Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-07-26

have any appreciate sugar quota,
Then he met William CYCLIC, a
smart operator, and Frank Livor-
81, an ex-convict. The pair had
acquired a jelly factory with a
sugar quota of 100000 pounds a
year. AS Lubben told us, all he
could think was that IA 10000
pounds would make me as big as
Hershey"
Soon the operator and the ex-
convict were his partners in Eat
sum, and then came the inexor-
able final: Lubben was out and
they were in.
Iivorsi, the 47-year-old ex-con-
Wet, was an admitted friend of
such underworld characters as
Frank Costello, Willie Moretti,
and others. He had been arrested.
according to his own recollection,
at least 10 times, including twice
On homicide charges. His only, con-
viction, however, was a tWo-year
sentence for narcotics peddling.
Could Livorsi, we asked, think
of any legitimate business he ever
was in before he went to Jail? "I
can't think of any legitimate bust
ness" he sultenly replied. In 1945,
LiVorsi teamed up with smooth
talking William CYCLIC, then 80
years old. They acquired Tavern
Fruit Juice, a jelly manufacturing
business. With the company came
the precious sugar quota.
Lubben Makes Deal
Lubben made a deal to transfer
a so per cent interest in his COM
pany to CYCLIC and Livorsi: the
sale price was around $4,000, but
Lubben claimed his new partners
actually paid nothing until they
had drawn out enough profits to
effect paper liquidation of the
purchase price. In exchange for
half of his business, Lubben said
his new partners were to see that
SOC oOlliC ouSdI' oUC, 1lC lIlOuI IL
fully related, he never got so
much sugar that you could sweeten
your coffee with"
Soon number of things began
to happen. all of which added up
to grief for Lubben. CYCLIC in
sisted that Eatsum move out of it's
modest offices and into "a regu-
lar Hollywood suite" Everybody
had gorgeous" big private offices,
and CYCLIC had a fancy bar in his.
There was an infiltration into
the firm of characters such as Big
John Ormonte. who had been in
jail with Livorsi, and another chap
Unidentified as big Louie" who
wore a "race-track suit" and
scared off the women buyers. Lub-
ben said he heard that Frank Co.'S
tello, the New York underworld
king, was the real boss" of the
CYCLIC organization. Whether it
was true, Lubben never found out,
but he did see Costello with CYCLIC
and LivorSi.
Lubben was no angel. He con-
fesSed that he set up arrangements
for buying corn syrup by making
under the table black market pay
ments to farmers and selling it
on the same basis. Everything was
done for cash and, in five months
of l945, more than 100000 in
cash was received from these
transactions, Lubben testified.
The money was kept in "a little
green cash box" hidden in "a
panel in back of the bar in the
wall" of Giglio's office. THE last
time knew about it there was
$4,000 IN there"
Loses Nerve After 8 Months
But Lubben, after about nine
months. lost both his nerve and
his taste for the fantastic deal. He
had a harder time getting away
from CYCLIC & Co. than Br'er Rab-
bit had with the Tar Baby. The
business at that time, according to
Lubben's figures disputed by Gig
lio) was worth $4,000.
Lubben claimed he took back
the lease on the plant and ma
chinery he originally had in the
Bronx and turned everything else
over to the CYCLIC group, with the
understanding that they would
pay my income tax for the nine
months in which I was a part
ner." I'm fact" said Lubben, "they
later charged me back about $23
because some raiSins I had in the
warehouse shrunk a little bit"
Senator Tobey asked Lubben if
he had not had "a sense of appre-
hension and fear that if you did
not play ball and do what they
said, they might do physical harm
to you?"
Il did, yes. I did" Lubben fer
vently replied. That was the rea-
son I wanted to get away from
them" He had counted. he went ,