Ludwig "Ninni" Bruschi was born in the New York City Metropolitan area, but moved to New Jersey. not much is known about his early life. Bruschi first identified by law enforcement as a bookmaker in the 1970s. He continued to operate gambling operations and by the 1990s had risen to the ranks of capo operating in South Jersey counties of Ocean, Monmouth, Middlesex and North Jersey counties of Hudson, Essex, Passaic and Union counties. Bruschi rose to power with the New Jersey faction in the 1980s and 1990s. Bruschi was paroled from New Jersey State prison in April 2010.