The Tri-State Gang In Richmond: Murder & Robbery in the Great Depression

by Selden Richardson

The 1930s was a tough decade, one made even tougher by Prohibition. During this lawless time in American history, a group of criminals called the Tri-State Gang emerged from Philadelphia and spread their operations south, through Baltimore to Richmond, wreaking bloody havoc and brutally eliminating those who knew too much about their heists. Once termed the “Dillingers of the East,” Robert Mais and Walter Legenza led their men and molls on a violent journey of robberies, murders, and escapes up and down the East Coast. Join historian Selden Richardson as he recounts the story of this whirlwind of crime and how it finally reached its climax in Richmond.

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Ward Howarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exhaustive & entertaining account of The Tri State Gang's murderous rampage up and down the East coast in the 1930s. Offers an educated perspective on the gang's effect on RVA at the time as well as insightful commentary on the state of the nation as a whole. Great historical read with a lot of juicy details. Fans of molls, dolts, cops, & crooks will delight. A must read for fans & enthusiasts of Richmond history.

[Coral · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, an informative and entertaining read about Richmond’s brush with gangster activity during the Great Depression. Some parts were choppily written (especially those that stated information almost verbatim from census records instead of summarizing it and citing the source) and some information was repeated several times throughout the book...which knocked it down to a 3-star book for me, but I’d recommend it to others interested in Richmond history.

[Al Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick excellent read. Interesting points about the depression and prohibition.

[Mickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting read. I thought I knew Richmond history but had no idea about this part of the 1930s (when my parents had just met and were dating). We had our very own own gun-toting, car-chasing gangsters with their molls.