Originator: FBI
From: BA
To: HQ
Document date: 07/17/1963
Document type: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

## Page 1

JFK Assassination System

Identification Form

Agency Information

Date:

6/11/201

AGENCY: FBI

RECORD NUMBER :

124-90097-10195

RECORD SERIES: HQ

AGENCY FILE NUMBER: 166-637-20

Released under the John F. Kennedy

Assassination Flecords Collection Act of

1992 (44 USC 2107 Note). Case#:Nw

54578 Date: 12-14-2022

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: FBI

FROM:

BA

TO: HQ

TITLE :

DATE: 07/17/1963

PAGES:

57

SUBJECTS :

CHARLES TOURINE

JOSEPH FRANCIS NESLINE

DOCUMENT TYPE :

PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

CLASSIFICATION:

Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS:

4

CURRENT STATUS :

Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW :

07/20/1998

OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE

COMMENTS :

RPT

v9.1

NW 64578 Docld:32331573 Page 1

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## Page 2

BA 165-53

ADMINTSTRATIVE DATA:

The subject of this case is also the subject of

WHO case entitled

AR; IGA - WS"

file 92-99.

Information received from confidential informants

is being reported in the antiracketeering case and, in accordance

with Bureau regulations, is not being set out in the details

3, a hot bene

of thes ItAR report.

During the latter part of March, 1963, considerable

information was received from confidential informants RH 95-C

and WE 1309-C, that JOSEPH FRANCIS NESLINE and JOHN RALPH

"BILLY

MTTCHELL were operating a crap game in Marylana.

RH 95-0 advised SA HOWARD E. RICHARDSON, Richmond

Division, son 3/21/03, that hehad learned that JOSEPH NESLINE

and CHARLIE HITE (CHARLES TOURINE) had a big crap game

going in Marylana, which is socated in an old hunting toages

localted between Waldorf and La Plata, Maryland. Many of their

customers were allegedly coming from Richmond and otner Virginia

poirts and

from

the District of Columbia.

NESLINE had reportedly commented that he had attempted

to re-open his dice game in Washington at the Amber Club,.

during the finst part of the years but had been unable to

do so

because he was unable to obtain the necessary Police protection.

He stated that the Captain of the precinct was cooperating fully

but that somebody higher up was giving them a hard time.

This informant had previously received information

that JOSEPH NESLINE was operating a big crap game in Lexington

Park,

Maryland, where a old-time bookmaker and gambler named

FISHER had reportedly arranged the

"fix"

so he could operate.

On 3/25/63, PCI ELMER WYATT had advised SA GIBBON E.

the weekend of 3/24/63 that GABRIEL

BOBROW was

operating a dice game for JOSEPH NESLINE In Mary

and

about

40 miles

from the District of Columbia.

-C -

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NW 64578 Docld:32331573 Page 2

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## Page 3

BA 155:53

By airtel 3/25/63, in the antiracketeering case

concerning subjects

pointed out that the FISHER referred to by

RH 95-C was probably ALLEN

FISHER, 3119 Grantsville Road,

Lexington lark, Marylana,

wha, was arested by Hampton, Virginia

Police Orricers on 9/23/52 when that department conducted

gambling arrests at a dice game at Don's, 47 Water Street,

Phoebus, hampton, Virginia.

this ace game reportedly had

been

operated ky NESLINE and GEORGE

ROHANNA several weeks prior

to 9/23/62.

MD •

Previous investigation by Baltimore developed that

ALLEN FISHER owned and operated the Honey Lane Restaurant,

exington lark, Maryland and had a history of gambling activities.

WFO pointed out that because of the sensitive source

of the information furnished (RH 95-C) and because of the report

FISHER has arranged the

so that NESLINE could

operate in Maryland, no contact with local law enforcement

offices or ther inquiries concerning this aspect should be

made.

As set out in the details of this report, the location

Of NESLINE and MITCHELL's dice game was determined to be in the

estate of the Paramount Sand and Gravel Company, Ripley, Maryland.

When this was observed by sA J. STANdEY RoIz and GERARD R. LOWE,

Baltimore Division and JOHN R. BUCKLEY and JOSEPH PATRICK PARKER,

Washington Field Office on 3/25/63, the automobile used by

LANGHORNE CARTER RORER, associate of NESLINE, came out of the

driveway.

On 3/27/63, RH 95-0 advised the Richmona Division

that the crap game of JOSEPH NESLINE and CHARLES WHITE being

operated by BILLY MITCHELL, had encountered some difficulty

the previous evenings with local law enforcement officials,

not further identified,

and were forced to close down their

operation. Informant did not know whether the crap game

would re-open or would be moved to a different location.

By letter dated 4/10/53 the Bureau instructed Baltimore

and WFO to initiate a ITAR investigation regarding NESLINE.

On 4/30/63, RH 95-C advised that the dice game formerly

run by NEStINe and a partner in Maryland, had been closed

down for a week or so and they do not expect to resume the game

at the same location. Informant stated that he was referring

-D-

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NW 64578 Docld:32331573 Page 3

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## Page 4

BA 155-55

to the dice game which NESLINE had operated in a hunting lodge

on U. 3. Route 301, near La Plata, Maryland

As indicated in Baltimore letter to Director and other

offices dated 5/9/53, Baltimore had made contact with JULIAN

I. JOHNSON, whose residence was directly across Maryland Route

225 from the lane which leads to the estate being used by

NESLINE at Ripley, Maryland for his dice game. In the event

that activities at the estate had been resumed, Baltimore

was prepared to institute

stationary surveillance.

WFO informants who were in direct contact with subject's

operation indicated that NESLINE's dice game

was started at

1910 Biltmore Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. and was in

operation here during May, 1953.

By airtel dated 6/7/53 WFO advised the Director,

Baltimore

Richmond and Miami that information had been furnished

by wE 1108-C that subject and his

associates plan to move their

dice game from Washington, D. C. to St. Mary's County, Mary and.

ALLEN FISHER, well known Lexington Park, Maryland gambler,

was negotiating at proposed site.

Information received by SA GERARD R. LOWE on 5/5/63

from BENJAMIN H. BURROUGHS, JR., NA, Deputy Sheriff, St. Mary's

County, Leonardtown, Maryland and set out in the details of

this

report, established

that NESLINE was behind the gambling

establishment being set up by FISHER at the Sportsman's Club

Restaurant on Maryland Route 5,St. Mary's County, Marylana.

Further detáils were furnished by BURROUGHS on 6/7, 9/03

to SA GERARD R. LOWE and SA J. STANLEY ROTZ.

In the interest of economy, copies of several pages

containing this information as included in Baltimore's

dissemination memo dated 6/19/53, have been used as inserts

in this report to avoid retyping.

Contacts with Maryland State Police mentioned therein

were made by reporting agent J. STANLEY ROTZ.

On 6/7/53, WF 1108-C had advised SA JOHN R. BUCKLEY,

WFO, that on 6/5/63, dice equipment had been moved from

washington, D. C. to a shack located directly in the rear

of the Sportsman's Restaurant, located on Route 5, just over

the County line,

In St. Mary's County, Maryland. Informant

-E-

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NW 64578 Docld:32331573 Page 4

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## Page 5

BA 155-53

described the dice table as a permanent mahogany. Las Vegas

types

approximately 12 feet by 5 feet, very heavy and

costing about $2500.

The table nad been used for about one

week in the imber Club's operation, lashingion,

D. C. in

1952 and is constructed in sucin a manner that it cannot be

speedily disassembled.

Informant advised that the alce

run by JOHN RALPH MITCHELL,

and GEORGE ROHANNA, who, during April and May, 1953,

operated the dice game at 1915 Biltmore street, washington, D. U.

The group planned to start operations as soon as the snack was

fixed up probably Saturday, June 8, 1953 or Monday June 10, 1903.

BA 1180-C advised SA LOWE, Baltimore Division, on

5/5/53 that he had heard rumors that sometime

in the

near

future, gambling was to occur at the sportsman!s Club

Charlotte Hall, Marylara where they were renovating a building

ere renovatine Bestaurant,

behind the restaurant.

BA 938-0 advised SA GENE S. WEIMER on 5/28/63 that

he had heard that JOSEPH NESLINE had

opened up a game room on

the second floor of the Spring Lake Hotel, but had had more

extensive operations at some isolated spot in lower Charles

County, Maryland.

The Charles County operation had been closed

down

because the

subjects were told that the FBI was watching

them.

They have moved the operation to Washington, D. C.

where they were operating every evening with heavy play being

on jaturday nights.

The washington,

operation was

An ex-prise fighter, LEN

KENTHAL was employed as

bodyguard and bouncer and an individual called Philadelphia

SMITTY was the doorman, who occasionally

worked

the tables.

One "FDDIE HOLLYWOOD"

was employed as a "touter" to bring in the

street trade.

The informant believed that NESLINE loaned

the

money to BILLY MITCHELL to set the place up and left the

actual operation in the hands of MITCHELL and (FNU) WHITE.

Informant advised he had heard that two or three months

previously, NESLINE, MITCHELL, WHITE and a man known as

"SPORTY"

had purchased the spring Lake

Hotel and the surrounding tract

of land on United States Route 301, Charles County, Marylana.

Their intentions were to build

a horse race track but they were

not granted a Maryland license for a flat track.

They still

apparently have hopes of building such an operation when slot:

-F-

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NW 64578 Docld:32331573 Page 5

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## Page 6

EA 155-53

machines are outlawed in five years, and Charles County w11l

be eagar for revenue sources.

On 5/5/53 RH 95-C-TE, advised that JOSEPH NESLINE

and "SPORTY" MARTIN (FRANK E. MARTIN) were holding the grand

opening oi a

new dice game during the evening of 5/7/53.

This )game was to be operate in the Sportsman's Club, Route 5

from unidentitled loçat law enforcement officials and contemplated

and furnishing the place which was described as

They were insuring the security of the game by having

surveil the area during non-club hours as well as at times when

the game is in progress. No player can gain admittance to the

game unless they have been invited.

:..

i.r...

On 6/10/62, RH 95-C-TE had advised that NESLINE and his

partners estimated that they could make a million dollars if

they could staylopen six months.

Informant had heard that

movie star GEORGEXRAFT and KEELY SMITH were presert at the game

on Friday night 6/7453.

Informant explained that the club

MDI

was equiped with a lounge, where one could buy drinks and

tha's before entering the game room, one must pass through

three doors located between the lounge and the game room.

Roulette, dice and blackjack ganes were being held in the game

room. There were a number of women present end Arpeg SPORTYne

Both NESLINE and

MARTIN worked

as dealers during the evening of 5/7/53.

By letter 617/53, Norfolk advised that NF 188-C-TE

nad advised SA JAMES S. SPRATT On 6/5/53 that GEORGE ROHANNA,

and JOSEPH NESLINE had moved their gambling operation from

Washington, D. C. to a

building near a restaurant in st.

Mary's County, Maryland. Informant understood that a fix

had been arranged with law enforcement officials in

St. Mary's County, so that the gambling club could operate

without police interference.

On 6/14/53, PCI MADELINE ACTON, adVised SA GEORGE

R. FLETCHER, ALBERT B. MILLER and GERARD R: LONE that on

jundays 6/9/53 her

• boyfriend EDWARD GRIERSON (one of the persons

arrested in the raid on 5/13/53 at the sportsman's Club)

Mo.

-G-

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NW 64578 Docld:32331573 Page 6

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## Page 7

C

BA 165-53

had told her that the sherlff of st. Mary's County, ROBERT

MIEDZINSKI had apucared In the sportsman's Club gambling

establishment on the night of 5/18/53 and informea the gamblers

present, particularly ATIEN FISHER that if he received any

complaint concerning gambling, he was going to raid the

establishment.

that

raid, had moved out gambling paraphernalia, a roulette wheel

and table, plus a dice

table from the gambling establishment

at Charlotte Hall and' took it

to the I & M Van Line Company,,

Allied Moving Van Agents, Lexington Park, Maryland.

Informant stated she was at the Cedar Point Tavern

In Lexington Park, Maryland on 12/53 when a telephone call was

received

by the bartender GEORGE

MUSGROVE.

Following the

phone call, MUSGROVE: told informand, that the $20,000 worth

of gambling paraphernalia was still stored at Allied Van

Line Agents at Lexington

Park, Maryland.

The pertinent details

of this latter information was disseminated to the Maryland

State Police.

On 6/8,9/03 BENJAMIN H. BURROUGHS, JR., Deputy

Sheriff for st. Mary's County, turned over to sA Lowe and

ROTZ, notations of license numbers of automobiles which had

appeared at the Sportsman's Club Restaurant Parking Lot

on the evenings of 6/7, 8/53.

Some of the notations had been

made by Mr. BURROUGHS but some had been made by a source of

his, possibly in the dark, and not too legibly. Mr. BURROUGHS

explained that he could not say whether the occupants of the

automobiles had actually gone into the gambling club, located

to the right and rear of the restaurant or whether they

had merely stopped

at the restaurant itself for food and

refreshment.

The identification of persons to whom the forego. ing

license numbers were registered was obtained from Department

oï Motor vehicles recoras in Maryland, District of Columbia,

and Virginia on 6/10/03. In view of the lack of certainty

that the owners

or occupants were actually in the gambling

-H-

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MD,

NW 64578 Docld:32331573 Page 7

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