FBI Detroit continues Jimmy Hoffa search after 50 years

UPI

2 days ago

The FBI resumed the search on June 18, 2013, for the body of Jimmy Hoffa, right, pictured here in this 1961 photo. File Photo by UPI
July 31 (UPI) -- Former Teamsters Union President Jimmy Hoffa disappeared 50 years ago at age 62, but the FBI's Detroit Field Office continues seeking information for its ongoing investigation.
The FBI investigates missing persons cases that might involve violations of federal law, such as kidnapping, organized crime and other criminal acts.
"As the 50th anniversary of Mr. Hoffa's disappearance approaches, the FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to pursuing all credible leads," said Cheyvoryea Gibson, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, in a news release on Thursday.
Anyone with information relating to the Hoffa case is encouraged to contact the FBI by calling 800-CALL-FBI or by submitting an online tip.
Hoffa's conflict with Robert Kennedy
While Hoffa was president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, he clashed with then-Attorney General Robert Kennedy, who for many years investigated the union's and Hoffa's alleged corruption and ties to organized crime.
Several high-profile hearings elevated the general public's awareness of Hoffa, as well as Kennedy, who was assassinated while seeking the Democratic Party's nomination for president on June 6, 1968.
Kennedy's investigations contributed to Hoffa eventually being convicted of bribing a grand jury member, along with a separate conviction for fraud, and going to federal prison in 1967.
There is no known connection between Kennedy's assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, and Hoffa, the Teamsters or organized crime.
Sirhan said he carried out the assassination due to Kennedy's support of Israel.
Hoffa tried to regain union control
Hoffa was last seen on July 30, 1975, at the Macchus Red Fox restaurant at 6676 Telegraph Road in the Detroit-area suburb of Bloomfield, Mich.
He allegedly was there to meet with two organized crime leaders during his effort to regain control of the Teamsters Union.
Self-admitted mob hitman Charles Allen in 1982 claimed Hoffa had assigned him to kill then-Teamsters Union President Frank Fitzsimmons.
Allen claimed Hoffa told him to shoot and kill Fitzsimmons outside the Teamsters Union headquarters in Washington, D.C.
He also claimed Hoffa ordered him to kill East Coast trucking leader Tony Provenzano and others who blocked Hoffa's path back to power within the Teamsters.
Fitzsimmons was a highly placed Teamsters official while Hoffa was the union's president from 1957 to 1971.
Fitzsimmons became the union's president when Hoffa was sentenced to federal prison in 1967 for jury tampering.
Fitzsimmons also allegedly was more willing than Hoffa to continue loaning money from the Teamsters' Central States Pension Fund to those who were affiliated with organized crime.
Such loans allegedly helped the mob to build and control several casinos in Las Vegas for many years.
Effort to regain Teamsters presidency
Hoffa's plan to kill Fitzsimmons unraveled when Hoffa's foster son, Chuckie O'Brien, warned Provenzano after a fallout, Allen claimed.
O'Brien said Hoffa initially supported O'Brien's desire to seek election to a Teamsters post with its Detroit local, but Hoffa changed his mind.
President Richard Nixon commuted Hoffa's sentence in 1971 with the condition that Hoffa cease his involvement in union activities.
Hoffa reneged on the agreement and sought to regain his former office and oust Fitzsimmons, who was less popular among union members.
Organized crime figures were concerned about Hoffa and viewed Fitzsimmons as someone they could control, so they ordered Hoffa's demise, Allen said.
Allen claimed Provenzano and New Jersey mobster Salvatore Briguglio had Hoffa killed and his body disposed of by grinding it into small pieces and distributing the remains in a Florida swamp.
Fitzsimmons died of cancer in 1981, and Briguglio was killed in an execution-style hit in New York City on March 21, 1978.
Continued interest in disappearance
Hoffa's disappearance has led to movies about his life and death, several documentaries and continued media interest.
Many tips over the years have suggested Hoffa's body was buried under Giants Stadium in New Jersey, beneath several Detroit-area driveways and under a freeway overpass.
Occasional tips have caused the FBI to investigate several homes and other locations, but none have turned up any additional evidence leading to the discovery of Hoffa's remains.
At least two major motion pictures have been filmed about Hoffa and his disappearance.
Actor Jack Nicholson portrayed Hoffa in a 1992 film titled "Hoffa," which details the union leader's organizing activities with the Teamsters and his eventual death and disappearance.
Filmmaker Martin Scorsese in 2019 released "The Irishman," which attributes Hoffa's death to alleged mob hitman Frank Sheeran, who is played by Robert De Niro.
Al Pacino played Hoffa, and Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel played significant supporting roles in that film.
"The Irishman" received 10 Academy Award nominations in 2020, including best picture, best director and best supporting actor for Pacino and Pesci, but the film did not win any Oscars.