Originator: FBI
From: PG
To: HQ
Document date: 2/12/59
Document type: PAPER-TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

## Page 1

JFK Assassination System

Identification Form

Agency Information

Date:

6/2/2015

AGENCY: FBI

RECORD NUMBER:

124-90100-10105

RECORD SERIES :

HQ

AGENCY FILE NUMBER :

52-72398-108

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: FBI

FROM:

TO:

PG

HQ

TITLE:

DATE:

PAGES:

SUBJECTS :

02/12/1959

78

JOSEPH RAYMOND MEROLA

STUART SUTOR

DOCUMENT TYPE :

PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

CLASSIFICATION :

Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS:

4; 10(a)2

CURRENT STATUS :

Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 08/07/1998

OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE, APPROVAL OF ATF

COMMENTS :

RPT

Released under

the

John

F. Kennedy

Assassination Records

collection Act of

1992

144 USC 2107 Notel.

Case#:NW 56792 Date:

04-09-2018

v9.1

NW 56792

DocId: 32331887

3

Page 1

---

## Page 2

PG 52-1687

U.S. Attorney ALBERT M. MORGAN, Fairmont, W. Va., on February 3,

1959, advised SA WATSON that he had just received a telephone

call from C. HOWARD HARDESTY, JR., of the Furbee and Hardesty

Law Firm of

Fairmont which firm is representing the Dupont

Air Interests in the recovery of the twin engine Beech Aircraft

piloted by SUTOR.

Mr. MORGAN also pointed out that this

is the same firm that employs ROBERT SARVER and added that

HARDESTY told him that SARVER might possibly represent SUTOR.

MORGAN said that the Beech Craft was released by the

government and would be turned over to the Dupont Air Interests

on february 5, 1959.

He also said that it is his understanding

that if SARVER eventually represents SUTOR he, SARVER, Intends

to strongly advise SUTOR to cooperate with Special Agents of

the FBI.

Deputy Sheriff RIDGLEY, Fairmont; on January 26, 1959, advised

SA WATSON that on the same date he censored a letter received

at the Marion County Jail from SUTOR's wife, KAY SUTOR,

of Miami, Florida.

RIDGLEY said that in her letter Mrs. SUTOR

mentioned that one EDDIE HOFFMAN Of 104 Seventh Street,

South St. Petersburg, Florida, had been asking about SUTOR

and offered to assist SUTOR in anyway possible.

SAMUEL MANNARINO

FBI Number 115840

(Pittsburgh Top Hoodlum

NORMAN ROTHMAN

FBI Number 152585B

PCI CHARLES F. TEEMER, a former top hoodlum of the Pittsburgh

office, and one time officer in the Sans Souci Night Club

in Havana, Cuba, advised SA JOHN S. PORTELLA on January 22,

1959, that in his opinion SAM MANNARINO engineered the theft

of firearms from the National Guard Armory in Canton, Ohio,

but is being shunned by the racket element for his foolishness

in becoming involved in such an undertaking.

TEEMER said that

MANNARINO is showing signs of mental Illness and speculated

that MANNARINO fingered the burglary of the armory without

the knowleage or consent of his brother, GABRIEL MANNARINO

(Pittsburgh top hoodlum).

TEEMER recalled that while he was connected with the Sans

Souci during the period 1951-1952 he felt that NORMAN ROTHMAN

=G=

COVER PAGE

52-72398-1081

HH 56792 DocId:32331887 Page 2

---

## Page 3

PG 52-1687

Confid

On instructions from SAM GIARUSSO,

RICCI went to Newburgh,

New York, and obtained a sample MG from TRAPINI on

September 4, 1958.

RICCI took the MG to the Pygmalion Club,

New York City, where he met SAM GIARUSSO and they in turn went

to the Warwick Hotel also in New York City.

They parked

in front of the hotel and a man, later identified as JOE

MEROLA, approached the car, took the MG from RICCI and

entered the hotel.

RICCI and SAM GIARUSSO then returned

to the Pygmalion Club. Shortly thereafter, MEROLA

entered the club and handed the MG back to RICCI and said,

"This is what I want, get me all you can, but clean them

up. "

RICCI returned to his home in Middletown, New Jersey, with the

On September 11, 1958, RICCI was arrested by ATU Agents at

his home and the following items were seized:

1.45 caliber Thompson MG, SN 750471

6 Cases of M-l Carbine parts

1 1958 Edsel station wagon (RICCI's auto)

Grealy Arms Company, 448 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove,

New Jersey. RICCI stated that SAM GIARUSSO furnished the

$1000.

Since RICCI's arrest, JOE GIARUSSO has made several contacts

with RICCI, who is out on bail,

for more guns. JOE

TARUSSO said that "Bayonne JOE" is interested in securing

a source for quantity of American-type guns.

"Bayonne

JOE" IS JOSEPH ZICARELLI, a top hoodlum in the Newark Office.

It should be noted that the above information was acquired

by ATU Agents from RICCI on a confidential basis. They are

presently attempting to develop RICCI as an informant and,

therefore, request that none of the above information be

disseminated outside the FBI.

DANIEL HANNA

An anonymous letter delivered to the Pittsburgh Office in

November, 1958, stated that the S&S Distributing Company

= I=

COVER PAGE

Confian

152-72378-108

HH 56792 DocId:32331887 Page 3

---

## Page 4

PG. 52-1687

Confidential

panel

truck mentioned at length in this case has been observed

parked in the driveway at 1127 Freeport Road, Natrona Heights,

Pa., the home of one ART ERRICO.

The anonymous letter pointed

out that the truck was parked near a garage at the end of the

driveway on a number of occasions and described ERRICO as a

numbers

operator.

WILLIAM

AHLSTROM, a reporter for the "New Kensington Daily

Dispatch" newspaper, advised SA PORTELLA on November 13, 1958,

that he had received information from one of his sources

that the s&S Distributing Company panel truck had been

observed in the vicinity of the National Cash Register warehouse

i rotter rarehouse

on 13th or 14th Street, New Kensington, Pa.

According to

AHLSTROM, the source reported observing boxes being unloaded

from the truck near the warehouse. AHLSTROM could only

identify the source as one of the many people who call his

paper on a daily basis to report information concerning the

MANNARINO mob.

PHILIP JAMES MAINER

FBI Number 868314A

The Cleveland Office on December 2, 1958, furnished information

relating to the New Kensington connections of MAINER an

associate of suspect GEORGE MIKE FLOREA, FBI Number 2888609,

named by a Canton, Ohio, Police Department informant as the

perpetrator of the Ohio National Guard Armory burglary on

October 14, 1958.

Confidential source MIKE ZERVOS (protect) in interview with

SA DOUCE on January 6, 1959, positively identified a photograph

Of MAINER and furnished the following background information

concerning him:

,Approximately 18 or 20 months

ago ZERVOS received a telephone

call from HENRY ABRAHAM, aka

"PECKY," operator of a cocktail

lounge in New Kensington. ABRAHAM told ZERVOS that he had a

deal that ZERVOS might be interested in and asked him to come

to his place of business right away. When ZERVOS arrived

at "PECKY's" place he was introduced to two individuals, one

a Syrian man age about 40-45, name unknown, from New Castle

or Farrell, Pa., and the other MAINER, although MAINER was not

introduced to ZERVOS by name.

ABRAHAM told ZERVOS that the

Syrian man was a very good friend of his and had 1800 cartons of

stolen cigarettes in a station wagon parked outside that ne would

sell for $1 a carton.

ZERVOS advised that ABRAHAM said that he wanted

to buy the entire load himself but did not have enough money to

swing the deal, and encouraged ZERVOS to put up half the money

so they could buy the load together.

COVER PAGE Confi?

5278388-108

HH 56792 Do0Id:32331887

Page 4

---

## Page 5

tire

PG 52-1687

Confid:

ZERVOS refused because he had

only been recently released

from the western State Penitentiary after serving 222

years after conviction for murder and suggested to ABRAHAM

that they take the cigarettes to GABRIEL MANNARINO (Pittsburgh

top hoodlum who owned the s&S Distributing Company, a

cigarette vending machine concern.

In the presence of ZERVOS, ABRAHAM told the Syrian man and

MAINER that if ZERVoS would not put up any money he was

not in a position to take the load himself but offered to

take them to MANNARINO in his own car.

ABRAHAM left with

the two individuals and looked up. GABRIEL MANNARINO who

presumably bought the entire stolen shipment.

ZERVOS noticed the Syrian man in New Kensington a number

of times after their initial meeting, driving a black

station wagon,

not

further described, and assumes that he

regularly supplied the S &S Distributing Company with

stolen cigarettes for at least three or four months since

during his first meeting with the group, the Syrian man offered

to supply cigarettes

regularly.

ZERVOS has not seen the Syrian man or MAINER in New Kensington

for the past year and one half but observed MAINER several

times after their initial meeting in the lobby of the Kenmar

Hotel and also in the Laetus Club.

ZERVOS also speculated

that MAINER and his companion could

GIORDANO, aka "RED,

New Kensington, and a long-time fence.

ZERVOS is of the opinion that MAINER's connections in

New Kensington would be with members of the MANNARINO

mob as a result of his original introduction to MANNARINO

or GIORDANO through ABRAHAM.

ZERVOS is extremely reluctant to make any open inquiries

concerning MAINER in New Kensington and considers it

highly inadvisable for him to do so at the risk of disclosure

as a source of information.

ZERVOS examined photographs of GEORGE VICTOR ZUGRAVE,

FBI Number 2878523, SAMUEL JOSEPH MESSARIS, FBI Number 840808,

and FLOREA but was

unable to recognize them.

ciat

COVER PAGE.

52-72398+08.

HH 56792 DocId:32331887 Page 5

---

## Page 6

819.p

PG 52-1687

Confide

t1a1

Photographs of the above were, also displayed to PG 545-C

on January 6, 1959, by SA DOUCE without making an 1dent1-

fication.

NICK TRIKILIS

(Cleveland Suspect

The Cleveland Office on November 28, 1950, reported that

(PNU) MOORE made a collect telephone

call from Pittsburgh

CO 1-9000 on August 31, 1958, to the home of TRIKILIS in

Canton, Ohio, HOward 2-5772.

SA J. EDWARD MADVAY on January 6, 1959, telephoned COurt 1-9000

and determined that that telephone number

was. Issued to the

COVER PAGE

52-72598-188

HH 56792

DocId:32331887

Page

---

## Page 7

PG 52-1687

La?

Number®

Date Called

35-2-1898

November 8, 1958

NAX 988J

November 16, 1958

8. Will conduct logical investigation in the vicinity of the

National Cash Register warehouse to resolve the allegation

that the S &S Distributing Company panel truck has been

observed unloading boxes at that location.

9.

ABRAHAM for information concerning

suspect PHILIP JAMES MAINER, FBI Number 868314A and his

Syrian companion from New Castle or Farrell, Pa., who

approached ABRAHAM approximately two years ago for the

purpose of unloading a shipment of stolen cigarettes.

AT NATRONA HEIGHTS, PA. (Allegheny County)

W111 Interview ART ERRICO referred to in an anonymous letter

to the Pittsburgh Office in November, 1958, concerning

the allegation that the s &S panel truck has been seen

parked near his garage on a number of occasions in the past.

AT RUSSELLTON, PA. (Allegheny County)

Will Interview Lleutenant JOHN E. BOGGS, D Battalion,

Fifth Missile Battery, U. S. Army Nike Site

on Crawford

Run Road, to determine If possible whether the five gallon

oil can

recovered at the Allegheny Valley Airport on

November 5, 1958, could have been part of the Nike Site

inventory.

2. Wind canvass motels and hotels in the vicinity of

the Allegheny Valley Airport in an effort to determine

whether MEROLA registered as a guest during the period

Coni

= R=

COVER PAGE

nt la?

52-72398-108

HH 56792 DocId:32331887 Page 7

---