On October 4, 1951, a prominent mobster known for his charm and loose tongue was gunned down in a New Jersey restaurant while lunching with associates. The murder of Willie Moretti, a high-ranking member of the Genovese crime family, marked the end of a life that had intertwined with some of the most powerful figures in organized crime and entertainment. Moretti, born Guarino Moretti on February 24, 1894, in Bari, Puglia, Italy, immigrated to the United States with his family in the early 1890s. Settling in New Jersey, he befriended Frank and Eddie Costello, and the three formed a street gang in their youth.
While Frank Costello was considered the brains of the operation, Moretti provided the muscle, a partnership that proved highly effective. His criminal record began early. At age 19, he was convicted of robbery in New York City on January 12, 1913, and sentenced to a year in state prison. It was his first arrest, and due to his youth and the relatively minor offense, he was released after a few months.
He then resumed his criminal activities, collaborating with the Costello brothers in theft, burglary, extortion, and robbery. By the late 1920s and early 1930s, Moretti rose to prominence in New Jersey, working for the Genovese crime family of New York. With other well-known mafia figures like Joe Adonis and Abner Zwillman, he ran lucrative gambling operations throughout Upstate New York and New Jersey. His gang reportedly consisted of at least 60 men, with bookmaking agents stationed in major factories in Bergen County.
Moretti was also famously connected to singer Frank Sinatra. When Sinatra was a young performer in Hoboken, the two became friends, and Moretti helped him secure bookings in New Jersey venues in exchange for a portion of his earnings. According to legend, in the early 1940s, Moretti forced a revolver into bandleader Tommy Dorsey’s mouth to allow Sinatra to break his contract and sign a more lucrative deal. The Mafia Encyclopedia notes that Dorsey eventually sold the contract to Sinatra for one dollar in 1947.
Moretti’s connections also meant that entertainers like Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, and Milton Berle performed at his stepsister’s wedding reception. However, Moretti’s health began to decline. He contracted syphilis, which affected his brain. Fellow mob bosses, particularly in New York, worried that he was losing his sanity.
He was said to place bets on non-existent horses at the racetrack, speak nonsensically, and, most dangerously, discuss mafia affairs with ordinary citizens, a violation punishable by death. Frank Costello, who had been Moretti’s best man, initially tried to protect him by sending him on a long vacation to the West with a male nurse. Moretti repeatedly begged to return, and Costello only allowed him back after his behavior improved. However, the situation escalated when the U.
S. Senate Select Committee on Organized Crime called Moretti to testify in 1950. While other Genovese members, including Costello, invoked the Fifth Amendment, Moretti gave a very different performance. He spoke openly, cracked jokes, and even commented on his mafia involvement, asking whether he should carry a membership card.
Committee members praised his candor, with Senator Charles Tobey calling it refreshing. Despite his impressive performance, Moretti’s behavior continued to deteriorate, and his outspokenness became a serious concern. Vito Genovese, recently released from prison, pushed for Moretti’s execution. Genovese saw the move as a way to weaken Costello’s influence and install his own men in Moretti’s operation, claiming that Moretti was going insane and endangering the entire organization.
Even Albert Anastasia reportedly came to believe a “mercy killing” was necessary. On October 4, 1951, Moretti left his home and drove to Joe’s Elbow Room restaurant in Cliffside Park, New Jersey. A waitress recalled him joking with four other men before she went to the kitchen. At 11:28 a.
m. , gunshots rang out. Moretti was found lying dead on his back with bullet wounds to the face and head; the other men had fled. The waitress initially identified one man but later changed her story and was held without bail for her own protection.
Moretti was supposed to have lunch with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis that day, but the entertainers had to cancel due to illness. They later learned of his death while watching television news as they tried to reach him to apologize. A funeral service was held at Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. Moretti was laid to rest in St.
Michael’s Cemetery in South Hackensack. The police had to intervene because over 5,000 mourners attended, creating a circus-like scene. Despite being arrested eight times over 38 years, Moretti only served time for his first arrest in 1913. As The Mafia Encyclopedia notes, “Willie Moretti was well-liked when he was alive.
They just happened to like him better when he was not. “