EDWARD J. BRODSKY; THIRTY-SIX; 5 feet 9½ inches; 178 pounds; black, oily hair, center part, worn long. Middle finger of right hand amputated. Faint knife scar on right forearm. Brown eyes. This man had a record of four arrests, one conviction. Arrested on charge of assault, 2 March, 1963. Case dismissed. Arrested for breaking and entering, 31 May, 1964. Case dismissed for lack of evidence. Arrested for conspiracy to defraud, 27 September, 1964. Charges withdrawn. Arrested as scofflaw, 14 April, 1968. Sentenced to thirty days in the Brooklyn jail. Completed sentence and released 21 May, 1968. Member of Brooklyn Longshoremen’s Union, Local 418 (Steward, 5 May, 1965, to 6 May, 1966). Questioned in connection with fatal stabbing of union official, BLU, Local 526, 28 December, 1965. No charge. Residence: 124-159 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. Older brother of William K. Brodsky (see below).
William “Billy” K. Brodsky; twenty-seven; 6 feet 5 inches; 215 pounds; fair, wavy hair; blue eyes; no physical scars. Extremely muscular build. Elected “Mr. Young Brooklyn” 1963, 1964, and 1965. Arrested 14 May, 1964, on a charge of molesting a minor (female). Charge dropped. Arrested on 31 October, 1966, for assault with a deadly weapon—namely, his fists. Convicted; suspended sentence. Questioned on 16 July, 1967, in case involving attack and rape of two juveniles (female), Brooklyn, New York. Released for lack of evidence. This man dropped out of school after the seventh grade. The investigator’s report leading to the suspended sentence in the assault case of 1966 states he had the mentality of a ten-year-old. Lived with his older brother at address given above.
The following meeting took place at the You-Know-It Bar & Grill, 136-943 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, on the afternoon of 25 May, 1968. At the time, these premises were under electronic surveillance by the New York State Liquor Authority, on the suspicion that the owners of record were selling liquor to minors and that the premises were a gathering place for undesirables, including prostitutes and homosexuals.
This tape is coded SLA-25MAY68-146-JB.
ANDERSON: Wait’ll we get our drinks, then we’ll talk.
EDWARD: Sure.
BILLY: Duke, gee, it’s…
WAITER: Here we are, gents … three beers. Call me when you’re ready for a refill.
EDWARD: Yeah.
ANDERSON: The old ex-con.
EDWARD: Ah, come on, Duke, don’t put me on. Isn’t that a pile of crap? After what I’ve done and I get jugged for parking in the wrong places? Honest to God, I’d laugh … if it happened to someone else.
BILLY: The judge said Ed was the biggest scofflaw in Brooklyn. Ain’t that right, Ed?
EDWARD: Isn’t that right.… You’re absolutely correct, kid. That’s what the judge said.
ANDERSON: Beautiful. Got anything on?
EDWARD: Not right now. I got a promise of something in October, but that’s a long way away.
BILLY: Duke said he had a job for us … didn’t you, Duke?
ANDERSON: That’s right, Billy.
BILLY: Duke said it was a two-man job or I could have handled it. Ain’t that right, Duke? I told him I could handle something while you were away, Edward, but Duke said he’d wait until you got out because it was a two-man job.
ANDERSON: You’re right, Billy.
EDWARD: Listen, kid, why don’t you drink your beer and keep quiet for a while … huh? Duke and I want to talk business. Don’t interrupt. Just drink your beer and listen. Okay?
BILLY: Oh, yeah, sure, Edward. Can I have another beer?
EDWARD: Sure you can, kid … as soon as you finish that one. You got something, Duke?
ANDERSON: There’s this house on the East Side in Manhattan. I need the basement swept. I got a guy to do it—a tech named Ernie Mann. You know him?
EDWARD: No.
ANDERSON: Good, solid guy. Knows his stuff. He’ll be the only one to go in. But he needs a driver. He wants a telephone company truck. A Manhattan truck. Clothes and ID cards. All the equipment. I can tell you where to get the paper; you’ll have to take care of the rest. It’s only for a few hours. Three hours at the most.
EDWARD: Where will I be?
ANDERSON: Outside. In the truck. It’s like a small van. You’ve seen them.
BILLY: It’s a two-man job … right, Duke?
ANDERSON: That’s up to Ed. How about it?
EDWARD: Tell me more.
ANDERSON: Converted town house on a quiet block. Doorman. Alley that leads to the service entrance. You can’t get in the back door until the doorman sees you on closed-circuit TV and presses the button. You pull up in front. Ernie goes in the lobby and flashes his potsy. Real good odds that the doorman won’t ask to see yours. You’re sitting outside in the regulation van where he can see it. Ernie tells the doorman the telephone company is bringing a new trunk line down the block and he’s got to examine the connections. All right so far?
EDWARD: So far.
ANDERSON: What could go wrong? The tech just wants to get into the basement; he doesn’t want to case the apartments. The doorman says okay, that you should pull into the alley and drive to the back entrance. Like I said, only Ernie goes in. You stay with the truck.
BILLY: Me, too, Duke. Don’t forget me.
ANDERSON: Yeah. How does it sound, Ed?
EDWARD: Where do we get the ID cards?
ANDERSON: There’s a paper man on Amsterdam Avenue. Helmas. Ever use him?
EDWARD: No.
ANDERSON: The best. He’s got the blank cards. Not copies. The real thing. You’ll need snapshots to staple on—you know, the kind of four-for-a-quarter shots you get on Forty-second Street.
EDWARD: What about the truck, uniforms, equipment, and all that shit?
ANDERSON: That’s your problem.
EDWARD: How much?
ANDERSON: Four bills.
EDWARD: When?
ANDERSON: As soon as you’re ready. Then I’ll call Ernie, and we’ll set it up. This is not a hit, Ed. It’s just a wash.
EDWARD: I understand, but still. … Can’t go to five, can you, Duke?
ANDERSON: I can’t, Ed. I’m on a budget. But if it works out, it might be something more for you … for all of us. You understand?
EDWARD: Sure.
BILLY: What are you talking about? I don’t understand what you’re talking about.
EDWARD: Shut up a minute, kid. Let’s go over it once more, Duke; I want to be sure I got it right. It’s just a wash, not a hit. I don’t go inside the building. I pick up a Manhattan telephone company van with all the gear. I have the uniform and crap hanging from my belt. What about the tech?
ANDERSON: He’ll bring his own.
EDWARD: Good. I lift the truck. I pick up this Ernie guy somewhere. Right?
ANDERSON: Right.
EDWARD: We drive up in front of the house. He gets out, braces the doorman, and shows his ID. We drive up the alley to the back entrance. This Ernie gets out, shows on the TV, and gets let in. I stick in the truck. Have I got it?
ANDERSON: That’s it.
EDWARD: How long do I stick around?
ANDERSON: Three hours tops.
EDWARD: And then … ?
ANDERSON: If he’s not out by then, take off.
EDWARD: Good. That’s what I wanted to hear. So he’s out in under three hours. Then what?
ANDERSON: Drop him where he wants to go. Ditch the truck. Change back to your regular clothes. Walk away.
BILLY: Gee, that sounds easy … doesn’t it, Edward? Doesn’t that sound easy?
EDWARD: They all sound easy, kid. How do I contact you, Duke?
ANDERSON: It’s on?
EDWARD: Yeah. It’s on.
ANDERSON: I’ll call you every day at one o’clock in the afternoon. If you miss it, don’t worry; I’ll call the next day. After you get it set, I’ll call the tech and we’ll set up a meet. Want two bills?
EDWARD: Jesus, do I? Waiter… another round!