Inside the car Lagos found a male nurse’s uniform consisting of white pants, a shirt, and a lab coat. He noticed that there was blood on parts of the uniform. Attached to the lab coat was a plastic clip-on hospital ID card. In a small bag were a stethoscope and a handgun—the Palulu murder weapon.
When he got home, Lagos rolled up the gun in the nurse’s uniform and stuffed them into an empty five-gallon metal paint can. He put a twenty-five-pound dumbbell inside the can with the items, then sealed the can as tight as possible. He put the can in the car and drove to a nearby river in Edgewater, New Jersey. He dumped the can into the river and watched it sink. Then he drove to an abandoned lot, doused the car in gasoline, and set it on fire.
A few years later, Lagos was in New Jersey’s Northern State Prison on a narcotics possession charge. He was housed there with a fellow inmate he knew from the Corporation named Oscar Rodriguez. They had numerous conversations about their days with the Battle organization: Rodriguez told Lagos that he was the one who had killed Palulu.
He described the hit in detail: how Battle wanted to use a gunman from the New Jersey side of the organization because there had already been too much police heat in New York. Rodriguez dressed in a male nurse’s uniform and went to Palulu’s room unchallenged. He shot Palulu in the forehead, right between the eyes. Rodriguez noted that he got some blood on his nurse’s uniform while committing the murder. Then he fled the hospital. He told Lagos that he did the hit because he needed the money.
Rodriguez was never charged with the crime. Avila was never questioned about Lagos’s account and was not charged with wrongdoing. To this day, the Palulu murder case remains unsolved.
“It’s done. Palulu is dead”: Testimony of Abraham Rydz, U.S. v. Battle et al., 2006.
“Let’s drink champagne and raise a toast to our enemies”: Many people noted that this was a phrase Battle often used; interview with Joaquin Deleon Jr.; testimony of Abraham Rydz, U.S. v. Battle, et al., 2006; interview with Jack Blumenfeld.
Rydz and Battle Jr. create financial structure of the Corporation: Testimony of Abraham Rydz, U.S. v. Battle et al., 2006.
Use of Maurilio Marquez: Ibid.
Orestas Vidan as “the Cook”: Ibid.
“We had a saying about this era”: Interview with George Dávila.
Distribution of profits: Testimony of Abraham Rydz, U.S. v. Battle et al., 2006.
Transportation of cash: Ibid.
Rydz and Battle caught with cash at airport: Ibid.
Meetings between Hopkins, the Italians, and the Cubans: Testimony of Abraham Rydz, U.S. v. Battle et al., 2006; Shanks interview with Hopkins.
“Isleño. He’s sneaky”: Testimony of Abraham Rydz, U.S. v. Battle et al., 2006.
Gandhi on the marquee: Ibid.
“Tony, I’m never the one to throw the first stone”: Ibid.
The shooting of Pedro Acosta: William G. Blair, “ Trump Tower Resident Held in 72nd St. Killing,” New York Times, March 14, 1986; Kirk Johnson, “Crime Group Feud on Gambling Seen,” New York Times, March 15, 1986; Shanks interview with Hopkins.
Willie Diaz: The details of Diaz’s upbringing in Brooklyn, his criminal background, and his involvement with the Corporation are revealed in numerous sources, including police and prosecutor interviews of Willie Diaz; statements, deposition, and testimony of Willie Diaz, New York v. Pons et al., 1987; tape recording of Kalafus phone interview of Willie Diaz; Shanks interview of Willie Diaz, August 22, 1997.
“Our organization is like a Mafia family of Cubans”: Statements, deposition, and testimony of Willie Diaz, New York v. Pons et al., 1987.
The various arsons: John Randazzo and Paul Meskill, “Cuba Mafia 11 Held in 8 Deaths,” New York Daily News, October 8, 1985; Leonard Buder, “11 Are Accused in Fatal Blazes at Betting Sites,” New York Times, October 8, 1985. Documents for New York v. Pons et al., 1987, and U.S. v. Battle et al., 2006, list all of the arson deaths in great detail.
12. A PRAYER FOR IDALIA
Battle estate (El Zapotal): Financial record for El Zapotal, Inc., entered into evidence for U.S. v. Battle et al., 2006.
Mamey sapote: Kenneth F. Kiple, The Cambridge World History of Food (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001), p. 1808.
“Stop the car!”: Interview with Carlos Rodriguez.
Arrest of Chino Acuna: “FBI Agents Nab Alleged Hit Man,” Miami Herald, March 29, 1984; “FBI Arrests Suspect in ’76 Murder,” Miami News, March 29, 1984.
Idalia in New York: Shanks interview with Detective Richard Kalafus, Case No. 331829-J, January 23, 1998. By this time Shanks was working with U.S. Attorney’s Office under AUSA Lawrence D. LaVecchio.
Ojeda visits Idalia: Ibid. NYPD Report, Housing PD/Major Case Squad, January 11, 1985. Dade Co. prosecutor Michael Corneley interviewed via phone by NYPD Detective H. Sanchez: “Mr. Corneley stated that he has knowledge that a Det. in the Miami P.D. who is no longer working for the dept. had also visited Ms Fernandez in New York, and said Det. is Julio Ojeda.”
Ojeda conviction on racketeering charges: Arnold Markowitz, “4 Detectives Convicted,” Miami Herald, September 24, 1982; Mike Boehm, “Ex-Police Get Terms in Prison; Dade Officers ‘Led Double Lives,’ ” Miami Herald, December 21, 1982.
Blumenfeld uses Ojeda as private investigator: Interview with Jack Blumenfeld.
Kalafus visits Idalia: Shanks interview with Detective Richard Kalafus.
Charley Hernandez 1984 deposition: Florida v. Acuna, 1984.
Idalia’s life at West 90th Street building: NYPD homicide file, Case No. 1200. Interviews of tenants at 133 W. 90th Street and others who knew Idalia Fernandez, conducted by Homicide Major Case Squad, Housing police and Det. Richard Kalafus.
“El Gordo himself will want to talk to you about this”: Shanks/Kalafus/McCabe interviews with Willie Diaz, July 23 through July 25, 1997. A series of interviews were conducted with Diaz by Shanks, Kalafus, and Detective Kenneth McCabe, Manhattan office of the U.S. Attorney. Report filed by Shanks on August 22, 1997, Case No. 221829-J.
Murder of Idalia: NYPD Forensic Report, Crime Scene Unit, complaint No. 12069, December 13, 1984; Autopsy of Idalia Fernandez, Case No. M849224. Findings: Five penetrating gunshot wounds of head and neck with injury to brain and spinal cord. Cause of death: Multiple gunshot wounds to head and neck with internal injury and hemorrhage.
“There is no evidence the murder of Fernandez”: Al Messerschmidt and Larry Bevins, “Only Witness to ’76 Murder Slain in New York,” Miami Herald, December 5, 1984.
The reasons for Idalia’s murder were not hard to fathom; it had everything to do with her role as a potential witness. Four months before the murder, at a pretrial hearing before Judge Sidney Shapiro, it became clear that the issue of Idalia and Charley Hernandez using cocaine and marijuana at the house of Mario Escandar was going to be a major issue at the upcoming trial. The lawyer for Chino Acuna made it clear that all evidence of wrongdoing by police detectives handling Idalia and Charley should be obtained under subpoena and presented to the defense as legitimate discovery material. Said the lawyer, “While in Mario Escandar’s home, various homicide detectives visited her and engaged in drug usage . . . Also, during the same time frame, these Metro homicide detectives were involved in a racketeering enterprise with Mario Escandar.” The lawyer made it clear that the detectives’ relationship with Idalia would be a major component of his defense.
None of the detectives were mentioned by name, but it was clear that Florida v. Acuna—if defense counsel had his way—was going to be a reexamination of the sleaze and corruption surrounding the detectives’ handling of Idalia Fernandez as a witness. It was possible that the names of Julio Ojeda and others would once again be dragged through the mud, and further criminal charges against the detectives were a possibility.
Origins of the President’s Commission on Organized Crime: David G. Schwartz, “The Significance of the President’s Commission on Organized Crime (1984–1986) Gambling Hearings,” Gaming Law Review a
nd Economics 17 (November 8, 2013).
Manhattan hearings of the commission: Organized Crime and Gambling, Record of Hearings VII, President’s Commission on Organized Crime, June 24–25, 1985.
Lombardi’s statement: Organized Crime and Gambling, Record of Hearings VII, President’s Commission on Organized Crime, June 24–25, 1985, pp. 101–11.
Operation Greenback: Ibid. “ ‘Operation Greenback P.R.’ Probes $14 Million-a-Week ‘Laundry’ Scam,” San Juan Star, June 25, 1985.
Battle subpoena: Eric Schmitt, “U.S. Panel Says Cuban Emigres Run a Bet Ring,” New York Times, June 25, 1985.
El Enmascarado: Shanks interview with Detective Richard Kalafus; Sherry Conohan, “Operations of ‘Cuban Mafia’ Outlined by Mystery Witness,” Asbury Park Press, June 25, 1985; Eric Schmitt, “U.S. Panel Says Cuban Emigres Run a Bet Ring,” New York Times, June 25, 1985; Gary Langer, “Crime Commission Says Organized Crime Profits from Gambling,” Associated Press, June 27, 1985.
Battle at the hearings: Eric Schmitt, “U.S. Panel Says Cuban Emigres Run a Bet Ring,” New York Times, June 25, 1985.
Identity of El Enmascarado: Some of the investigators involved now know the identity of El Enmascarado. It is believed that even though decades have passed, if the identity of this person were revealed it could be a danger to the person’s family and/or associates, and so the name will not be disclosed.
“Bullshit, that’s his response”: Jim McGee and Jose de Cordoba, “Crime Boss Rules with a Deadly Fist,” Miami Herald, August 26, 1985.
“Everything the commission said isn’t true”: Ellen Hampton and Steve Konicki, “Alleged ‘Godfather’ Lives Quiet Life on Ranch Here,” Miami News, June 27, 1985.
Indictment of Lalo Pons: Leonard Bruder, “11 Are Accused in Fatal Blazes at Betting Sites,” New York Times, October 8, 1985; John Randazzo and Paul Meskill, “ ‘Cuba Mafia’ 11 Held in 8 Deaths,” New York Daily News, October 8, 1985.
Isleño Dávila leaves the United States: Interview with Humberto Dávila Jr.; interview with Michael Dávila; interview with George Dávila.
13. COCKFIGHTER
Battle caught by Maria Josefa: Memo Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Case No. 590-48-7001, report filed jointly from SA Jose A. Valdes and CIA agent Vonnie Ames to Bureau Chief Rolando D. Bolanos. Subject: “The following is a chronological criminal history and intelligence summary on Jose Miguel Battle Sr. and his Organization.” June 27, 1984.
Battle Sr.–Battle Jr. relationship: Testimony of Abraham Rydz, U.S. v. Battle et al., 2006; interview with Joel Kaplan, February 6, 2016; interview with Jack Blumenfeld; interview with Joaquin Deleon Jr.; interview with Carlos Rodriguez.
Kidnapping of Battle Jr.: Interview with Sergeant Oscar Vigoa, May 9, 2016.
“It was a beautiful home”: Ibid.
“He seemed to be very calm”: Ibid.
Conviction of Lalo Pons: “Man Is Convicted in Betting Parlor Fires,” New York Times, October 12, 1986.
Luis Samoza and the 2506 Brigade: Interview with Raul Martinez; Rasenbeger, The Brilliant Disaster, pp. 6, 97.
Formation of the Contras: Glenn Garvin, Everybody Had His Own Gringo: The CIA and the Contras (Washington, DC: Brassey’s, 1992); Peter Kornbluh and Malcolm Byrne, The Iran-Contra Scandal: The Declassified History (New York: New Press, 1993); Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Irish-Contra Affair (New York: Times Books, 1988).
Contra connection in South Florida: Buddy Nevins, “Exiles Remember Bay of Pigs by Vowing to Support Contras,” Florida Sun-Sentinel, April 18, 1986; Marshall Ingwerson, “Miami a Rebel Base Again; First Anti-Castro Cubans, Now Nicaraguan ‘Contra’ Forces Operate Out of Florida City,” Christian Science Monitor, May 30, 1986; “Bay of Pigs Survivors Find Common Cause with Contras,” Washington Post, October 26, 1986; James LeMoyne, “First Group of the Contras Completes Florida Training,” New York Times, January 9, 1987; “Cuban-American Indicted: Six Accused of Training Contras in Florida Camps,” Associated Press, August 23, 1988.
Fuentes brothers and the Contras: Interview with the Fuentes brothers.
2506 Brigade Museum: David Smiley, “Miami’s Bay of Pigs Museum Won’t Be Declared Historic,” Miami Herald, November 3, 2016.
The museum is run by the 2506 Brigade Association, which selects a new president every few years. Felix Rodriguez has served as president on a number of occasions. He remembers one year, in the late 1980s, when José Miguel Battle showed up for the annual April 17 commemoration of the invasion. By then, after copious media coverage of the Presidential Crime Commission hearings, he was a notorious crime figure. Said Rodriguez, “He wouldn’t come inside. He said he didn’t want to tarnish the reputation of the event.” Rodriguez added, “I don’t approve of what he became, but I believe that was an honorable thing to do.” Interview with Felix Rodriguez.
Battle donates to the Contras: Interview with the Fuentes brothers.
Felix Rodriguez and the Iran-Contra hearings: Interview with Felix Rodriguez; Jay Nordlinger, “The Anti-Che: Felix Rodriguez, Freedom Fighter and Patriot,” National Review, August 7, 2013.
“I had a commitment to the Contras”: Felix I. Rodriguez with John Weisman, Shadow Warrior: The CIA Hero of a Hundred Unknown Battles (New York: Pocket Books, 1990), pp. 271–72.
Rodriguez-Posada relationship: Ibid., pp. 290–92; FBI interview with Posada in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, February 7, 1992; interview with Posada.
Shanks transferred to Vice: Shanks manuscript.
Sergeant James “Jimmy” Boyd: Interview with Kenny Rosario, February 15, 2017; Shanks manuscript.
Miss One Hundred: Shanks manuscript.
Henry Lee leads to José Pulido: Ibid
“I don’t want to hear any more about Leggett”: Ibid.
Rydz’s reaction to the arson wars: Testimony of Abraham Rydz, U.S. v. Battle et al., 2006.
Birth of Susan Rydz: Interview with Susan Rydz, September 2, 2016.
Rydz’s attitudes toward Nene Marquez: Testimony of Abraham Rydz, U.S. v. Battle et al., 2006.
Rydz leaves the bolita business: Ibid.
Memorial service for Richard Battle: Testimony of Luis Perez, U.S. v. Battle et al., 2006.
“This is the day I’m leaving”: Ibid.
$2 million payout on the day Rydz leaves the business: Testimony of Abraham Rydz, U.S. v. Battle et al., 2006; testimony of Luis Perez, U.S. v. Battle et al., 2006.
Raid on cockfight near Hialeah Gardens: Interview with Willy Vigoa, June 15, 2016; Shanks manuscript.
Raid on Club Campestre: Metro-Dade Police Department Offense-Incident Report, Fighting or baiting animals, statute 828.122(4)(b), Club Campestre Rincon Criolla, 18689 SW 105 Place. Officer reporting: W. Vigoa. February 3, 1989. Upon questioning, Battle gave his occupation as “farmer.”
“I wanted to try and get a feel for the man”: Shanks manuscript.
14. DEAD BUT NOT DEAD
“The only reason I’m talking to you”: Interview with Shanks; Shanks manuscript.
Killing of Juan Paez: Ibid.
Sergeant Boyd’s obsession with Oscar Alvarez: Ibid.
Killing of Gerardo Zayas: Ibid.
“I’m here on behalf of my client, Oscar Alvarez”: Ibid.
Sergeant Hinman approaches Vice: Ibid.
Shootout between Roque Torres and Carlos Capdavilla and Cache Jimenez: Metro-Dade Police Department, Incident Report, Attempted Murder, Case No. G-1402, Patrolman I. Torres. January 4, 1987.
Plot to kill Roque Torres: The conspiracy to murder Roque Torres was unusual on many levels, one being that law enforcement was secretly involved in the conspiracy from the very beginning. Consequently, documentation of the sequence of events through memos, reports, and transcripts is extensive. These include reports from Metro-Dade police, affidavits from various officers involved, internal reports from the Dade County correctional facility and James Archer Smith Hospital, as well as transcripts of secretly recorded conversations among the various parties involved in the consp
iracy.
Rosa and Arroz meet with undercover agent Rosario: Interview with Kennedy “Kenny” Rosario, February 15, 2017.
“It’s done”: Transcript of phone conversation between Rosa Suarez and her son. Case No. 594624-J/156, solicitation to commit murder, December 19, 1989.
“Happy holidays. How can I help you?”: Transcript of conversation between Rosa Suarez and hospital operator. Case No. 594624-J/156, solicitation to commit murder, December 20, 1989.
“Is this Jackson Memorial?”: Transcript of conversation between Rosa Suarez and Medical Examiner’s Office. Case No. 594624-J/156, solicitation to commit murder, December 21, 1989.
“Big problem”: Shanks manuscript.
Cache Jimenez starting Battle’s car: Testimony of David Shanks, U.S. v. Battle, 1997; testimony of David Shanks, U.S. v. Battle et al., 2006.
“I do things for Battle”: Transcript of conversation between Jimenez and Borges.
Police surveillance of hospital: Shanks manuscript.
“It was exhilarating to be sitting there”: Ibid.
“El Gordo called me late”: Transcript of conversation between Jimenez and Borges.
“Mr. Borges, you don’t know me”: Shanks manuscript.
Internal Affairs investigates leak: Ibid.
Rumors of triple homicide by Battle: Interview with Joaquin Deleon Jr.; Shanks manuscript.
“The way you people make money”: Shanks manuscript.
“Garcia stated that he met Jose Miguel Battle”: Report of interview, Metro-Dade Police Department. Interview conducted by Sgt. James Boyd and Det. I. Martinez of the Metro-Dade PD, Special Investigations Unit, at the Federal Court House via the U.S. Marshal’s Office. April 2, 1993.
Involvement of Juan Cortes: Ibid.
Juan Pablo Alonso: Internal Revenue Service, Memorandum of interview, Juan Carlos Alonso interviewed by Det. Kenny Rosario and Det. Nick Pimentel, MDPD, and IRS SA Santiago T. Aquino. July 9, 2003.
Alonso meets Battle at Covadonga restaurant: Ibid.
The Corporation Page 64