Trotta
20 hours ago

HAVANA (Reuters) - The heirs of American organized crime legend Meyer Lansky want compensation for his nationalized hotel, the Riviera, the seaside home to one of the last casinos built in swinging Havana of the 1950s.

U.S. and Cuban officials on Tuesday opened talks about honoring legal claims against the respective governments that were dormant for half a century and are now under review since the former Cold War foes have restored diplomatic ties.

Although Lansky's heirs have yet to file a claim, they have been looking into their rights ever since U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced a year ago that they would normalize relations, said Gary Rapoport, Lansky's grandson.

Rapoport, 60, said he, his mother and his uncle are beneficiaries of Lansky's trust and entitled to compensation. The hotel opened in December 1957 and was nationalized after Fidel Castro's rebels took over little more than a year later and outlawed gambling as a capitalist vice.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/heirs-meyer-lansky-want-compensation-cuban-casino-230529811.html

[center]

Meyer Lansky and his beautiful fambly

Lansky's lovely grandson, Gary Rapoport, holding a picture
of his high school graduation, with grandpops proudly attending.

Meyer! [/center]
Added to Good Reads:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016139364

3 replies

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Highlight:

Heirs of Meyer Lansky want compensation for Cuban casino (Original Post) Judi Lynn Dec 2015 OP

Good for you, Gary! HassleCat Dec 2015 #1

Havana Nocturne by T. J. English - great book underpants Dec 2015 #2

Having Actually Stayed There... Vogon_Glory Dec 2015 #3

HassleCat

(6,409 posts)

1. Good for you, Gary!

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Thu Dec 10, 2015, 04:00 PM

Dec 2015

And you can compensate the families of all the people your grampy killed.

underpants

(182,848 posts)

2. Havana Nocturne by T. J. English - great book

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Thu Dec 10, 2015, 04:29 PM

Dec 2015

It details how Lansky had Cuba on his mind going back to his start, making money off crap games on the street corner. It was his dream and he had it until he and the mafia underestimated Castro and the rebels. The book details how Castro basically failed at almost every turn but Batista ( really Lansky) didn't take them seriously enough until it was too late. Lansky didn't think Castro would touch THE only real money on the island. At the end Landky's heirs were shocked that he only had about $57,000 left. It all actually stayed in the casinos that night. He wasn't stashing hardly any away.

Vogon_Glory

(9,125 posts)

3. Having Actually Stayed There...

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Thu Dec 10, 2015, 11:05 PM

Dec 2015

Having actually stayed there back in 2003, I'd say that the Riviera is sadly outdated by modern standards and would need a lot of renovation.

If Lansky's Riviera had been sited in Vegas, it would have been demolished at least 15 years ago.

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