Bold 'Agents' Busted Speakeasies Across The U.S. Using One Sly Trick
Busting up a speakeasy could make you feel like a party pooper, but not for these guys. Prohibition Agents Isadore “Izzy” Einstein and Moe Smith were considered the best of the best due to their cunning, nervy, and relentless strategies. They made sneaking into a speakeasy look, well, easy. But how did they do it? By being willing to try anything.
Unhappy Career
It was the same "why not" attitude that drew Izzy Einstein into the law enforcement world. In 1919, he was busting his hump as a postal clerk, trying to support his family on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. To him, it was just a punch-in, punch-out job. Soon enough, he'd find a career that utilized his true potential.
Prohibition Brings Opportunity
Opportunities opened up in an area that Izzy didn't know much about, but still perked his interest — enforcing Prohibition. That year, Prohibition kicked off, making it illegal to produce, transport, import, or sell alcoholic beverages. Naturally, the public began devising ways to operate the booze business on the sly, and agents invented ways to catch them.
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Parties Didn't Stop
Prohibition in the Roaring Twenties didn't stop anybody from having a good time. It was still legal to drink alcohol; acquiring it was the problem. While the movement was largely representative of religious values in the middle of the country, large cities rebelled against the ruling, creating a thriving and exciting underground drinking industry. All that action intrigued Izzy Einstein.
Agents Wanted
After spotting a post recruiting Prohibition agents in the newspaper, Izzy knew this was his ticket out of a boring job. The Prohibition Unit was looking to fill 1,500 spots across the country, and lucky for Einstein, you didn't need to pass a Civil Service exam. So, he took a shot and applied.
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