Another who thinks the Kansas City Mob probably engineered the car bombing is Gary Jenkins, a former Kansas City Police Department intelligence detective now running Gangland Wire, a website about the Mafia. [15] After his death, it was disclosed by Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jane Ann Morrison that Rosenthal had been a top echelon informant for the FBI, and his wife Geri was also an FBI informant.[16][17]. Her death was ruled accidental, from a combination of Valium, cocaine and alcohol. The Sordid Story Of Geri McGee, The Showgirl And Hustler Immortalized In Casino. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. She had saved her money.. In a 2015 Video Vault on Channel 3, Las Vegas television reporter Tom Hawley takes a look back at the Jubilation. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. [11] The marriage ended in divorce in 1981, with Rosenthal attributing the failure primarily to McGee's inability to escape her dependence on alcohol and drugs. I ditched them at first and then I told them who I was and that I had my Departments permission to make the meeting. [1] Rosenthal's father also owned racehorses, whereby he became familiar with betting odds and percentages at a young age. Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jane Ann Morrison later confirmed through her law enforcement sources what some mobsters sensed, that Rosenthal had been a Top Echelon federal informant. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Please reset your password. Shortly after graduating from Van Nuys High School, McGee began working as a clerk at Thrifty Drugs, which she quickly realized she didnt care for. He told me Lefty wanted to talk to me to get my Okay to open a sports book in LA. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Rosenthals description of what happened that October night is detailed in the book and depicted in the movie, which Pileggi co-wrote with director Martin Scorsese. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. The discussion can be viewed here. Moreover, of course, he learned about a crucial part of the sport: gambling. Senator Harry Reid, and hosted a television show broadcast from the Stardust featuring celebrity guests such as Frank Sinatra. Nearly two years later in early November 1982, at the age of 46, she was found dead in a motel room from an apparent overdose. Mexican cartels deliver care packages to citizens amid pandemic. Learn more about managing a memorial . All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. The film Casino was based on Nicholas Pileggi's R osenthal biography Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas. Star ting as a young man in Chicago, he had been a successful bookmaker and gambler in Chicago and Florida before eventually relocating to the Las Vegas Strip in the 1970s following his Florida conviction. Speculation about her death revolved around her ex-husband, two separate groups of outlaws, and Lenny Marmor. According to Minelli, Rosenthal was the original owner. Courtesy of. Project: Viva Lost Vegas Failed to delete memorial. You just listen to bad agents in politics and the media that want you to think that term means something it doesnt. She received $5,000 a month in alimony and the jewels she had taken out of their safe deposit box at a Las Vegas bank, another scene depicted in the movie. www.LostVegas.us. Universal Pictures/Getty ImagesTony Spilotro also inspired a character in Casino played by Joe Pesci. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Of the Rosenthal bombing, Jenkins said, It fits the mold of what Kansas City was doing at that time.. These guys were tough, Cullotta said of the Kansas City family. [7] He also created the first sports book that operated from within a casino,[7] making the Stardust one of the world's leading centers for sports gambling. He was also a suspect in multiple business and car bombings in the greater Miami area during the 1960s. Try again later. Rosenthal married Geri McGee on May 4, 1969. Frank Rosenthals involvement as an informant went back a long time, according to what Pileggi said over the telephone recently from his Manhattan apartment. Among the many candidates, Spilotro was thought to be involved in a 1982 attempt to kill Rosenthal by planting a bomb in Rosenthal's Cadillac. Goodman and Rosenthal lost, however, in the Nevada Supreme Court in 1991, and Rosenthal's ban was reinstated. Who bombed Frank Lefty Rosenthals car? We were probably the poorest family in the neighborhood, Barbara told Esquire. Wikimedia CommonsThe Stardusts sign in 1973. #MovingHumanityForward FBHOF Class of 2021 Inductee US Navy 20 Years & 28 Days #VetAgainstTrump. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal received notoriety for attempting to bribe a New York University basketball player in 1963, which was a crime that he pled guilty to committing, and his close connections with organized crime figures. He didnt expect it to last long on the market this time, either. There might be some aging, former federal agent who knows something, Pileggi said, but so far, nothing definitive has emerged, and each passing day closes the door a little more. He reportedly moved to Las Vegas in 1968. Another theory pins the crime on the outlaw bikers Geri Rosenthal knew in Southern California during a downward spiral that resulted in her apparent drug overdose death there at age 46 a month after the car bombing. He died from a heart . Of course, Rosenthal also wasnt above taking steps to make sure that he got the results he wanted, and by the early 1960s, he found himself in trouble for fixing games. (Las Vegas Review-Journal), The metal front doors to keep the property secure during a tour of Lefty Rosenthal's former home on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, in Las Vegas. With his connections with Chicago Organized Crime, he was put in charge of running the casino at the recently-purchased Stardust Hotel, along with the Hacienda, Marina and Fremont Hotels, by Argent Corporation. Las Vegas-based startup Roots Homes wants to help millenials and Gen Z purchase a home thanks to a method known as fractional homeownership. Frank Rosenthal then questions his wife about her height. Once you are a Top Echelon informant, you are a target, Pileggi said, adding that mobsters from somewhere in the Midwest Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee, Kansas City probably were responsible for trying to kill Rosenthal with the car bomb. Eventually, their tumultuous relationship reached a boiling point, and when Frank Rosenthals old pal from Chicago came to Vegas, it marked the beginning of an affair that would finally split Frank and Geri up. Yes, he uses the first person plural, "we," but it's just one person and mostly for comic effect. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Today, authorities still do not know who planted the bomb that blew up Rosenthals car on October 4, 1982. The rep called and we agreed on a time and he asked how he would recognize me and I said I would know him. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission to advance the public understanding of organized crime's history and impact on American society. Year should not be greater than current year. When Geri first got to Las Vegas, around 1960, Barbara said, she was a cocktail waitress and showgirl. Eight years later, though, Barbaras husband walked out, and she moved in with McGee for a time. This casino innovation doubled the Stardusts income in one year. Then, one day, Rosenthal returned home to find his wife and son missing, and his daughter tied by her ankle to her bed with a clothesline. Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342. 8. It features wall-mounted lanterns and planter boxes, a fountain, and storefront windows for eateries named after the owners kids. Lem happened to be talking to Lefty later. Believing he was targeted for death himself, Cullotta cooperated with the government and entered the federal Witness Protection Program. She could never warm to Stephanie. Everybody loved Geri because she spread money around, said a former valet worker named Ray Vargas. One day, a friend of McGee suggested that she just marry Frank Rosenthal. The 3,266-square-foot, three-bedroom historic Las Vegas Country Club residence was built in 1970. Rosenthal was the first casino operator in Las Vegas to have female blackjack dealers. A moment later, at Kutashs invitation, she stands up, towering over the choreographer. Nobody lives off their paycheck parking cars or dealing cards.. And with Spilotro referring to himself as Franks advisor and protector, the two became inextricably linked. Balistrieri was well known for using explosives to solve his problems. But one video on YouTube includes rare footage of Geri Rosenthal dancing at pop singer Paul Ankas $3-million Las Vegas restaurant and disco, Jubilation. based on information from your browser. Try again later. Though she and Rosenthal had two children together, this infidelity and her drug abuse contributed to their marriage failing in 1980. Naxos Taverna and Kallisto Oyster Bar Open at Red Rock Resort, Heres What John Travolta Did in Las Vegas to Celebrate His 69th Birthday, M.Y. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images, The kitchen booth is another great design feature preserved during a tour of Lefty Rosenthal's former home on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, in Las Vegas. So in 1974, Frank Rosenthal began working for the Stardust. She died three days later in a nearby hospital, only 46 years old. As recounted by The Mob Museum, he ran the Stardust for mob bosses who skimmed revenue and had helped its owner, Allen Glick of Argent Corp., secure Teamsters union loans. And when her affair continued, he began to divide up their belongings, and filed for divorce. Around 1960, however, McGee married her high school sweetheart, with whom she had a daughter, and moved to Vegas. Rosenthal and McGee later had two children together, Steven and Stephanie. He told Lefty about the story and that welching bookie. Rosenthal also survived a car bombing outside a Tony Romas restaurant on Sahara Avenue, and he had plenty of drama at his country club house. He tried repeatedly to get the gaming license that would enable him to freely and legally return to work inside a casino, but was never approved. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. The flames were reflected on the interior windshield. Lefty Rosenthal survived, but McGee and Spilotro did not. As for the Rosenthals, they split up several years before the Spilotro brothers were murdered and, separately, faced bleak moments of their own before dying on different coasts. Larry Henry is a veteran print and broadcast journalist. Learn more about merges. The incident has never been solved, though some in law enforcement suspect Spilotro was responsible. Statuesque. Courtesy of, Tony Spilotro, who worked side by side with Rosenthal for years as associates of the Chicago Outfit, has long been suspected of orchestrating the car bombing but evidence linking him to it is lacking. But not only had his marriage failed Rosenthal had also now made an enemy of his old friend, Tony Spilotro and Spilotro wasnt afraid of getting his hands dirty. (The Tony Romas restaurant later closed, becoming a Hustler Hollywood store, selling adult apparel and novelties.). Rosenthal left Las Vegas about six months later, and moved to Laguna Niguel, California. McGee already had a daughter, Robin L. Marmor, from a previous marriage with ex-husband Lenny Marmor. She had blue-chip stocks. @CheriJacobus . There was a problem getting your location. @ Drew Orye: Hey, can you drop a line to tangento@LostVegas.us? She went in the house, came out with a loaded .38, and threatened to kill her husband. No further attempts were made. In the movie, Sharon Stone plays the Geri Rosenthal character, while Joe Pesci portrays the character based on Spilotro. That was the first thing Frank Lefty Rosenthal saw, according to what he told author Nicholas Pileggi. The Chicago Outfit installed Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, a notorious bookmaker, to run the Stardust and oversee a large skimming operation. Rosenthals nickname came from the fact he was left-handed. Verify and try again. As he grew older, Rosenthals interest in and knowledge of gambling extended beyond horse racing and into other sports like football and baseball. In 1962, he was convicted of bribing a college basketball player to shave points during a game in North Carolina. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. He served as press secretary for Nevada Governor Bob Miller, and was political editor at the Las Vegas Sun and managing editor at KFSM-TV, the CBS affiliate in Northwest Arkansas. (He was denied a license because of, in good part, his lifelong friendship with Chicago hitman Anthony The Ant Spilotro. Nationwide, the pace of resales waned for the 12th consecutive month in January. This is gonna piss some of you off to hear, but a lot more of you are woke than you think. Insights from the world of gaming and beyond. The details of the entire conversation/meeting were "somewhat" bizarre and interesting. 10. Stacker compiled statistics about people in cities looking to buy homes in Las Vegas. One time, Lem got a phone call very early in the morning, telling him that 3 starting basketball players were sitting out the game taking place that day. Resend Activation Email. So he operated much like his friend Lefty. However, all good things must come to an end especially when the mob and millions upon millions of dollars are involved. Things only got worse in October 1982. GREAT NEWS! He spoke at length with Pileggi for the book and even briefly appeared in the movie as a Mafia hitman, a role he had taken on in real life. In Chicago, hed long been a killer for his organized crime bosses and authorities believed he may have killed at least 25 people. Hollywood superstar Robert De Niro, a two time academy award winner didn't know the deck was stacked.The "Ace" was up against a Royal Flush in Universal Pictures hit movie Casino*, a true to life portrayal of Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal.Nick Pileggi, celebrated author & Hollywood screenwriter of Wiseguy, Goodfellas & Casino describes his rise . Subscribe HERE. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. The Frank Rosenthal Show: With Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal, Frank Sinatra, Robert Conrad, Don Rickles. Feeling the heat and surely understanding that Sin City was the place to be if you were a big-time gambler Frank Rosenthal set out for Las Vegas in 1968, which is where Casinos story of Sam Rothstein picks up. In September 1980, his wife, Geri Rosenthal (the inspiration for Ginger McKenna in Casino, played by Sharon Stone) called police to their home and falsely reported a burglary was in progress, the Review-Journal reported. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32565520/frank-lawrence-rosenthal. 1983. He died on . For the Rosenthals, extramarital affairs and alcohol-fueled fights were a part of life. Lefty had called the guy, and he was obviously scared of Lefty's reputation as being wired into the Italian mob. 5. Strength. The screenwriter said Frank Rosenthal likely had been a Top Echelon informant as far back as his Chicago years, when he was a prominent oddsmaker. Rosenthal's stylish house at 972 Vegas Valley Drive, at the Las Vegas Country Club, was put up for sale Oct. 29 and went under contract with a buyer Tuesday, its listing on Zillow shows. As a tailor/ designer, fact #5 is really weirdI didnt realise inflationary increments applied to a mans wardrobe, LOL! Senator John McClellan's subcommittee on Gambling and Organized Crime, accused of match-fixing. She had everything, Barbara said. If you interfere with any of the casino operations or try to undermine anything I want to do here, I represent to you that you will never leave this corporation alive., And there was indeed plenty of ruthlessness in Rosenthal. Feedback or questions? Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Independent sources confirmed. Another suspect in the car bombing is former Milwaukee crime boss Frank Mad Bomber Balistrieri. We've also been known give out vintage Las Vegas relics & swag to all story contributors. By the mid-1950s, Rosenthal was working with the Chicago Outfit. This plate shielded Rosenthal's body from most of the explosion's force. Given his talent for gambling and his organized crime connections, he quickly rose through the ranks and was soon running the Stardust and three other casinos, all of them believed to be under the control of the Chicago Outfit. Frank Rosenthal and Geri McGee Rosenthal had two children, Steven and Stephanie, together, but their marriage was anything but happy. Along with uncertainty over who killed Benjamin Bugsy Siegel in 1947 and the 1975 disappearance of labor leader Jimmy Hoffa, the Rosenthal car bombing remains one of the top unsolved organized crime mysteries in the country. At the table, Geri Rosenthal remains in her seat for a moment while her husband, who is holding a microphone, asks if she is a former dancer. A mans wardrobe, LOL you are woke than you think fact he was.! 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