Johnson’s criminal empire grew rapidly, and he became one of the most powerful and feared crime bosses in Harlem, earning the respect and loyalty of his associates. In fact, it was during this time that Johnson earned the nickname “Bumpy” due to the bump on the back of his head.Īs Prohibition came to an end in the 1930s, Johnson expanded his criminal operations into other lucrative ventures, including illegal gambling, drug trafficking and loan sharking.
Clair launch a full-on war against Shultz, which caused a number of murders and kidnappings to occur across Harlem. Clair, and he quickly gained a reputation as a formidable opponent to anyone who dared to cross him or his boss. Johnson’s intelligence and street smarts made him an invaluable asset to St. In the 1930s, Johnson became the right-hand man of Stephanie St. Many would cave and end up working for the big-time numbers guru, but not Stephanie St.
The game became so lucrative that Bronx mobster Dutch Shultz began to force some of the key players in the scene to work for him or lose out on their profits, according to. It was an illegal lottery where people could bet as little as a penny to win big cash. The numbers game, also known as the Italian lottery, dominated the organized crime world in Harlem in the ’20s and ’30s. He invited the young criminal to work for him, protecting Harlem’s notorious numbers runners. Around the same time, the calculated bandit met William “Bub” Hewlett, a gangster who took a liking to Johnson’s dedication to the street life.
He was committing armed robberies with gangs across the city and extorting everything and anyone in sight.īy 17, Johnson was locked up at the Elmira Reformatory. By age 15, Johsnon was heavily entrenched in a life of crime. Sadly, Johnson’s father’s dreams of a grandiose life for his son never came true. Johnson was constantly in fights with the “hostile white kids” at school, a situation that could turn dangerous for a young black child living in the deeply segregated South. According to a New York Postinterview with Chris Brancato, one of the creators behind the hit show Godfather of Harlem, which is based on Johnson’s life, the bigtime drug lord was sent up north by his father who feared “that his inability to be subservient would eventually get him lynched.” He moved to Harlem with his family as a child in 1919. Johnson may have earned his street cred in Harlem, but he was actually a native of Charleston, South Carolina.
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