Martin "Buggsy" Goldstein was born in 1905 in East New York, Brooklyn, originally named Meyer Goldstein. Growing up among the gritty streets of Brownsville, he dropped out early and by age 12 was already fully immersed in street-level crime with his childhood friend, Abe “Kid Twist” Reles. Working odd jobs like a plumber's assistant, the two soon became notorious for petty thefts and escalating violence.

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Goldstein and Reles aligned with the Shapiro Brothers, Brooklyn’s underworld overlords, before branching out on their own under the backing of Meyer Lansky. Along with Harry “Pittsburgh Phil” Strauss and others, they formed what became known as Murder, Inc., the hit-for-hire gang that became the enforcement arm of the National Crime Syndicate. Goldstein’s brutality and reliability as a hitman earned the nickname “Buggsy” due to his unhinged reputation among colleagues.

Martin "Buggsy" Goldstein was involved in a gang of hitmen called Murder, Inc. This gang operated in Brooklyn, New York, during the 1930s. He was indicted alongside Harry Strauss for the vicious 1939 murder of Irving “Puggy” Feinstein—an operation ordered by Anastasia. According to trial reports, Goldstein and Strauss lured Feinstein to Kid Twist’s house, and a macabre scene ensued. As Feinstein resisted, Strauss bit by Strauss. Enraged, the men tied a rope around Feinstein’s neck so that his own struggles would enhance the strangulation, then ice-picked him, and finally dumped his body and burned it.

With Reles testifying against them, both Goldstein and Strauss were convicted of first-degree murder in 1940. He committed many murders as part of his role in Murder, Inc. His actions made him a significant figure in the gang scene of that time. Goldstein was arrested and faced serious charges for his crimes. Goldstein’s bold demeanor didn’t fade; at sentencing, he mockingly said, “Judge, I would like to pee up your leg.”

Around midnight on June 12, 1941, Goldstein and Strauss were led to the electric chair at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York. As execution lists confirm, they were both officially executed on that day as members of Murder, Inc., with Goldstein