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30-446: Cornero is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Anthony Cornero (1899–1955), Italian-born American bootlegger and gambling entrepreneur Lola Cornero (1892–1980), Dutch film actress Miguel Ángel Cornero (1952–1999), Argentine footballer [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with the surname Cornero . If an internal link intending to refer to

60-558: A bootlegging conviction , the casino was licensed in the names of his brothers, Frank and Louis Stralla. The Meadows opened on May 2, 1931. Cornero sold the hotel in July 1931 to Alex Richmond. In September 1931, a fire broke out at the hotel. Because it was outside the Las Vegas city limits, the Las Vegas city fire department refused to fight the fire. The casino was leased in 1932 to Guido Marchetti, Frank Miller and Earl West. Then, in 1935,

90-651: A gambling ship, when veterans can't get lumber with which to build their homes." Despite battles with authorities over the legality of their entering international waters , the State of California found a way to circumvent the three mile limit . The state refigured the starting point of the three mile limit off the coastline and determined the ships were indeed in California waters. Without wasting any time, police boarded several Coast Guard cutters and sailed out to Cornero's ships to close them down and arrest Cornero. However, when

120-508: A series of raids against his gambling ships. On May 4, 1946, after Warren became Governor of California , he publicly stated his intention to shut down gambling ships outside California waters. He said he intended "to call the Navy and Coast Guard if necessary." During his address, Warren specifically denounced the newly-converted gambling ship Lux owned by " Admiral " Tony Cornero. Warren stated "It's an outrage that lumber should be used for such

150-439: A specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cornero&oldid=888063643 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata All set index articles Anthony Cornero Antonio Cornero

180-611: The Desert Inn . Eddie Clippinger and his wife, Roxie Clippinger, later operated Roxie's, a well known bordello in the Formyle (originally Four Mile) section of Las Vegas on the Boulder Highway. In 1954, the federal government shut it down. The Las Vegas Sun newspaper reported on the political corruption surrounding the operation of Roxies. Glen Jones , the Sheriff of Clark County , filed

210-469: The Far East . In 1923, with Prohibition in effect, Cornero became a rum-runner . His clientele included many high-class customers and night clubs. Using a shrimping business as a cover, Cornero started smuggling Canadian whiskey into Southern California with his small fleet of freighters. One of Cornero's ships, Lily , could carry up to 4,000 cases of bootleg liquor in each trip. Cornero would unload

240-609: The Las Vegas Strip and filed an application with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to sell stock in the hotel corporation. When the stock was issued, Cornero bought 65,000 shares for 10 cents apiece, giving him majority control of the corporation at 51% of all stock. Cornero then sold the remaining shares. Finally, he applied to the Nevada Gaming Commission for his gaming license and

270-468: The Stardust Resort and Casino finally opened and became the largest hotel in the world. The Stardust would remain a huge success until its demolition by implosion in 2007. Cornero is also credited with the lucrative concept of putting slot machines in the hotel lobby to lure guests as they passed by. The Meadows Casino %26 Hotel The Meadows Casino & Hotel ( a.k.a. The Meadows Club)

300-597: The Ken Tar Insulation Company. However, federal authorities soon discovered it was a cover for a large scale bootlegging operation and raided it. Cornero then moved his operations to a location in Culver City , California. Soon he was producing up to 5,000 gallons of alcohol a day. Federal authorities raided the Culver City site, but found no evidence of bootlegging; Cornero was probably warned ahead of time. With

330-553: The Meadow Larks band. It also had a landing strip for small airplanes. In early 1931, Nevada governor Fred B. Balzar signed into law Assembly Bill 98, which legalized gambling, and the Meadows was one of the first casinos to open after legalization. The Meadows was owned by Anthony Cornero (aka Tony Cornero or Anthony Stralla) , who was a major bootlegger during Prohibition , operating out of Los Angeles . However, because of

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360-513: The casino. It is considered the earliest resort in Vegas, 10 years before El Rancho Vegas and 15 ahead of The Flamingo . However, Cornero's success soon brought unwanted attention. Charles "Lucky" Luciano , boss of the New York Luciano crime family and his associates, casino owner Meyer Lansky , demanded a percentage of Cornero's gaming profits. Cornero refused to be extorted and the Meadows

390-404: The door, one man gave Cornero a carton and said, "here, Cornero – this is for you" and shot him four times in the stomach . Gravely wounded, Cornero underwent surgery that night and managed to survive the shooting. As soon as Cornero recovered from his wounds, he returned to Vegas to build a new hotel and casino, the Stardust Resort & Casino . He bought a 40-acre (16 ha) piece of land on

420-485: The hotel construction was finishing. On July 31, 1955, Cornero told an investors' meeting in Las Vegas, "we need another $ 800,000 to stock the casino with cash and pay the liquor and food suppliers". Later that day, Cornero was playing craps in the Desert Inn Casino . Suddenly, he fell to the floor and died. Rumors soon arose that someone had poisoned Cornero's drink. The rumors gained credence when Cornero's body

450-499: The illegal cargo "to keep 120 million people from being poisoned to death". While being taken by rail to prison, Cornero escaped from his guards and jumped off the train. Cornero boarded a ship for Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada and fled the US. Eventually reaching Europe, he spent several years there in hiding. In 1929, he returned to Los Angeles and turned himself in. In 1931, shortly after his release from prison, Cornero established

480-585: The late 1930s, and the SS Lux, in 1946, operating off the coast of Southern California. All three ships were eventually shut down by the government. In 1945, Cornero also briefly owned the S.S. Rex Club on the ground floor of the Apache Hotel in Downtown Las Vegas (now the site of Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel ). He was developing the Stardust Resort and Casino when he died in 1955 while playing craps at

510-560: The liquor beyond the three-mile limit into his speedboats, which would bring it to the Southern California beaches. His fleet easily evaded the understaffed and ill-equipped US Coast Guard . By the time Cornero turned 25, he had become a millionaire. However, in 1926, the law caught up with Cornero. Returning from Guaymas , Mexico , with an estimated 1,000 cases of rum, he was intercepted and arrested. Sentenced to two years imprisonment, he jokingly told reporters he'd only purchased

540-661: The motion passed, and Cornero got his license. However, in a later vote, the Council revoked Cornero's gambling license, and he then closed the SS Rex . Cornero and his wife left Las Vegas and moved back to Beverly Hills, California . Cornero made plans to invest in Baja California in Mexico. On February 9, 1948, two Mexican men came to Cornero's home in Beverly Hills. When Cornero answered

570-466: The police reached the ships, Cornero would not let them board. Reportedly, Cornero turned the ship's fire hoses on the police when they attempted to board and declared they were committing " piracy on the high seas ". A stand-off ensued for eight days before Cornero finally surrendered. Cornero eventually closed his floating casinos. He later tried to reopen land-based illegal casinos in Los Angeles, but

600-556: The project. Page agreed on the condition that he be able to run it. In 1955, Cornero made the first of several presentations seeking loans from Moe Dalitz , owner of the Desert Inn hotel and casino, and Dalitz' partner, New York mobster Meyer Lansky . Dalitz decided to initially loan Cornero $ 1.25 million. This loan was followed by a second and third loan, with Cornero using the unfinished Stardust Hotel as loan collateral . Loans with United Hotels were then nearly $ 4.3 million. Despite these cash infusions, Cornero ran out of money again as

630-483: The property was sold to Dave Stearns, Sam Stearns and Larry Potter. The Meadows later became a house of prostitution, operated by Eddie Clippinger. The Meadows was closed down in 1942 by the federal government under provisions of the May Act, as it was near Las Vegas Army Airfield (now Nellis Air Force Base ). It later caught on fire and was demolished. Tony Cornero later owned the gambling ships SS Rex and SS Tango, in

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660-408: The repeal of Prohibition, Cornero moved into gaming. In 1931 when gambling was legalized, he and his brothers Louis and Frank moved to Las Vegas, and took an option to purchase a 30-acre (12 ha) piece of desert land outside the Las Vegas city limits. Cornero soon opened The Meadows Casino & Hotel one of the first seven licensed casinos in the Las Vegas area, with a hotel that opened soon after

690-454: The ships Rex and Tango . Cornero's premier cruise ship was Rex , which could accommodate over 2,000 gamblers. It carried a crew of 350, including waiters and waitresses, gourmet chefs, a full orchestra, and a squad of gunmen. Its first class dining room served French cuisine exclusively. The two ships were anchored outside the "three mile limit" off Santa Monica and Long Beach . The wealthy of Los Angeles would take water taxis out to

720-510: The ships to enjoy the gambling, shows, and restaurants. In October 1939, Los Angeles Zoo was facing a financial crisis. Cornero offered the zoo a day's proceeds from Rex . Considering that his ships were earning $ 300,000 a cruise, this was no idle gesture. Although zoo officials seriously considered the offer, pressure from state politicians forced them to decline it. The success of Cornero's floating casinos brought outrage from California officials. State Attorney General Earl Warren ordered

750-695: Was born in Lequio Tanaro , Province of Cuneo , in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy . Cornero and his family immigrated to the United States after his father lost the farm in a card game and a fire destroyed their harvest. Cornero's father died a few years later and his mother married Luigi Stralla, a former suitor from Italy. After their arrival in San Francisco , Cornero used the aliases Tony Cornero and Tony Stralla as he signed on to merchant ships bound for

780-486: Was eventually torched. Cornero sold his Las Vegas interests and moved back to Los Angeles. In 1936, Cornero decided to open a shipboard gaming operation off the Southern California coast. By sailing in international waters , Cornero hoped to legally run his gambling dens without interference from US authorities. Cornero purchased two large ships and converted them into luxury casinos at a cost of $ 300,000. He named

810-655: Was removed from the casino floor before anyone contacted the Clark County Coroner or the Clark County Sheriff's Department . Cornero's drinking glass was taken and washed; sheriff's deputies never had the chance to examine it. No autopsy was performed and a coroner's jury in Los Angeles determined that he died of a heart attack. Cornero was buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California . In 1958,

840-632: Was the first resort hotel-casino in the Las Vegas area, opening in 1931. The Meadows was located at Fremont Street and East Charleston Boulevard near the Boulder Highway , and outside the Las Vegas city limits. Its location was designed to attract workers and tourists from the Hoover Dam . The hotel had 30 to 50 rooms (accounts vary). The hotel-casino operated a nightclub, featuring the Meadows Revue and

870-621: Was thwarted by mobster Mickey Cohen . Instead, Cornero returned to Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, Cornero contacted his friend Orlando Silvagni, owner of the Apache Hotel. Cornero made a deal with Silvagni to lease the hotel casino and rename it the "SS Rex" (after his former floating casino in California). The Las Vegas City Council , aware of Cornero's history with the Green Meadows casino and his floating casinos, voted "no" on approving his gambling license. However, one councilman then changed his vote,

900-460: Was turned down. The Commission rejected Cornero's application because of an old bootlegging conviction and the trouble that Cornero was having with the SEC. This rejection meant Cornero had invested his money in a half-built casino that he was not allowed to operate. Not to be stopped, Cornero came up with a new plan. He asked his friend Milton B. "Farmer" Page, another Las Vegas casino owner, to take over

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