Businessman Testifies That Mob Figure Threatened Him, Cut Off Teamster Loans

San Diego businessman Allen R. Glick testified Thursday that organized crime figure Nick Civella threatened him and withheld loans from a Teamsters Union pension fund because Glick failed to do as he was told.

Glick testified for a second day in the trial of eight reputed organized crime figures accused of skimming more than $2 million from Las Vegas casinos owned by Glick’s Argent Corp. in the early and mid-1970s.

On trial are Frank Balistrieri, 67, and his sons, John, 37, and Joseph P., 45, all of Milwaukee; John Aiuppa, 77, John Cerone, 71, Joseph Lombardo, 66, and Angelo LaPietra, 60, all of Chicago; and Milton Rockman, 73, of Cleveland.

Carl Angelo DeLuna, 58, of Kansas City was dropped from the trial on Wednesday, apparently after entering a plea in the case.

Prosecutors contend that the defendants used their influence in the Teamsters Union to get the union’s Central States Pension Fund to lend $62.75 million to Glick, who then bought Las Vegas casinos. Glick, prosecutors allege, became the “victim” and unknowing partner of underworld figures after the first loan and a second were made.

Former Teamsters president and pension fund trustee Roy L. Williams had testified last week that Civella paid him $1,500 monthly in exchange for approving the loan to Argent.

Skimming Alleged

The federal government alleges that the defendants skimmed gambling profits from the Argent-owned casinos and divided the money among mob figures in Las Vegas, Kansas City, Chicago, Milwaukee and Cleveland.

Glick testified that the elder Balistrieri became his contact in arranging for the loans from the Teamsters’ pension fund. Balistrieri, according to Glick, a short time later forced Glick to promote Frank Rosenthal, a casino employee at the time, to an executive position in his Argent Corp. and that Rosenthal within a short time was forcing important executive decisions on Glick.

In March, 1975, Glick testified, Rosenthal instructed Glick to attend a meeting at a Kansas City hotel with Civella, who died of cancer in 1983. He said the meeting was his first introduction to Civella and that it took place in an “interrogation-like” setting.

“You don’t know me, but it would be my choice that you never leave this room alive,” Glick quoted Civella as saying. Glick said Civella later told him that, if he cooperated, he “may” survive.

He said Civella told him that, if he didn’t accept Civella’s authority, then Glick would get the message “by bullet.”

Glick testified that he received no further loans from the pension fund after the meeting with Civella.