a - + te eee eee es we omens ¢ etemee cbiceet they have continually eluded the investigations to which they have been subject throughout the 1960's and which continue presently. : McWILLIE, LEWIS J.: was a pitboss, first in the Tropicana Casino, ten in the Riviera Casino, in Havana in the late 1950's and early 1960's. His associates, according to FBI reports, included Meyer and Jake Lansky, Santos Trafficante, Dino Cellini and Benny Binion. McWillie was a very close friend of Jack Ruby. The two were purportedly involved in a number of smuggling and gun running operations in Cuba, Las Vegas and elsewhere. ; PANITZ, MEYER: was associated with Jack Ruby and Lewis McWillie. FBI reports indicate that in the summer of 1959 McWillie } called Panitz in Miami Beach from Havana to say that Ruby had just visited him in Havana and that Ruby was now proce- ding to Miami Beach. Another report indicates that "Panitz contacted Ruby at Wolfies Restaurant, 21 Sheet and Collins, Miami Beach, Florida." In 1963, Panitz worked as a box man at the Thunderbird Casino where McWillie was also working. PATRICK, LENNY: like Dave Yaras, was a Mafia assassin and a long- time friend of Jack Ruby. He, along with Yaras, was mentioned in the Warren Commission testimony of Ruby's sister, Eva Grant. ROTHMAN, NORMAN "ROUGHHOUSE": was a Chicago gangster who used to to work for Santos Trafficante in Trafficante's San Souci Casino. He was, according to certain reports, the original liaison between the Mafia and the CIA in their mutual efforts to assassinate Fidel Castro. It has been reported that Rothman offered a contract on Castro to Frank Sturgis while he was acting as Castro's conduit with the casinos in Havena. Sturgis has denied the allegation. Later, Rothman reportedly worked with John Roselli on the CIA-Mafia assassination plots. Rothman ran guns to pro-Castro forces in 1958; then later ran guns to pro-Batista forces. In 1960, he was indicted for interstate transportation of stolen firearms. Rothman is currently in Haiti with Michael McLaney at one of McLaney's nightclubs.” SHIMON, JOSEPH: In September, 1975 Joseph Simon testified before the Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with respect to Intelligence Activities. Shimon stated that Shortly before the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, he had accompanied Sam Giancana and John Roselli to Miami. He stated that he had been present when CIA officials passed poisen pills to Roselli and Giancana for use in assassinating Castro. Shimon also indicated to the Committee that Robert Maheu told him that John Roselli was handling all of the details of the Castro assassination attempts, that it was "Johnny's contract." Shimon also stated that Giancana had told him that Nahzu's involvement in the CIA-Mafia efforts was self-serving,
xetercnce CORY, JFK Collection: HSCA (RG 233 — that he was, in fact, "conning the hell out of the CLA..." Shimon is currently living in the Washington, D.C. area. TRAFFICANTE, SANTOS: was and is a powerful Mafia leader whose personal empire includes most of Florida and whose case of Operations is Tampa. From late 1960 until late 1962, Traffi- cante served as organized crime coordinator of the CIA-Mafia conspiracies to assassinate Fidel Castro. The report of the Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with respect to Intelligence Activities states that in September or October of 1960, "Roselli introduced Maheu to two individuals on whom Roselli intended to rely: 'Sam Gold' who would serve as a "back-up' man, or "key man,' and 'Joe,' who 'Gold' said would serve as a courier to Cuba and make arrangements there." The Senate Committee further stated that "Sam Gold" was Sam Giancana and that "Joe" was Santos Trafficante. In 1976 a reporter with connections in Miami's Cuban exile community reported that Jose Aleman,.an influential anti- Castroite, stated that Trafficante told him, at a September 1962 meeting that Kennedy was "going to be hit." Trafficante has appeared before the House Select Committee On Assassinations where he declined to answer questions relating to his involvement in the Castro assassination plots Or to his alleged fore-knowledge of the Kennedy assassination. WEINER, IRWIN: was, in 1963, a Chicago bail bondsman with alleged ties to organized crime. The Warren Commission's investigation of Jack Ruby's telephone calls revealed a 12-minute call from Weiner to Ruby on October 26, 1963. In 1975 Weiner was charged with fraud in connection with the Teamsters pension- fund case but was acquitted,He is presently in the Chicago area. YARAS, DAVE: was a Mafia assassin who had a long association with Jack Ruby. The relationship came to the attention of the Warren Commission initially through the testimony of Ruby's sister, Eva Grant. The FBI questioned Yaras, who confirmed his friendship with Ruby as well as that with Lenny Patrick. However, the FBI did not question Yaras on his own Mafia activities and accepted deadpan yaras' statement that he doubted that Ruby had any Mafia connections. The McClellan Senate Committee investigation of organized crime heard testimony indicating that Yaras had been involved in the establishment of the Mafia's gambling operations in Havana and that he had been involved with the corrupt Teamsters Local 320 in Miami. Yaras is currently living in the Miami area.
Sahai UY et ERK Collections HSCA (RG 233) ae ee SO SS Ameena ss SNES F, st etlemm pelacissnsin CRIMALDI, CHARLES: was a Mafia hit man who testified 2t the trial Of Tony Esposito, where he detailed Mafia activities in Chicago. Crimaldi is Currently working for the FBI. Crimaldi States that he was present at the Mafia's "funeral meeting” at which Paul Ricca ordered members of the Chicago Syndicate not to get involved in the Castro assassinatio= plot business. Crimaldi states that he was once approached by the Central Intelligence Agency and offered employmen+ as 2 contract killer in Europe. Crimaldi has spoken wit ™ -onters of the Select Committee on Assassinations staff. He hes described CIA involvement with Organized crime and has stated that, to his knowledge, Jimmy Hoffa worked with Sam Giamcana to plan the assassination of Fidel Castro. He does not believe, however, that Hoffa was involved in the Kennedy assassination. Crimaldi speculated as to the cause of Charles Nicoletti's death, feeling that it was linked to Nicoletti's knowledge of CIA-Mafia assassination plots. However, he statted that he had no knowledge of Nicoletti's involvement in or knowledge of, the Kennnedy assassination.