Marco Reginelli

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Marco "Small Man" Reginelli (1897-1956) was an Italian-born New Jersey mobster who was a leader in the Philadelphia crime family. Reginelli's nickname came from his short stature.

Born in Nepezzano in the Abruzzo region of Italy, Reginelli immigrated to the United States 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 in Abruzzo. Many of these immigrants worked at the nearby DuPont chemical factory. Marco later moved to Camden, New Jersey, where he became a member of the Cosa Nostra underworld. Marco's specialty was gambling and the numbers racket, although he was also convicted of larceny, receiving stolen goods, and violation of the Mann Act (which prohibited white slavery).

Reginelli eventually extended his influence to the resort area of Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the late 1940's, he built the 500 Club, a nightclub in Atlantic City. In the early 1950s, the 500 Club frequently presented singer Dean Martin. It was at the 500 Club that Martin first performed with comedian Jerry Lewis. A congressional committee once described Reginelli as "the top hoodlum in the Philadelphia-New Jersey area".

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. His successor was Angelo Bruno.