John Thomas "Legs" Diamond (10 July 1897-18 December 1931) was an Irish-American gangster during Prohibition.
Biography[]
John Thomas Diamond was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 10 July 1897 to a family of Irish immigrants. In 1913, the family moved to New York City when John's mother died of a fever, and Diamond became a criminal before serving in the US Army during World War I. In 1918, he deserted, and he was later convicted and jailed for desertion. In 1919, he became a personal bodyguard for Arnold Rothstein, and he also served as Jacob Orgen's bodyguard on the day of his assassination, 16 October 1927. Diamond was shot two times below the heart, and he survived the gunshots. Diamond became a liquor bootlegger in downtown Manhattan after becoming a freelance criminal, and he ran into trouble with Dutch Schultz and other gangsters. In August 1930, he was arrested by the Weimar Republic's secret service at Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen), Germany after attempting to procure rye whiskey, and he was deported to the United States. He was allowed to leave jail in exchange for permanently leaving Philadelphia, and Diamond survived three assassination attempts between 1930 and 1931. On 18 December 1931, Diamond was gunned down by two corrupt policemen while laying on the bed of an Albany, New York rooming house, with political boss Daniel P. O'Connell being responsible for his murder.