Louis Rothkopf | |
---|---|
Born |
Cleveland, Ohio, US | October 11, 1902
Died | July 17, 1956
Bainbridge, Ohio, US | (aged 53)
Resting place | Glenville Cemetery, Cleveland |
Other names | Lou Rhody, Lou Rody, John Zarumba, Uncle Louie |
Occupation | Businessman |
Spouse |
Blanche Morgan
(
m. 1929; died 1955) |
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.
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]
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]
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]
Louis Rothkopf | |
---|---|
Born |
Cleveland, Ohio, US | October 11, 1902
Died | July 17, 1956
Bainbridge, Ohio, US | (aged 53)
Resting place | Glenville Cemetery, Cleveland |
Other names | Lou Rhody, Lou Rody, John Zarumba, Uncle Louie |
Occupation | Businessman |
Spouse |
Blanche Morgan
(
m. 1929; died 1955) |
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.
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]
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]
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]