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The blog, It Really Happened!, brings to life the fascinating stories of gambling-related:
Casino Dealer, Accomplice Execute Elaborate Crime in Las Vegas, Part II
In case you missed it, Part I is available here. 1978-1984 Paul Michael Kodelja, who was about to stand trial on January 4, 1978 for his role in the kidnapping of Reno and Polly Fruzza and the theft of $1.22 million in cash from the First National Bank of Nevada in Las Vegas, was in […]
Casino Dealer, Accomplice Execute Elaborate Crime in Las Vegas, Part I
1977 The couple’s harrowing experience started at their Las Vegas home. Two men disguised with faux facial hair and odd outfits nabbed First National Bank of Nevada executive Reno N. Fruzza as he entered his garage at about 9 p.m. on Monday, May 23, 1977. They held him, 56, and his wife Polly, 50, captive […]
Funny Business at Beverly Hills Card Club Spans Years
1962-1969 The Friars Club in Beverly Hills had been a favorite haunt of Hollywood celebrities and the area’s wealthy since 1946, but something underhanded began happening there in the 1960s, unbeknownst to most of its 670 members. Friendly Wagering Card playing for money was a regular activity at the Southern California hangout. Games included poker, […]
Reno Mobsters Aid Gangster From Chicago, Raising Suspicions
1936 A man walked into the Greenleaf & Crosby jewelry store in New York’s Rockefeller Center at about 11 a.m. on Monday, January 6. Two others followed through the other entrance. “This is a stickup,” one of them said. He ordered the two salesmen there, Walter Gibson and Robert Mercadal, to sit and not turn […]
Old Tales of Nevada
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Enthralled by Bugsy, Capone, Lanksy, Costello, Luciano, et al?
The Mobsters section is dedicated to notables like them — criminal syndicate members involved in gambling. Bet you a cold beer or a hot latte you can’t ID everyone in the gallery.
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