Leopold Strauss

"You know? They say the sick delude themselves. I was your friend."-Strauss to Arthur after getting thrown out.

Leopold Strauss was the chief debt collector and loan shark for the Van Der Linde Crime Family. He was later killed by the Pinkerton National Detective Agency for refusing to sell out the family.

## Leopold Strauss

### Relatives

Unnamed Father, Karl Strauss (Older Brother)

## Background

Strauss was born in Berlin, Germany at some point in the 1960's during the time of the Vietnam War. His father died in action during the war, and Strauss claims to have never even known him. By the 1980's, Strauss had got himself a cushy job working as a loan manager at JLB Credit with Mark Tattaglia and Deleoris. He was fired in 1985 by Alan Johnson for beating up customers who refused to pay back the loans that Strauss gave them. He moved to America the same year, and was picked up by Dutch Van Der Linde who took the man under his wing as an enforcer. Strauss was one of the first people to join the Van Der Linde Crime Family getting Made in the summer of 1986. He became the family's debt collector and loan shark. Strauss developed a reputation on the streets of New York as someone to not mess with. Many stories about people who didn't pay Strauss back on time soon became legend on the streets. One story involved Mr Crane who had borrowed a loan from Strauss to pay off another debt to a gangster named The Mic. Once it was paid off, Crane told Strauss he didn't have the money to pay off the debt but Strauss didn't listen, and instead sent Arthur Morgan to deal with him. Arthur broke Crane's arm, and even his jaw. Strauss was present during the beat down, and assured Crane that if he didn't pay him back by sundown then he would be worse than hurt. Crane stole some money from the Corleone Compound, and used it to pay back Strauss. Another story involved Richard Conte a member of the Sterners Gang borrowed money off Strauss to fund a heist. Following the heist, Conte refused to pay Strauss his share, and cut his ties with him. Strauss swore vengence, and with Arthur's help, they kidnapped Conte and hacked him into pieces, and gave him to the family's cook Simon Pearson to cook for dinner. Strauss at some point in the 1990's became involved with the Barzini Crime Family serving as their loan shark as well.

## Role In The Pinkerton's and Van Der Linde Family War

Strauss played an important role during the Van Der Linde Family's war with the Pinkerton Detective Agency. He mainly ordered Arthur Morgan around, forcing him to do his debt collecting as he was getting rather old. Strauss at one point ordered Arthur to collect the money of Thomas Downes a man who was very sick with tuberculous. Arthur beat up Downes but then a man named Super Hans came up to him, and told him to "pack it in son." Arthur stopped beating up Downes, and realised that Strauss had sent him to collect the debt from Downes knowing he would make Arthur sick. Upon realising Strauss was using him, Arthur stopped doing work with him for a few weeks but was eventually forced to by Hosea Matthews who was quite fond of Strauss perhaps a bit too fond if you ask me. Anyways, Strauss once forced Arthur to collect money including from the widow of Thomas Downes. While Arthur was doing his debt collections, Strauss began plotting with Micah Bell to kill Arthur. The two men arranged a 'peace meeting' with Colm O'Driscoll head of the O'Driscoll Crime Family to appartantly end the feud his family had with the Van Der Linde Family. During the meeting, Arthur was kidnapped by Colm's henchmen but Arthur was able to escape, and ruined Strauss and Micah's plan. Strauss began making deals with secret Barzini Family boss Lord Redwood to arrange a hit on Arthur as the latter didn't like Arthur either. During Arthur and the other's time in Aberdeen, Strauss picked out a new spot on the outskirts of New York for the family to lay low for awhile.

## Getting Kicked Out & Death

A few weeks after the family's return to New York, Strauss once again began using Arthur to collect money for him. He ordered Arthur to collect money from a soilder named J.John Weathers and a miner named Arthur Londonderry. But unfortuntly for Strauss, Arthur was rather sick with a bad cold, and so he decided to absolve the debts, and upon returning to the family's new compound, Arthur disgusted with Strauss and his loan sharking ways threw him out onto the streets. Strauss wanted immeditate reprisal for this action, and arranged a meeting with Lord Redwood at the Barzini Family's compound. However, on his way to the meeting, Strauss was picked up by Agent Andrew Milton and his men who took him to jail for interrogating. Strauss refused to give up the family even after Arthur kicked him out. So Milton had his men beat him to death, and Strauss died in their cudosty having never said a word.

## Personality

Strauss is uncaring, unloving, and unemotive which serve as perfect qualites for his profession. His unloving nature proved to help him during his beat downs as he would be unmoved by how destitute his loaners are. Strauss's brutal nature is what got him dismissed from his job at JLB Credit. He was however incrediby loyal, and refused to sell out his friends even after Arthur threw him out. Strauss was one of the only people in the family aside from Dutch who supported Micah during the Van Der Linde Family's downfall. He believed that Hosea didn't know what he was doing, and that the Van Der Linde Crime Family desperately needed some new blood. Strauss had a very large sadistic side shown especially by the killing of Richard Conte. Though he was more active in his early days in the family, by 1999, Strauss had grown very old, and no longer did his debt collecting by himself preferring to use hardended members of the family like Arthur and Micah to perform his collecting.

Strauss concept art

Strauss being himselfstrauss paintingStrauss ordering Arthur around, and showing him the people he needs to collect from