Originator: FBI
From: SAC, PG
To: DIRECTOR, FBI
Document date: 1962-01-03 00:00:00
Document type: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

# DOCID-32303188

## Page 1

JFK Assassination System

Identification Form

Agency Information

Date:

5/28/201

AGENCY:

RECORD NUMBER :

RECORD SERIES :

FBI

124-10283-10200

HQ

AGENCY FILE NUMBER:

92-2918-7TH NR 111

Document Information

ORIGINATOR:

FROM:

TO:

TITLE:

FBI

SAC, PG

DIRECTOR, FBI

Released under the John F. Kennedy

Ascassination Records Collection Act of

1 992 (44 USC 2107 Note). Case#:NW

55994 Date: 11-03-2021

DATE:

PAGES:

SUBJECTS :

01/03/1962

6

SMO, GM, ASSOC, GAMBLING, RAID, FGJ, RACK AND SUBV,

SUR

DOCUMENT TYPE:

PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

CLASSIFICATION :

Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS :

CURRENT STATUS :

Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 11/10/1999

OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE

COMMENTS :

INC NOTE

19.1

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40

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SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE DIVISION

7.21,1961

BACKGROUND

MANNARINOS are taugets

for

early prosecution.

NW 65994

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## Page 3

DIRECTOR, FBI (92-2914) (92-2918)

12/37/621

SAC, PITTSBURGH (92-236) (92-228)

GABRIEL MANNARINO, aka

SAMUEL MANNARINO, aka

on 12/18/61, PG 615-C advised SA THOMAS G. FORSYTH, III

as follows:

5914-247

In his opinion; the raid at the

Mannarino gambling casino -

horse room in New Kensington, Pa., on August 24, 1901, by IRS,

Pittsburgh, was 11l-advised, shortsighted and poorly planned.

For two years,

PO 615-C has been attempting to obtain increasingly

their Illegal.

has done this without any thought of, or desire for monetary

compensation, simply because

the MANNARINo "strangle-hold, his firm conviction that

on all phases of life and

activity in the New Kensington area had to be broken.

In spite of, the obvious dangers to his professional

reputation

and personal safety, he commenced a process of infiltration

due to his belief

that such things cannot be left to

"somebody else."

By frequenting gambling establishments, PO 615-0 met many

of the MANNARINO employees, and by performing small favors

for them, professional and otherwise, he became friendly

with most of them and the confidant of some of them.

They furnished considerable information, some more valuable

than others, but a compendium of their bite of information

was forming

a gradually clearing picture of the entire

MANNARINO operation.

Bureau

Pittsburgh

1- 137-941

1- 137-1139

1- 137-1264

1- 137-1017

99-2918-

NOT RYCORDEDA

T83 JAN

TOR/RIG

(10)

<26

DA JAN 22 1962

NW 65994 Docld:32303188 Page 3

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Pa: 92-236 PG. 92-228

Through political and business

friends and acquaintances,

PG 015-0 was able to meet the MANNARINOS:

Being careful

to make his personal contacts with them casual and seemingly

innocuous, PG 615-© was slowly accomplishing his plan to

haves the MANNARINOS, after doing their normal check on

him, accept him into that group of prominent, local business

and professional people with whom

they associate on

social basis.

PG 615-C had

reached the point where he could

visit SAM MANNARINO's restaurant, the Bonfire, near

Leechburg, Pa., and talk with MANNARINO rather openly about

such things as MANTARINO's use of narcoties.

He had also

reached the point where he had been invited to sit in on

small friendly card games at GABRIEL MANNARINO's

new

cottage near Leechburg.

From this so far limited proximity to the MANNARINOS and

their employees, It became apparent to PG 615-C that the

obtaining of a complete understanding of their operations

was going to be painfully but necessarily slow.

When the August 24, 1961 raid occurred,

the result was that

the MANNARINOS ordered a moratorium on all illegal activities

and ordered that their associates and employees should;

Insofar as was practicable, Mave no contact with them

with each other, until advised to the contrary.

All of

these people are under instructions not to "talk" if called

before the FCJ in Pittsburgh, and PQ 615-0 is convineed none

of them will assist the Federal Covernment because of fears

of physical and economic reprisals.

Because of the raid and the ensuing instructions from

the MANNARINOS, PC 615-C has temporarily lost many of his

contacts, and in addition, there is just so little happening

in the New Kensington area that there is very little

information that he can obtain and furnish to the Pittsburgh

Office.

PG 615-C 1s certain, in his own mind,

that the

"big guys"

will once

again escape indictment and that the most that

can be expected is that more "little fish" will be prosecuted.

If this happens, the MANNARINOS will maintain their

self-created, self-serving reputations as being untouchable"

by prosecutive action, and the populace of New Kensington

will sink back into despair.

2

11050

NW 65994

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= C*

Pa: 92-236

PG: 92-228

In view of the above, PCI HERBERT LEE RAY, RD#3, Leechburg.

Pa., GABRIEL MANNARINO's neighbor, was contacted on 12/18/61,

by sA Forsyth, and PCI RAY was asked why he had furnished

so little information in recent months. PCI RAY advised:

Prior to the "Federal raid on the MANNARIN® gambling joint

in New Kensington towards the end of summer,

1961, he

observed

some activity around GABRIEL MANNARINO'? cottage

near Leechburg.

While there were never any groups of visitors,

except for one

family-type outdoor picnic, occasionally

Individuals would visit the cottage. Also, GABRIEL

varying hours.

has developed what amounts almost to a predictable pattern.

He leaves the

cottage on most days shortly before noon,

always alone, and he returns to stay at about eight o'clock

in the evening. Visitors are extremely rare and never stay

more than a few minutes.

any information of recognizable pertinence and, therefore,

has not contacted sA FORSYTH.

on 12/18/61, PCI, ANTHONY JOHN WISE, JR., Pittsburgh, Pa.,

employed as Manager of the MANNARINO-owned Ken Iron and

Steel Co., New Kensington, was asked by SA FORSYTH why he

has not been furnishing and pertinent information during

the recent past; and he advised:

Even before the "Government raid" in New Kensington in

August 1961, he was not taken into the confidence of the

MANNARINOS as regards anything but their scrap metals and

.. gas well businesses.

They put him in charge of these

two

ventures because of his

education and prior experience.

iu..

However, on occasion he overheard conversations involving

some of their other interests and observed them meet some

of their associates and/or employees.

Since the raid, he

has not seen GABRIEL MANNARINO more

than three times and,

understands that GABRIEL MANNARINO is spending most of his

at his cottage near Leechburg, Pa., while SAM MANNARINO

spends the largest portion of each

day at his restaurant,

The Bonfire,

"located a few miles from Leechburg."

what he has

been able to observe and learn, SAM MANNARINO

and GABRIEL MANNARINO see very little of each other or of

their erstwhile associates. PCI does not feel that he can

probe for information from either MANNARINO without arousing

their

suspicions,

because it has been his habit to observe

and listen but not to ask questions.

3

NW 65994 Docld:32303188 Page 5

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PQ 92-236 PG 92-228

on 12/19/61, PG 612-0, who 1s an experienced numbers writer

In the MANNARINO operationin New Kensington, was asked about

the dearth of pertinent information being received, and

Informant advised:

The town (New Kensington has been closed down almost

* completely,

as regards gambling, since the "Federal

raid

last summer" and since the commencement of

the FGJ Inqulry.

Besides the numbers racket, which is down in volume by at

least half, there

are only three card games

in the city,

only one of which is operating on any given night:

Horse

bets, sports bets and dice games have been eliminated,

allegedly by orders of the MANNARINOS. Men who have been

for years employed in one phase

or another of the MaNNARINo

gambling set-ups are now loafing about town, and their

principal topics of discussion concern the raJ hearings,

their belief that the newly-elected reform administration

in New Kensington will not allow

resumption of open gambling,

and their

"rears" concerning their own futures.

With

regard to the numbers racket, elaborate security measures

have been put into effect, and only those possessing the

Federal Wagering Tax Stamp are permitted to participate.

In view of these facts, pertinent information has been scarce

and unreliable.

Spot surveillances at residences, legitimate business sites

and at known hangouts

during the past four months have been

wholly unproductive and tend to substantiate the comments of

the above mentioned informants.

Due

to the situation created by the IRS raid on August 24,

1961, and the resultant FaJ probe, as it affects receipt

by the Pittsburgh Office of positive information concerning

the MANNARINOS and their activities, the Pittsburgh office

has found it impossible to comply fully with Bureau instructions

concerning submiasion of a daily teletype summary of pertinent

developments.

As matters now stand, the only readily discernible method

of collecting

current positive information concerning either

MANNARINO is by establishing highly confidential sources.

4

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PG: 92-236

PG 92-228

airtel 12/20/61, the Bureau refused to authorize such

a source at the Pines Motel near Leechburg, Fa.,

where

SAMUEL MANNARINO and his secretary-paramour, JENNIE MORENO,

spend from one to three evenings each week.

Since it

has been established by survellance and informant information

that SAMUEL MANNARINO is not in contact with associates

on employees at any place except his restaurant, and there

Infrequently, thereis little likelihood that a

highly

confidential source will be established concerning his

activities until he changes his daily pattern.

Pittsburgh

sound SAS have not been able, after due consideration of

all factors, to determine a possible method for installation

at SAM MANNARINO's restaurant.

With regard to establishing

such a source on GABRIEL MANNARINO's activities, informant

and surveillance information discloses only two places where

he is known to meet with associates.

One is the Holiday

Ticket Agency, New Kensington, Pa.; and the other is at

J& L Cigarette Services, Wilmerding, Pa., owned and

operated by doserh and Louis vous.

The former is a

travel-.

entertainment ticket reservations agency housed in a

street-level office.

GABRIEL MANNARINO has been observed to

enter this office at about 9 or 10 o'clock on several

mornings and to proceed to a rear private room where he

undoubtedly met with Lieutenants THOMAS ANTHONY GIANCUTTI,

ANDREW MANGINI and DANIEL HANNA, who have also been observed

entering this office.

They do not meet there every day,

however, and although their meetings generally last from

1 to 2 hours, the nature of the conversations is not known.

As regards the J& L Cigarette Service, it is notea that

informants have advised that JOSEPH and LOUIS VOLPE have

controlled all forms of gambling activities in the Turtle

Creek Valley section of Aldegheny County, Pa., which

includes Wilmerding.

While it has been alleged for some

time that GABRIEL MANNARINO and, to a lesser degree,

SAMUEL MANNARINO have paid frequent weekly visits to the VOLPES,

purpose not known, it has not been until just recently that

the site of these

meetings was known

Even though the

ciparette vending machine company has a large, uncluttered

parking lot beside 1t, GABRIEL MANNARINO'& car has been

observed to enter the

building, after which the large

door is closed.

5

583-19800

NW 65994

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