The LaMontages brothers

The LaMontages brothers -- Rene, Montaigu, William and Morgan—were high society bootleggers who made $2,000,000 annually through their illegal business during the early years of alcohol prohibition in the U.S.

A tip from a disgruntled employee led to their arrest and conviction, although the U.S. Assistant Attorney General, Mabel Willibrand, reported that “every conceivable political and personal appeal, including an appeal by a Cabinet officer, was made to squash the case.” In 1923, the federal court fined each brother $2,000 and sentenced three of them to four months in prison and one to two months. However, it was 1929 before their listings in the Social Register were dropped.

References

• Allsop, Kenneth. The Bootleggers. London: Hutchinson, 1961.
• Kobler, John. Ardent Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. NY: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1973.
• Rich bootleggers sent to prison. Literary Digest, February 24, 1923.
• Willebrandt, Mabel Walker. The Inside of Prohibition. Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill, 1929.