Robert Hopkins, a mob member operating out of Trump Tower and leader of New York City’s largest criminal gambling ring, is arrested for ordering the murder of a rival gambling ring member.
Hopkins owns two million-dollar condos in Trump Tower and at least 100 policy-number gambling locations in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn. On February 8, he ordered the murder of Pedro Acosta, a member of a rival gambling ring.
Hopkins is also a member of the Lucchese crime family. Lucchese members are often shared with the Gambino crime family, whose members do business with both Fred Trump and Roy Cohn, the Trump family lawyer. In the late ’80s, the Lucchese family cuts ties with the Gambino family and aligns with the Genovese family, another group associated with Trump and Cohn.
In 1987, the murder charges against Hopkins and his associate, Alexander Rizzo, are dismissed by State Supreme Court Justice Jerome Marks despite evidence that Hopkins knew about the murder and was at the scene.
The following year, the U.S. Attorney’s office opens an investigation into Donald Trump after discovering that Hopkins’ units were purchased for money laundering–and Donald Trump was likely involved.
A third party, Frank LaMagra, tells investigators that Trump actively participated in the purchase of the condos and knew they were being used to launder money. In fact, a bank that does business with Trump provided Hopkins with $200,000 for deposits on the condos in 1984, despite his complete lack of verifiable income or assets.
LaMagra offers to wear a wire to prove Trump’s involvement, but the investigation is dropped after Donald Trump agrees to raise money for U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani‘s mayoral campaign.
External Sources
New York Daily News (Archived)
The New York Times – 1987 Charges (Archived)
The New York Times – Gambino Lucchese ties (Archived)
Photo: Unknown, obtained via New York Post