Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal - The Las Vegas Gambling Master-Mind

A Guaranteed Winning Gambler With Mafia Ties
Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal proved over-and-over again that his business sense and gambling abilities would always keep money rolling in for his bosses in the Chicago and other Italian mafia connected families.

He was the first to bring sports gambling to the casinos, he was the first to bring women dealers to the tables – he basically used his marketing genius skills to revolutionize Las Vegas into a gold mine for underworld organized crime families.

Rosenthal had control of four different hotels on the Las Vegas strip and despite who was the front-man of the operations, he was the true man behind closed doors that always ran the show.

His rise to being one of the most powerful people in Las Vegas during the 1970's was cut short after 14 years due to numerous problems.

His gangster pal Nicky "The Ant" Spilotro, who was sent out to Vegas by the mob to watch his back, was having an affair with his wife, showgirl, Geri McGee. And the fact that Spilotro was constantly in the news for illegal activities – Rosenthal association with Spilotro would haunt him throughout his Vegas career.

Rosenthal's wife had drug and alcohol problems that constantly interfered with his ability to stay completely focused on casino operations. They also had problems staying faithful to each other and had problems raising their one and only child because Rosenthal could not trust that his wife would take care of the child in a sober civil manner when he was not around.

Also plaguing his ability to run the casinos and hotels the way he wanted to was the Las Vegas Gaming Commission. They were always on his back about not having a gaming license, even though Rosenthal claimed his responsibilities at the casinos and hotels were so low on the totem pole that they did not require him to have a license – the Gaming Commission knew different and was dead set on having him removed from Las Vegas.

The whole reason Rosenthal was sent out to Vegas was because he was so good at every aspect of gambling he could easily double the profits of the Casinos, in turn, leaving more money on the table for the Mafia to profit from. The Mafia was skimming money off the top of profits of casinos that they controlled, illegally, but as long as Rosenthal was in control, the profits would stay large and the skim would easily go unnoticed.

In A Place Like Las Vegas, You Can't Stay At The Top Forever
Rosenthal really wanted to get his Gambling License so he could run the casinos and hotels legally as an acting boss. But due to his mafia connections and illegal gambling past the board wanted no part of letting him have any such power in Vegas. In an attempt to fight back against the commission that would not give him a fair hearing in a court of law, Rosenthal created his own T.V. talk show to expose the corruption and bias he was facing.

Rosenthal's show invited celebrities like O.J. Simpson, Wayne Newton, Frank Sinatra and many others on the set. But secretly he was looking to use the talk show to fire back against the Gaming Commission for strong-arming him on his Gaming License. The talk show also gave him a job title within the casino that did not require him to obtain any casino licensing - two birds with one stone - plenty of marketing for his hotels and casinos and lots of bad mouthing the Gaming Commission and calling them out for unfair use of their power.

But the Talk show brought on a lot of bad publicity and the Mafia was not happy with this exposure that Rosenthal was creating. The bosses back home asked Rosenthal many times to knock the antics off for it was bringing too much-unneeded attention to the very thing they were trying to protect, "The Skim".

Not only was the Mafia getting fed up with his antics, so was law enforcement. With the now exposed "casino-skim", the Mafia connections and the robbing, stealing, corruption and loan sharking that was ripping apart the city, courtesy of the "The Whole in the Wall Gang" and Tony "The Ant" Spilotro, the FBI stepped in to take down the whole Mafia empire that turned into a mess. After 14 years of being on top, Rosenthal would finally be muscled out of what he once called paradise, Las Vegas.

On the evening of Oct. 4, 1982, Lefty Rosenthal, the talented mob-connected professional gambler, walked out of Tony Roma’s restaurant on East Sahara Avenue to his Cadillac. His car was bugged with a bomb, and when Rosenthal started the vehicle the bomb exploded with him in it. Although he survived, the message was sent, get out-of-town.

"Lefty", retired to Miami where he continued his career as a gambler. No one was ever prosecuted on the bombing, but it's widely speculated who was behind it, The Mafia.

"Lefty" died on October 13, 2008, at the age of 79. 

As for the Mafia's skim and the power they had in Las Vegas

By 1980, law enforcement would have them pretty much ran out of town. Although in a place like Las Vegas, there will always be some illegal activity, but the pull that the Mafia used to have in Vegas has now dwindled down to nothing. Pimps, small-time drug peddlers and college card counters probably have more pull.

"Lefty" was a legend and will always be remembered for his ability to pick the winners in any sport. He knew how to run a successful casino/hotel operation like a scientist - he loved showgirls and topless dancers, and his deep Mafia ties made him extremely powerful and dangerous.

Danny Greene: The Irish Mobster

Unlike most mobsters, Danny Greene did not start out in organized crime. In fact, he started out as a longshoremen working on the docks of Cleveland's lucrative transport/export industry. He earned a repetition of a tough guy who had no problem with roughing up some people for whatever the reason.

After a lot of hard work and gained respect from his work ethic and attitude - Greene became a union organizer and eventually when the union boss job title was available - he was a shoe in.

After becoming the union boss, he gained great respect from people in higher societies including government officials, rich business owners and also interested mobsters.


But it was the time that he spent with corrupt mobsters that influenced him the most. Greene liked the money that he saw and decided to take some plays out of the mobs playbook. He starting renovating the whole union office. The only problem was a lot of the money he was receiving for renovation and other projects were going right into his own pocket. Even when the renovation were over he kept receiving money for them and kept stuffing the money right into his pockets. He also ran many other rackets on the docks that were illegal with no real worry of being caught or brought up on charges - it was said he was so confident he never even really tried to hide it.
.

He gained so much confidence because of something he called the grievance comity. A bunch of tough roughneck deckhand workers that would visit you if you had a problem with the way Greene was running things. These were not people you wanted to see unless you wanted to take a beating until you decided your problem was solved.

Eventually, this activity would earn him an investigation. With the way he carelessly embezzled his money, it was not that hard to indict Greene and convict him of the crimes. But Greene received nothing more than a slap on the wrist. A $10,000 fine and a loss of his job would be the only penalties he would receive for his corruption.

After that, it was not hard for Greene to find work. One of the most powerful mobster in Cleveland, Alex "Shondor" Birns, approached him and asked him to be his muscle. Greene already liking what he had seen from the mob so far, agreed. After a while of doing work for the mob - Birns approached Greene and asked him to do his first murder. Greene agreed and suggested to use a bomb. A bomb would take care of the evidence and would surely get the job done. Birns liked the idea and okayed Greene to move forward.

The only problem was Greene botched the bombing and nearly blew himself up by accidentally letting the bomb blow up in his car. When questioned by authorities, he said someone just came by and threw a bomb in the window of his parked car - he shrugged it off and told authorities, he survived because "It's the luck of the Irish".

After the botched attempt, there was still more work for Greene, including using his muscle to influence the Cleveland garbage system in the mobs favor. But there was one job that Greene was asked to do that would change his relationship with the mob forever.

He was asked to work with a partner that Birns had set up for him - Greene obliged. The only problem was the partner turned out to be a drug dealer. Birns fronted over $70,000.00 dollars for a job, but the drug dealer spent the money on cocaine to double the profit of the job. Unfortunately, cops would raid the apartment of the drug dealer and the partner ended up dumping the coke and losing Birns' money and the profit.


This issue put Greene in a sticky situation. Birns wanted Greene to pay back the $70,000.00 since the partner and the money was unreachable. Greene reluctantly refused because he believed since the drug dealer was Brims' guy, it should be Brims' loss. In the underworld - a situation like this only ends in one or two ways - someone pays or someone dies.

Birns put a $25,000.00 hit on Greene's head and gave the contract to whoever wanted to take it.

This would ignite a war between the mob and Greene and his group of Irish pals he put together called the Celtic Club. The club was mainly made up of Irish gangsters standing their ground and standing proud for their Irish heritage. Greene would have several attempts made on his life which he survived - always saying "It's the luck of the Irish".

A bloody war would erupt between the two groups; bombs were frequently used for a means of murder. But one of the most important bombs took place in 1975, right outside of Birns' favorite bar and across the street from a church. After finishing a drink, Birns walked to his car and started it up - Birns' car blew up in the streets of Cleveland on the eve of Easter. One of Cleveland's biggest mob/underworld figures was dead.

This only promoted the war between the mob and Greene - more bombs and more murders ensued. Everyone wanted Greene to tell his crew to stand-down, even his investigating detective asked him to stand-down for his own safety because the mob was known for never backing down and he was sure to find himself blown up as well. But Greene had no interest, he said he would never back down to the mob and said he was hell-bent on running the mob out of Cleveland.

After more bloodshed and the bombing and murder of Greene's number two-man,  Greene was still not deterred. Greene often stood out in the open perhaps taunting his enemies. He never really laid low and even was brought up on manslaughter charges after being shot at and returning fire killing the would-be assassin - charges were later dropped. His place where he lived was blown up while he was in it - again he escaped using the old saying "it's the luck of the Irish".


But the luck would run out. As Greene walked to his car October 6, 1977, in Lyndhurst, Ohio, a bomb was set off and the green light on Greene's head was finally over (the Irishman was dead.)


In the wake of Greene's death, his wish final came true. He went to war to get the mob out of Cleveland so he could have the turf; he may have never got the Cleveland turf, but for the most part neither did the mob. Thanks to the apprehension and corporation of an out-of-town mobster, Ray Ferritto, who placed the bomb in Greene's car and set it off - because of his testimony, roughly 22 Cleveland organized crime figures were convicted and sent to prison. Since then Cleveland has been a much quieter place.

The Commission: The Mafia's Original Seven

The head of the Mafia Families and which families they spoke for.

Charles "Lucky" Luciano

Philadelphia

Cleveland

Pittsburgh





Joseph "Bannanas" Bananno
Bananno Family
Colorado
Dallas

Gaetano "Tommy" Gagliano

Soon to be the Luchesse Family

New Orleans

Vincent Mangano

Soon to become The Gambino

New Jersey

New England

Guiseppe "Joe" Profaci

Soon to become the Colombo Family

Tampa

Stafano Maggadino

Buffalo

Al "Scareface" Capone

Chicago Outfit

Los Angeles

San Jose

San Francisco

Milwaukee 

John Gotti Jr. in the News in this day-and-age?

Gotti Jr. Stabbed

Gotti was leaving a CVS in his home town of Syosset, New York, when he was stabbed in the abdominal area. Supposedly he was breaking up a fight between two individuals that he did not know when the stabbing occurred. Gotti was taken to the hospital were he was treated and let go, and is now expected to make a full recovery.

Obviously, any Gotti story is going to make the news, but this one has a little more behind it, say authorities. When Gotti was question about the stabbing, in true mob fashion he refused to talk. Lead detective of the case says that anyone that was stabbed would give up any information they could to bring their attacker to justice.

The Nassau Police Department has joined the investigation, but have no comment on what they are investigating at the time. One can only speculate that they are probably trying to find out if there was an attempted hit on his life for leaving the mob, or maybe he is still in the mob and this was a case of mob violence.

John Gotti Jr. was tried four different times on racketeering charges, all of which ended with a hung jury. His silence could be nothing more than not wanting to bring back any passed life problems, or not wanting to give any other reasons for the FBI to open his cases back up again.

The Canadian Mafia Boss -- Vito Rizzuto -- Back On Top

Vito Rizzuto is once again considered the Don of Montreal, 13 months after he was released from a U.S. prison.

 After spending six years in Prison and having many people doubt that he would every be a force in the Canadian underworld again - police investigation specialist Richard Dupuis says thanks Rizzuto's associates standing by his side the whole six years he is now back on top.

"The Sicilians who were part of his family did not leave the underworld, but we can say they did stay out of trouble during Rizzuto's incarceration," and goes on to say, "this is not the case anymore."

Since Rizzuto's arrest in 2004, his lifestyle looks to prove he has gained much of his underworld influences back and he is once again enjoying the power of being a mob boss.

Upon his release, Rizzuto was mostly laying low and bought a $100,000 armored car after his return to Montreal from the Colorado prison system in 2012.

But now he is back in the public eye, showing no fear for his safety and largely receiving the respect that a feared and powerful Don would receive.

Montreal's La Presse newspaper reports that Rizzuto was seen many different times in Canada's Little Italy, smiling and laughing - shaking hands with old friends. He has also been seen playing golf in the early morning, again with little to no security.

In 2010, Rizzuto's father was murdered by a sniper (alleged) by his enemies, shortly after on the morning of  his funeral a box was placed on the steps of the church where the services were held - no word what was in it. The box was said to be sent from Woodbridge, Ont., this is where his alleged family (Calabrian) rivals are based.

But, so far there is no more evidence that the power that Rizzuto or his family (Calabrian) has is being contested by anyone from Ont. or anywhere else in Canada - leaving most authorities to believe his power now reaches to and beyond Ont.

The Italian Mob: 5 Reason for Their Downfall

  1. Lengthy prison sentences.
Back in the day spending a 3 year bit in prison for things such as assault and extrusion was nothing for a gangster. But now with new laws and the common breaking of the no selling drugs rules that the mob has, but does not enforce, it's not unheard of to be facing 10 to 30 years if your crimes are attached to the RICO act. Worst off that's on the light side, 60 to life is more of a fitting sentence for being involved in a continuing criminal conspiracy.



2. Prison ain't what it used to be.
Let's say you bit the bullet and take one for the team. Back in the days doing a nickel or a dime in prison was like heading out to the country club for a little bit. If you're lucky enough to get your hands on some pictures of mobsters in prison before the 80's, you would notice big smiles, grommet meals, wine, cigars and smiling faces. The Italian mob ran the prisons so it was like going to a country club. Nowadays it's ran by the guards and street gangs. Italian mobster or not, you get a small cell and crappy food just like everyone else. Even John Gotti took a beating on the inside by the Aryan Brotherhood: they had no problem with saying, those mobsters may run the outside, but we run the inside.

3. You and your family will not be taken care of.
One of the rules of the Mob is that if you are a stand up guy and go do your prison term like a man your family will be watched over and taken care of. Nowadays if you head off to prison you and your family are all alone. Not only that, but whatever you did to earn money will be taken over by your so called brothers with no kick backs to you or your family, not even your wife is consider yours and off limits. 

4. Technology
Obviously, technology has thrown a few curve balls at the mob. Security, computers, alarm systems, international data bases, face recognition software are just some of the things that get in the way of not just the Mob but all criminals and criminal organizations alike. 



5. Loyalty and Honor 
These are two words a "Made" man needs to live by, but when bosses are being whacked, Made men disappear, families fight families and snitches (turn coats) are a dime a dozen, a life in the mob just doesn't sound so great. But what does sound great, "The Witness Protection Program". The truth is, contrary to what movies and television shows would like you to believe about low level mobsters, which make up for most of the Mob, most of then don't even make as much as an average factory or office worker. Picking up and leaving the mob life; not that hard. 
  
 

The Ten Baddest Women Gangsters

Some of them may look harmless, but I don't think crossing them would be a good ideal. With the  connection they have, they could find you just about anywhere in the world.


10.  Marllory Dadiana Chacón Rossell
Born in Guatemala, Marllory Dadiana Chacón Rossell (39), is known as one of the most prolific drug traffickers in Central America.

Her drug trafficking ring is known to move tons of cocaine into the Mexican and US boarders. The US has identified her as the head of a crime syndicate operating in Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama; responsible for supplying cocaine to Mexican drug cartels.   In an attempt to mask her money, she started a private lottery organization known as Bingoton Millionario. This organization caught the eye of the US Treasury Department and today, Mrs. Chacón is suspected of performing money laundering services for Mexican cartels.   She moves tens of millions of dollars in drug money every month, making her the most prolific money launderer in Guatemela.



9. Laura Zuniga
 A Mexican beauty queen with a sting. Laura was the center of a drug trafficking scandal in December of 2008. She was arrested along with seven other men who were carrying large sums of cash and illegal weapons.   The Juarez Cartel is responsible for smuggling tons of narcotics from Mexico into the U.S. throughout its long and turbulent history, and the group’s intense rivalry with the Sinaloa Cartel helped turn Juarez into one of the most violent places in the world. Despite recent news reports about its decline, the Juarez Cartel remains one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Mexico and the region.   Small cells carry out different types of operations ranging from transportation and distribution of drugs; street gangs, mostly in the north, act as the enforcement wing and are involved in human trafficking and kidnapping operations.



8. Biljana Plavsic
Biljana is the former president of the Serbian Republic. She is the highest ranking Bosnian Serb politician to be sentenced. Biljana is known as a war criminal whose decisions lead to the death of countless Bosnians during the Bosnian War.   Her ruthless tactics created impossible conditions of life for many. She used persecution, along with terror tactics, to encourage non-Serbs to leave the area. Her indictment charges include two counts of genocide, five counts of crimes against humanity, one count of violations of the laws or customs of war.   She was released from prison on Oct. 27th 2009.



7. Estrella Hermila Ramos
It is custom to mourn the death of your parents. However, after her father was gunned down in Mexico, Estrella Hermila Ramos didn't waste any time to mourn. She was too busy fighting for her father's turf.   She learned the tricks of the trade from her father, who worked for the Sinaloa cartel. In 2009, the leader of the Sinaloa cartel was noticed by Forbes as one of the world's richest people.   Estrella never doubted that she could make it in the Mexican drug game. Her tactics included sending shipments through the Mexico/ Texas border where paid-off guards would make sure the shipment got through. 


6. Sandra Avila Beltran
The Femme Fatale, Sandra Avila Beltran is the niece of Miguel Gallardo, the onetime godfather of the Mexican drug trade who is currently serving a 40-year sentence. She used the old fashioned method (sex) as a tool to get to the top of the Mexican drug game.   She reportedly had affairs with several well known drug traffickers in Mexico.  Her two former husbands were ex-police commanders who became drug traffickers. She was arrested in September of 2008 and faced charges of organized crime and conspiracy to traffic drugs.   Some of these charges were dropped but she is currently in jail serving a sentence for money laundering and possession of illegal weapons. 



5. Angela Sanclemente
Angela Sanclemente ran a drug trafficking ring that was based in Columbia and extended to other South American countries. In March of 2010 Interpol issued an international arrest warrant.   At the time, investigators believed she was in Argentina where authorities suspected that she was the "queen" of an international operation that used female models as drug mules to move suitcases loaded with cocaine out of the Buenos Aires airport.   The former Columbian model was finally captured in Argentina in May of 2010. She is 30 years old and currently facing drug trafficking charges.



4. Svetlana Raznatovic (Ceca)
Svetlana Raznatovic, or more famously know across Eastern Europe as Ceca, was married to Željko Ražnatović (Arkan), one of the biggest mob bosses in all of Yugoslavia.   Ceca's fame sprouted through a prosperous career as a folk singer. Her fame soared to new heights when she married Arkan. Many described their marriage as a Serbian fairy tale.  Aside from singing, Ceca was known for selling weapons and laundering money.   At the beginning of this year, she was accused of illegal possession of weapons and misappropriating money from football players. After pleading guilty, she was sentenced to one year under house arrest and a hefty fine of 1.5 million Euro. 



3. Griselda Blanco (The Black Widow)
Griselda is one of the few women to ever make it to the notorious top echelons of drug dealing society. Obviously, drug dealing seems to fall more in the menswear category, but this female Scarface didn’t mind taking the heat.   Griselda Blanco is mostly famous for her part in the Miami drug wars during the late 70s and early 80s. Her propensity for violence, combined with a reputation in the cocaine trade that dwarfed the likes of Pablo Escobar, earns her a spot as one of the most mythologized drug lords in history.   She’s one of the few American drug lords who prospered during the 80s amidst fierce competition when cocaine supplanted marijuana as the drug of choice. Her nickname "The Black Widow" was earned due to a habit of killing her husbands.   The mystery of this remarkable woman persists; her location has been unknown since she was released from prison and deported back to Columbia in 2004.   Her bloody rise to the summit of the drug game and her unique ability to evade pursuers is a story that's stranger than any fiction. It’s also full of sex, money, intrigue, and violence on a scale that defies belief. Who do you think could play her on the silver screen?



 2. Queen Mary 1 (Bloody Mary)
 Queen Mary 1 was the first woman to successfully claim the throne of England. In the 16th Century, she established Catholicism as the state religion of Britain.   Her nickname Bloody Mary was earned for the way she forcefully maintained Catholicism in the state by burning over 300 Protestants at the stake.   Now, we all now English women are up-tight, but killing over 300 people because of religion is just unnecessary.






 1. Elizabeth Bathory (Countess Dracula)
 Elizabeth was a countess from the renowned Bathory family of Hungarian Nobility. In16th century Hungry, she killed as many as 650 young girls and bathed in their blood to "preserve her youth."   The Hungarian authorities did not execute her as it would have caused a great public scandal, ruining the name of the noble family. She was placed under strict house arrest and her family actually bricked her up alive within her castle.  Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the baddest of them all?