Irwin Weiner

Irwin Weiner (6 March 1916 – 1996) was a mobster affiliated with the Chicago Outfit and a close associate of Jimmy Hoffa.

Biography He was born on 6 March 1916 to Leon Weiner in the West Side of Chicago. His father was a bookmaker that was murdered.

In 1951 Weiner was arrested for illegal bookmaking, receiving a $1200 fine and two years probation. Weiner put up the $100,000 bail for Murray Humphreys in 1965. He would also post bail for the underlings of Joseph Lombardo, James Torello, and Felix Alderisio.

In 1964, Weiner and Felix Alderisio were tried but later acquitted for extorting a Miami businessman. Weiner and Alderisio were particularly close as Weiner had known him since he was 13. Additionally, he was an associate in three meat shortening companies of Alderisio and Albert Frabotta. Sam Battaglia and Marshall Caifano were on their payroll.

Weiner knew Santo Trafficante Jr., whom he visited in Cuba and Florida. Trafficante gave him interests in his casinos in Cuba, namely the Hotel Deauville and Hotel Capri casinos. Talk of the profits lost to Fidel Castro, who had kicked the mafia out of Cuba, reportedly brought Weiner to tears. Weiner denied having any casino interests in Cuba, but admitted making several trips to the island, which he said were purely recreational.

Weiner was close to Jimmy Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. A 1963 FBI report states that Weiner and his associate Sol Schwartz received up to $1 million for negotiating Teamsters bonds. Weiner stated that he received compensation in the sum of several hundred thousand for writing a Teamsters bond in the latter 1950s. They were all acquitted after the main government witness was murdered. Weiner stated "My attorney, Albert Jenner, was concerned about the fact that a government witness in the trial had been killed, but I told him that we were innocent men and had nothing to do with it. He believed me". His friend and co-defendant Allen Dorfman defended Weiner from accusations that he was involved with organized crime, "I've known Irv Weiner all my life and if he is organized crime, then I'm the pope". Dorfman was ambushed as he and Weiner left the First National Bank of Lincolnwood on their way to lunch. They pulled into the parking lot and got out when Dorfman was shot. Weiner was never threatened by the gunman and was questioned for several hours after the shooting.

Las Vegas Skim By 1971, the FBI had intelligence that Weiner was handling the skim from Las Vegas to Chicago. While Tony Spilotro was the enforcer, Weiner handled the actual money and delivered it to the Midwest.

Jack Ruby On 26 October 1963 Weiner received a call from Jack Ruby. This 12-minute phone call is the only documented contact between the two men. Speaking to the journalist Dan E. Moldea in the 1970s, he referred to Ruby as "a friend of mine", adding that his brother Earl Ruby was one of his close friends, and they had known each other from school. When Weiner was asked by the committee about this, he stated that he frequently lied to journalists and made reference to the fact that he was not under oath then, but was now.