JFK Assassination System Date: 6/15/201 Identification Form ~ Agency Information AGENCY: FBI RECORD NUMBER: — 124-90068-10071 RECORD SERIES: HQ | AGENCY FILENUMBER: — 62-75147-210-120 Document Information ORIGINATOR: FBI FROM: HAV TO: HQ TITLE : DATE: 03/12/1958 PAGES: 6 SUBJECTS : AMERICAN GAMBLERS IN CUBA AMERICAN GAMBLING ACTIVITIES IN CUBA DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION: — Unclassified RESTRICTIONS: 4 CURRENT STATUS: — Redact DATE OF LAST REVIEW: — 06/24/1998 OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE COMMENTS : MEMO a v9.1 26 . Docld: 32328170 Page 1
SLegat, Havana . cgecapsy B Ae. | | Cet 2 2 Gor fe eS Reference Havana letters dated January 14, 1958, SY and December 13, 1957, ne There is set forth below additional information o _ Which has been developed concerning the activities of Ameri- can gamblers in Havana since the submission of refere Rega letters. XO) w — Se ote Chass. Fal io gasinos“in-overatton® Ts a Rease 2/Ab : 3 ) _ ‘ot 4 Wilbur€lark's Casino - 3 ate © oe \ Hotel Nacional ” N ay. ee wi ; yo  . . ; Lo: a ae ad ' Aes) “This casino continues-to be opere d by individuals \y¥ a ' previously identified.to-the Bu eau. JAKE) NSKY, Miami Office % top hoodlum, oversees the operations of the casino in the’ Hoter\\y i . --Nagfonal and is” assisted by SAMYTUCKER who has’ an interest in” e\9 a the casino. (K) yar € ; ™“, ~\ : C Ln, A > On February 5, 1958, PCI GOFFREDO CELL {ir (conceal), baa ph: Q who is em yed in the casino "at the Hotel Nacional, .advised. Cab a that GEORGEN ADLOW, an old associate of MEYER and JAKE. _LANSKY , 4 ty was in HavaNs staying at the Hotel Nacional and frequenting Les | \ the casino there. On February 27, 1958, PCI CELLINI advised & that JAKE LANSKY. and SAM TUCKER had been visited on that date SS... by General MANUE WENITE \VALDES, a Cuban Senator and id_ former aR Chief of Police in Cuba. General BENITEZ ren\{ansit has that he R torre erie, @ Oo was highly: indignant over the treatment MEYE IN NSKY had been", uf) N receiving, and he considers MEYER LANSK¥ to bata good friend ‘ely . d one of the few gentlemen in the gambling profession, He o ndicated he would do everything in his power to put his sup- y port behind a movement to return MEYER LANSKY to Cuba; He stated he intended to publish an: open letter in both the ty, 2 sos ple ; English and Spanish language Vitewspapenrs Lin Havana in the mM eS imectnig aa he ay o* yy Tt _su sii for MEYER LANSKY. aN hoc ees f 23H 28 24 =™ g oe sEOKEICH WE rath 6d Rm 1S — (mee G , 12 - Bureau 2 ete ae if < ‘£ 1 - Havana nA. Mr. mK oe mot DIBilg 4g N ae Vyat ~~? ude a Cina E wa aide re 3. Ff Docld: 32328170 Page 2?
Fe ee pe es en nce an tone neha a Mt tetanahy Ati nAPADE AR AE at 6 Amann ee ate tet Nite Ft Ae ohn th et ERM S EOE it enti A ORR SE EIR SPN TEBAIT IE ESE x =. . . i Oo cS | \ao Havana 644153 ee rie 6 SONF VET sss a oe Source informed. that* immédiately P 1. to the con- j (aetna ee with JAKE LANSKY and SAM TUCKER, BENITEZ: indicated. a had been in confe#ence concerning/the matter with SANTO $. SPRAFFICANTE and JOEYSILESI, wa. Jos, ivers.3Q) — I a ‘ a “The English language and Spanish language newspapers of Sunday, March 2, 1958, carried an open letter from General BENITEZ supporting the return of MEYER LANSKY to Cuba. faving Rivic éra-Casi oF Ray \ On January 23,' 1958, Havana-4 advised that_DINO A CELLINI, who acts as a floor boss. at_the Hotel Havana Ri Riviera. ‘Gasino,; “continues to operate a school for Cuban dealers. Source said-the gchool is located in the Ambar Motors Building at C 23rd and Infanta Streets, Havana, Telephone U-&8781, G&\u) * aa a _v - On February 4, 1958, TIM HALL, Reservations Boel e O ‘ Hotel Nacional, confidentially advised that HARRY and B ITH, part-owners of the Hotel Havana Riviera and béliréved to “or _. Jewish extraction, are two brothers: “who had made a great deal a7) is 3 : of money-during-prohibition days running a number of "drinking mL | \ joints" in Toronto, Canada, which were almost continually filled on with Americans who came across from the United States to get drunk, He informed that they owned the Prince George Hotel in Toront). He said he had heard that they had made such a great deal of money in Canada that they desired to, hide the fact by . investing some of it in the Havana Riviera. PI ne’ ' On March 10, 1958, Assistant Manager NEIL WALSH, a Hotel Havana Riviera, snfidentially advised that he had as- certained from TOMMYS“UINAN, an employee in. “TeaYGuina at G vm the Havana Riviera, and brother of the famous Te uinan, that the following individu ls have some "points" in e Havana Riviera casino: pve . MEYER LANSKY _ HARRY SMITH BEN ea ee "DUSTRY PETERS Soest VINSON IRVING "NIGGIE" MEVINE EDQLETORREO hae enn BEN UNE ry "RUDY" NKORNOCK oe ‘DINO CELLINI we ae Docld: 32328170 Page 3
Nae, Havana 64-153 On February S iese" NICHOLAS DI ‘COSTANZO, wa. f 8 . . fL Ne: . aN "Fat The Butch", advised that he is an "old Yonkers boy" and that he was born in Italy. He said that he has three children - a son who is a graduate of Holy Cross and Georgetown Law School and who recently passed the bar in the District of Columbia and in New York, a daughter who is a graduate of the College of New Rochelle in New York, and another daughter who is presently attending Marymount College in New York, He informed that his son will handle legal work for him con- cerning interests he owns in Florida and New York. He indi cated he had purchased a substantial amount of real estate in those areas during World War II which had increased greatly in value. He furnished a calling card in the name of "DI COSTANZO HOLDING CO,, 537 South Broadway, Yonkers 5, N. Y., Telephone Yonkers 5-3800." This card. shows NICHOLAS DI COSTANZO as President and indicates a residence telephone of Yonkers 33-5325 a reerez0 indicated that a certain number of points in prt casino operation, are being held open for GEORGE, -, Coy tw. ~ advised that NA have points in t ~ On ce 1s, 1008, fei CI 0S OSCAR LOPEZ\ DRIGUEZ h ne enema he Ores ey + (A 1a MM SAIGH; oNS MUELS ; ROWN. J. wana Hilt on } ae” a On February 18, 1958, RALPI vo get thee kee stomata, po RRY BROOKS , formerly of Cleveland and a former associate | of MICKEY COHEN; BIENCOHEN; en eee rsa: RRIS, LARRYYSNOW, and MARBINA RAUSE all casino of ihe Hotel Capri. abe On February 26, 1958, TED SCOTT, writer for ‘the "Havana Post", advised that on the preceding evening he had .. seen JIYANORRIS of the International Boxing Commission and SANTO TRAFFICANTE conversing togéthér at the Hotel Capri gambling casino, This information was confirmed on the same date by PCI OSCAR LOPEZ RODRIGUEZ. a On the same date another source advised that the following individuals had been identified as working in. the casino of “the Hotel” Capris Cy Be 7 UST and CALVIN "TOMMY" we ‘CHAPPELL, former dealers in Las Vegas, .Nevada, advised” ‘that’ *~ hee théy had come to Havana at the request ,of f CLIFE le Governor of Nevada, to work in the casino at the Havana SNe Docld: 32328170 Page 4 ONES, former j Se bt