AGENCY : RECORD NUMBER : RECORD SERIES : AGENCY FILE NUMBER : ORIGINATOR : FROM: TO: TITLE: DATE: PAGES: SUBJECTS : DOCUMENT TYPE : CLASSIFICATION : RESTRICTIONS : CURRENT STATUS : DATE OF LAST REVIEW : OPENING CRITERIA : COMMENTS : v9.1 Docld: 32332055 Page 1 JFK Assassination System Identification Form Agency Information FBI 124-90100-10273 HQ / 52-72398-207 Document Information FBI PG HQ 09/22/1959 7. JOSEPH RAYMOND MEROLA STUART SUTOR PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT Unclassified 4 Redact 07/29/1998 APPROVAL OF ATF AT Date: 6/2/2015
Date: 9/22/59 Transmit the following in “Via AIR TEL ; TO: DIRECTOR, FBI (52-72398) H (glo rRon: SAC, PITTSBURGH (52-1687) Fike SUBJECE: STUAR’ SUTOR; etal TGP; ITSP; FFA; NM - CONSPIRACY yi 00; CLEVELAND é } Re New York airtels 8/12,20 and 27/59, relating to ARNOLD } RAYBER and Newark airtel 8/19/59, concerning — CHARLES COLLE . Attached for New York and Newark are photographs of JOSEPH MEROLA, NORMAN ROTHMAN, VICTOR CARLUCCI, JOSEPH GIORDANO, DANIEL HANNA and STUART SUTOR all under indictment in this case. In addition a photograph of Pittsburgh National Top Hoodlum SAM MANNARINO is enclosed for Newark together with a Letterhead memorandum which summarizes results Ss of the investigation to date. AY TASh FORGE , . “ye 2 “3 i - a £ van aa 1¥ bak R RS Ww GB - Bureau 4 Va fy ; \ “2= Cleveland (52- yt) a 5 |4& « ae 2Q-- Miami (52-3290) oa cand \ / 1 - Philadelphia (Info) (525 oe Vo VAL ERG aw PU 2 - New York (52- 2814) nel gf RELEASE IN PAMT 2 - Newark (52-3663) (Encl. . TAL DENAL | 2 - Washington Field Office (aa 5612) PITAL UE eh 2 - Pittsburgh (52-1687) REC. 19 RGD: cmg Nee fA 2h — / (16) at | Be UEP OR 1089 ON 9 ay ty boos ALL INFORMATION CONTAINE ED ade od io /) HEREIN 1S BECLASSIMED OS DATE gjs|oa BY 52-2 TAP|OR on) Docld: 32332055 Page 2?
PG 52-1687 For the benefit of Washington Field Office referenced airtels contained information furnished to the New York Office by ARNOLD RAYBER, Brooklyn, N. Y. gun dealer, who was contacted by. JOSEPH MEROLA in 9/58 in connection with purchasing large quantities of arms and ammunition for the Cuban rebellion. The most important disclosure by RAYBER was information dealing with CHARLES COLLE, owner and operator of the Millville Weapons Corp., in Union, N.-J. RAYBER reported tha COLLE knew where he could purchase part of the Canton Armory loot and claimed it would be necessary to meet the seller of the weapons in Washington, D. C. RAYBER turned this informa- tion over to: the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division soon. after he talked with COLLE but nothing further developed and it is only recently that the New York office discovered this ‘situation. For the benefit of New York and Newark, Pittsburgh has not made any recent arrests in the TGP category — involving persons’ or weapons described by RAYBER's source of information. The only arrest RAYBER's source might have referred to involves the apprehension of Pittsburgh Top Hoodlum SAM MANNARINO on~7/2/59 in the case captioned, "BERNARD J, EZHAYA: etal - ITSP - MT." MANNARINO was taken into qustody by Bureau Agents in his office at the Ken Iron and Steel Co., a scrap yard in New Kensington, Pa. The location of the arrest is pointed out since RAYBER's source mentioned one of the people near the alleged weapons shipment worked in a quarry. . As a matter of information weapons stolen from the National Guard Armory, Canton, Ohio, did not have the ‘appearance of new equipment nor were there any Thompson submachine guns or flame throwers taken during the burglary. Consequently, the Ml rifles seen by RAYBER's source may or may not be part of the armory weapons. ~ 2. } Docld:32332055 Page 3
PG 52- 1687 Because of the uncertainty of the situation at present Pittsburgh is not in the position to advise the New York office as to. the action to be taken by RAYBER, although close contact should be maintained with him in the future. In the event RAYBER develops information a through his. source that will identify the shipment in question as part of the Armory loot, it will be | necessary to contact the Bureau. pefore deciding upon. a particular course of action to be taken, os The situation regarding CHARLES COLLE, however, should be the subject of immediate investigation in view of. his disclosure to RAYBER about being able to meet the, seller of the Canton Armory weapons in Washington, D. C. Since RAYBER says, COLLE: disclosed this information approximately one month after RAYBER's original contact with MEROLA in New York City, the date would be somewhere .between 10/24 and 10/26/58 . It is recalled that on 10/26/58 , SUTOR made his first flight. Quy. of the Allegheny Valley Airport presumedly with the first | load of weapons stolen from the Armory in. @anton.. Newark, New York and Washington Field Office: should note the following sequence of events since they appear to indicate the strong possibility that COLLE may have met ee with SAM MANNARINO in Washington, D. C., sometime in vd late 10/58. Miami Office has developed information that S. MARINO, not further described, but who is undoubtedly identical with SAM MANNARINO, was aboard Eastern Airlines Flight No. 985 on 10/24/58 from Washington, D. C., to Miami, Fla. Ynis flight left Washington at 10:10 P.M., and arrived in Miami at 12:37 A.M... 10/25/58. -It is. important to note that on 10/25/58, at 1:36 A.M., SAL _ MANN who has been positively identified as SAM MANNARINO registered at the Sea Gull Hotel in Miami Beach, Fla. Miami has. pointed out that there is a 59 minute differential between the arrival of MARINO in Miami on Eastern Airlines and the check-in time of SAL MANN. at the Sea Gull Hotel. Miami points out that - 3- | Docld: 32332055 Page 4
PG 52-1687 Photographs of subjects under indictment in this case and the photograph of SAM MANNARINO should be shown to COLLE and every effort should be meéde to obtain a Signed statement fully denying ” ‘the Person he was to meet im Washingtony. Ds Cam oA ces me New York is asked to re-contact ARNOLD RAYBER; | -ataplay enclosed photographs and in addition determine ~ whether. COLLE gave RAYBER any indication that he followed through on the meeting with the seller in Washington D. C, Suairtel results Newark. Miami - AUSA DANIEL SNYDER, Western District of Pennsyvania, has advised that he considers it quite important that Miami continue efforts to have JOE MEROLA brought face to face with CHARLES F., SMITH. — Consequently Miami is asked to carry out this objective at the earliest possibly date.and if SMITH has no objection by the most direct method possiblz. Miami is also asked to obtain handwriting specimens from . JOHN KERNAN, manager, and JAMES Tf, YERBY,. night auditor, Sea Gull Hotel, Miami Beach, Fla., for submission to the FBI Laboratory in order that they may be compared with the handwriting ‘on Registration Card No. 1908 in the name of Mr. SAL MANN, Brooklyn, N. Y. It is realized that Miami cannot engage in an endless submission of handwriting specimens although this phase of the investigation will not be completed until all employees of the Sea Gull who had some official contact with the SAL MANN Registration Card have been positively identified or eliminated. For example WERNER MITCHELL, a. former employee now living in Chicago, has been eliminated on the basis of handwriting and it seems reasonable that YERBY, the employee who accepted the MANN registration, should be identified or eliminated, KERNAN, who may have registered MANN despite his statements to the contrary should be identified or eliminated. This investigation is. ' Docld: 32332055 Page 5