Otto Biederman, known as Otto "Abbadabba" Berman (August 10, 1891 – October 24, 1935) was an

accountant An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certif ...

for American

organized crime Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...

. He is known for having coined the phrase "Nothing personal, it's just business."

Biography

Early life

Berman was born in a Jewish family in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. At age fifteen, he was arrested and tried for attempted

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

but was found not guilty. He later became an accountant, well known for his ability to figure complex mathematical equations and algebraic expressions in a matter of seconds, without the use of paper or pen. He met and befriended writer

Damon Runyon Alfred Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 – December 10, 1946) was an American journalist and short-story writer. He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway theatre, Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Proh ...

. Runyon based his recurring character Regret on Berman, portrayed by character actor

Lynne Overman Lynne Overman (September 19, 1887 – February 19, 1943) was an American actor. In films he often played a sidekick. Early life and career Born in Maryville, Missouri,Aaker, Everett (2013). George Raft: The Films'. Jefferson, NC: McFarland ...

in the movie version of Runyon's story, '' Little Miss Marker''.

1930s

In the 1930s Berman became the accountant for, and advisor to, gangster

Dutch Schultz Dutch Schultz (born Arthur Simon Flegenheimer; August 6, 1901October 24, 1935) was an American mobster based in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s. He made his fortune in organized crime-related activities, including bootlegging and the n ...

. Berman was the handicapper for Cincinnati's Coney Island track in 1935, prior to his death. A Coney Island badge was located in his pocket. Locals identified him with the nickname "Abba Dabba".

Death

On October 23, 1935, Berman was having a meeting at the Palace Chophouse tavern in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, with Schultz and gunmen Abe Landau and Bernard "Lulu" Rosenkrantz when assassins hired by

Lucky Luciano Charles "Lucky" Luciano ( ; ; born Salvatore Lucania ; November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was an Italian gangster who operated mainly in the United States. He started his criminal career in the Five Points Gang and was instrumental in the ...

burst into the room. Berman was hit by several bullets as well as buckshot from a 12-gauge shotgun. He was the first of the four men to die, at 2:20 the next morning. A photo of his bullet-riddled body appeared alongside a photo of Schultz undergoing surgery in the next morning's newspaper, under the headline, "Schultz, Five Pals Shot". In fact, only four others were shot: Berman, Landau, Rosenkrantz, and Marty Krompier, one of Schultz's lieutenants. The accompanying article claimed that Berman was a gunman for Schultz. An angry

quickly submitted an editorial to the newspaper, defending Berman. Berman is buried next to his parents in Mount Carmel Cemetery in Glendale,

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

In popular culture

In the novel ''

Billy Bathgate ''Billy Bathgate'' is a 1989 novel by author E. L. Doctorow that won the 1989 National Book Critics Circle award for fiction for 1990, the 1990 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the 1990 William Dean Howells Medal, and was the runner-up for the ...

'', Berman appears as the mentor to the main character. Berman is played by

Allen Garfield Allen Garfield (born Allen Goorwitz; November 22, 1939 – April 7, 2020) was an American film and television actor. Early life Garfield was born in Newark, New Jersey, to a Jewish family, the son of Alice (née Lavroff) and Philip Goorwitz. He ...

in '' The Cotton Club'' and by

Steven Hill Steven Hill (born Solomon Krakovsky; ; February 24, 1922 – August 23, 2016) was an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as district attorney Adam Schiff (Law & Order), Adam Schiff on the NBC television drama series ''Law & ...

in ''

.''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berman, Otto 1891 births 1935 deaths People from New York City People from Newark, New Jersey People murdered by Murder, Inc. Deaths by firearm in New Jersey People murdered in New Jersey Murdered Jewish American gangsters Murdered American gangsters Jewish American gangsters American accountants People murdered in 1935