Name Marco Reginelli | Died May 26, 1956 | |
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Marco "Small Man" Reginelli (1897 – May 26, 1956) was a New Jersey mobster who became underboss of the Bruno crime family and operated a famous nightclub in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Reginelli's nickname came from his short stature.
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Early life
Born in Nepezzano in the Abruzzo region of Italy, Reginelli immigrated to the United States in 1914 at age 17. He first settled in an Italian-American community in Penns Grove, New Jersey, with many neighbors from Valle San Giovanni and Teramo. Many of these immigrants worked at the nearby DuPont chemical factory. In the 1930s, Marco moved to Camden, New Jersey, where he became a member of the Cosa Nostra.
Criminal career
Marco's specialty was gambling and the numbers racket, A congressional committee once described Reginelli as "the top hoodlum in the Philadelphia-New Jersey area".
Reginelli eventually extended his influence to the resort area of Atlantic City. It is alleged that Reginelli may have had a hand in financing the 500 Club, a nightclub run by Paul "Skinny" D'Amato in Atlantic City from 1946 to 1973. In the early 1950s, the 500 Club frequently presented singer Dean Martin, who first performed with comedian and future partner Jerry Lewis at the club.
The Federal Government unsuccessfully tried to deport Reginelli to Italy. They also failed to block his citizenship application; Reginelli was finally naturalized as a U.S. citizen in June 1955.
Marco Reginelli died in 1956 at age 58 and is buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Reginell's successor as underboss was his protegee Angelo Bruno.