|
Guarino "Willie" Moretti, also known as Willie Moore (February 24, 1894 – October 4, 1951), was a notorious underboss of the Genovese crime family and a cousin of the family boss Frank Costello. ==Criminal career== Born ''Guarino Moretti'' in Bari, Apulia, southern Italy, on February 24, 1894, Moretti migrated to America with his family to live in New Jersey. On January 12, 1913, after being convicted of robbery in New York City, Moretti was sentenced to one year in state prison in Elmira, New York. He was released after several months. From 1933 to 1951, Moretti, in association with Joe Adonis, Settimo Accardi and Abner Zwillman, ran lucrative gambling dens in New Jersey and Upstate New York. His operations were based out of his homes in Hasbrouck Heights (located in Bergen County, New Jersey, just outside of New York City) and Deal (located in Monmouth County, New Jersey along the Jersey Shore).〔Staff. ("A Gangster is Buried in the Old-Time Style" ), ''Life (magazine)'', October 22, 1951, pp. 36-37. Accessed March 7, 2011.〕 ==Hollywood connections== Moretti was the godfather with then unknown singer Frank Sinatra. Sinatra's first wife, Nancy Barbato, was a paternal cousin of John Barbato, a Moretti associate. Moretti helped Sinatra get bookings in New Jersey clubs in return for kickbacks. Finally, in 1939, Sinatra signed a recording contract with band leader Tommy Dorsey. However, by the early 1940s, Sinatra had achieved national popularity and wanted to sign a more lucrative recording contract, but Dorsey refused to release him from their existing contract. A rumour claimed that Sinatra asked Moretti for help, and it was alleged that Moretti jammed a gun barrel down Dorsey's throat and threatened to kill him if he did not release Sinatra. Dorsey eventually sold the contract to Sinatra for one dollar. In the late 1940s, Moretti become acquainted with comedians Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis while they were performing at Bill Miller's Riviera nightclub in Fort Lee, New Jersey. In earlier years, Moretti and Abner "Longy" Zwillman were watching the club's cardroom when it was previously owned by Ben Marden. In 1947, Martin, Lewis, Sinatra, and comedian Milton Berle all performed at the wedding reception of Moretti's daughter. Another friend of Moretti, Louis Mastrola, a local nightclub entertainer who performed under the stage name, Louie Mass, also entertained at the reception. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Willie Moretti」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|