Abner Zwillman

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Abner "Longie" Zwillman (July 27, 1904 – February 26, 1959) was a Jewish-American mobster who was based primarily in North Jersey. He was a longtime friend and associate of mobsters Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky. Zwillman's criminal organization was a part of the National Crime Syndicate and mainly operated from the 1920s to the 1950s, with its peak in the late 1930s.^[1]

Zwillman was the founder of the New Jersey Minutemen, a militant anti-fascist group which operated in Newark, New Jersey from 1933 to 1941. They were antagonists of the pro-Nazi German American Bund and the Christian Front.^[2]

Early life and career

It is believed that Zwillman was born on July 27, 1904, in

At the start of Prohibition, Zwillman began smuggling whiskey into New Jersey through Canada, using several World War I armored trucks. Zwillman later joined a syndicate headed by Joseph Reinfeld to smuggle liquor from Canada using ships. They were reputed to have controlled 40% of liquor smuggling.^[3] Zwillman used this revenue to greatly expand his operations in illegal gambling, prostitution, and labor racketeering, as well as legitimate businesses, including several prominent night clubs and restaurants.

In 1929, he was sent to prison for six months for assaulting an associate. It was the only crime for which he was ever convicted.^[4]

Zwillman dated actress

After Dutch Schultz's murder in 1935, Zwillman took over those of Schultz's criminal operations that were in New Jersey. The press began calling Zwillman the "Al Capone of New Jersey." However, Zwillman often sought to legitimize his image, offering a reward for the return of the Lindbergh baby in 1932, and contributed to charities, including $250,000 to a Newark slum-clearing project.

Shortly after taking over Schultz's operations, Zwillman became involved in local politics, eventually controlling the majority of local politicians in Newark for over twenty years. During the 1940s Zwillman, along with long-time associate Willie Moretti, dominated gambling operations in New Jersey, in particular the Marine Room inside Zwillman's Riviera nightclub, The Palisades.

In 1951, Zwillman's activities were a major focus of the Kefauver Committee's investigation of organized crime. While Zwillman acknowledged that he was a bootlegger during Prohibition, he insisted that his subsequent businesses were legitimate.^[7]

Zwillman was also close to many celebrities, including Joe DiMaggio. When Zwillman was being investigated, along with other alleged "Outfit" members, by the Kefauver Committee he reportedly planted three trunks full of money with DiMaggio to hide it from the

In 1956, Zwillman was tried for income tax evasion. The jury became deadlocked and the charges were dismissed. Several associates of Zwillman were subsequently arrested and charged with bribing two of the jurors.[1]

Death

During the 1959 McClellan Senate Committee hearings on organized crime, Zwillman was issued a subpoena to testify before the committee. Zwillman was found hanged in his West Orange, New Jersey residence on February 26, 1959, shortly before he was to appear.^[1][9][10] He was buried at B'nai Abraham Memorial Park, a Jewish cemetery in Union, New Jersey, after a funeral attended by 1,850, including celebrities and his 80-year-old mother, Ella.^[4] Though the funeral was presided over by a rabbi, there was an abundance of flowers and an open casket—atypical of Jewish custom.

Zwillman's death was ruled a suicide, attributed to intractable income tax and health problems. His stepson, John Steinbach, said that he was also depressed about Senate investigations into jukebox racketeering and a jury tampering investigation, related to a previous failed attempt to prosecute him.^[3]

However, police found bruises on Zwillman's wrists, supporting a theory that Zwillman had been tied up before being hanged. It is often speculated^[