Bill Pompili's emergence as a key figure in the Nevada operations of the Detroit Outfit went undetected by the Nevada gaming commission and the Nevada FBI office for nearly 6 years. The native of Toledo Ohio arrived in Vegas in July of 1975 just two months after being arrested for running an illegal gambling establishment in a Toledo strip mall on Byrne Road near Hill Avenue. Long an associate of organized crime figures form Detroit, Pompili came home one day after meeting with Vito Giacalone and announced to his wife Shirley that they were moving to Las Vegas. The 47 year old Pompili secured a job at the Outfit controlled Aladdin Hotel and Casino working as a boxman. The Aladdin "then under the controll of Detroit frontman James Tamer," was a an upscale Casino located right in the heart of the Vegas Strip. Pompili duties as a boxman were to exchange cash for casino chips and to help collect the money at shifts end. This position placed Pompili in a perfect position to secure a portion of the Outfit's skim money before it reached the counting room where it was weighed and then recorded for scrutiny of the IRS and Nevada gaming officials. Not long after his arrival at the Aladdin, Bill was promoted to one of the floor man spots. His official responsibility in this role was to supervise the games while watching for cheaters. Times for good for the Pompili's untill investigators started asking questions about some of the Aladdin's personnel. Pompili's presence at the Aladdin did not catch the attention of investigators more interested in the presence of James Tamer and the presence of notorious Detroit partners like Anthony Zerilli, Michael Polizzi and Jack Tocco on the grounds of the Aladdin. As the investigation progressed, Pompili made the move from Las Vegas to the developing hotbed of Laughlin Nevada. Upon his arrival in Laughlin which is located just south of Vegas, Bill began workin on building his own gambling establishment. With backing and financial support from the Detroit Partners, Pompili began working on opening the Edgewater Hotel and Casino. According to an interview with shirley Pompili, Bill spent weeks going over the layout of the hotel and Casino which was to be built on the banks of the Colorado River. The nine acre development was completed in 1981 with a pricetag of $6.5 million. The dream for Pompili began to fade almost immediately as the feds develved into the background of several of the original investors with ties to Detroit. As a result many of them simply withdrew their applications for ownership instead of subjecting themselves and their business dealings to the scrutiny of the Nevada gaming commission. Pompili also suffered the indignity of having the commission decline him for licensing as one of the hotels key employees. The reason given was hes ties to organized crime figures in Detroit as well as his 1975 gambling conviction in Toledo. So after overseeing the construction of the Edgewater, Bill chose former Aladdin supervisor Jimmy Roberts to opeate the Edgewater while he became the director of food service and beverages. Despite his apparently uninfluential role in the Edgewater's operation, Bill unofficially ran the Hotel and Casino through Roberts. With the increasing pressure from Federal authorities and the gaming commission mounting William Pompili packed his bags in 1983 and moved back to Las Vegas where he spent the remainder of his life operating a souvenir shop with Jimmy Roberts untill his death in 1987 from cancer.
