John Factor

Who was John Factor?

John Factor, born Iakov Faktorowicz, was a Prohibition-era gangster and con artist affiliated with the Chicago Outfit.

He later became a prominent businessman and Las Vegas casino proprietor, owner of the Stardust Resort and Casino. It is alleged that he ran the operation on behalf of the mob, with a lifetime take of $50-$200 million.

His birth name is the Yiddish/Hebrew for Jacob, and like his more-famous older half-brother, Max Factor, he had trained at an early age in haircare; this led to his mob nickname, Jake the Barber.

He perpetrated a stock scam in 1926 England that netted $8 million, an incredible sum for the period. Some of his victims were English royalty. He fled to France, and executed another major scam, rigging the tables at the Monte Carlo casino, and breaking its bank. He then returned to the United States.

While in the United States, he was tried and sentenced in absentia in England, to 24 years in prison. He fought extradition all the way to the Supreme Court, but fearing he would lose, had himself "kidnapped" in 1933, and, when "found," accused another mobster, Roger Touhy, of abducting him. This started a "cold" gang war, fought in criminal courts, media, and civil courts.