Attorneys challenge grand jury indictments in Seal Beach poker case
In Santa Ana defense attorneys attacked the true bills of criminal conspiracy against W. L. Robertson and 13 others tied to the Seal Beach Airport Club poker parlor. They argue the indictments relied on secondary evidence from raid reports after defendants invoked the Fifth Amendment. The court ordered all defendants in court. Miss Lorraine Martini, absent in Long Beach hospital, faced a bench warrant pending her status.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Miss Martini
Bar
Seal Beach
Atty
James L. Davis
Robert P. Kneeland
Davis
Robert Whitson
James E. Walker
Santa Ana
Albert G. Bergman
Los Angeles
Robertson
Fred C. Johnston
Archibald Peterson
Los Angeles Police Praised in Crime Commission Report
Sacramento report lauds Los Angeles Police Department for active work against the Sicilian crime syndicate, while noting failures in Oceanside to revoke liquor licenses of the Vitello brothers amid broader probes. San Francisco and Burbank also criticized for enforcement gaps. Palm Beach cited as haven for underworld figures migrating to California.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sacramento
Los Angeles
Oceanside
Alphonse
Lea
Arthur Vitello
Palm Beach
California
Gangsters Invasion of California Bared
A national crime commission report cites California as a magnet for racketeers and hoodlums, citing Palm Springs and Los Angeles as rendezvous spots. It names John Rosselli and Bugsy Siegel as examples, lists other figures, and criticizes San Francisco police ties to bookmakers and open prostitution. The document notes Olmo Ranch and a high‑class call house, with a San Francisco phone listing, highlighting enforcement gaps.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Palm Springs
Los Angeles
United States
T “California
Benjamin
Bugsy) Siegel
Beverly Hills
California
Rosselli
John Rosselli
Bugsy Siegel
Capone Syndicate
Chicago
Abraham Teitelbaum
Joseph Stacher
Joseph Fusco
Max Kufferran
Malcolm Clarke
Abraham Zwillman
Frank Carlo
Gerald Catena
Meyer Lansky
Ed Levinson
Allen Smiley
Willam
Willie) Bischoff
San Francisco
Olmo Ranch
Daly City
Olmo
Ralph C. Cody
Abe Fox
Artie Samish
Hquor Iob
Byist
Edmund G. Brown
Lorraine Fountain
Franklin St
Police Department
State Blasts Seal Beach Poker Outfit
The Seal Beach post classed a poker operation as illegal after a special election set for April 14. A meeting at Post Commander Leonard Hickcox's home drew sharp division, with some claiming no prior notice. Any action to take over the casino would require a vote by post members. Robertson and 10 others await trial on conspiracy to violate gambling laws.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Robertson
Post
Leonard Hickcox
Hickcox
Shawnee
Advance
The
Seal Beach
California report links venereal disease and vice to narcotics
A state report criticizes lax enforcement and links venereal disease to prostitution and pedestals of vice, arguing that about 60 percent of venereal cases originate from encounters in pest-holes. It calls for stricter policing and bans on narcotics, labeling traffic illegal drugs as a major criminal activity.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Atten-Jease
Board of Equalization
California
Also Mentioned on This Page
L. A
Ipa
Long Beach
Metcalf
W. L. Robertson
Lawman
Haar Moravia
Onchenad
Town Hall
Pleesel
Avaplees
Travel Industries Personnel Service
Wilshire
Pere Tromgh
Doe
Brin Vl Ser
Averiance
Brin, Uri Motilal Deat
Yoluma
J.C. Keys
Atlantic
Long Reach
Royal Typewriter Co., Inc
Pine Ave
Hills Bros. Folger
Sun Valley
Meat Dept
Ise
Foodland
Orange & Artesia
U.S
BUD Palmer
Old Gold Sports
Madison Square Garden
U. S
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