Agency: FBI
Originator: FBI
From: PG
To: HQ
Document date: 3/3/61
Document type: PAPER-TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

## Page 1

JFK Assassination System

Identification Form

Agency Information

Date:

5/11/201

AGENCY: FBI

RECORD NUMBER:

124-90104-10240

RECORD SERIES :

HQ

AGENCY FILE NUMBER :

92-2940-83

Released under the John

F. Kennedy

Assassination Records

Collection Act of 1992

144 USC 2107 Notel.

CaseR:NW 56792 Date:

4-10-2018

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: FBI

FROM:

PG

10: HQ

TITLE:

DATE: 03/03/1961

'PAGES:

17

SUBJECTS :

SEBASTIAN JOHN LAROCCA

DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

CLASSIFICATION: Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS: 4; 11(a)

CURRENT STATUS : Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 07/31/1998

OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE, APPROVAL OF IRS

COMMENTS:

RPT

v9.1

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PG 92-226

CRIMINAL INFORMANT COVERAGE

The following individuals are presently being utilized by

the Pittsburgh Office in the SEBASTIAN JOHN LA ROCCA .

investigation:

PG 573-0, who is extremely friendly with the GENOVESE

brothers and particularly FIOREXGENOVESE, Younger brother

of MIKE GENOVESE, and who is presently being utilized for

the general coverage of the Red Eage Chub and its visitors.

PG 585-C, who 1s well acquainted with most of Pittsburgh's

Top Hoodlums and who was formerly employed as a waitress

in the Red Eagle Club, once known as the Genovese Cocktail

Lounge, 412 Larimer Avenue, Pittsburgh. Informant still

visits this establishment and comes in constant contact with

MIKE GENOVESE and other members of Pittsburgh's racketeer-

ing element in her role as a medium-priced prostitute.

Informant is presently traveling with Mrs. JULIA MINTZ,

widow

Of JAKE MINTZ, Co-owner of EZZARD CHARLES, former world's

heavyweight boxing champion.

She is presently being utilized

for the coverage of the Genovese-La Rocca-Nelson interests.

GEORGE "MOON" MESSER, a PI who is presently very active in

Pittsburgh numbers operations and who was arrested during

the month of August, 1958, in connection with his operation.

He is intimately acquainted with many Pittsburgh top hoodlums

and

racketeers through association with them when they began

their racket careers.

He is presently being utilized for

coverage of the Genovese-Nelson interests and 1s also contribut -

ing information regarding the VOLPE brothers who are close

associates of GENOVESE and LA ROCCA.

GEORGE "ZIP" ZAPPA, a PCI of the Pittsburgh Office presently

engaged in racket activity in the City of Pittsburgh who 1s

being utilized for general coverage of lottery and numbers

operations in the Pittsburgh area.

HENRY J. BARBER, a PCI of the Pittsburgh Office who is part

owner of the notorious gambling establishment at Chester,

w. Va., known as club 30, who is being utilized for informa-

hoodlums associated with both LA ROCCA and GENOVESE.

-C=

COVER PAGE

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PG 92-226

MIss MARIAN FOGEL, a PCI of the Pittsburgh Office who 1s

being utilized for information concerning Pittsburgh

prostitution activities and as a check on the activities

of PG 585-C.

AL BUCK, former Allegheny County Detective and now Vice-

President of the

Fidelity Trust Company, Loan Department,

Pittsburgh, who is being utilized for hs knowleage of the

Bankers Exchange in Pittsburgh from which he can obtain

information regarding bank loans made to Pittsburgh top

hoodlums.

BUCK 1s also familiar with the activities of

several of Pittsburgh's top hoodlums, particularly those of

LA ROCCA, from having worked on criminal matters for many

years in

the City of Pittsburgh.

HERMAN ISRAEL, a confidential source of the Pittsburgh

Office who is being utilized for information concerning the

MANNARINO organization in New Kensington, Pa., and who is

also furnishing information regarding tie-ups with the

GENOVESE organization in Pittsburgh.

WILLIAM A. DOBKIN, a confidential source of the Pittsburgh

Office who was extremely helpful to Pittsburgh Agents during

the investigation of the RALPH KINER extortion investigation

several years ago and whose brother-in-law, NORMAN FARBER,

is a member of the MANNARINO organization..

In an effort to increase criminal informant coverage, the

PcIs under development are being contacted on a continuing

and regular basis so that information obtained from them may

be used on a day-to-day basis in connection with spot surveill

ances of the establishments frequented by the subject when

he is in the Pittsburgh vicinity.

-D-

COVER PAGE

00108-10510

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PG 92-226

INFORMANT COVERAGE RELATING TO THIS REPORT

PG T-1 Is PG 573-C, who was contacted by SA JOHN S. PORTELLA,

on: 2/24/61.

PG I-2 1s PG 615-C, who was

contacted by SA THOMAS G.

FORSYTH, III, on 2/4/61.

PG T-3 1s PG 622-C*,who was contacted by SA ROBERT A. VOEGE,

on 2/10;17 and 20/61.

PG T-4 Is AUGUST BECKER, a potential criminal infofmant of

the Pittsburgh Office, who was contacted by SA VOEGE, on

2/10/61.

PG I-5 18 PG 585-C, who was contacted by SA VOEGE, on 2/2 and

19/61 and 3/1/61.

PG. T-6 1s GEORGE STRAKA, anInternal Revenueagent attached

tọ the Fraud (Racket) Section, Room 027, Fulton Building,

Pittsburgh, Pa.,

who was contacted by SA VOEGE and SA DONALD G.

FISCHER on 2/10/61, and who has requested that his identity

be concealed.

PG T-7 1s PG 601-C, who was contacted by SA DAMON W. PITCHER,

on 2/23/61.

Ar cities

÷?!.

-E*-

COVER PAGE

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PG 92-226

patrols in the locality.

He advised that he has alerted

his patrolmen to the importance of LA ROCCA and the

possiblity of embarrassment to the McCandless Township

Police Department as a result of publicity given to the

activities o1 la RocCA. he stated that his men nave been

instructed to notify him of any unusual developments in

this regard so that he might immediately contact the

Pittsburgh Office of therFBI.

B. ASSOCIATES

Recent Information Regarding the Associates Of LA ROCCA

Engaged in Racketeering Adivities

PG Tol, who has expressed an unwillingness to appear before

any future federal or state proceedings, advised that FRANK

JOSEPH VALENTI has returned to the Pittsburgh vicinity and

is once again appearing "in the open"

and endeavoring to

exert his temporarily-lost influence in the area.

He said

that VALENTI, a close associate and one time lieutenant öf

LA ROCCA, appeared at the Red Eagle Club,

formerly known as

the Genovese Cocktail Lounge, 412 Larimer Avenue, Pittsburgh,

on the evening of February 23, 1961, and became extremely

angry when he saw the informant, with whom he has had a fall-

ing out, tending bar for the establishment. The Red Eagle

Club 1s

operated by MIKE GENOVESE, protege of LA ROCCA, who

attended the Apalachin conference during November, 1957.

The aforementioned informant advised that in order to appease

VALENTI, FIORE GENOVESE, Younger brother of MIKE, who operates

the bar, dismissed the Pittsburgh informant. Other Pittsburgh

sources ofinformation are presently being contacted to ascertain

whether or not VALENTI fits into the LA ROCCA organizational

picture for the future and whether he intends to once again

become prominent in Pittsburgh rackets.

VALENTI voluntatily surrendered himself to the Monroe County

District Attorney at Rochester, N. Y.,

on January 18, 1961.

He had been indicted in Rochester for vote fraud and was

released on $1,500 bail following his surrender to face felony

charges.

Technically, VALENTI was charged with registering

and

voting while under conviction for a felony and registering

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PG 92-226

MANNARINO brothers in the operation of their gambling

establishments in the New Kensington area. The informant

stated that he häd arranged to take movies of the wedding

and at the reception in an effort to determine the

identities of the out-of-town guests in attendance.

said that MANGINI and his bride would honeymoon in

and that a representative of the LA ROCCA-GENOVESE

organization, FELIX "PHIL" GENOVESE, did not appear as

expected, according to rumors.

PG T-3, who has expressed an unwillingness to appear before

any. future Federal or state proceedings, advised that on

either February 9, 1961 dI February 10, 1961, MIKE GENOVESE

nad flown to California to "give his oldest daughter away."

He stated that although some people would possibly think

that he was accompanied on this trip by SEBASIIAN JOHN

LA ROCCA he was not and that LA ROCCA was vacationing in

Florida.

PG I-4, who has expressed an unwillingness to appear before

any future Federal or state proceedings, was contacted upon

the receipt of this travel information relating to GENOVESE

and he advised that GENOVESE left on Thursday morning,

February 9, 1961, for Los Angeles, Calif., on a jet flight.

He stated that he believes GENOVESE was accompanied by ARTHUR D.

"ARCHIE" NELSON, his alleged front at the Phoenix Motel in

Monroeville, Pa.; that he would possibly return on or about

February 13, 1961. He said that GENOVESE told him prior to

leaving that he would give his oldest daughter away in marriage

to a young boy whom he had never met but who is "clean.".

He believed this meant that the boy is not engaged in any

type of racketeering activity. The informant said that he

believes the oldest daughter of GENOVESE is named YVONNE and

that she 1s about 20 years of age.

He said the former wife of

GENOVESE is named CARMELIA and that she resides in San Pedro,

Callf., where the wedding was to take place.

He said GENOVESE

did not mention the name LA ROCCA to him and that he therefore

did not think that anyone would accompany GENOVESE besides

NELSON.

The aforementioned information was immediately furnished to

the Los Angeles Office which advised that GENOVESE arrived

at Los Angeles on February 10, 1961, attended the wedding of

his daughter at San Pedro, Calif.,

on February 1l, 1961, and

was ataying at the Thunderbird Hotel, International Airport,

Los Angeles, Calif.

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## Page 7

REVIENED BY EB/UFK TASK FORCE.

ON 7-1498 dat

O RELEASE IN FULL

PG 92-226

I RELEASE IN PART

I TOTAL DENIAL

has observed "young Johnnie" LA ROCCA at the establishment

and noted that he was visiting Pittsburgh from his

Johnstown, Pa., residence during the week of February 19,

1961.

She added that he frequented a few of his old haunts

and

was evidently "business-minded" during this visit.

PG T-3 advised that officers of the North Star Cement Block

Company are extremely upset about the recent prison sentences

imposed and adverse publicity directed against highly-placed

officials of the General Electric Company and the Westinghouse

Electric Corporation for price-fixing and antitrust violations.

He stated that the North Star Cement Block Company is ostensibly

a member of "an association," not otherwise described, but

believed to be an orgarization of Pittsburgh or Western

Pennsylvania cement block manufacturers.

The aforementioned informant stated that members are engaged

in a conspiracy which may include price-fixing and that North

Star officials, JOHN CONTI and ROY VEY, are so jumpy lest

they become involved that they are making up a story to the

effect that an anonymous

caller told CONTI that a representative

of the Justice Department had been making inquiries about the

association and the membership of North Star in it. He said

North Star's representative to the association may be the

vice-president of this association and that the story that

CONTI

made up and will tell may cause North Star to puâhme

out of the association before some members tell investigators

all

they know.

He added that CONTI and VEY, along with the

PRUNER brothers, ALDO and ALMO, who are also executives of

the North Star Cement Block Company are extremely worried about

being callea before a Federal Grand Jury looking into the

activities of both the association and/or SEBASTIAN JOHN LA ROCCA.

D. LEGITIMATE ENTERPRISES

Information Relating to the North Star Cement Block

Company, 12 McCandless Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa.

(owned and operated by SEBASTIAN JOHN LA ROCCA)

PG I-6, who has expressed an unwillingness to appear before

any future Federal or state proceedings,

JFK Law 11(a)

-7-

93-0940-83

dolpr

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PG 92-226

JFK Law 11(a)

As a result of a spot surveillance at the North Star Cement

Block Company on December 5, 1960, during which time a car

bearing a New York registration was observed parked near

the mains entrance and

a preliminary investigation reflecting

that this registration had been assigned to Stearns Manufacturing

Company, Inc. of Adrian, Mich., the Detroit Office determined

on January 23, 1961, that the

aforementioned company with

→Ö=

95-2440 593-11658

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