JFK Assassination System . Date: 4/23/201 Identification Form Agency Information AGENCY: FBI RECORD NUMBER: — 124-90088-10036 RECORD SERIES: HQ AGENCY FILE NUMBER: — CR 62-75147-44-567 Document Information ORIGINATOR: FBI FROM: SU TO: HQ TITLE: DATE: 01/06/1954 PAGES: 6 SUBJECTS : BENJAMIN BINION DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION: — Unclassified RESTRICTIONS: 4 CURRENT STATUS: — Redact DATE OF LASTREVIEW: 07/14/1998 - OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE COMMENTS: | MEMO —_— ee v9.1 : 8 NW 45727 Docid:32329856 Page 1
. they plan to build a. oom 5<sto oust, interests in 14 parishes of Louisiana. 5% was sold to,’ 4 SU 9-137 SO - ae | ~ MISCELLANEOUS The vali Street Journal, Pacific Coast edition, reported in Sep- tember, 1953, that Las Vegas, Nevada‘is one or- the nation's top boom towms.— . The report states that the whirl of the roulette wheels, the clatter of slot. machines, and the pop of champagne corks are playing. a nedley of booming busi- ness.for. this gambling mecca in the Nevada desert. J 500% increase over. their 198 level. JA KOZLOFF of t iden Nugget reforted ~ tnat the volune is up 25% over last year an s doubléd “since 1948. /-KOZLOFF reperted that LO, 000 persons visited the Golden Nugget -on Decoration Pay > 1953; &S coupared with 2,000 ‘the | same. day in 199. se / The Journal further’ reported that the famed "strip" is the newest A representative of the salir reports that there was aid most flamboyant addition to the city, and that the El Rancho Vegas Hotel is planning to build a new swimming pool twice the size of its present one, and will also add 3Q0 rooms, and Ww build "a new play: house", total cost ‘pL y000 ,000.00. “VILBI RACLARK of ti feos Inn is quoted as having stated that’ Brazilian’type addition to the Desert Inn.’ Parking and housing. have become severe problems. A strip hotel owner was quoted as saying "let's face it. . Sure, we've got the desert air, nice weather, annual rainfall of only. 1.5: inches;. Hoover Dam is nearby, the mountains only 35 miles away for winter skiing, but if we ue have leg sal gambling, this town would not be in business". Nw - ‘Ae ~ orca FIZED GAS cS Informants sU-2986, SU-336-C, 50-325 and ‘su-283-6 advised that ‘there are no organized gangs operating «to their knowledge in the Las Vegas area. Ghief of Police AL KENNEDY, ° sheriff GLEN JO) , Chief of Detec- - tives JACK BARLO: 'y cand Gaptain L. L. PEYTON, Chief Criminal "Deputy , Clark County Sheriff's Office, all advised that, there are no organized gangs operat= ing in’the Las Vegas areae : oo 2B Tibi VE DUAL RAC KE TEERS AND 2 “OBS tS : 3 ui psa, Wase a OG i “ee mS Dy) . . ; u i BI h yy £ { , . BINPON is at the present time a 47s) owner or era Shoe Club located at Second. and’ Fremont Streets, Las Vegas, Nevada. He ecently sold 45%,t0 JOE BRON » fornierly of New Orleans, Louisiana , na, who. perio | had + si C. "BILL" RSETT, also of New Orleans, and reported to be a nephew of J NW 45727 Docid:32329856 Page 2
SU, dh-137 of BINION entered a plea ‘of guilty to 8 éounts of an: indictment charging him with evasion of income taxes: from 19)5 through 1984: BINEON has- made numerous. trips in the very recent past to Austin, Texas in connection with this tax matter, and SU-336-C stated that BINION said on December 7, 1953, that his date for senterice had been set for. December 1h, 1953, and that if he came back after his appearance on that, date, he ‘would be very happy -BIIZON ‘has paid over »500, 000.00 in delinquent taxes in connec= Ho “ion with the 8-count indictment on which he entered pleas lof guilty to four "counts, and four- counts were veportedly dismissede- \ _ Owners, with BINION of the Horse Shoe Club.are reported at the : present time to be KOBERT "DOBY DOC! AUDILL, ° -’, C. DORSETT, and JOE BROWN. “UDtRL is the owner of 233; BINION as 73% and’ BROWN and DORSETT own the “sua raking 507; e ¢ a , . . . ED oo : we am a "Aka ‘Eddie, UN was roo EDDIE. CLIPPINGER is still operating ioxie 1g Formyle, a house of prostitution, located four miles outside of Las Végas on the Boulder City high-"' way. This house of prostitution sits approxima te ly 200 yards off the Boulder - ~ City highway; however, it is marked with a well lighted sign. ‘The house itself — is obscured from view by hills and a growth: of: trees from the highway. CLIPELNCER was interviewed by SAs BAYGN WHEELER and LEO &. , KUYKENDALL on December 2, 1953, rélative to a White clave Traffic Act violation, . at which time CLiPPINCEA advised that he was of the op‘nion that one of the vic- tims mentioned by agents had been employed at his house. of prostitution’ some . time in the past but he ‘could not recall whene During the interview, CLIPPINGER stated that he was a member of the Los Angeles Police Department at one time immediately after \jorld War I, and that he remained in this department for -about ‘3 years. Part of the time he was on the patrol, and during the time he was so _ assigned, ‘he made 3 arrests; and that he was on the Vice Squad for approximately . one’ year and made: no arrests. CLIPPINGER stated, "I was not much copper , T ‘was ‘ noo. strictly a businessman". j. ; —_ \ “ GLIPPINGER- advised that at the avésent time he had approximately. sirls prostituting at Roxie's. Formyle, and that he had approximately 20 male -aployees such as maintenance men, bouncers,.greeters, etc. CLIPPING stated that it was almost dmposstble for him to identify a prostitute who had been. _ in his place of ‘business by name or description; however, he would be willing ; to. advise of those who had worked at Roxie's if ne had- an. opportunity to view ~ ,, their photographs. = . NW 45727 Docid:32329856 Page 3
== mer) © SU 9-137 ’ taken out : bof the petty cash fund receritly, and divided ‘as follows: an ROSCOL, THOMAS Fe coo ob ARF HAM, SR. | - 10,000 ° . | I a ° TONSMLUCY 10,000 rn BUCKASLAINE = == = =. ~— 5,000 NL | _BELDYGREEN ~ 5,000. co - ‘Informant stated that BLAINE and GiigN are the men who take , _ "the boxes" off of the tables at the Golden Nugget. . _ . “ART, BRICK, who furnished this information to: SU=283-C, is, a. mart owner of the Golden Nugget and was extremely dissatisfied with the dis- oribution of the, aforementioned money « . HORSE SHOE CLUB ae | a ‘ . seo There has’ been a change in the ope:ation and ownershi of the Horse Shoe Club since the last report of June 30,. 1953. cif . | OTHER 4 SU-336=C and SU-283-C have advised that JOE PON, formerly of New eans, - Louisiana, and his nephew, Ji..C. DORSETT, had pur the Horse Shoe a Club from BENNY BINION. On October 28, 1953, oo an employee of - OTHER 4 the Horse Shoe Club, telephonically contacted the Resident Agency at Las Vegas . and stated that BINION had returned, from one of his court appearances in Texas and at that time was moving -records and personal belongings out of his office at the Horse Shoe Club and stated he had rec3ived information that BINION. had made the statement that he expected to get some penitentiary time. —_—_—_—— NY 5 SU-283-C has advised that JOE. BRO N of New Orleans Louisiana, was ‘first associated in gambling interests with EYRE and L. BAHAMLTON | _ of Houston, Texds, and that in 1927 BROWN moved to “NeW Orleans an ‘0 chased - the "Jailai TYonton" for the price’'of 00,900.00. . SU-283-C stated that BRO: Nis partners in this venture were E. J,fSNITH, who presently has a-club’ } ~.ated across the Sabine River from Orange, Texas,’ in Loyisiana. - Also, ‘SAL 2 who bought his shaye in the Jailai ae with a small bag of diamonds ch he sold to OAKLSSCHARRIS' and Sherif fAGLANCY of Bernard Parish, Louisiana, OL ANGY reportedly haa 25% interest in the Yailai. Fronton establishments y + SU~253-C stated that BRON was previously implicated, with BILL HILLIS, SEY- . , MOTRAETSS and JOx ZISHER, in an oil fraud:case, and that.WEISS and FISHER were: prosecuted in’ this case and sent to jail. SU+283-C advised that WEISS - now is the operator of the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans, and that BILIKHILLIS © pe was not prosecuted in connection with. the. oil fraud because he was made * » wee a Ambassador: to Greece for the U. S. Government, and ‘that JOE“. BROWN. escaped oe ee NW 45727 Docid:32329856 Page 4