Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (42 USC ZIU7 Hotey- ; DATE: 31-14-2017" , 4 -2- . \ roe Panama. It has been reported that the reason Panama is used for these purposes is that in Panama the day of incorporation can be backdated to any date the incorporator desires. Among companies with which Hopps has had some connection and which are not described in the chronology of IBT Bonding, are: Draftsmen Underwriters Agency: a personal service corpora- tion to give advice and act as insurance broker. ‘The company was going to move to California in 1960. Exchange Cabush Underwriters, Brotherhood Building, Kansas City: a small concern in which Hopps in May 1960 is . liquidating his interest. ‘Exchange Casualty and Surety Company: Hopps had an arrange- ment with them in an advisory capacity and, although Exchange wanted to pay him directly, Hopps wanted to receive the fees through Affiliated Brokers, Inc. because of income tax difficulties. Tropical Holdings, Inc.: Hopps said he had no interest in this company but had borrowed money from.it to purchase a house. The mortgage was held by Republic National Bank and Hopps paid the company back through the U. S. Marine Company, 44 Wall Street. (Although Charles Bray had admitted having a 75% interest in this company, Hopps maintained that Bray did not have any interest in the company and felt sure that he, Hopps, would know if Bray did have. Hopps has listed his bank accounts as follows: Manufacturers Trust Company, New York, N. Y. (checking) First National. Bank, San Raphael, California (wife's checking) No other accounts and no safety deposit boxes. =. Stewart Hopps (1960 address: 2 Cliff Road, Belvedere, California, GE 5-4889; office: c/o Ehrlich, 333 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, California, GA 1-4530; 44 Wall Street, New York City, but not after May 31, 1960). In May 1960 Hopps said he first met Charley Bray (in June 1960 Hopps said he had known Bray for sometime). Hopps had known Bray's father. Hopps contacted Bray soliciting reinsurance. Doclda: 32329636 Page 7
Teased “ander the. John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 19927 (44 USC 2107 Hote; .- DATE: 41-14- 2017 BS ! Qo / { APPENDIX B | we Copy of anonymous letter to this Department, postmarked Chicago, Illinois, April 30, 1962, 2 p.m., with return address Moore, Case, Lyman and Hubbard, 175 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois. The Irwin Weiner-American Bonding Agency~ Teamsters Bond-Guaranty Bank-Bray-Central Casualty-Crime Syndicate tieups In 1959 the Bond required of the Teamsters Union officials and employees under the.terms of the Magnum-Griffin act was written by the Summitt Insurance Company. The broker of record was the American Bonding Agency of Chicago which is headed by Irwin Weiner. The Chicago Tribune and other papers claimed that Weiner was a well known partner and associate of gangsters and insinuated that Allen Dorfman, Hoffa's favorite broker, and perhaps Hoffa himself were sharing in commissions estimated at close to $1,000,000. The "heat" on the Summitt Insurance Company was too great for a that company's owners to stand. (The Allen Blank-Reserve Insurance Company group). They cancelled the Teamsters bond ' and cancelled the "General Agency" authority which Weiner- American Bonding Agency held for the writing of bail bonds nationwide. Weiner and his associates were desperate for a market. Charles W. Bray, President of Central Casualty Company of Illinois, President of Homer Bray Service Inc. (a General Agency) and President of Oxford Agency, Inc. (a local agency) developed a market via the. United Benefit Fire Insurance Company of Omaha, Nebraska. Bray's company, the Central, took heavy reinsurance but it could not "front" the Teamsters Bond because it was not on the U. S. Treasury Approved List. The deal that Weiner and his associates made with Bray was that Bray's Oxford Agency would get the entire commission on the Teamsters Bond but that Bray would secure for Weiner-American Bonding Agency a nationwide Bail Bond General Agency for both United Benefit and Central Casualty at extraordinarily high commissions (60%‘on the published basic 2% rate and the right to keep 100% of anything above the published rate that they x could gouge out of customers) \ Taran RET ENOL 3 Doclda: 32329636 Page 6
| / Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992? (44 USC 3107 Hotes. DATE:. 41-14-2017 u ; ‘ O  - . O ~2. Bray to have no interest in the Bail Bond General Agency. Things went as planned and Bray, quite truthfully, testified before Examiners of the McClellan Committee that he and his family were the sole owners of Oxford Agency and that Oxford Agency was the sole broker on the Teamsters Bond. The loss record on the Teamsters Bond was excellent and the loss record on the Bail Bond business was even better. United Benefit, Central Casualty, Oxford Agency, American Bonding Agency, Bray and Weiner were all doing well and 1960 saw a great intimacy growing up between the Bray and Weiner groups and insur- ance activities between them expanded to Taxicabs, Financial Guar- antee Bonds, Mortgage Guarantees, Contractors Completion Bonds, etc. Central Casualty and the Bray interests needed more capital to handle these lines and so did United Benefit, whose then President, Karl Cefry, was an intimate friend of Bray. Weiner arranged for a $200,000 loan to the Bray group from the Exchange National Bank of Chicago secured by a Guaranty Bond of United Benefit and then later for a $150,000 loan from the Southmoor Bank (now Guaranty Bank) of Chicago secured by the pledge of Central Casualty stock. . . Bray's Vice President Jim Egan also negotiated a $150,000 loan from the Pan American Bank of Miami, which loan was also secured by Guaranty Bond of United Benefit. The capital of both Central Casualty and United Benefit was increased, Central's largely by indirect subscriptions from those who did the borrowing and United's in part from this method. In 1961 things began to go bad. The Teamsters Bond and the Bail Bond bubiness remained very profitable from an underwriting stand- * point but the orthodox agents of both Central and United Benefit began drawing away from these carriers because of the "gangster types" with whom they were forced to deal. The loss record on the taxicab business was horrible and the claims under financial guarantee and contractors bonds, tremendous. © The Chicago Tribune and other papers started a campaign against Irwin Weiner as being the front for Crime Syndicate ownership of a Chicago Lard Processing firm "Twin Foods of Illinois". Court action over the licensing of Twin Foods ensued and the courts held that “unsavory ownership and affiliations" had been proved. at Docld:32329636 Page 9
DATE: 41-14-2017 [are under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1997 (44 USC 2107 Hotey. S a and this time he was ordered to have the Central Casualty Company. . : NY -3- . The Company's license was refused and the papers shrieked about Weiner and his Crime Syndicate pals--Sam-(Tootsie) Bataglia, Milwaukee Phil Alderesio, Joey Acaro, etc. They tied in the American Bonding Agency and rehashed the Teamsters Bond situation. This was too much for the British controlling stockholders of United Benefit. In May 1961 they fired the company's President, Earl Cefry, and cancelled all contracts with the Bray, Central Casualty, Oxford Agency, American Bonding Agency group. Bray was able to replace the Teamsters Bond with the Resolute Insurance Company of Rhode Island, through that Company's President (Morganstern of Hartford) and to once again get heavy reinsurance back for Central Casualty Insurance Company. The United Benefit gave an extension of six months for the Bray- Weiner group to get a new market on Bail Bonds and meanwhile Bray's Central Casualty Insurance Company granted 100% to United ‘Benefit. : All other classes were cancelled by United Benefit. Without United Benefit's help the Bray group simply did not have . enough resources to weather the storm caused by loss of agency plant, terrific losses on taxicab fleets, financial guarantee bonds, contractors bonds, etc. and they rapidly approached insolvency. Weiner and his associates saw "the handwriting on the wall" and began to make moves to protect themselves. Charles Bray was ordered to appear at a meeting which was Chairmaned by Milwaukee Phil Alderesio, flanked by several sinister "guards" (sic!). At this meeting Bray was instructed to sign his Oxford Agency stock in blank and turn same over to Irwin Weiner. . There was a considerable display of 48's and a very blood curdling . discussion as to what would happen to Bray and his family if he did not obey. Bray signed and at a later meeting held in the offices of Harris & Burnham, control of the Oxford Agency was turned over to:Weiner and his associates. (i.e. control and ownership of the commissions on the Teamsters Bonds). A little later Bray was instructed to appear at another meeting F Docld:32329636 Page 10