The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1951-11-23

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 q
leavening Of native racketeers.
The two principal roles in the
Tampa story were played by Sal
vatore (ReO 1taliano, Italian-born
ex-convict and reputed strong man
Of Tampa's underworld, and Cliff
ford Hugh culbreath, the official
called Melon Head" 1taliano was
among the missing when Sen. Les
ter Hunt, who conducted our hear
ings there, went to Tampa. But
from Melon Head" the committee
counsel drew q fantastic story OF
how he had managed to make de-
posits of at least $128,00O in half
q dozen banks scattered throughout
Florida and Georgia during his
nine years a. sheriff.
One purely local Facketeer inter.
rogated was Charles M. Wall, q
nonchalant, almost whimsical, n.
year-old gambler who once was
brains Of the underworld. He
was the victim Of at least three at
tempts by presumably unknown
parties to assassinate him. Almost
humofously, the old man assured
US:
II wasn't much interested In who
It was that was doing it. / was In
terested in keeping from getting
killed"
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 corpora
ton owned by the Italiano family.
Spoto earned 500 a week, not, he
explained, for his duties as presi-
dent, but for work he did in the
shipping department. 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 infiltrate the
liquor business.
Z
From other witnesses, we heard
that 1taliano was a big-shot in
BoIita, the Cuban lottery played
with 100 numbered balls. Oscar J.
Perez, formerly chauffeur to a muir.
dered bolita racketeer PANIED jim
my Velasco, told Is 1taliano and
Velasco had quarreled violently.
Perez also testified that 1taliano's
chauffeur and bodyguard-Joe Pro-
venzano, who was tried and ac-
quilted 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 engine
mechanic, told Of a strange alleged
tieup between Sheriff Culbreath and
Red Italiano, involving ownership
Of a fish business.
From Mrs. Anthony DiLorenzo,
estranged wife of special deputy
for Sheriff Culbreath, the commit
tee heard that in 1947 Red Italiano
obtained a deputy's commission for
her husband, ito do special duties"
Thereafter, she testified, both Red
Italiano and Sheriff Culbreath regu-
larry telephoned DiLorenzo to give
him instructions as to his Especial
duties" DiLorenzo also collected
his $200-a-month SALARY" from
Italiano, Mrs. DiLorenzo testified.
@. What vas your impression Of
what he was doing as a 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 a go-between between
the underworld and the law, as
messenger between those.
But the first witness to accuse
Culbreath Of having received money
from the gambling interests, was
Paul Giglia, former bolita peddler
for the late Jimmy Velasco. During
Culbreath's reelection campaign in
1913, Giglia testified, Velasco told
him ito take some money down to
the sheriff"
He swOre that velasco regularly
sent money to the "old mani
meaning Sheriff Culbreath. The eu-
phemism for these payments-some-
times 1000 at time-was ''rent,"
and Giglia said that ''the money
was going out faster than it was
coming IN"
It was Anthony Deschamps, Vel
asco's cousin, who used to check
receipts for the murdered gambler,
who first told US how the Cuban
bolita peddlers called Culbreath
"Cabeza de Melon" Velasco showed
him his "pay-off" list, on which
there were notations OF alleged
weekly payments Of $500 to ''Cabeza
de Melon; the same amount to
aTR - ana G1Sfa "a OE M naa.