Louis Rothkopf

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

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

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

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 $2,421,848 in 2022).[28] He bequeathed $5,000 to five philanthropic organizations, for a total of $25,000.[28]

References
  1. "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. "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. The Silent Syndicate. pp. 51–52.
  8. 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. "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. "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. 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.
  27. "Fumes Fatal To Gambler". The Daily Reporter. Dover, Ohio. July 18, 1956. p. 5a. Retrieved March 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. "Will Aids Charities". The Coshocton Democrat. Coshocton, Ohio. September 16, 1956. p. 6. Retrieved March 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.

Further reading
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