Washington DC – September 8, 1961
Frank Lawrence Rosenthal was subpoenaed to testify before the Senate Investigation Subcommittee on illegal sports betting, game fixing, and organized crime.
He held up his left hand 37 times pleading the Fifth Amendment and, although a righty, earned the nickname “Lefty.”
In 1971 Lefty joined forces with longtime associate Tony “The Ant” Spilotro in Las Vegas.
The Ant replaced Chicago mobster, Marshall Caifano, as the Outfit’s Las Vegas representative and Lefty became the official chief executive of the Stardust, the Fremont, the Hacienda and the Marina.
Lefty introduced sports books into the casinos, installed surveillance equipment, cracked down on dishonest employees, card cheats, and flabby showgirls.
He revolutionized the gaming tables with female dealers.
He doubled the casino’s income in a year and The Stardust became the sports gambling capital of the world.
Lefty survived numerous arrests, indictments, a car bomb, and entry into Las Vegas’ Black Book.
