Paul Dorfman

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Paul "Red" Dorfman was an American mobster associated with the Chicago Outfit, trade unionist and close associate of Jimmy Hoffa.

Biography

Dorfman was involved with the Chicago Outfit while it was under the control of Al Capone. His associates included Capone men like Tony Accardo and other mobsters like Abner Zwillman. [1] [2] [3] In 1939, after the previous union president Leon Cooke was murdered, Dorfman rose to become the new president of the Chicago Waste Handlers Union. [4] [5]

At some point in the late 1940s he became friends with Jimmy Hoffa. According to the McClellan Committee, Dorfman was "the contact man between dishonest union leaders and members of the Chicago Underworld". [6] Frank Ragano, Hoffa and Santo Trafficante Jr.'s lawyer, described Dorfman as a man with a reputation as a "throwback to the old-style Chicago gangland thug. His penetrating gaze was chilling, almost terrifying". [7] In his book, The Enemy Within (1960), Senator Bobby Kennedy who had sat on the McClellan Committee, described Dorfman as "a big operator" and a "major figure in the Chicago underworld who also knew his way around in certain labor and political circles". [1] He added that Dorfman and Hoffa "are now as one. Everywhere Hoffa goes, Dorfman is close by. Most important decisions by Hoffa are made only after consultation with Paul Dorfman". [8] Besides Hoffa, Dorfman was a friend of Sam Giancana and Santo Trafficante Jr. [9]

It was through Dorfman that Hoffa began to establish relationships with Chicago organized crime. He introduced Hoffa to former Capone associates like Joseph Glimco and Paul Ricca. [10] [11] In 1949 Dorfman introduced Hoffa to his stepson Allen Dorfman, who became heavily involved in Teamsters corruption. [12] According to FBI files, Dorfman agreed to introduce Hoffa to mob figures in exchange for Allen's entry into the Teamsters' insurance business. Allen and his mother set up Union Insurance Agency, and in 1950, would receive their first contract with the Teamsters. Allen was a millionaire within five years. [13] Hoffa was brought to trial for bribery in 1957. Given that the jury was composed of eight blacks and four whites, Hoffa made overtures to the black jurors. Dorfman and Barney Baker arranged for the black boxer Joe Louis to walk up and hug Hoffa in view of the jurors. Hoffa was found not guilty. [14] Dorfman approached the International Boxing Club, ran by a friend of his Truman Gibson, to make this arrangement. [15]

In 1954 Dorfman and his son were called before a Special Subcommittee of the Committee on Education and Labor that was tasked with investigating abuses of welfare funds. They pled the Fifth Amendment 135 times. [16] In 1957 he was expelled from the AFL-CIO for corrupt practices. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 Kennedy, Robert F. (1994). The Enemy Within: The McClellan Committee's Crusade Against Jimmy Hoffa and Corrupt Labor Unions. Da Capo Press. p. 84.
  2. ↑ Velie, Lester (1977). Desperate Bargain: Why Jimmy Hoffa Had To Die. Reader's Digest Press. p. 55.
  3. 1 2 Bartlow Martin, John (1959). Jimmy Hoffa's Hot. Crest Books. p. 85.
  4. ↑ "Investigators Link Hoffa's Disappearance to His Early Alliance With Organized Crime". The New York Times. 19 August 1975.
  5. ↑ Schlesinger, Arthur M. (1978). Robert Kennedy and His Times, Volume 1. Houghton Mifflin. p. 171.
  6. ↑ Scott Witwer, David (2003). Corruption and Reform in the Teamsters Union. University of Illinois Press. p. 176.
  7. ↑ Ragano, Frank (1994). Mob Lawyer. Maxwell Macmillan. p. 95.
  8. ↑ Kennedy, Robert F. (1994). The Enemy Within: The McClellan Committee's Crusade Against Jimmy Hoffa and Corrupt Labor Unions. Da Capo Press. p. 86.
  9. ↑ Ragano, Frank (1994). Mob Lawyer. Maxwell Macmillan. pp. 95 & 218.
  10. ↑ "Pretty Simple Life". Time. 31 August 1959.
  11. ↑ "INVESTIGATIONS: To Hell with Them". Time. 17 August 1959.
  12. ↑ Treaster, Joseph B. (21 January 1983). "Allen Dorfman Built Wealth Through Teamster Contacts". The New York Times.
  13. ↑ Frantz, Douglas (January 21, 1983). "Double Life of Allen Dorfman" . Chicago Tribune. p. 13. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  14. ↑ Sheridan, Walter (1972). The Fall and Rise of Jimmy Hoffa. Saturday Review Press. pp. 33–34.
  15. ↑ Kennedy, Robert F. (1994). The Enemy Within: The McClellan Committee's Crusade Against Jimmy Hoffa and Corrupt Labor Unions. Da Capo Press. p. 60.
  16. ↑ Friedman, Allen; Schwartz, Ted (1989). Power and Greed: Inside the Teamsters Empire of Corruption. Franklin Watts. p. 130.
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