The word ‘gangster’ is usually associated with violence but crime bosses don’t rise to the top just by holding a gun and looking tough, it also takes business savvy. Check out our list of criminal bosses we feel could have built successful and legitimate businesses.Meyer Lansky (1902 – 1983)

Meyer Lansky was born in Grodno, Belarus to a Polish Jewish family. In 1911, the Lansky family immigrated to New York, U.S. Whilst attending school Meyer met a young Charles "Lucky" Luciano. Luciano was so impressed with Lansky’s fearless attitude that they immediately formed a friendship. Then when they became teenagers, Lansky and Luciano met and befriended the notorious Bugsy Siegel, forming the formidable partnership, Murder, Inc.

Lansky developed a reputation as a financial genius by finding various profitable streams of income. He became so well respected by fellow Made men that they began using him to invest their illegal acquired profits into lucrative gambling ventures.

By 1936 Lanksy was dealing in gambling operations in Cuba, New Orleans and Florida. He was always cautious about being prosecuted for tax evasion so he regularly transferred illegal earnings into an offshore Swiss bank account. Lansky died on January 15, 1983 aged 80 after suffering lung cancer.

Lansky never spelt a day in jail and claims never to have killed anyone.Carlo Gambino (1902 –1976)