Lou Blonger (May 13, 1849 – April 20, 1924), born Louis Herbert Belonger, was a Wild West saloonkeeper, gambling-house owner, and mine speculator, but is best known as the kingpin of an extensive ring of confidence tricksters that operated for more than 25 years in Denver, Colorado. His "Million-Dollar Bunco Ring" was brought to justice in a famous trial in 1923.
Blonger's gang set up rooms resembling stock exchanges and betting parlors that were used by several teams to run "big cons". The goal of the con was to convince tourists to put up large sums of cash in order to secure delivery of stock profits or winning bets. The depiction of the "Wire Con" seen in the movie The Sting is a fairly accurate representation of a typical big con.
Blonger had longstanding ties to numerous Denver politicians and law enforcement officials, including the mayor and the chief of police. In 1922, however, District Attorney Philip S. Van Cise bypassed the Denver police and used his own force, funded by donations solicited in secret from local citizens, to arrest 33 con men, including Blonger, and bring the ring to justice.
LouBlonger (May 13, 1849 – April 20, 1924), born Louis Herbert Belonger, was a Wild West saloonkeeper, gambling-house owner, and mine speculator, but...
Godman; 1888–1945) – John Homer T. ("Dapper Jackie") French, member of the LouBlonger Gang of Denver. A photo of Buda holding a gun is found in Philip S. Van...
and various other socio-economic conditions in the later 19th century. LouBlonger (1849–1924): American pickpocket and fraudster, organized a massive ring...
corruption as well as progress. Underworld bosses such as Soapy Smith and LouBlonger worked side by side with city officials and police to profit from gambling...
oil drilling in Teapot Rock. Tammen was a close friend with mobster LouBlonger. After he was arrested, Tammen refused to publish a story about it. Bonfils...
longest and most expensive trial to that time, 20 con men, including LouBlonger, was convicted and sent to prison, effectively busting the "Million-Dollar...
Leslie Phillips, British actor; in Tottenham, London (d. 2022) Died: LouBlonger, 74, American fraudster and con man, died at the Colorado State Penitentiary...
actress; born in Bennington George Bliss, politician; born in Jericho LouBlonger, saloon owner, con man Aretas Blood, locomotive manufacturer; born in...
maintained somewhat of a rogue's reputation. His business partners, Sam and LouBlonger, owned gambling houses. Ultimately, he lost his position with the District...
Johnson, Scott; Johnson, Craig. "The Earps, Doc Holliday, & The Blonger Bros". BlongerBros.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved...
Johnson, Scott; Johnson, Craig. "The Earps, Doc Holliday, & The Blonger Bros". BlongerBros.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7...
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