JFK Assassination System Date: 6/2/2015 Identification Form Agency Information Peleased under the John AGENCY: FBI ‘ . Kennedy RECORD NUMBER:  124-90100-10074 issassination Records Ollection Act of 1992 RECORD SERIES: HQ : (44 USC 2107 Note). ase iN 54027 Date: AGENCY FILE NUMBER:  52-72398-95 ne—-25-2017 Document Information ORIGINATOR: FBI FROM: PG TO: HQ TITLE : DATE: 01/13/1959 PAGES: 4 SUBJECTS : JOSEPH RAYMOND MEROLA THEFT OF 317 WEAPONS, 16 BLANKETS, 1 CARBINE RACK OHIO NATIO DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION : — Unclassified RESTRICTIONS: 4 CURRENT STATUS: — Redact DATE OF LAST REVIEW: = 07/29/1998 OPENING.CRITERIA: INDEFINITE COMMENTS : MEMO v9.1 HW 54027 DBocld: 32331656 Page 1
nn a | i - / STANDARD FORM NO. 64 ra ais ~ ~ in Office Memorandum ¢ UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT | To :-BIRECTOR, FBI (52-72398) DATE: 1/13/59 aan | SpftGreom : sac, PITTSBURGH (52-1687) Kei wy Ao ALL INFORMATION ¢ : & a: Vursria ten ri fees #  suBject: STUART SUTOR; # ®- yp Dome es U ea DANIEL HANNA, aka-FUGITIVE “DATE c f Wer ple UNSUBS; Theft of 317 DATE 24_BY moe Weapons, 16 Blankets, One Carbine Rack, from Ohio National Guard Armory, | So _ Canton, Ohio, on 10/14/58; S _ GP; ITSP; FFA; NM (00: CLEVELAND) Re Cleveland airtel to Bureau, 12/2/58 concerning * possipge New Kensington, Pa,, connections of PHT LIP SANESWAINER, FBt #0683140, associate of GEORGE MIKE | = x LOREA, FBI #2888609 “iiainea~ by a Canton, .ohig, Police oo: 6 *"Departmertt informant as the perpetrator of the Ohio National Guard Armory burglary on 10/14/58. Confidential source MIKE ZERVOS (protect) in interview with SA RICHARD GORDON. DOUCE on 1/6/59 positively identified a photograph of MAINER and furnished the following back- -ground information concerning him: S , Approximately 18 or 20 months ago ZERVOS received a telephone call from HENRY ABARHAM, aka "PECKY," operator of a cocktail lounge in New Kensington. ABRAHAM told ZERVOS that he had a . deal that ZERVOS might be interested in and asked him to — come to his place of business right away. When ZERVOS arrived at "PECKY's” place he was introduced to two individuals: one a Syrian man age about 40-45, name unknown, from New > Castle or Farrell, Pa., and the other MAINER, although &8 fo MAINER was not introduced to ZERVOS by name, ABRAHAM ‘told Poo ZERVOS that the Syrian man was a very good friend of -hif@and: had 1800 cartons of stolen cigaretts in a station fon \ parked outside that he would sell for $1.00 a cartons ZERVOS advised that ABRAHAM said that he wanted to .buy the .entire cy ~ * : ny ee | -Ferbireau — REC. 2/ SS: 7 a = | ae “~@-Clevelanda (52-1918) ~ ,, bePLttsburgy (52-1687) JAN 15 1959 Whi apse) ey  Hitfees bd DAS SSL) SE ay. a (St | i eS aA Ue P ‘ & | se) of ~\ a aoe cies Oo ie ung Re DiHKE AT oath Ge BS uaa Thon. : ! \ ee ° — ‘ . son “ ais a , AW 354027 Docld:32331656 Page 2
om < : \; ral ea u& , PG 52-1687 load: himself but did not have enough money to swing the deal, and encouraged ZERVOS to put up half the money so they could buy the load together. ZERVOS refused because he had only been recently released. from the Western State Penitentiary after serving 224 years after.conviction for murder and suggested to ABRAHAM that they take, the cigarettes to GABRIEL MANNARINO (Pittsburgh top hoodlum) who owned the S&S Distributing Co., a cigarette vending machine concern. In the presence of ZERVOS, ABRAHAM told the Syrian man and MAINER that if ZERVOS would not. put up any money he was mot in a position to take the load himself but offered to _ ‘take them to MANNARINO in his own car. ABRAHAM left with the ‘two individuals and looked up GABRIEL MANNARINO who presumably bought the entire stolen shipment. ZERVOS noticed the Syrian man in New Kensington,a number of times after their initial meeting, driving a plack station wagon,not further described, and assumes that he regularly supplied the 5&5 Distributing Company with stolen cigarettes for at least three or fourimonths since during his first meeting with the group, the Syrian man offered to supply cigarettes regularly. i 7ERVOS has not seen the Syrian man or MAINER in New Kensington for the past year and one-half but observed MAINER several “times after their initial meeting in the lobby of the Ken Mar Hotel and also in the Laetus Club. ZERVOS also speculated that MAINER and his companion could \jnave gold other shipments of stolen cigarettes to JOSEPH XSLORDANO,. alee, “RED 1 operator of the Bachelor's club in “New Kensington, “and a long-time fence... (Cleveland note GIORDANO is a suspect in this case in connection with his purchases of burlap bags). ZERVOS is of the opinion that MAINER's connections in New Kensington would be with members of the MANNARINO mob as a result of his original introduction to MANNARINO or GIORDANO through ABRAHAM. . -2- \ |, WW 54027 Docld:323313856 Page 3
PG 52-1687 ZERVOS is extremely reluctant to make any open inquiries concerning MAINER in New Kensington and considers it highly inadvisable for him to do so at the risk of disclosure as a source of information. ZERVOS examined photographs: of GEORGE VICTOR ZUGRAVE, FBI #2878523, SAMUEL JOSEPH MESSARIS; FBI. #840808, and FLOREA, but was unable to recognize them. Photographs of the above were also displayed to PG-545-C ! on 1/6/59 by SA RICHARD GORDON DOUCE without making an identification. ... .; oo In light of the position of the S&S Distributing Company's obvious involvement in fis case, the foregoing information furnished by ZERVOS could have a very definite bearing on ‘the solution of this case. It seems reasonable to assume that a FLOREA, MAINER and their confederates would be logical t candidates for the burglary of the armory in Canton, especially in view of the alleged dealing in stolen cigarettes, as outlined above, it would place MAINER in contact with MANNARINO and the S&S Distributing Company. 7 Files of the Pittsburgh Office indicate that MAINER and FLOYD D. VINCENTI, FBI #843750C were reportedly. overheard planning a bank, robbery..in Gary, Indiana, presumably during 11/58. In addition, MAINER is under investigation by the | Cleveland office in a TFIS matter involving the theft of 200 television sets. a Unless inadvisable in the Light of current investigations not related to this matter, it is suggested that Cleveland con- sider requesting Indianapolis or Chicago to locate and inter- view MAINER to determine his alibi for 10/14/58 and 11/4/58. Cleveland should also consider setting out jleads to have FLOREA interviewed along the same lines and ‘the fingerprints of MAINER, FLOREA, VINCENTI, Etal, mentioned in reairtel should be examined py the. Latent Fingerprint Section for comparisons with the latents developed on the five gallon oil can recovered at the Allegheny Valley Airport on 11/5/58. ) AW 54027 Doocld:32331656 Page 4