Evening star., 1951-07-25

Ou6ptCT o.
1t was well known that Tampa
was an important sub-capital Of
the Mafia-backed narcotics ring,
with national links in the gam
bling and der-for-hire traffic.
Law enforcement was so corrupted
that even the Cuban gamblers who
ran the profitable bolita racket,
referred contemptuously to the
sheriff as CabeZa de Melon
Melon Head"
Human life was almost as cheap
as the sands of the beach: in 19
This is the eighth Of o series Of articles
condensed from the book, Crime in
Amerieo," by Senator Kefouver.
years, there have been IA murders
and six attempted aSsassinations
In the Tampa underworld-and
only one conviction.
The explosive element that
keeps Tampa in ferment Of vio-
lence, the Senate Crime Commit
tee found, is the long standing ri
valry between two equally hot
blooded gang factions. One is the
Mafia-backed clique or criminals
of Sicilian or italian extraction,
the other the numerically larger
Cuban faction. Mixed in, of
course, is a leavening of native
racketeers.
The two principal roles in the
Tampa story were played by Sal
vatore (Red) Italiano. Italian
born ex-convict and reputed strong
man Of Tampa'S underworld, the
official called Melon Head"
1taliano was among the missing
when Senator Hunt. who con-
Quoted our hearings there, went to
Tampa. But from melon Head" !"
the committee counsel drew fan
taStic story of how he had man
aged to make deposits Of at least
$128,000 in half a dozen banks
throughout Florida and Georgia
during his nine years as sheriff.
One purely local racketeer in
terrogated was Charles M. Wall,
q nonchalant, almost whimsical,
71-year- -old gambler who once was
''brains Of the underworld. He
was the victim of at least three
attempts by presumably unknown
parties to aSSaSSinate him. Almost
humorously, the old man assured
us:
81 wasn't much interested in
who it was that was doing it. I
was interested in keeping from
getting killed"
Big Shot in Cuban Lottery.
AS Red Italiano could not be
found, we summoned Vincent
Spoto to answer a few questions.
Spoto is president Of Anthony
Distributors, a wholesale beer and
wine corporation owned by the
1taliano family. Spoto earned
500 a week, not, he explained, for
his duties as president, but for
work he did in the shipping de-
partment. Italiano drew $500 a
week as general manager. He was
only one of many criminals found
throughout the country who had
managed, contrary to State and
Federal regulations, to inf1ltrate
the liquor business.
From other witnesses, we heard
that 1taliano was a big shot in
Bolita, the Cuban lottery played
with 100 numbered balls. Oscar
j. Perez, formerly chauffeur to a
murdered bolita racketeer named
Jimmy velasco, told us Italiano
and Velasco had quarreled vio-
lently. Perez also testified that
Italiano's chauffeur and body
guard-Joe Provenzano, who was
tried and acquitted for Velasco's
murder-used to carry Shotguns
In the front seat of his car when
he drove on Tampa's main streets.
Noah w. Cation, a marine en-
gine mechanic, told of a strange
alleged tie-up between Sheriff
Culbreath and Red Italiano, in
volving ownership Of a fish busi-
ness.
From Mrs. Anthony DiLorenzo,
estranged wife Of a special deputy
for Sheriff Culbreath, the COM
mittee heard that in 1947 Red
Italiano obtained a deputy's COM
mission for her husband, "to do
special duties" Thereafter, She
testified, both Red Italiano and
Sheriff Culbreath regularly tele-
phone DiLorenzo to give him in
structions as to his special du-
ties" DiLorenzo also collected his
$200-a-month salary from Itali-
ano, Mrs. DiLorenzo testified.
''More of q Go-Between"
@. What was your impression
of what he was doing as result
Of these telephone calls? What
were his duties?
Mrs. DiLorenzo-Well, he was
checking different places with
them, different bolita places.
@. Was he collecting from them
or was he arresting them?
A. He was just more of q go
between between the underworld
and the law, as a messenger be-
tween those.
But the first witness to accuse
Culbreath of having received
money from the gambling inter-
ests was Paul Giglia, former
bolita peddler for the late Jimmy
Velasco. During Culbreath's re-
election campaign in 1948, Giglia
testified, Velasco told him "to take
some money down to the sheriff.
He swore that Valesco regular
" sent money to the "old man"
meaning Sheriff Culbreath. The
euphemisn for these payments
sometimes $1,000 at a time-was
6G-a,.% oy1d Gi01io said that Htha