Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1997 (44 USC Fil? Hote. DATE: 11-14-2017 JFK Assassination System Date: =. 5/19/201 Identification Form Agency Information AGENCY: FBI RECORD NUMBER: = 124-10287-10358 RECORD SERIES: HQ AGENCY FILENUMBER:  92-6054-2051, 2052 ae Document Information ORIGINATOR: FBI FROM: SAC, SD TO: DIRECTOR, FBI TITLE: DATE: 07/10/1967 “PAGES: 12 SUBJECTS : LCN, ASSOC, ARREST, NARCOTICS, GAMBLING, PHOTO, TRA, RES, TEST, SUBPOENA, FGJ DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION: — Unclassified RESTRICTIONS: 4 CURRENT STATUS: Redact DATE OF LASTREVIEW: 07/08/1998 OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE > COMMENTS: INC MEMO v9. 10 Docld: 32305275 Page 1 :
2 ~ on on oe = ~ o~ “ee boa ~ oo we ae Approved: . Docld: 32305275 Page 2?
SD 92-229 informant advised he had no information =o LCN involvement in YOUNGNAP case. informant was cally asked concerning posasesiity of WK JO. » PBI No. 313 999 C, 4 1 the ageles Division, having y, as set out in Los Angele ITA last visite Dp qganigeakesiey 3 nse Cadillac a caught fire and burned, VEL $1,500 insurance money rather than have car repaire. informant was of the impression VELOTTA in need of money at this time and speclalizes in burglaries only. Stated VELOTTA owns a ten-unit apartment house in the greater Los Angeles area. On one occasion while vieiting in Los Angeles, VELOTTA showed apartment house to informant, and informant recalled driving through Coldwater Canyon and possibly into San Fernando Valley area, where apartment house located, From comments made by VELOTTA, informant believes he purchased the apartment house and possibly some private homes ae an investment with other associates. informant believed two of these assoclates were RAY FPERRITTO and JULIUS PETRO. Informant stated VELOTTA is an expert burglar operating with different ofan ans out of the Cleveland area. nd AL st laa FIGER Diced agony was GERALD JOSEPH COVELLI. Informant emphasized that VELOTTA him in San Diego occasionally for the past £ discuss with him his efforts to keep from be to Florida on a burglary charge, hoping that would have contacts through SANTO TRAPFICANTE, LCN s in Florida, to pay off some pubite officials in Graae te wall Docld: 32305275 Page 3
SD 92-229 ion process. ae also ne sag _— re pores . ti ae ent daantiriee AL "POLIZZI as "ALFRED POLIZZI. of ce. 1 eae clgwaeen es ci boss bee  .. now ord ba return voluntarily ‘to Florida ans genau a ‘aug the local burglary charge Oulstanding against VEL would not serve more than six months in jail. in aceordance with Los Angeles teletype sedgroo 3 forth VELOTTA as a possible suspect in YOUNGNA was questioned further regarding any convers ions he had with VELOTTA. Informant could not recall | mentioning gore Higa CARABB Ls | and CHARLES RABPIA, Cleveland hoodlums. He oo not recall VELOPTA mentioning Cleveland fence TONY BUFFA, Informant had no information connecting VELOTTA with purglary of drugs valued at $429,575 at Franklin Park, Illinois on 5/22/67 from E. R. Squibb & Son. Informant further advised he had no information of VELOTTA recently visiting Cleveland, and from comments of VELOTTA, be doubted that VELOTTA had been back in Cleveland recently. Informant streesed his opinion that VELOTTA is an expert burglar, specializing in getting around burglar alarm systems, and would not be involved in a crime of violence if he could possibly avoid it. Informant was not aware of any other contacts of VELOTTA in the San Diego area and stated that VELOITA spends most of his time these days in the Los An nd identified some of his companions as HAY oO, JULIUS and MIKE PETRO, NICK VALENTI, and NICK TIRABASSI in the Los Angeles « A Docld: 32305275 Page 4
hese are all cs giornoaneie wines he 2 ' anc are not friends of the _. informant stated that his association with VELOTTA is mot close enough to have detailed information | regarding burglaries being pulled by VELOTTA and his gang. Informant advised that wien VELOTTA contacts him again, he — will attempt to bring up the subject of YOUNGNAP money to determine af VELOTTA has any information of value. Re: JOHN ROSELLI informant indicated he has been in recent conver- Sation with BOGE) Onger ge plans to go to Chicago, and therefore informant assumes — sAM GIANCANA, aka Mooney, might not be returning to Chicago. (Note that in last contact with informant, he indicated the possibility that GIANCANA would be returning to Chicago in about a month.) informant speculated that GIANCANA might have decided against returning to Chicage after receiving reports regarding subpoenas being issued for PRANK LA PORTE and other Chicago Helghts hoodlums being subpoenaed before the Pederal Grand Jury at San Diego. Informant stated he has had a meeting with his "eapo,” JOE ADAMO, and has been informed that LCN boss FRANK DESIMONE will not allow the informant to ‘cut in’ on the gambling operations of NICK SIMPONIS in the Palm Springs, California area, DESIMONE sent word to the informant through ADAMO that when SIMPONIS opened his new card an Cabazon, California, he had an wnderstanding with DESI” : bh Los Angeles famlly would leave him alone and pal -. $40,000 to the LON leadership to leave him alone. claims he 1s now going to honor this agreement and re Fuses | to give the informant eee to muscle in on SIMPONIS's operation, II. _——-SAN_ FRANCISCO DIVISION Re: JIMMY FRATIANNO : Docld: 32305275 Page 5
sp 92-229 t he has been in recent th ON has notified che result fi wanting then pepo state cherges in EL Sante, California. Informant stated that in conversations with PRATIANNO, I made no statement to indicate that he is aware of CASPERSON's present location. informant was specifically requested to bring up CASPERSON's name in his next conversation with FRATIANNO, since both he and FRATIANNO knew CASPERSON in prison, Informant advised that he intended to do this but forgot to OO BO. iil. CHICAGO DIVISION Informant still had no information regarding bomb murder of GERALD JOSEPH COVELLI at Encino, California on 6/18/67. ( COVELLE former Chica hood.Lum and gave testimony against JIMMY “Monk” ALLEGR the Chicago family.) It is noted Lm murdered at Encino, California on 6/18/67, FP ORTE Chicago was with the informant at San — alt ipe to ‘bestify before the Federal Grand Jury. Informant stated that LA PORTE's reaction to the killing was one of surprise, and that he did not thin LA PORTE knew anything about it. Informant had no inf or- mation indicating that COVELLI's murder was an | He speculated, however, that 1t cou — and that LA PORTE would not necessarily be was involved in it himself. he Docld: 32305275 Page 6
SD 92-229 dn accordance with New Orleans request by letter 6/5/67, the informant was questioned regarding ‘CO PAOLO COPPOLA, aka "Three-~Finger Frank.” Informant isa about o* ees association with COPPOLA and in informant has kmown COPPOLA for many years and was on a very friendly basis with him. He was awa pa COPPOLA is now living in Italy and claimed that CoO very wealth Stated that in the past COPPOLA has “a him to visit “bam in Italy, but he has never done so. Stated that many years ago COPPOLA lived for a while in Los Angeles when JACK I. DRAGNA was LCN boss in southern California, (It is noted in New Orleans reports on COPPOLA that he was booked at Los Angeles County Jail on 7/1/31 and 10/27/31 for operating a still. Informant confirmed that COPPOLA was very active in the international narcotics traffic between Italy and Detroit. He talked about COPPOLA having moved to Louisiana and becoming involved in gambling at New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Loulsiana with SILVESTRO CARROLLO. He talked about COPPOLA eventually becoming involved in his Louisiana gambling operations with RANK COSTELLO, the former Commission member residing in New York City. Informant related a story that during that time he accompanied JACK I, DRAGNA from Los Angeles to New York City for a meeting with the Commission. At that time PRANK COSTELLO was attempting to get Commission approval for a eontract killing on COPPOLA. Informant stated that h himself got into a nasty verbal exchange with CC because COSTELLO objected to informant calling | first name, His remarks to COSTELLO were so int that his boss, JACK I. DRAGNA, and the Detroit bos “ERILLI, who was present, cooled it off and sent the home to San Diego. Informant was very critical of referring to him as a “phony” whose only erime of 5 violence was probably the one that obtained LCN m for him. He advised that the outcome of the meeting COPPOLA's favor, ~6- Docld: 32305275 Page ?F
age ara after this heggpui sag an ed ne incident whe. e ‘and some of these Ss were arrested by Mexican police. He stated that of Ghose arrested were not LCN members, but were simply Ita ans from Siclly waiting in Tijuana for permission t Jnited States. He stated that at the t : t was 4 lot of publicity, and that the 1: im ase Up with some of the LCN members vi ie with COPPOLA in Tijuana. ; He was epecifically questioned about GALLO of San Diego, who was arrested with the ¢ Mexican authorities. He stated that GALLO was a in Sean Diego and an old friend of his who accom to Mexico and was not an LON member. He advised that GALLO a8 now deceased, Informant advised that during this period Ww he was visiting COPPOLA in Tijuana, he met a ‘Colonel who at that time was 4 high official in a narcotics 1 enforcement agency, Informant could not recall if it was a federal or possibly a New York state narcotics law enforcement agency. Informant advised that on one a i wolle all — —_ were Fons : n a San Piece | ‘eapo. | was only three . old, and. inside informant. From that WHITE was acquainted called WILLIE MOORE (Phonetic). formant clad then deduced the LCN boss in New ge de "WILL must be WHITE!s informant, for WHITE to kmmow ebout ¢& informant's “capo” status so soon. Informant claimed that he notified — and they demanded an investigation of <7. Docld: 32305275 Page &
’ Released-under the-John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 Us¢ 2107 Hote DATE: 11-14-2017 - p GSA FPMR (41 CFR) 101-11.6 NC 4 UNITED STATES GOMERNMENT | | Memorandum | TO : DIRECTOR, FBI (92-6054) DATE: 7/13/67 FROM ‘ME , MILWAUKEE (92-262) - P - ! LA COSA NOSTRA (LCN) ij AR - CONSPIRACY | a 00: New York , ~ SUBJECT: ot Re San Diego airtel to Bureau,. 6/28/67, On 7/11/67, ‘MI 623-C-TE, who is described as a-hoodlum who has furnished reliable information in the past, advised SA CARLYLE N. REED at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as follows with pb reference to " FRANCISCO{BALISTRIERT; Ska Big Frank: CAT. Informant knows of no close ties at the present time between BIG FRANK BALISTRIERI and his two sons who operate a bar somewhere in the San Diego, California area or nearby with ot e relatives of BIG FRANK in Milwaukee such as FRANK PETER ‘ Waisstarans - Milwaukee LCN boss, FRANK's brother PETER 1S Ss — J . ’ TRIERI, or his father JOSEPRARALISTRIERI. Ue BIG FRANK was a member of the Milwaukee LCN family. He is reportedly in poor health and apparently does not make . visits back to Milwaukee as far as the informant knows. D (2)- Bureau (AM) (RM) (92-6054) 2 ~ San Diego (AM) (RM) (92-229)(1 ~ 137-1088) 2 - Milwaukee (92-262) . (1 - 137-1318) CNR/kaj (6) eit | Re 5, 7222 OS QOS! 18 JUL 17 1967 ° @ \} , a" M4 y IT aad nab (=e B ae i, 5010-108-01 ~ Docld: 32305275 Page 93 ,