JFK Assassination System Date: 4/24/201 Identification Form Agency Information AGENCY: FBI RECORD NUMBER: — 124-10200-10126 RECORD SERIES: HQ AGENCY FILENUMBER:  62-9-9-1432 | Document Information ORIGINATOR: FBI . FROM: EVANS,C. A. | TO: BELMONT ; TITLE: DATE: 11/22/1963 PAGES: 3 SUBJECTS : THP, ACT, INVEST DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION: Unclassified RESTRICTIONS: 4 - CURRENT STATUS: — Redact DATE OF LASTREVIEW: 10/05/1998 OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE ~ COMMENTS : ; v9.1 18 |} Docld: 3227688850 Page 1
s “optional foRM NO. 10 (> \ , C) a l i Tolson UNITED STATES GOVER| 3NT Cy Belmont onr Memorandum . a Mr. sermons (hh Re - pee pate: November 22, 1963 sald . / . FROM : C. A. Evans tele. Room ye Holmes Gandy supecr: —#ACTIVITIES_OF..TOP.HOODLUMS ( eh .CHICAGO , AREA | AMY pee enceo /463 G LA\ mnigad te iftorn you~ of developments arising from the murder. of Lech F Foreman an alleged enforcer for loan”Shark operator Sux Samestetans of Chicago. Foreman, an ex-convict, former wrestler a) Gnetime bondsman, had béen missing since November 14, 1963, , } when his body was discovered November 18, 1963, in the trunk. “of his’ ; leased automobile, He had been stabbed in the back and in the ; chest and had been shot twice, ee ke - { | Chicago Police confirmed that he had visited at DeStefano's :. home on the day he disappeared. DeStefano told police that'“Foreman ' had talked and played cards with him for about two hours on-the day he was reported missing. Chicago Police advised that Foreman was i DeStefano's“front man and in their opinion DeStefano was responsible '| for his death. Foreman had been used as an informant by the cee . | if 2: ve ie @ L Avan Cove 3 é potieesDepazement for the past, year. f tek * Lit asvironimstoly” a not ago a "little black book" befonging [to Forenien fell into the hands of the Chicago Police. This, book, Nees entries” ‘showing Foreman met Chicago Municipal sudge CecitCorbett, contatted various other, individuals, -Ancluding Lieutenant Harry. site and George ien_of 7 thesChicago © rip ¢éin, Labor. ‘racketeer; Kay rett, : \j-prostitution ‘nadam;" Sour iseela Tein, of the Cook™ “County, ” Illinois, |/ Sheriff's Office. Chicago © Police~made the BIA¢K bOok available to | Reporter Sandy Smith of "The Chicago Sun," and he wrote a front page story November 20, 1963, “Coe the con FTPs SS listed therein. A nee RE be CG 6560-PCI EC 15 By Aas A" 963, Lahiseat the Chicago Office \) he had a call from DeStefano November 15, 1963, at 7:30 p.m., and i was told that his “fat friend," Leo Foreman, was dead. The informant lj} stated that Foreman was killed. because he owed DeStefano $7,000 on {i "juice" loans (usurious interest loan), which he refused to pay, and yj also that, he was an informant for the_FBI in Chicago. Chicago advises. -~ Foreman was Sot, its inforhant aS, that he was contacted August 22, 1963, for- ‘informatdon as to hh bih@reabouts of Carol Jean Smith, also. — known as Denise Nelson, who.had failed\to ‘appear in court last August” following ‘her earliewtarrgs® on a charge of Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property. smitt iaeeargested at Seaside, California, on the ODE dal TergEs s indeamatdenmont was sentenced November 8, 1963. Pod De Of a W ex ee 11 DEC 13 1963 ‘COPY SENT TO MR. TOLSON | JGL:rap (7) _ DocId: 32288850 Page 2
Memorandum to Mr. Belmont Re: Activities of Top Hoodlums Chicago Area , #., Foreman telephonically contacted a Chicago Agent November 13, 1963, stating he had heard of an FBI inquiry as to whether Smith was — involved with counterfeit checks and that he desired that he be contacted if any further information was desired. No arrangements were made to interview Foreman as a result of this call. Chicago advised that Municipal Judge Cecil Corbett Smith was removed from his bench November 21, 1963, by Chief Jutice Bowe. Bowe took this action following a telephone call from DeStefano, who, according to Judge Bowe, furnished derogatory information about udge Smith. oo Lo Donald Sullivan, a representative of "The Chicago American" newspaper, telephonically contacted the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) at Memphis late in the evening of November 20, 1963, and requested the identify of a polygraph operator in the Memphis area, indicating that he was in the company of a judge in Chicago who was not identified. The SAC advised Sullivan that he could make no recommendation and knew of no polygraph operator in Memphis. Reporter Sullivan also inquired about a detective agency in Memphis and was advised that the FBI was not familiar with any such agencies and could make no comment. Memphis advises that Chief of Police J.-C. MacDonald -recéived similar requests from Sullivan and had refused to make a recommendation. Memphis received information subsequently that the judge involved was named Smith and that he was currently mentioned in the murder matter in Chicago. Following the contact with our Memphis SAC, “The Chicago American" newspaper indicated that Chief of Police MacDonald and the SAC recommended a polygraph operator. As a result of this, Chief MacDonald said he was conferring with the City Attorney,as to possible action against "The Chicago American" for false reporting. On November 22, 1963, reporter Sullivan telephonically contacted the Memphis Office and denied having indicated that the SAC or the - /Chief of Police had recommended a polygraph operator or a detective |agency. Chicago received information November 21, 1963, from Joe Waz, who has furnished reliable information in the past, to the effect that Waz had been talking to an individual known as "Pix," an associate of DeStefano and Foreman, “Pix'' reportedly indicated he was aware prior to Foreman's death that he was to be killed and heard about his death about two hours after the killing and before the body was found, "pix" allegedly said that DeStefano had asked him for Carol OED GN ~2- _. a en | Docla:32288850 Page 3