Agency: FBI
Originator: FBI
From: SAC, PG
To: DIRECTOR, FBI
Document date: 08/23/1961
Document type: PAPER-TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

## Page 1

JFK Assassination System

Identification Form

Agency Information

Date:

5/28/201

AGENCY:

FBI

RECORD NUMBER:

124-10283-10157

RECORD SERIES :

HQ

AGENCY FILE NUMBER :

92-2918-7TH NR 102

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: FBI

FROM:

SAC, PG

TO: DIRECTOR, FBI

TITLE :

DATE:

PAGES:

SUBJECTS :

08/23/1961

19

[Restricted]

DOCUMENT TYPE :

PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

CLASSIFICATION :

Unclassified

RESTRICTIONS :

4

CURRENT STATUS :

Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 09/11/1998

OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE

COMMENTS :

INC LHM

v9.1

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Page 1

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PEEICE MEMORANDUM *United States Government

TO:

DIRECTOR, FBI

Date:

8/23/61

FROM:

SAC, PITTSBURGH (92-407)

SUBJECT:

JOSEPH RAYMOND MEROLA

FORMER CRIMINAL INFORMANT

OF MIAMI DIVISION

Sufficient copies of this cover letter are being made avail-

able to the Bureau and designated offices to allow for

inclusion with appropriate letterhead memoranda in the

various substantive case files.

Enclosed for the Bureau are five copies each of fifteen

separate letterhead memoranda under the following captions:

1.

GABRIEL MANNARINO, aka; AR

(Bufile 92-2914)

2.

SAMUEL- MANNARINO, aka; AR

(Buffle 92-2918

Note, numbers 1 and 2 are a dual caption.

3.

UNKNOWN SUBJECT; Theft of $70,000 in Diamond Rings from

HAROLD KLEIN, Salesman, M. W. Schiffman Company, New York

City, Eastern Supply Company, 3/6/54

4. FRANK THOMPSON PHILLIPS

5. UNKNOWN SUBJECT; Theft of $600,000 Worth of Jewelry

from William Penn Hotel Vault, Pletsburgn, fa.,

4/29/54

6. GENERAL CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE

7. ANTHONY LA PORE;

RICHARD BRAVIERE

17?

Bureau (Enc. 75)

30- Miami (Enc. 50)

3- Cleveland (Enc.

2- Little Rock (enc. 2,

3- New York (Enc. 3)

TGF/JW IH-PiTTSBURGH

(83)

42-99185

NOT RECORDED

158 sEP

6. 100k

I ENCLOSURE.

64 SEP Y 1961

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## Page 3

PG 92-407

8. UNKNOWN SUBJECT; Theft of Ten Contemporary Paintings;

G. DAVID THOMPSON, Whitehall, Pa. - VICTIM, 7/28/61

165,000 1N373, 20g

UNKNOWN SUBJECT; Theft of Unset Diamonds Valued at

K. Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., 10/14/55;

SIMOND DIENSTAG - VICTIM

10. UNKNOWN SUBJECTS (2); Robbery of $126,000 in Jewelry;

Mrs. TITUS HAFFA - VICTIM, 4/21/58, Chicago, Illinois

11. UNKNOWN SUBJECT; Theft of Approximately $350,000

Non-negotiable Securities, 11/22 - 12/12/60, Miami, Florida;

Dr. ANSALMO ALLIGERO - VICTIM

12.

UNKNOWN SUBJECT; Theft of $400,000 Worth of Securities,

7/17 - 23/61, Queens, New York; BERNARD PAWNS - VICTIM

13.

UNKNOWN SUBJECTS (2); Robbery of Jewels and Cash in

Excess of $249,180.48, Miami Beach, Florida, 1/20/58; Mr.

and Mrs. HARRY BLUM, ETAL - VICTIMS; ITSP; MT

UNKNOWN SUBJECT; Theft of $250,000 in Jewels from

MARTIN LEHR, Arlington Hotel, Hot Springs, Arkansas, 3/27/57;

15.

UNKNOWN SUBJECTS (2); Armed Robbery of Approximately

$117,200 in Jewels and Cash, Residence of EDITH and FRITZ

WERNER DORIGIO, Hollandale, Florida, 3/20/61; ITSP; MI

Enclosed for Miami Division are copies of each of the fifteen

memos for Miami files 137-1594 and 87-8049 and for various

substantive cases.

Enclosed for New

York are copies of letterhead memos concern-

ing cases designated as numbers 6 and 12.

Enclosed for Little Rock are two copies of memorandum

designated as number 14.

Enclosed for Chicago are copies of memos designated numbers

6, 7, 10, 14 and 15.

Enclosed

for Cleveland are copies of memos designated as

numbers 1 and 2.

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PG 92-407

It is noted that MEROLA was interviewed by Pittsburgh':

SAS JOHN S. PORTELLA and THOMAS G. FORSYTH III in Miami at

the request of MEROLA, made to Departmental Attorneys

Prior to the commencement of the interview on 8/14/61, DJ

Attorneys KENNY and KEHOE spent approximately ten minutes

alone with MEROLA, after which SAS PORTELLA and FORSYTH

Before the beginning of

advised SAS PORTELLA and FORSYTH that MEROLA had set the

conditions that the Departmental Attorneys be present;

that he would never testify to any Information furnished;

that he requested his identity be protected so that none

of

his information ever could be traced back to him;and that

he would not discuss any matter in which he had

been a

participant.

After the interview had progressed for some time, MEROLA

relented and told of several matters in which he

had

participated.

on 8/15/61, the interview was resumed under the same con-

ditions.

At its conclusion,

MEROLA advised SAS PORTELLA

and FORSYTH that he intended to be in Pittsburgh, pa.,

on

8/24/61, one day before the time he is scheduled

to surrender

to the U. S. Marshal, Pittsburgh, to commence service of nis

five year sentence in connection with his conviction in the

connection with vie

gun-smuggling case captioned "STUART SUTOR, ETAL; TGP;

ITSP; FFA; NM; CONSPIRACY." MEROLA said he felt certain

that between 8/15/61 and 8/24/61 he would have recalled

additional information of value to the FBI and would be will-

ing to talk without DJ Attorneys being

present.

Arrange-

ments for such contact were made, and results will be made

available to the Bureau and interested offices.

For the information of the Bureau, DJ Attorneys KENNY and

KEHOE requested that they receive

copies of all the informa-

tion furnished by MEROLA. Attached hereto are copies for

transmittal to the Department of Justice.

CAUTION SHOULD BE USED IN CONNECTION WITH USE OF INFORMA-

TION CONTAINED IN ENCLOSED MEMORANDA SO THAT VEROLA S

IDENTITY IS NOT DISCLOSED.

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In Reply, Please Refer to

File No.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

FEDERAL BUREAU. OF INVESTIGATION

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

August 23, 1961

GABRIEL MANNARINO, aka;

SAMUEL MANNARINO, aka

92-2918

on August 14, 1901, and on August 15, 1961, JOSEPH RAYMOND

MEROLA, 2018 North

Bay Road, Miami Beach, Florida, was inter-

viewed

at Room 201, Federal

Building, Miami, Florida, by

SA JOHN S. PORTELLA and SA THOMAS G. FORSYTH III in the

presence of U. S. Department of Justice Attorneys WILLIAM

KENNY and WILLIAM KEHOE, who were there at the insistence

of MEROLA. At the outset, MEROLA stated he would never testify

to any of

the information furnished, and he desired his

identity be protected. MEROLA advised as follows:

A. PERSONAL HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

Name Change

No information has ever been received why the MANNARINO family

name was legally changed from RUGGIERO tO MANNARINO.

Marriage of GABRIEL MANNARINO

GABRIEL "KELLY" MANNARINO'S wife, JEAN, had no choice in her

selection of mate.

The marriage

was arranged between her

father, FRANK AMATO, of Braddock, Pa., and KELLY MANNARINO.

JOSEPH PETER MANNARINO, aka, JOJO - Brother

JOJO MANNARING, who suffers from a palsy-like twitching and

from severe stammering, is a "nut"

and

"con man."

He has

dissipated the fortune

of his wife, HAZEL, widow of motion

picture actor LEWIS STONE, in just

a few years.

KELLY and

SAM MANNARINO allow JOJO to come to New Kensington occasionally

but JoJo always

does something to get into trouble, such as writing worthless

checks, and is forced to leave town.

After such visits to

New Kensington, KELLY and/or SAM MANNARINO ordinarily make

good the amount of the worthless checks written by JoJo.

47-2918

ENCLOSURE

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member of the "outfit," by birth or by being "made." Whether

• one is born into eligibility for admission into the "outfit"

or one is made eligible, the only way one can become finally

accepted is by the commission of a murder.

Every man who is

"don" without exception, has at some time or

another killed someone.

Once a man becomes a "don," the only

way he can cease being such and can leave the "outfit" is by

his death. The expression is used that "the door opens only

one way. "

In approximately the middle 1950's, KELLY MANNARINO took a

great liking to JOSEFH MEROLA and on several occasions told

friends that he "was making" MEROLA into a "don."

On one

occasion, KELLY MANNARINO took MEROLA to New York City with

him where he introduced MEROLA to VITO GENOVESE and MIKE

MTRANDA on which tIme KELLy told them ke was making MEROLA

" On another occasion, KELLY MANNARINO gave

MEROLA a padage and told him to deliver it to New York City

without opening 1t, and when JOE MEROLA had delivered the

package in New York City and it was opened, it was found to

contain only cut up newspaper.

MEROIA was put to other tests,

such as arrests by the New Kensington, Pa., Police Department

all of which were designed to test him to

see if he could be

trusted and would remain silent.

Because of this experience

with KELLY MANNARINO, MEROIA became aware that all of the top

leaders, both Nationaly and locally, of racketeering are of

Italian extraction and

are known to

each other as

"dons."

Some of the "dons" in the Pittsburgh, Pa., area are:

SAMUEL MANNARINO

KELLY MANNARINO

JOHN CHRISTOPHER FONTANA,

all of New Kensington,

Pa.;

JOHN LA ROCCA

MIKE GENOVESE

TONY RIPEPI

JOJO PECORA,

all of Pittsburgh, Pa.;

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phases.of the MANNARINO-controlled slot and pinball machines.

NORMAN ROTHMAN

NORMAN ROTHMAN has represented the MANNARINOs in their Cuban

and some Florida interests for many years.

ROTHMAN, like all

other MANNARINO employees, steals from them, and when the

MANNARINOs have lost money in an investment, such as the Sans

Souc1 Gambling Casino, Havana, Cuba, which ROTHMAN

fronted for

them, ROTHMAN always emerges with money..

ROTHMAN's Cuban

connections are over-rated and when anything actually difficult

is to be accomplished in Cuba, ROTHMAN ordinarily needs the

assistance of JOSEPH MEROLA.

Currently, ROTHMAN has the

franchise for the cocktail bar in the Bel Alre Hotel, Miami

Beach, Florida, and his two sons are working at the

bar.

ROTA

MAN 1S, I1ke SAM MANNARINO, an addict to cocaine, which

he

sniffs.

ABE SEID, aka, Al Ross

Although AL ROSS has the reputation cive es of having killed

on many occasions, it is not believed that he deserves that

reputation.

He has never been known to brag about any kill-

ings.

ROSs,

who is under order of deportation to his native

Russia, is worried that the U. S. Government will find some

nation which will accept him.

Ross is very much in love with

his wife, MORMA, who is a nymphomaniac currently residing on

Florida.

of being a

Pa Deins a tured old man, and he

ROSS gives the appearance

shows no enthusiasm for

taking part in any illegal activity to obtain money, even

though he is in serious financial straits.

JOHN CHRISTOPHER FONTANA

JOHN FONTANA WaS once KELLY MANNARINO's bodyguard and most

trusted lieutenant. KELLY MANNARINO regarded FONTANA as his

protege and made him a

"don."

After FONTANA's marriage about

a year and a half ago, he and MANNARINO had a falling out.

FONTANA thought that he was not getting enough money and

complained to MANNARINO, who told him that he was getting all

he was going to get.

FONTANA then made the serious mistake

of going over KELY MANNARINO's head and appealing to JOHN

LA ROCCA, who subsequently reported this to KELLY MANNARINO.

Since then FONTANA has been relegated to an unimportant job

fronting the Marbet Heating Company store in New Kensington,

and he receives little or no income from the MANNARINO garding

activities.

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Gun-running

Although the Federal Government was not able to prove it,

there is no question that SAMUEL MANNARINO was part of the

conspiracy in 1958 to run guns from New Kensington, Pa., to

cuba.

Originally the plans to take guns to Cuba were JOSEPH MEROLA 'S

plans and the guns were scheduled to go to FIDEL CASTRO.

In

the summer of 1958, AL ROSS told MEROLA that he could obtain

M-1 rifles and carbines.

MEROLA met RoSs at the Warwick Hotel,

New York City, and gave Ross $4,000 as part payment for the

guns, which money MEROLA had received from CARLOS PRIO

VEROLA was to return to the Warwick Hotel with additional

money in a day or so and did so, but AL ROSS did not show up.

After MEROLA returned to Miami, Florida, MEROLA learned from

Dr. LOUIS PESSOLANO, Miami Springs, Florida, that SAM MANNARINO

was interested in purchasing an Apache airplane. Because

MEROLA is a pilot and acquainted with airplanes, he looked

over the prospective plane with Dr. LOUIS PESSOLANO and

advised Dr. PESSOLANO that the airplane was too defective.

After that, MEROLA assisted Dr. PESSOLANO to lease a Twin

Beech airplane from a company owned by HAL DUPONT, Miami,

Florida.

When Dr. PESSOLANO told MEROLA that MANNARINO intended

to use the airplane to fly guns to cuban dictator BATISTA, he

realized that these were the guns that had been promised to

him and that he was being double-crossed. MEROLA then abranged

with Dr. PESSOLANO for MEROLA to accompany the pilot, STUART

on the first flight to pittsburgh, for the sole purpose

of contacting SAM MANNARINO and asking him about the double-

After SUTOR and MEROLA landed at Allegeny Airport,

Pittsburgh, they took a cab to MEROLA's sister's house in the

Regent Square section of Pittsburgh and borrowed her car.

they drove to the Tour-lel Motel on U. S. Route 22, Monroeville,

where they registered for the night.

MEROLA and SUTOR then

traveled to New Kensington, where MEROLA attempted to locate

SAM MANNARINO.

MEROLA was unable to locate SAM MANNARINO; SO

ne went to wilmerding, pa., to the house of "Sarge" BOTTI,

where KELLY MANNARINO

was

hiding from the service of subpoenas.

KELLY MANNARINO stated that he knew nothing of the plan to

smuggle guns to Cuba, that this was one of SAM A MANNARINO'S

"hare-brained" schemes, and that he wanted nothing to do with

MEROLA then returned to Miami

AIrlInes. It was not until the pliot ridier suran, f fastern

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stopped with the second load of guns, resulting in consider-

able newspaper publicity, that MEROLA realized that the

weapons had been stolen from a National Guard Armory in

Canton, Ohio.:

MEROLA later learned from a source he could not

recall

that the burglary of the armory was committed by

GEORGE FLOREA and RICHARD STEWART, with help from a "inside

man," and that the guns had been stored in the beer distribu-

torship owned by VIC CARLUCCI in Arnold, Pa.

RED GIORDANO,

who

was

convicted in this case merely because it was proven

he had bought some burlap bags and the weapons, when found,

had been wrapped in burlap bags, actually had nothing to do

with the case.

ANDY MANGINI, who was never brought into the

case, actually helped load and unload the guns from CARLÚCCI'S

beer

distributorship to the truck and from the truck to the

airplane.

Lottery

HYMEN MARTIN, aka, PITYSBURGH HYMIE, used to have the distributor-

ship in Western Pennsylvania of the Empire Treasury lottery

tickets, and since he was

Irlendly with the MANNARINOs,

they

allowed

his ticket to be sold at their numbers outlets. in anc

near New: Kensington, Pa. HYMIE MARTIN,

with whom MEROLA became

Friendly when MEROLA was a used car salesman in Pittsburgh, Pa.?

was the one who first introduced MEROLA to the MANNARINOS,

approximately 1954. MARTIN, who now resides in Miami, Florida,

probably turned over the distributorship of the Empire Treasury

lottery ticket to his brother, NATE MARTIN, who is still in

the Pittsburgh area.

Recently, "the outfit" has come out with the Pan American

Sweepstakes ticket, which is based on the running of the Dixie

Handicap horse race at Pimlico Track, Maryland, in the near

future.:

"The outfit" compelled KELLY

MANNARINO

to take 10,000

books of these sweepstakes tickets, which he must dispose

of in his area of Western Pennsylvania.

One of KELLY MANNARINO'S

employees, known as "SHRIGGS," undoubtedly will handle the

delivery of the sweepstakes tickets, as he currently does with

the Empire Treasury lottery tickets.

Gambling Casino

The MANNARINO gambling casino in New Kensington, Pa., operates

They are well patronized at this joint,

seven nights a wee"fluggers! to the squirrel Hlli section of

and they even send

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Pittsburgh,

which means that gamblers in Squirrel Hill are

transported from that section to New Kensington for the pur-

pose of gambling. Routine employees at the gambling casino

sting en

receive $150 per week flat, and those in charge receive the

$150 weekly salary plus

a small percentage of the net take.

It has been curious in the past to note that whenever they so

desire, KELLY MANNARINO OF SAM MANNARINO would walk into the

gambling casino and demand that the cashier give them a sum

of money.

For Instance; SAM MANNARINO might tell the cashier

to give him $1,000 and not to tell KELLY MANNARINO at the

risk of being killed. Employees at the casino do not carry

weapons generally, but on occasions, when there is a rumor that

the casino may be

robbed, everybody, including the MANNARINOs,

goes about. town fully armed.

Prostitution and Narcotics

Neither KELLY nOr SAM MANNARINO has ever been known to traffic

in narcotics or to operate prostitution.

Hideouts

During the long period of time, in excess of one year,

that

KELLY MANNARINO was hiding to avold service of subpoenas,

commencing in December of 1957, he stayed at two places:

the house of "SARGE" BOTTI, in Wilmerding, Pa., and the house

Of FRANK D. "SONNY" AMATO,

the brother-In-law

of KELLY

MANNARINO,

who i resides. in East Mckeesport, Pa.

During the period in 1958 when SAM MANNARINO was avoiding

service of subpoena, he stayed, at least part of the time,

at the parish house of Mount Saint Peters Roman Catholic

Church, New Kensington, Pa.

F. POLICE PROTECTION AND POLITICAL TIES

New Kensington, Pa., Mayor RAYMOND GARDLOCK and the majority

of his City Council have been

"owned" by the MANNARINOs, since

their election approximately eight years ago.

At one time

JOE MEROLA, at the instructions of KELLY MANNARINO,

"wired"

the New Kensingtón City Council chambers, so that tape

recordings of the proceedings could be made.

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