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Louis Rothkopf

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Louis Rothkopf, also known as Louis Rhody, Lou Rody or John Zarumba[1][2] (October 11, 1902[3] – July 17, 1956),[4] was an American businessman and career criminal. He was a bootlegger in Cleveland, Ohio, during Prohibition in the 1920s and 1930s.[5] He was an investor in casinos in Las Vegas, and racetracks in Ohio and Kentucky in the 1940s and 1950s.

Louis Rothkopf
Born(1902-10-11)October 11, 1902
Cleveland, Ohio, US
DiedJuly 17, 1956(1956-07-17) (aged 53)
Bainbridge, Ohio, US
Resting placeGlenville Cemetery, Cleveland
Other namesLou Rhody, Lou Rody, John Zarumba, Uncle Louie
OccupationBusinessman
Spouse
Blanche Morgan
​
​
(m. 1929; died 1955)​

Early life edit

Rothkopf was born on October 11, 1902, in Cleveland, Ohio.[6] He attended three years of high school, and married Blanche Morgan in 1929. The couple had no children.[7] He was known as "Uncle Louie" among showgirls.[8]

Career edit

As a bootlegger, Rothkopf traveled widely, and supervised alcohol production for the "Cleveland Four," also known as the Cleveland Syndicate.[9][10] Rothkopf is credited with the "erection and operation of the largest illegal distilleries ever found in the United States."[7]

He maintained a suite in Cleveland's Hollenden Hotel with his associates.[2] In the early 1930s, Rothkopf was a partner in the Prospect Advertising Co., a front for a gambling operation.[2]

Rothkopf was described as a Cleveland-based "racketeer" in the press by 1931, when he was sought by the police as a possible witness in the murder of a Cleveland councilor, William E. Potter.[11][12]

Rothkopf and Max Diamond were convicted of tax evasion over liquor sales and sentenced to four years imprisonment and fined $5,000 in 1937.[13] The trial showed they had failed to pay taxes on US$150,000 sales of illegal alcohol.[13]

Rothkopf operated the Pettibone Club (originally the Arrow Club), a gambling club near Solon, Ohio, in Bainbridge Township,[14][15][16] and was connected to the Jungle Inn, located near Youngstown, Ohio.[2]

Rothkopf was an investor in the Desert Inn Casino, a casino in Las Vegas.[1][17] He was also an investor in gambling businesses in Kentucky and Ohio.[1][18][19] In 1936, alongside Moe Dalitz, Morris Kleinman and Sam Tucker, Rothkopf invested in the River Downs and Thistledown racetracks in Ohio.[20]

With Morris Kleinman, Rothkopf was asked to testify before the Senate Crime Investigation Committee chaired by Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver on bootlegging allegations in 1952.[21][22] When both men refused because they didn't want the media to attend their hearing, they were first charged with contempt of Congress and later cleared.[21][22]

Personal life and death edit

Rothkopf and his wife Blanche resided in a 37-acre estate located in Bainbridge Center (formerly home to the Maple Leaf Country Club, or Maple Club, a gambling establishment closed in 1927).[23] Mrs. Rothkopf shot herself on June 6, 1955.[24] A year later, on July 17, 1956, Rothkopf was found dead in his car on their estate.[25][26][27]

His brother was Benjamin Rothkopf. His nephew, Bernard Rothkopf, worked for him in Cleveland and at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas.[8]

By the time of his death, his estate was worth $225,000 (equivalent to $2,521,542 in 2023).[28] He bequeathed $5,000 to five philanthropic organizations, for a total of $25,000.[28]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Death of Widely-Known Gambler Ruled Accidental". The Coshocton Democrat. Coshocton, Ohio. July 18, 1956. pp. 1, 5. Retrieved March 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d "Kefauver: Peterson Testimony - July 1950. Part 2". The American Mafia - The History of Organized Crime in the United States. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  3. ^ "Louis Rothkopf 1902 - 1956 BillionGraves Record". BillionGraves. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  4. ^ "Cleveland Plain Dealer". 0-infoweb.newsbank.com.sciron.cuyahoga.lib.oh.us. July 18, 1956. p. 5. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  5. ^ DeMichele, Matthew. "Newport Gambling. Sin City Revisited: A Case Study of the Official Sanctioning of Organized Crime in an "Open City"". sites.rootsweb.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  6. ^ The Silent Syndicate. p. 5.
  7. ^ a b The Silent Syndicate. pp. 51–52.
  8. ^ a b The Silent Syndicate. p. 51.
  9. ^ Challis, Richard. "Northern Kentucky, The State's Stepchild: Origins and Effects of Organized Crime - Oral History" (PDF). pp. 154–155.
  10. ^ Royer, Jennifer Baugh (2009). "A Dark Side of Dixie: Illegal Gambling in Northern Kentucky, 1790-2000". pp. 71–73. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.427.4721.
  11. ^ "Last Minute News Flashes: Companion of "Hymie" Identified". The Piqua Daily Call. Piqua, Ohio. August 19, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved March 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Police Seeking Louis Rothkopf: Figure in "Hymie" Martin Case Will o' the Wisp to Cleveland Authorities". The Evening Review. East Liverpool, Ohio. August 20, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved March 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b "Cleveland Men Are Sentenced For Tax Evasion: Conspiracy to Defraud Government Brings Heavy Penalty". The Coshocton Tribune. Coshocton, Ohio. May 23, 1937. p. 8. Retrieved March 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Smith, John L. (February 7, 1999). "Moe Dalitz". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  15. ^ Ice, Rod (August 30, 2012). "The Pettibone Club". Thoughts At Large. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  16. ^ FBI. Morris 'Moe' Dalitz FBI Files. Internet Archive.
  17. ^ "Mayfield Rd. Mob". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History - Case Western Reserve University. May 11, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  18. ^ "Kefauver Crime Commission". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History - Case Western Reserve University. May 11, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  19. ^ Shockley, Jenn (August 26, 2016). "An Unexpected Disaster In 1977 Left Kentucky Heartbroken". OnlyInYourState. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  20. ^ "Mob ran Ohio racetracks, Dayton Daily News say". Wilmington News-Journal. Wilmington, Ohio. June 7, 1973. p. 17. Retrieved March 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ a b "Rules Refusal Right To Talk Before Public". The Sandusky Register. Sandusky, Ohio. October 9, 1952. p. 7. Retrieved March 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ a b May, Allan (January 10, 2000). "Refusing to Refuse: The Kleinman / Rothkopf Testimony". AmericanMAFIA.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  23. ^ Henry, Frederick A. "Bainbridge Township, Ohio". sidneyrigdon.com. p. 14. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  24. ^ "Gambler's Wife Shoots Herself". The News Tribune. Fort Pierce, Florida. June 6, 1955. p. 2. Retrieved March 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Gambling Figure Dies". The Sandusky Register. Sandusky, Ohio. July 18, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved March 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Barker, Thomas (2008). Wicked Newport: Kentucky's Sin City. The History Press. ISBN 978-1-59629-549-0.[permanent dead link]
  27. ^ "Fumes Fatal To Gambler". The Daily Reporter. Dover, Ohio. July 18, 1956. p. 5a. Retrieved March 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ a b "Will Aids Charities". The Coshocton Democrat. Coshocton, Ohio. September 16, 1956. p. 6. Retrieved March 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.

Further reading edit

External links edit

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