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. He moved away from Las Vegas not long after the bombing, first to California, then to Florida, where he offered sports-betting advice on his own website before dying in 2008 of an apparent heart attack at age 79. Robert De Niro stars in the movie as Ace Rothstein, the character based on Rosenthal. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Stacker compiled statistics about people in cities looking to buy homes in Las Vegas. Just that week, the April 2, 1979, edition of Newsweek magazine had come out, featuring singer Donna Summer on the cover with the headline Disco Takes Over. On camera, Rosenthal holds up a copy of that issue of the magazine. Sorry! sfn error: no target: CITEREFPileggi2001 (, 2425, 65, 6970, 97100, 175, 195197, 348, "Jane Anne Morrison: Spilotro was merely a killer; Lefty mastered the more frightening Glare", "Lefty Rosenthal, Kingpin in Las Vegas, Dies at 79", "Roberto Santiago: Player Interview: Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal", "Las Vegas' first female FBI agent was master of disguise", "Interview with Frank Rosenthal, a Casino Legend in Vegas", "Nevada Gaming Commission's List of Excluded Persons now-defunct listing", List of Italian-American mobsters by organization, Collaborations between the United States government and Italian Mafia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frank_Rosenthal&oldid=1099211277, Federal Bureau of Investigation informants, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with incomplete citations from May 2016, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from May 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 19 July 2022, at 15:24. The 10,000-square-foot Jubilation was near the Las Vegas Strip at 75 E. Harmon Ave. across from what now is Planet Hollywood. Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal's former home at 972 Vegas Valley Drive is on the market. A well-connected fellow.. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Frank Lawrence Lefty Rosenthal I found on Findagrave.com. This casino innovation doubled the Stardusts income in one year. @glennkirschner2 . You gotta love that you took inflation into account when figuring out the worth of his pants years later. Rosenthal's life and career in Las Vegas served as the basis of Martin Scorsese's 1995 film Casino, where he was portrayed by Robert De Niro and re-named Sam "Ace" Rothstein. A judge said portions of the Clark County ordinance were vague and subjected homeowners to intrusive inspections. I knew Geri didnt love me when we got married. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. And I dont think she ever forgave Frank for making her go through the second pregnancy.. 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. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. Rosenthal was later formally banned from Las Vegas casinos in 1987, when he was placed in "the Black Book", making him persona non grataunable to work in, or even enter, any Nevada casino because of his alleged ties to organized crime. Lefty Rosenthal survived the car bomb attack, but he left Las Vegas soon afterward. To the end, Rosenthal had mixed opinions about Casino, the 1995 movie based on his Las Vegas career but felt that it was largely accurate (but insisted that he never funneled casino profits illegally to the mob). Rosenthal and McGee later had two children together, Steven and Stephanie. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Balistrieri, who was known as the "Mad Bomber" to law enforcement, was heard (via wiretap) blaming Rosenthal for the legal problems the mob-controlled casinos were suffering. Universal Pictures/Getty ImagesTony Spilotro also inspired a character in Casino played by Joe Pesci. Moreover, of course, he learned about a crucial part of the sport: gambling. Of course, he truly did make his mark in revolutionizing the casinos gambling operation by moving heavily into sports betting and hiring female dealers. Resend Activation Email. Feedback or questions? 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. But Rosenthal emerged unscathed and took his two children to California and then to Florida, where he worked as a nightclub manager and ran an online betting site before dying in 2008 at the age of 79. Try again. Some signs of an uptick follow a year in which homebuyers, locally and nationally, pulled back amid a sharp rise in mortgage rates. In 1982, Frank Rosenthal was injured when his car exploded in the parking lot of a Tony Romas restaurant on East Sahara Avenue near the Las Vegas Strip. Other celebrity guests included Bob Hope, Wayne Newton, Liberace and multiple murderer O.J. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Senator Harry Reid. So each mob boss got $200,000 back for their $5,000 investment. I agreed to meet at the Hilton bar with a representative of Lefty for a discussion. Rosenthal, who died in 2008 at age 79, is perhaps best-known today as the inspiration for Robert De Niros character Sam Ace Rothstein in the 1995 movie Casino.. Another Rosenthal innovation was hiring more female blackjack dealers, which in one year helped double the Stardust's income. Tony Spilotro also inspired a character in. Minelli said there were multiple offers the last time it went on the market: He sold it to the current owners in 2017, when it traded for $697,500, county records indicate. (L.E. (L.E. [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. April 8, 2017 09:24 PM. @MalcolmNance . He got custody of the two children they had together. Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA. Rosenthal is represented by the character Sam "Ace" Rothstein (played by Robert De Niro). Around this same time, Frank Rosenthal moved to Miami, where he and other Chicago Outfit members continued to participate in illegal gambling operations and even engage in violent assaults on their rivals. I ditched them at first and then I told them who I was and that I had my Departments permission to make the meeting. Ah, the circularity of the universe. Wikimedia CommonsThe Stardusts sign in 1973. When we were in the elevator with the stretcher going to the garage, we were escorted all the way to the hearse by a big body guard. The bookie told Lem he could be more. On April 5, 1979, only three days after the publication date on the Newsweek disco cover that Frank Rosenthal displays for the camera, Geri Rosenthal wrote to her daughter that he came home drunk the previous night, April 4, and choked her into unconsciousness. 1. Some romantically claim he got the nickname when, in 1961, he appeared before a Senate hearing on organized crime and invoked the Fifth Amendment 37 times, keeping his left hand in the air while doing so. Great posture. Every swing. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. This public notoriety was jeopardizing the skim that enriched mobsters in the Midwest. Thats nearly 1,000 in todays pants. 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. The details of the entire conversation/meeting were "somewhat" bizarre and interesting. And because of this as well as his known contacts in organized crime, the Nevada Gaming Commission was able to bar him from having anything to do with gambling in Las Vegas in 1976, the same fate that befell Sam Rothstein in Casino. And when her affair continued, he began to divide up their belongings, and filed for divorce. Although no one was ever charged for this murder attempt, Milwaukee mob boss Frank Balistrieri was possibly responsible. Despite his frequent arrests for illegal gambling and bookmaking, Rosenthal was convicted only once, after pleading no contest in 1963 to allegedly bribing a New York University player to shave points for a college basketball game in North Carolina. He didnt expect it to last long on the market this time, either. Rosenthal married Geri McGee on May 4, 1969. The girl had fantastic charm.. Frank Lefty Rosenthal died of a heart attack at age 79 in Miami Beach in 2008. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Here are 12 things we find fascinating about this man whose accomplishments included creating the first sports book operating inside a casino in Las Vegas. 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. 9. Born in Chicago on June 12, 1929, Frank Rosenthal spent many of his early days at the horse track with his father, who owned several horses, learning everything he could about racing. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. However, all good things must come to an end especially when the mob and millions upon millions of dollars are involved. Like her film counterpart, McGee made a living hustling and gambling, and eventually having an affair that would end her unhappy marriage to Rosenthal after a public altercation during which she waved a chrome-plated gun around outside her and Rosenthals house. One day, a friend of McGee suggested that she just marry Frank Rosenthal. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. It was during this time, while hustling and dancing, that Geri McGee caught the eye of one of Vegas most prominent figures: Frank Rosenthal. That incident actually took place, and Rosenthal survived because of a manufacturing irregularity in his 1981 Cadillac Eldorado. (He was denied a license because of, in good part, his lifelong friendship with Chicago hitman Anthony The Ant Spilotro. Lefty Rosenthal survived, but McGee and Spilotro did not. I think it was sometime back in 1995.about the time the film.Casino.was out.I served "Lefty" a Subpoena for Deposition..in Boca Ration, Florida at a Bar called "Crocs" on Glades Roadwhich I believe he was "running" for a relative/owner. As it turns out, Geri Rosenthal was involved in a love affair at some point during this period with Anthony Spilotro, the Chicago mobs street enforcer in Las Vegas. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Though he was secretly running several casinos, he had no official gaming license (his past meant that he surely wouldnt have been able to get one). Rosenthal left Las Vegas not long after the bombing, ultimately moving to Florida, where he died of a heart attack in 2008 at age 79. Meanwhile, Frank Rosenthals whole world was falling apart as authorities continued to interrogate him about his connections with Spilotro and his involvement in all manner of illegal activities that had taken place inside his casinos. Thats when he got a call from Spilotro saying he was with McGee, and that she wanted to talk about their issues. up to $600,000, even after absorbing some losses. This was a horrible man-a brute who beat his wife in real life. Are Californians and East Coasters moving in? All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Unverified and perhaps apocryphal reports still claim that Las Vegas murder rate went up by 70 percent after Spilotro arrived in town. How did you reach that calculation if I may ask, I am truly intrigued?! Rosenthal's relationship with Chicago enforcer Anthony "the Ant" Spilotro is well-documented, both in print and in film. Though she and Rosenthal had two children together, this infidelity and her drug abuse contributed to their marriage failing in 1980. Geri McGee and Frank Lefty Rosenthal had a tempestuous relationship that led to constant fighting and the two nearly killing each other. As the movie depicts, he even once boasted of squeezing a mans head in a vice until his eyes popped out and then slashing his throat. (L.E. "My beat was the federal courthouse," said Rundell. This plate shielded Rosenthal's body from most of the explosion's force. [12] Other likely suspects include Kansas City mob bosses, who were recorded on an FBI wiretap tape calling Rosenthal "crazy"; Spilotro, either acting with others or on behalf of the Outfit; and outlaw bikers who were friends of Rosenthal's ex-wife, Geri McGee. Rosenthal met them at a bar, found his wife completely drunk, and took her home with a warning from Spilotro to be gentle with her. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images, Owner Jim Morgan in 2019 shows off the master bedroom of Frank Lefty Rosenthals former home. He invoked the Fifth Amendment 37 times and was never charged. Several theories have surfaced regarding who tried to kill Rosenthal. When they had their second child together, a daughter named Stephanie, it depressed McGee even more. She died three days later at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles. Rosenthal was thrown from the car, but his life was saved by a metal plate underneath his seat that just happened to be a feature of that particular model and was able to shield him just enough from the bombs blast from below. [8][incomplete short citation], In 1976, the FBI and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) discovered that Rosenthal was secretly running four large casinos without obtaining a state gaming license, holding a hearing to determine his legal ability to obtain a license. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Las Vegas-based startup Roots Homes wants to help millenials and Gen Z purchase a home thanks to a method known as fractional homeownership. And only a few weeks later, just after their divorce was finalized, Geraldine McGee collapsed in the lobby of the Beverly Sunset Motel in California. 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. The Frank Rosenthal Show: With Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal, Frank Sinatra, Robert Conrad, Don Rickles. She had everything, Barbara said. [11] Her death was ruled accidental, from a combination of Valium, cocaine and alcohol. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Rosenthal had been living in Miami Beach and died of a heart attack Monday. Joe DeSimone held a ceremonial groundbreaking Tuesday for a six-story, Atwell Suites-branded hotel in the parking lot of The Pass. Weve updated the security on the site. The car bombing came up during a panel discussion at The Mob Museum in 2017. McGee was found dead in Los Angeles a few weeks after the bombing due to a mysterious collapse that was officially ruled a drug overdose (details remain fuzzy). Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. At that point, Rosenthal said, I cant take my eyes off her. As Hawleys piece indicates, Jubilation was the place to be in Las Vegas during the disco era. He was creating a stir, Jenkins said in a recent telephone interview. Vital Vegas is your go-to source for news and opinions about all things Las Vegas, from award-winning blogger and Las Vegas insider Scott Roeben. 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. But as ruthless as he could be, the real-life Sam Rothstein was also as meticulous and sophisticated in his approach as he ever was and not just in terms of the gambling itself. Investigators speculated his life was saved because the 1981 model of that car had a steel stabilizing plate beneath the drivers seat, which deflected the blast. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. The . In the movie, Joe Pesci plays the Anthony Spilotro character. While the Stardust was thriving, Frank Rosenthal was having trouble with the authorities. The history of Las Vegas is filled with colorful characters. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32565520/frank-lawrence-rosenthal. Lem called a bookie, told him that he had heard that 3 top players, starters, were not playing that day, and he wanted to bet $10,000. The Stardust Casino point spread became the defacto official "Line" for sports gamblers across the country. Shes only trying to save your marriage, he said. After all, how many people could have their life story turned into a hit movie with few, if any, embellishments needed? 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