Mob museum opens in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS: The National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement, or the Mob Museum for short, opened on Tuesday in Las Vegas after five years of work, $42 million in public funding and generous donations of gangster artifacts -- some from people who prefer to remain anonymous.

In about 17,000 square feet of exhibits, including the brick wall that absorbed bullets aimed at seven mobsters in Chicago's infamous 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre, the museum attempts to tell "both sides of the story" of organized crime in America, and how it came to shape Las Vegas.

The idea for the museum originated with Oscar Goodman, who made a national name for himself -- and a fortune -- as a defense attorney for Meyer Lansky, Tony Spilotro and other figures from the world of organized crime.

"Ideally," he said, "the museum will help people understand better where Las Vegas comes from, and where they come from." At the same time, he allowed, "They'll also go away thinking, 'Only in Las Vegas could there be a museum like this.'"