Lorenzo grew up in Little Italy on Mulberry Street, New York and is a former member of the Bonanno crime family. He first opened after-hours clubs (many with gambling) around the city and was also involved in a few discos. The last club he owned before leaving New York was a Jazz club at 210 W. 70th St. and Broadway called The Grand Finale, which is where Woody Allen shot the movie Annie Hall. Ronnie sold it in 1979 and moved to the Los Angeles area in 1982 where he opened a few restaurants in Malibu called Dudley's, Splash, and a pizza restaurant, Spruzzo. He also opened Mulberry St. Pizza on Cannon Drive in Beverly Hills, in which he was partners with actor James Caan and actress Cathy Moriarty. He also allegedly began to deal in cocaine distribution, robbery, money laundering and kidnap