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category tags aliases created updated location summary relations
Organized Crime
Person
PROMIS
Cabazon
IndianGaming
Cardroom
Racketeering
LosAngeles
Rocco Zangari
2026-10-09 2026-10-09 Indio, California Managed the cardroom of the Cabazon Indian Casino from September 1980 until his discharge in November 1981, and pleaded guilty in 1988 to federal racketeering charges in Los Angeles.
type with role start end fn
employed_by Cabazon Indian Casino manager of the casino cardroom 1980-09-25 1981-11-05 5
type with role start end fn
contractor_to PN Associates, Inc. party to the September 25, 1980 agreement to manage the cardroom 1980-09-25 1981-11-05 5
type with reverse role end fn
prosecuted Department of Justice true federal racketeering charges in Los Angeles; guilty plea, five years probation and a $2,000 fine 1988 3
type with start role fn
member_of Los Angeles Crime Family 1986 identified by the California Attorney General's office as a member of the Southern California Crime Family 16

Rocco Zangari managed the cardroom of the Cabazon Indian Casino on the Cabazon Indian Reservation at Indio, California from September 1980 until he was discharged in November 1981. Cheri Seymour wrote that he was a former bookie.1 In 1988 he pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges in Los Angeles, and in 1989 a Riverside County newspaper and a California Attorney General's office official testifying to a United States Senate committee each described him as an organized crime figure.23

Cardroom agreement, 1980

The Cabazon Band of Mission Indians operated bingo games and a card club on its reservation in Riverside County. In 1987 the Supreme Court of the United States described the card club as a place where draw poker and other card games were played, with games open to the public and played predominantly by non-Indians.4

On or about September 25, 1980, Zangari entered into an agreement to manage a cardroom operated by the Cabazon Indian Casino on land owned by the Cabazon Band. The Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Ninth Circuit found that the agreement appears to have been only between Zangari and PN Associates, Inc., a Delaware corporation, although Arthur Welmas, chairman of the Cabazon Band, also signed it.5 The casino was established in October 1980 as an unincorporated company consisting of a card parlor, restaurant and bar, with about 75 employees paid from casino revenues.6

Wayne Reeder, a real estate developer, told FBI agents on October 5, 1992 that he had built the casino for the Cabazon Indians and had received a percentage under an agreement made when he built it.7

Dr. John Philip Nichols, the tribe's administrator, told Los Angeles Magazine in September 1983 that a friend had referred the tribe to the baseball manager Leo Durocher for help in setting up the cardroom, and that he had not known at the time that Durocher "had once been expelled from baseball for a year for consorting with gamblers." He continued: "He brought in a guy named Rocco Zangari. Rocco had been handling baccarat tables at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, that kind of thing. He had a lot of the wrong connections, believe me. He'd been arrested once back in 1946 for not buying a gambling stamp." The article quotes him that in Los Angeles this "probably wouldn't mean anything, but out here it was enough to make him organized crime, and the papers said he was an obvious crime figure," and that "I don't think Rocco ever would have made it into the Mafia. He wasn't bright enough." He added that the tribe eventually fired Zangari.8 A later newspaper article summarizing the magazine piece attributes the "obvious crime figure" remark to the younger Nichols, John Paul Nichols.9

Discharge and the bankruptcy case

According to the appellate panel, Zangari was discharged from his managerial position on November 5, 1981, following legal difficulties between the casino and the City of Indio. A Press-Enterprise article of March 20, 1988 gives the date as November 15, 1981, and reports that Zangari sued for breach of contract, claiming he was owed $260,000.510

On December 10, 1981, the Cabazon Indian Casino filed a petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. The petition was signed by John Paul Nichols as "Project Manager." The article gives the casino's debts as $567,577 owed to 45 creditors, and its assets as $123,859, and quotes John Paul Nichols, identified as the Cabazon tribal administrator: "Nichols said incompetent management caused the downfall of the poker business and he has admitted a mistake in his hiring of Rocco Zangari as the first manager."510

Zangari filed a complaint on January 28, 1982, objecting to the discharge of any amounts the casino owed him under the September 25, 1980 agreement. The casino counterclaimed for damages under the same agreement. On September 22, 1982, the casino moved for summary judgment, arguing that the agreement bound only PN Associates and that, even if it bound the casino, it was void under 25 U.S.C. § 81, the federal statute that restricts payments for services relating to tribal lands. The trial court granted summary judgment for the defendants. On December 29, 1983, the appellate panel reversed and remanded, finding a material question of fact about the nature of the debtor and its relationship with the Cabazon Band, and holding that the lower court erred in applying the statute to a partnership that included persons outside its protection. The panel recorded that Zangari admitted he could not expect to collect anything from tribal funds.5 The article reports: "Ultimately, Zangari's claim was dismissed and he received no money, according to Bankruptcy Court records." The article also reports that Zangari and Nichols accused each other in court papers of mishandling casino funds for personal profit at the tribe's expense.10

Press accounts in 1983 and 1985

A series in the Miami Herald published May 29 to 31, 1983, dealt with Indian bingo and with the Wackenhut Corporation. The series reported that the Justice Department had identified Zangari as a onetime mob enforcer and named the Stefano Magaddino family of Buffalo, New York in the same sentence.11 The same series described Tommy Marson as a close associate of major organized crime figures who had served five years in federal prison on a 1950 counterfeiting conviction. It reported that Marson's wife had loaned $50,000 to John Paul Nichols in November 1980 to help finance the casino.11

In a 1985 Press-Enterprise article, John Paul Nichols said that when tribal leaders learned of alleged organized crime ties of Zangari, "he was fired." Nichols said the tribe then banned the organized crime figures from the reservation. He said Marson had no dealings with the tribe, and that the $50,000 was a personal loan to him from Marson's wife.12

FBI memoranda, 1983 and 1986

A July 19, 1983 airtel from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Los Angeles office to the Director, captioned "Pan American Management Inc." and summarizing gambling on Indian reservations in the division, states that when the Cabazon card and bingo parlor opened in late 1980 or early 1981, a Palm Springs, California resident described as a La Cosa Nostra operative put up $90,000 to start the card parlor. At the same time, it states, he put an associate, a bookmaker, in as the manager. The manager was subsequently fired and thereafter won an $80,000 civil suit for breach of contract. Asked about the $90,000 in an unrelated investigation, the operative replied that it was only $70,000 and was a loan from his wife. The airtel states that a Los Angeles La Cosa Nostra member allegedly approached John Paul Nichols to demand repayment of the loan, which had supposedly since been paid off.13

An FBI Los Angeles memorandum dated November 5, 1986, titled "Crime on Indian Reservation - Gambling," states that Nichols hired a manager and associates for the parlor, whose names are redacted in the released copy, and that the on-site manager was among those identified as alleged organized crime individuals or associates. It states that information received after the parlor opened indicated that a person whose name is redacted had loaned the Cabazon Band $90,000 toward opening the parlor, that the manager was fired by Nichols and filed a breach of contract suit which he won, and that Nichols maintained the loan had been repaid in full. The memorandum states that John Philip Nichols was arrested by the Indio Police Department in January 1985 on a murder charge, was convicted, and was serving time in the state penitentiary system. It further states that local bookmakers frequented the bingo and gambling parlor, one of them described as a La Cosa Nostra associate.13

Neither document names the manager. The other records place side by side with them are these. Zangari's agreement is dated September 25, 1980, and the casino was established in October 1980. He was discharged on November 5, 1981 and sued the casino for breach of contract. The trial court granted summary judgment against him, the appellate panel reversed in December 1983 (after the July 1983 airtel), and the March 1988 article reports that his claim was dismissed and he received no money. The Miami Herald reported a $50,000 loan to John Paul Nichols from Marson's wife in November 1980.51011

Senate hearing, February 8, 1989

On February 8, 1989, the Special Committee on Investigations of the Select Committee on Indian Affairs, chaired by Senator Dennis DeConcini with Senator John McCain as cochairman, heard testimony in Washington on organized crime and Indian gambling. Robert Morehouse, a supervisor in the Bureau of Organized Crime and Criminal Intelligence of the California Attorney General's office, submitted a paper stating that Nichols "hired Rocco Zangari, a Southern California Organized Crime figure, to operate the cardroom." The paper continues: "According to court documents Zangari was later fired by the Tribe for alleged wrong doings in financial dealings. Zangari, in turn, accused John Philip Nichols of similar complaints. Zangari is currently serving 5 years probation after pleading guilty to extortion charges in 1988." It dates the casino's bankruptcy to 1981 and records that Nichols pleaded "no contest" in May 1985 to two charges of solicitation for murder and was sentenced to four years in prison.2

At the same hearing Anthony Daniels, deputy assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division, stated that "LCN direct involvement in Indian affairs has been limited."2

A witness listed in the hearing record under the fictitious name "Marty" also appeared that day. The Press-Enterprise of February 9, 1989 reported that "Marty," described as a former Mafia member whose identity the subcommittee kept secret, said the Cabazon reservation was involved with organized crime. According to the article he described a high-stakes bingo casino in the western United States that illegally skimmed hundreds of thousands of dollars for a crime family, and he named the Lucchese, Bufalino and Lansky organized crime families as the Mafia families primarily involved in Indian gambling. He gave no specifics on the Cabazon claims. Manny Fierro, a lobbyist for the National Indian Gaming Association, told the panel that the "unsubstantiated claims" of the former Mafia member gave the Indian gaming industry "a black eye," and that the Cabazon casino had been examined by state officials and was considered free of organized crime involvement.3

The same article describes Zangari as an organized crime figure who managed the cardroom until he was fired in 1981. It reports that the previous year he had been sentenced to five years' probation and a $2,000 fine after pleading guilty to federal racketeering charges in Los Angeles. The article states that he was identified in the indictment in that case as an associate of Peter Milano, whom federal prosecutors had identified as the leader of mob activities in Southern California until his conviction for racketeering. It also reports that Irving "Slick" Shapiro, described as another associate of organized crime, worked with Zangari in running the casino.3

Welmas wrote to the committee that the Cabazon Band "categorically denies" that its gaming enterprises are controlled, infiltrated or in any way connected with organized crime. His letter, reported by the Press-Enterprise on February 11, 1989, called the testimony "unsubstantiated hearsay" and stated that it made evident that Marty "has no first-hand knowledge whatsoever of the history or the current operation of our bingo parlor or card room." Welmas also noted that the witness had wrongly called the Cabazon reservation a "rancheria."14

Southern California Crime Family, 1986

The California Attorney General's annual report to the legislature, issued in June 1987 and covering 1986, names the Los Angeles Crime Family as the Southern California Crime Family and lists Peter Milano as its boss, with his brother Carmen Milano as underboss.15 In a discussion of vending machines, the report describes an investigation of Piggy's Vending in Riverside County. It states that the company's manager, Steven Cino, and Rocco Zangari, who was observed unloading cartons of cigarettes at the business, "also have been identified as members of the Southern California Crime Family."16

A Rocco Zangari in the 1998 Las Vegas case

A federal racketeering indictment unsealed in Las Vegas on February 2, 1998 named 16 defendants, among them the reputed Los Angeles underboss Carmen Milano, a brother of Peter Milano, and, as "made members," Stephen Cino, Charles Caci and a Rocco Zangari, aged 65. The Las Vegas Sun reported the indictment as a 50-count case that followed a January 1997 killing in Las Vegas; Zangari was not among the six charged in that killing.17 On March 10, 2000, a Rocco Zangari pleaded guilty to supervising other mob members while they sold $75,000 in counterfeit checks to undercover agents in the fall of 1996.18 The records found do not establish whether this Rocco Zangari is the former Cabazon cardroom manager. The Las Vegas Sun gives his age as 65 in 1998, and the 1983 Los Angeles Magazine text places an arrest of the Cabazon cardroom manager in 1946.817

Footnotes

  1. Seymour, Cheri. The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro's Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010. Lending copy: https://archive.org/details/lastcircle0000step_l0f9 ↩︎

  2. Federal Government's Relationship with American Indians, Hearings before the Special Committee on Investigations of the Select Committee on Indian Affairs, United States Senate, 101st Cong., 1st Sess., February 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 1989, S. Hrg. 101-126, Part 2: statement of Anthony E. Daniels, February 8, 1989, p. 409; Robert Morehouse, "High Stakes Bingo on Indian Reservations in California," pp. 415 to 419 (Cabazon Band section at pp. 417 to 419). https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41152832_0182 ↩︎

  3. The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, California), February 9, 1989, p. A-1, "Cabazon bingo casino listed as Mafia-tied." Reprinted in FBI Los Angeles file 183A-LA-1746, Section 1, https://archive.org/details/JohnPhilipNichols ↩︎

  4. California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, 480 U.S. 202 (1987), decided February 25, 1987, No. 85-1708. https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/480/202 ↩︎

  5. Zangari v. Cabazon Indian Casino (In re Cabazon Indian Casino), 35 B.R. 124 (B.A.P. 9th Cir. December 29, 1983), BAP No. CC-82-1578-GVAb; Bankruptcy No. SB 81-03397 WH; Adv. No. SB 82-0174-WH. https://static.case.law/br/35/cases/0124-01.json and https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/8517251/zangari-v-cabazon-indian-casino-in-re-cabazon-indian-casino/ ↩︎

  6. In re Cabazon Indian Casino, 57 B.R. 398 (B.A.P. 9th Cir. February 5, 1986), BAP No. CC-85-1006-MVAb. https://static.case.law/br/57/cases/0398-01.json ↩︎

  7. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Los Angeles, FD-302 of the interview of Wayne Reeder, October 5, 1992 (transcribed December 9, 1992), file 74-86438, reprinted in the INSLAW Cabazon Wackenhut file, https://archive.org/details/INSLAW-CabazonWackenhunt. Reeder is described as a real estate developer in United States Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility, report of Judge Nicholas J. Bua (1993), https://archive.org/details/doj-oip-inslaw-1993 ↩︎

  8. Jan Golab, "Close-Up," Los Angeles, September 1983, pp. 116 to 128 (the quoted passage runs from immediately before the page 126 heading to page 128). Reprinted in Federal Bureau of Investigation, Los Angeles, file 183A-LA-1746 (John Philip Nichols), Section 1. https://archive.org/details/JohnPhilipNichols ↩︎

  9. The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, California), undated article citing Los Angeles Magazine, reprinted in FBI Los Angeles file 183A-LA-1746, Section 1, https://archive.org/details/JohnPhilipNichols ↩︎

  10. The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, California), March 20, 1988, p. B-1 with jump page, "Manager proposes plush Indian casino, club," by Mike Kataoka. Reprinted in FBI Los Angeles file 183A-LA-1746, Section 1, https://archive.org/details/JohnPhilipNichols ↩︎

  11. The Miami Herald, May 29, 1983 (series "Seminole Bingo" on Indian bingo and Wackenhut Corporation; the FBI transmittals date installments May 29, 30 and 31, 1983). Reprinted in FBI Los Angeles file 183A-LA-1746, Section 1, https://archive.org/details/JohnPhilipNichols ↩︎

  12. The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, California), 1985, "Cabazon leader scoffs at report." Reprinted in FBI Los Angeles file 183A-LA-1746, Section 1, https://archive.org/details/JohnPhilipNichols ↩︎

  13. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Los Angeles, airtel to the Director, July 19, 1983, "Pan American Management Inc.," file 183-1746; and FBI Los Angeles memorandum, "Crime on Indian Reservation - Gambling," November 5, 1986. Both reprinted in FBI file 183A-LA-1746, Section 1, https://archive.org/details/JohnPhilipNichols ↩︎

  14. The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, California), February 11, 1989, "Indians deny link to crime," by David Boyles. Reprinted in FBI Los Angeles file 183A-LA-1746, Section 1, https://archive.org/details/JohnPhilipNichols ↩︎

  15. California Department of Justice, Bureau of Organized Crime and Criminal Intelligence, Annual Report to the California Legislature (June 1987; Attorney General John K. Van de Kamp), pp. 2-3, "Leadership of the Southern California Crime Family." https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/111070NCJRS.pdf ↩︎

  16. California Department of Justice, Annual Report to the California Legislature (June 1987), pp. 19-20, "Piggy's Vending." https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/111070NCJRS.pdf ↩︎

  17. "FBI deals crippling blow to L.A. mob," Las Vegas Sun, February 3, 1998. https://lasvegassun.com/news/1998/feb/03/fbi-deals-crippling-blow-to-la-mob/ ↩︎

  18. Kim Smith, "Alleged mobsters plead guilty," Las Vegas Sun, March 13, 2000. https://lasvegassun.com/news/2000/mar/13/alleged-mobsters-plead-guilty/ ↩︎