(tod-10221-10169 & & ba 2 i { { Lt | i ' _t i , - . fry, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE rr ry renee an ge niente , IE 3 a Mian, Florida oo = | SECRET.” 70) | FRANK. ANTHONY STURGIS; also known-9g |. Frank Fiorint,; 9 =: fp 4 7 ‘Fred Frank Fiorini, a yee - ety . F¥ank, Attlla,. - 4 we oe j dd Fred Attlla, 2000. eon Frank. Campbell: ‘ INTERNAL SECURITY - CUBA. | NEUTRALITY MATTERS —- BACKGROUND an “Subject + was “born as FRANK PIORINI, ‘on December | . 9, 1924 in. Norfolk, Virginia, His. father, ANGELO FIORINI, - and his mother MARY, divorced. ‘When his mother remarried, subject became known aS FRANK ANTHONY. STURGIS, ‘gesuming _the last name of his step-father. ‘He spent his youth.in ~ “both Norfolk and Philadelphia, ‘Pennsylvania. He served in the United: States Marine Corps from October 5, 1942 to. ‘October. 23, 1945, He 1s commonly known as FRANK FIORINI. In Norfolk ha worked as a cab driver, clark and as tavern manager. SO Between 1947 and 1956, according to records of the Identification. Division, ‘Nor folk Police Department, he was arrested on four separate charges. On April 9, 1947. SECRET Group I ; Excluded from automatic downgrading and declassification | 6S COPY
TIS see Gene mt ye outers On ARP E Be PUBL FRANK ANTHONY STURGIS: — o ‘he. was fined $25 for having whiekey, in: hie | ‘cab. On gay a nt “SECRET October 25, 1949 4& charge for violation of Saction: 4655 WVirginta. State: ‘Code was dismissed. On July, 3, “1950 a. Charge: for aggravated assault.on his. wife was dis- miseed, and on: May 10, 1956 he was arrested. fox: Living as man and wife with SUANITA K, ‘TERRELL, and was fined 9100. Hig former wife, _ JUANITA STURGIS, of Norfolk, Virginia, advised on February ‘ll, 1959 that when PIORINY -feft Norfolk ia February, 1958 for Miami., he-had worked @ check kiting scheme in order to get ehough money Co. go to Guba and that he would not likely return to Norfolk because he was in trouble with the local law enforcement. - officials in Norfolk. a. PIORINTI subsequently divorced JUANITA sTuRCIs and he i now married to the former JANET MANN, who was re- portedly a former atrip- teaser. They ¥aside at 2515 N.W. 122nd Street, Miami, “AS o£ May, 1964, FIORINI was manager of the Courteoua Motorg, 13701 N.W. 27th Avenue, Miami. He has held a variety of temporary “joba while living in the Miami area, r AY | activities. . (lp Cee On July 23, 1958, LieutcnanfROBERTO VILA of the Cuban“army- “Military Intell igence Service (SIM), ad- vised sed that FIORINI was in | custody of that service on suspicion that" he had acted as a courter for the 26th of ( ee SECRET - 2 o i or
4 Ze & Zi § = 2 i i £ i Lf : sore att ay gee OF FRANK ANTHONY STURGIS | July Revolutionary Movement between Miami, Florida and: = Santiago de Cuba. 2 FIORINE had been arrested on July tact point ‘for the 26th of July Movement. VILA reported _ ‘that: FEORINI had admitted having transported guns con=- |  cealed in-an * this‘car to: Cu ‘West, Florida. The Cuban authorities deported FIORINI | automobile in April, 1958, while delivering, Cuba on. the ferry CITY OF HAVANA ‘from. Key: to the United States on July 29, 1958, - It is to be noted that the 26th of July Revo-= lutionaty Movement was founded by. FIDEL CASTRO RUZ, who, © in 1958 was attempting to overthrow tha government. of FULGENCIO BATISTA, On July 24, 1958, U.S. Customs Service, Miami, raided. two residences at 2498 S.W, 21st Street and 4450 §.W. 4th Street, Miami, where they conflecated an arme . cache belonging to Cuban revolutionary exiles in Miaml. One of these residences had been rented to FIORINI and a considerable amount of identifyiag data and personal papers belonging to FIORINI were found during the raids. On July 30, 1958, upon FIORINI's return from _ Cuba, he was arrested in Miami by U.S. Customs for viola- tions relating ‘to the conspiracy to illegally ship arms. - from the United States. "-*On November 4, 1958, MM T-1, a federal agency which conducts intelligence investigations, reported that FIORINI arrived in Mexico City, Mexico, October 27, SECRET ~-3-
14-00000 ' ape eh cis ENON OR EER TE MEE : ‘CASTRO. FRANK ANTHONY ‘STURGIS | ‘SECRET 1958's with. RICARDO LORIE and PEDRO LUIS DIAZ LANE, both _ oS an pilots. ‘The ‘Noveaiber 21,. "1958 teaie of the NOVEDADAS DE _. “MEXICO; a -Mexico- City newspaper, reported that FRANK. 2 oo.) os PIORINE avid” 7 Cubans. were arrested whenthey landed a C-46° aitplane™ at Apatzingan, 4 Mexico, and were under arrest for. inatigating a plan to carry arms by air from Mexico: to Cuban - ‘revel leader. FIDEL CASTRO via Venezuela. It 1a to be noted that the’ BATISTA government collapsed on January 1, 1959 and the rebel forces. of FIDEL, CASTRO aseumed power in Cuba. ao _ ‘The Jamiary 13, 1959 iaaue of the MIANE NEWS carried a photograph showing ‘Rebel Captain FRANK FIORINI" holding a weapon over a mag3 grave in Cuba. 4 Cn January 6, 1969, Me T-2, who is well acquainted with: FIORINI and many of his Cuban comrades, advised that, . PIORINI was then in Cuba with the rebel forces of FIDEL. On March 2, 1959, MM T-2 reported FIORINI was serving as a Captain in thé Cuban Army in Cuba and was algo. eerving ag a gG.exrnment inspector of ganbling at the Tropicana Night Club in ‘Havana. on May 26, 1959, MM 1-3, a Cuban who was then serving. with the Revolutionary Air Force in Cuba, advised that FIORINI was then serving as an investigator for the Revolutionary Air Force, which was under che command of Major PEDRO LUIS DIAZ LAN2, with whom FIORINI had formerly been. associated SECRET .~4-
MEN IEE MC tomcat ane rain® ping otk CAAT Pa ARR TATE EG ae ha STR Oe cele emtane saan oe a8 ene a ely i poss t Lh a EY FRANK ANTHONY STURGIS. oe a | tn Ment in emuggiing guns from the United states to Guba. : re : When Major DIAZ. LANZ defected from the CASTRO’ - dn June, 1959, FIORINI, who had already established a: government after denouncing FIDEL CASTRO aga Communist. | temporary residence in Miami as a representative of the ' ‘Revolucionary “Air Force, remained in Miami-where he con- _ tinued close association with DIAZ LANZ,° On October 21, 1959, DIAZ LANZ, accompanied. by ‘Several companions, made an anti-CASTRO léaflet dropping _¥aid over Havana, Cuba, in a B-25 plane. Immediately after the raid, FIORINI admitted that he had participated | in the raid and had served as co-pilot of the plane. On April. 26, 1960, Immigration and Naturaliza- tion Service (INS), Miami, advised that expatriation hear- . ings had been held by that service, relative to FIORINI. “It was held that FIORINI had voluntarily expatriated him- Self as a citizen of the United States because of his services in the armed forces in Cuba subsequent to January 1,°1959. —_ The Passport Office of U.S. State Department. “alae decreed that FIORINI had expatriated himself under Section 349 (a)(3) of the INS act by accepting on March £3, 1959, an appdéintment by the Cuban Air Force as liaison officer between the Cuban Air Force and the United ~ States Air Force. A certificate of loss of nationality was approved on January 29, 1960. However, on March 18, 1961 the MIAMI NEWS catried an article captioned "Cuban Entanglement - FRANK FIORINI Cicizénship Restored after 14 Months." This article reflected that FIORINI's SECRET _ -5-
14-00000 oy 8 MI Ne tnt pa do rie encores an fy AS FRANK ANTHONY STURGIS ‘sEcaET —_ a te - a citizenship had been restored and FIORINI had been 80 | . motified by’ ‘the: Department of Justice” on, Match 14, 1961. Investigation in January, 1961, ‘reflected that : PLORINI had. ‘formed an organization known as the Inter- national Brigade, and-had.set up a canp located “40 miles ‘from Miami, occupled by 16 individuals. However, by - January 21, 1961, this camp had been’ deserted by its occupants... On September 14, 1961, WILLIAM JOHNSON, a United States. citizen and adventurer, who ‘lives in Miami, advised that in January or February, 1961, FIORINI was. among 4 group.of 5 individuals who made two unsuccessful. attempts to fly into Cuba in order to discharge certain passengers. On July 1, 1962, ‘@ firm known as the Hampton. Roads Salvage Corporation, 1524 N.W. 17th Avenue, Miami, applied.to U.S. Customs for approval to change the clasai- fication of a veasel, the "Q 0 USA," from pleasure to com- mercial use. ‘The -application was - signed by FRANK STURGIS. Newspaper reports subsequently reflected that FIORINI in July, 1962, claimed that he had trained 20 Cuban guerrillas and had made a successful landing by ‘boar in Cuba's Matanzaa Provinée. MM T-2 reported on July 17, 1962 that FIORINI had taken “a group of male in- dividuals, ‘including several unidentified newspaper men; - ‘to the Keys of Florida, where they made some atill photo- ‘graphs for publicity purposes. The individuals photo- graphed ware in combat clothing and they simulated a combat maneuver. SECRET | -6-
74-00000 I I, | 2 nym wenn perme  Sa ahASPCSAYP ey 9 “ bets 9 3 ‘I On. April 55, 1963. U. 1S. Customé Service, Miamt, seiged an American ‘motor vessel, ‘the VIOLYN’ 11, on, grounds there was probable cause to believe that arms | and munitions of “war had been exported | OF ‘removed. from ; “this vessel had ‘been ‘purchaged by ALEXANDER I: RORKE, ‘@ United States citizen, newspaper photographer and. ‘ad-, venturer, who had been closely associated with FIORENI in - antie CASTRO activities. (RORKE disappeared ‘in 1963 after _ departing South Florida by plane on a trip to Mexico, and ia, presumed to be dead. ) FRANK: FIORINI: and WILLIAM JOHNSON advised U.S. Customs that due to arrangements made with RORKE, they had committed this boat to the use of an anti- CASTRO’ organ: ization known 4s Los Pinos Nuevos. They admitted that they had loaded: the. veasel ‘with three 100 pound bombs, and proceeded: to- Norman Key in the Bahama ‘Islands, where the bombs were hidden, pursuant to a plan for a later. attack againat Cuba. However, these plans went awry: after. the VIOLYN III was. seized by the. British in April, 1963, in’ the Bahamas with 17 Cuban- bound anti- CASTRO exile raiders aboard. — on april ?, 1964 FIORINI admitted that he was _the founder -of che anti- “CASTRO organization known as the: futernational Anti- Communist Brigade (ACB). - on } May 13, 1964, MM ‘T- 2 atated that the IACB is a paper organization 3et up by FICRINI-in order to collect funds for his pergonal benefit and gain. MN T-2 said that FIORINEI is an American ‘solider of fortune, adventurer and SECRET -7-
$4-00000 3 Ame ona er ep ater arate ih atari Bi emis MPa Cpigtan, he frente Y Cm Pee nme ge nate ne tn ate Oot etree tine Mead A ¢ d. od a i. FRANK ANTHONY. STURGIS — _ ~ SECRET. a “mercenary , who. has made a living out of Cuban revolutionary Activities, “ane ‘deceives: Cubans by attespting to sell’ them Arne which he dees not own. oo on May: 25, 1964; “pIoRINI admitted that the IACB conetate: ‘Of: only a handful of members and has no finances. - . Investigation during: the past! several years has reflected that FIORINI ‘has developed the reputation. among hts fellow anti-CASTRO assoctates in Miami-as being a © ' braggart, a iiar and a suspected informer fot various investigative. agencies. -He 18 also a publicity Seeker and ia frequently quoted | in the Miami newspapers | yelative to the Cuban aituation. ; . . At the present time he has practically no follow- ing among the, anti- “CASTRO Cuban exiles in Miami. This document contains neither recommendations nor con- clusions of the FBE, It ia the property: of che FBI and is loaned to your agency; it and its contents are not to be. distributed oatelde your ag ency. * SECRET - § * £S copy
rn i 4 . CD BA one a : _ UNITED. STATES DEPARTMENT. OF. JUSTICE: Le ar eo Pe FEDERAL BUREAU or INVESTICATION | , : ; he Miami, “Plorida arr \ : . a FRANK ANTHONY STURGIS, also known ‘ag: J. Tle Frank Fiorini, Fred. Frank Fibrini, | 3 . Frank Attila, Fred ‘Attila, Frank: be _ Campbell ~ INTERNAL SECURITY = CUBA | Character NEUTRALITY MATTERS | o ce ‘Reference memorandum dated and captioned as : oO, All sources (except any ldeted “pelow) whose identities _ are concealed in referenced coumunication have unished reliable: infomation. dn the past. : iS CORN Thies document coniaing netther recommendations HOF conclusions of the PBI. tt is the preperty ofthe FBI aad is loaned te your agency; it and ate contents are nat te be distributed ouralde your agency. aN,