Norman Rothman Explained

Norman Rothman (aka "Roughhouse", December 26, 1914 in New York City  - October 1985) was an American gangster.

Life

Rothman was an infamous member of the La Cosa Nostra operating in South Florida. In 1945 he joined the U.S. Army. He was a close associate of Santo Trafficante, Jr. with whom he would operate casinos in Havana, most notably, the Sans Souci.^[1] He ran a bookmaking operation in Havana where he also was involved in running guns to Fidel Castro with Joe Merola and the Mannarino brothers, for which he was convicted February 4, 1960.^[2]

After moving back to Miami, Rothman purchased a notable gangster hangout, The Albion Lounge, in the late 1960s and early 70s. He was also involved in narcotics trafficking in Miami. In 1962, he was acquitted for conspiracy to transport, and transporting, stolen securities.^[3] In 1969, he was arrested^[4] and indicted,^[5] and in 1971, he was convicted, of conspiracy relating to the theft of securities.^[6]

Criminal record

• 1/29/48 – Vagrancy – Miami Beach, Fla.
• 3/27/59 – Firearms Act violation – Miami, Fla.
• 4/05/59 – Stolen property – Pittsburgh, Penn. (sentenced to 5 years in prison in 1961)
• 5/01/62 – Receiving and transporting stolen property – Federal Correctional Inst., Tallahassee, Fla.
• 9/11/63 – Stolen property – Eglin Air Force Base prison camp, Okaloosa County, Fla.
• 3/17/69 – Vagrancy – Las Vegas, Nev.

Associates

• Pasquale "Patsy" Erra
• Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal (of the movie "Casino" fame)

Habits

Rothman was known to drink Canadian Club straight with water on the side.

Further reading

• Book: Waldron, Lamar . Ultimate Sacrifice: John and Robert Kennedy, the Plan for a Coup in Cuba, and the Murder of JFK . Thom Hartmann . Carroll & Graf Publishers . 2006 . 0-7867-1832-3 . 307–308.

References

• The Education Forum/Spartacus Educational

Notes and References

1. Book: Moruzzi, Peter . Havana Before Castro: When Cuba Was a Tropical Playground . Gibbs Smith . 2008 . 9781423609933 . 2009-12-11 .
2. News: 6 Convicted of Gun-Running . February 5, 1960 . The New York Times . 13 .
3. News: Defendant Cleared in Bond Theft Case . March 3, 1962 . The New York Times . 8 .
4. News: Murray Illson . F.B.I. Rounds Up 4 In $4-Million Theft Of Securities Here . May 30, 1969 . The New York Times . 1 .
5. News: U.S. Indicts 5 Here In Securities Theft . December 19, 1969 . The New York Times . 1 .
6. News: 2 Florida Men Convicted In Theft of Securities Here . November 23, 1971 . The New York Times . 47 .