Michael Julius "Mickey" McLaney (1 February 1915[1] - 9 September 1994[2]) was a mafia-linked US golf and tennis player who made a fortune in the casino business.
Michael Julius McLaney was born on February 1 of 1915 in Louisiana. McLaney made a fortune in the Casino business.
His career began as a state champion tennis player for eight years running,[3] and in 1962 he won the Grass Court Senior Men's Doubles title at the United States Amateur Championships, with Gardnar Mulloy.[4] McLaney also played excellent golf, declining to turn professional on the grounds that he could make more money as an amateur (he claimed to have once won $250,000 from Carroll Rosenbloom betting on a round of golf).[3] McLaney formed a professional partnership with Rosenbloom, and was in Rosenbloom's owner's box with him at the Colts-Giants 1958 NFL Championship Game.[2]
In September 1958 McLaney was able to purchase a large share of the Casino Internacional at Havana's Hotel Nacional de Cuba, while partnering Rosenbloom and ultimately purchasing all shares.[3] In 1959, following the Cuban Revolution, the hotel and casino were nationalised, and McLaney briefly imprisoned.[3]
Michael J. McLaney's life was documented in the book 'Bobby And J. Edgar' written by Burton Hersh. According to this book, after he is released from Cuba's prisons, McLaney flees to the City of Miami, Florida where he immediately gets together to scheme with associates to plan to firebomb the huge Cuban oil refineries once owned by Esso, Shell Oil Company and Texaco which is planned to take place at the very time as April 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion takes place.
According to Burton Hersh, the FBI learns of this scheme and quickly alerts the 64th U.S. Attorney General, Robert F. Kennedy of this attack. RFK takes off for Florida and interrupts a key meeting of McLaney and his associates on a houseboat where RFK confronts McLaney; according to witnesses, RFK drives his forefinger into McLaney's chest and tells him that there will not be any bombing of these oil refineries because the three oil companies hope to someday recover these former assets in Cuba.
However, this incident did not seriously affect McLaney's relationship with the Kennedy brothers according to Burton Hersh. On December 29, 1962, after the 35th U.S. President, John F. Kennedy, had given a speech in Miami, Florida's Orange Bowl Game stadium before about 50,000 attendees who came to honor the just released from Cuba Bay of Pigs Invasion survivors, JFK frequently visited McLaney's 40 million dollar villa in Miami Beach.
McLaney continued to be active in the Casino and Hotel business,[5] [6] moving to the Bahamas and operating a casino in the Cat Cays. In the 1967 Bahamas election McLaney aided Lynden Pindling, and was mentioned in a February 3, 1967 issue of Life magazine article alleging corrupt connections between Pindling and organised crime.[7] McLaney sued the magazine's publisher, Time Inc. for libel; Time Inc. moved for summary judgment of dismissal of McLaney's case, the District Court denied the motion and Time Inc. appealed from this denial to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. The 5th Circuit, after deciding that Time Inc. had the right to appeal this ruling, decided, on a complete review of the record, to reverse the District Court and grant summary judgment dismissing McLaney's suit, and the U.S. Supreme Court refused McLaney's application for a writ of review, Time Inc.[8]
Michael Julius McLaney moved with his family to Haiti, where he enjoyed a near-monopoly on the Casino business under the Duvaliers.[9] [10]