Lou Rothkopf

Louis "Lou" Rothkopf (June 3, 1903 – 1956) was a Cleveland mobster who controlled illegal gambling and other criminal activities from the 1930s until the 1950s.

A longtime associate of Meyer Lansky, Rothkopf was involved in illegal gambling operations in New York for the Bug and Meyer Mob during the 1920s. Following the end of Prohibition, Rothkopf became involved in running syndicate gambling operations in Cleveland, Ohio with Moe Dalitz, Jack Licavoli, Maurice Kleinman and Thomas Jefferson McGinty.

Arrested by a US Marshal for income tax violations Cleveland, Ohio on February 23, 1937, Rothkopf was convicted on May 22 and sentenced to 4 years imprisonment and fined $5,000.

Suspected by authorities to have ties to organized crime (particularly to Mickey Cohen and Abner Zwillman), charges were dropped by a United States district court against Rothkopf on January 9, 1940 regarding racketeering charges with Max Diamond, Maurice Kleinman, Albert Philip, Morris Phillip, Kulius Kater and Tony Scalise.

Within several years Rothkopf had complete control of gambling operations in the city, eventually becoming an important member of Meyer Lansky's syndicate gambling organization, and would later help finance Bugsy Siegel's Flamingo Hotel and Casino, the first of syndicate casinos in Las Vegas. In 1947, when Siegel was ordered to be killed by Lucky Luciano, Lansky called Rothkopf to contact Mickey Cohen on his behalf to arrange protection for Siegel who reportedly said "I want you to tell Mickey Cohen to stay close to Benny at all times - never let him out of his sight. If anything should happen to Benny, Mickey Cohen will have to answer to me." Despite Rothkopf's attempts however, Siegel was killed several weeks later.

In February 1949, Rothkopf was reportedly in telephone contact with Los Angeles mobster Jack Dragna and later with Allen Smiley at the Flamingo Hotel. He would regularly associated with Mickey Cohen, observed visiting his home.

In 1950, Rothkopf would manage the Desert Inn Casino along with the rest of Moe Dalitz's Mayfield Road Gang including Morris Kleinman and Sam Tucker.[1] He allegedly bragged to an associate claiming the casino declared a reported income of $12 million, however an estimated $36 million had been skimmed from the casino.

His wife died in 1955, and he committed suicide in 1956.[2]

Notes

  1. ↑ http://www.ipsn.org/casinos.html
  2. ↑ Barker, Thomas (2008). Wicked Newport: Kentucky's Sin City. The History Press. ISBN 9781596295490.

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