ALLEN DORFMAN

If there is a single person on the list of names under suspicion with the disappearance of James Riddle Hoffa (“JRH”) it might be Allen Dorfman. This opinion is shared by the "follow the money motive" often used by investigators to solve felonious crimes slated for prosecution.

Allen Dorfman was born in Detroit and raised by his Step Father Paul “Red” Dorfman in Chicago.
Paul Dorfman became associated with Hoffa early on in the scheme of things. In 1939 Paul
took reigns over the Waste Handlers Material Union, Local 20467 of the “AFL” American Federation of Labor. He established ties with the “Chicago Outfit” and linked the union's profits with a conduit of funds to organized crime. During his tenure he introduced James R. Hoffa (JRH) to mob figures as a reliable source of their aspirations to become a growth industry. In the 1940s his dealings with JRH steered his endeavors to move alongside with the expansion of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (“IBT”). The AFL-CIO removed Paul from their ranks in 1957 due to a history of infractions and improprieties. Paul included his son Allen with the workings of the IBT.  Allen Dorfman was investigated in the McClellan hearings. He was indicted in the subsequent Test Fleet Trials of 1962 and 1964. In 1970 the Dorfmans were indicted again for embezzling from the IBT Pension Fund.  Records show Allen Dorfman served nine months of a one year sentence for his part in a $55K  kickback drawn from a $15 million loan coming out of the Central States Pension Fund. He was later indicted along with two other trustees serving on that Teamsters Union fund.  One of the two trustees indicted  was Albert Matheson of Bloomfield, Michigan. Matheson was the former attorney for Walter F. Carey's trucking company Commercial Carriers connected to the establishment of the same Test Fleet company that Jimmy Hoffa was brought down by in the trials mentioned above in the early 60s.  Matheson was arrested in Chicago the day after the indictment. 

 

Dorfman was regarded as ever present in the long shadow James R. Hoffa cast over many of his associations and for a much longer period than most people associated with him. In fact one U.S. Congressional document includes an excerpt  from the press using the phrase depicting Allen Dorfman as one person being found often in "Hoffa's shadow". His activities along with his step father and his mother can be traced back to Hoffa's transactions with the major power brokers in the trucking industry and with Hoffa's introduction to many of the movers and shakers belonging to organized crime.  One other aspect noted when it comes to the Dorfman's and JRH mystery is they became some of the early pioneers with the waste management and meat rendering businesses especially in Chicago.  After Jimmy Hoffa disappeared in 1975, the FBI spent a huge effort to investigate the same kind of businesses in the Detroit area based on a "red herring" ruse tip that his body was destroyed  in a local meat rendering establishment including the Market Vending Company owned by Hoffex suspects  Raffaele "Jimmy" Quasarano and Pete "Buzzie" Vitale.  No connection was discovered by the investigators  and no evidence exists  to support the claim.  However,  the idea stills persists to this day as one of the more popular misconceptions foisted by the vivid imaginations of a few sensationalistic commentators and tabloid journalists. 

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Allen, himself, became a part of the IBT expansion in 1949 by establishing the Union Insurance Agency with his mother for Michigan Teamsters. Over a short time this insurance business, through JRH along with some of his mentors and advisers, developed into a much larger enterprise.  It grew from representing a few local union halls to a the huge IBT Central States Pension Fund.  By 1951, he basically invested union money into a number of so called business ventures and loaned out money from the Central States Teamsters Pension Fund to “would be entrepreneurs” with connections to organized crime. Dorfman had taken some lessons from the CEOs and attorneys setting up the clandestine Test Fleet company and went into business with JRH in not only the JOLL property but also the Whispering Pine Ranch camp and the  North Western Oil Company.  Both Paul and Allen Dorfman were indicted but later acquitted on jury tampering charges similar to Test Fleet by a Federal Grand Jury in San Francisco for the alleged extortion of well known insurance broker. 

 

For those watching the popular motion picture produced by Martin Scorsese in 2019 "The Irishman", we see quite a different depiction of Allen Dorfman as to what he was really like.  The film contains many events of the history of JRH, but it takes liberties with the facts included in these events.  Modern "hoffaologists" have criticized the production because of some of the portrayals of who may have killed Hoffa and how they did it. Some of them launched a effort to discredit the movie on that basis as well as  some other references to the murders of La Cosa Nostra ("LCN") associates like Joe Gallo or Salvatore Briguglio.  In reality it is not known exactly how or by what means Hoffa was killed.  There simply is not enough evidence to pin a murder wrap on one specific person.  As of this time we don't know any of the details presented by all the published experts as being absolute fact to lay responsibility on any of  a long list of suspects.  But since we are now referring to this Hollywood production, we find  the events follow a number of incidents  pertaining to the Jimmy Hoffa's history.  Many of the events are true , however, the script writers basing their work on the publication by Charles Brandt : "I Heard You Paint Houses", filled in the gaps with equally unsubstantiated information.  Some of the information portrayed in the film is based on erroneous opinions and seemed to have been used to provide entertainment value.  

 

The depiction of Allen Dorfman within  the " Irishman" movie , does not line up with evidence we discovered from credible sources.  Documentation from the DOJ, U.S. Congress, FBI, IRS and those who really knew him, provide a  different picture. First of all Allen Dorfman was not just a number crunching, mundane, low profile, bookworm.  Instead, the actual record shows a confident, intelligent, physically fit man.  He taught physical education and served in the Marine Corps before joining up with the various projects with Jimmy Hoffa. He could get things done quietly when he had to,  but the record shows he knew how to handle himself well in situations requiring a bolder approach.  He was a forceful leader and influential player when it came to orchestrating the money coming out of the IBT Pension Fund.  For example, after the previously mentioned San Francisco extortion acquittal, Allen Dorfman discovered money had been removed from the IBT pension fund without his authorization.  The transaction came at a  personal cost to him.  He was furious over the incident.  Dorfman further discovered  the money had been directed to a "Hopps" controlled Panamanian insurance firm with offices in Nassau and the Bahamas known as the Atlantic Brokerage.  In response to this unauthorized transaction, Dorfman  called  Mr. Hopps and threatened him by saying he would "cut a new hole in his head"  "put him in a concrete overcoat" and cause harm to Hopp's Grand children.  Immediately afterward  Mr. Hopps ran to the U.S. Government for help.  As a result he became a DOJ "consultant" providing testimony of what kind of person Allen Dorfman really was when it came to power and the control of vast amounts of money.  Hopps had to do this in exchange for a reduced sentence from an earlier insurance fraud conviction in Baltimore and get some protection after being threatened by Dorfman. He got probation instead of prison time.  So we learned, in that instance, Allen Dorfman used words right out of the "mobster playbook" to put fear into the man. 

 

Findinghoffa.com further discovered how notorious Dorfman was regarded..  We found a document from one federal agent working on these cases saying: "This guy Dorfman is massive."  "We could put 25 agents on him."  "It requires an effort on Dorfman similar to the effort on Hoffa".  It became obvious to us, it would not be good for a person's health to get on the wrong side of Allen Dorfman. The job as Chairman of the IBT Pension Fund required a tough personality to orchestrate and control 16 trustees and also successfully deal with the demands made from some very powerful underworld leaders.  Running the IBT Pension Fund took more than handing out cash whenever someone wanted it.  The fund would never have grown to it's enormous capacity if it did not have Hoffa at the helm along with Dorfman's savvy. Others have indicated he was not dangerous but the people he worked for were.  Either way one looks at it, Allen Dorfman was certainly no meek and mild  push over.  Once again in 1974 Allen Dorfman was indicted for loans made to a private plastics manufacturing company in New Mexico to the tune of $ 1.4 million. The case collapsed when it's star witness was found murdered only two days before Dorfman's scheduled appearance.

 

The major factor with Allen Dorfman is through his efforts and his deals with the IBT expansion.  The IBT Central States Pension Fund grew to one of the most lucrative accounts in North America. This fund rivaled the world's largest banks and was the major source of financing for many investments made by the  LCN.  It became known as the mob's "piggy bank".  We are talking billions of dollars here!  A host of so called investors wanted to get their mitts into that cookie jar. Allen Dorfman had, with the blessings of JRH, established this massive fund. There were many loans, established accounts, and business ventures financed from it. Some  loans went bust or bankrupt, but others emanated tremendous profits. The Casinos on the Las Vegas Strip and the Jersey Shore, along with exclusive real estate deals like the Rancho La Costa Golf Resort in Southern California were built from it's extensive reserves of capital. "Loans" to Crime figures in LCN families were no exception and some generous political contributions were also made. We really don't know the half of it. It was Allen Dorfman and JRH that essentially built this fund along with advice from certain successful “Industrialists” to make it profitable. Findinghoffa.com believes abuse of this pension fund led many of the investors to their eventual demise. Of all the factors involved to provide a primary motive for their deaths are best linked to this fund and the personal knowledge of those who profited illegally from it. 

 

As was previously mentioned, Allen Dorfman also owned a 167 acre Hunting Lodge in Eagle River, WI. known as the Jack-O-Lantern Lodge, or “JOLL property”. This lodge was purchased including other properties located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula from profits originating with the previously mentioned Test Fleet company. Test Fleet was set up for Hoffa and Owen Brennan in their wives maiden names by a large trucking company from Flint,  Michigan. The name of that company was Commercial Carriers. The owners of Commercial Carriers (Walter F. Carey and his partner Bertram B. Beveridge) did this through  some of their attorneys and accountants as a mutual means of protection and profit. It was determined these actions were in violation of the Taft-Hartley Act.  JRH went to trial over this “arrangement” and during the trial attempted to bribe some of the jurors.  So, it was this Test Fleet arrangement that was used as a means by the Kennedys to eventually send JRH to prison.  Allen Dorfman was indicted along with Hoffa as a co conspirator. Interest in Allan Dorfman picked up after the trials by not only the FBI but also the Internal Revenue Service.  The IRS launched a full scale investigation on him and his "general administration" of the IBT Pension Fund.  Dorfman was not only empowered by Hoffa, he also managed to align himself with organized crime leaders through out the country. He was in on most of the details otherwise kept secret by those wielding their influence on the movement of capital and  all the various means used by them to do it.

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Evidence exists that Dorfman also knew of the attempts made by clandestine “ops” from government agencies to work with elements of organized crime to assist in overthrowing of the Castro Regime.  La Cosa Nostra had some Cuban investments in gambling casinos, they would hope to protect. Some of this information was made public in Time Magazine in 1975 just prior to JRH disappearance. This incident was only the tip of the iceberg. Some theorize it was the publishing of the LCN leadership’s names involved with these covert operations that also led to a motive to take Hoffa out of the picture permanently.  

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Hoffa went to prison in 1967 and Frank Fitzsimmons took over the IBT as a proxy for Hoffa. Later in 1972, Fitzsimmons took full control of IBT.   JRH lost his position of  Teamsters leadership as a condition to have his sentence commuted  by President Richard Nixon.  With Frank Fitzsimmons at the helm, the LCN and others had benefited by Hoffa staying out of the union.  Without Hoffa aligned with Dorfman they  had easier  access to raid the pension fund cookie jar.  Those doing so, promised continued cooperation with Dorfman and stopped supporting Hoffa for trying to come back into running the IBT union affairs.  Hoffa had openly vowed to retake control of the union and it's pension fund by running for IBT President in 1976. It is, surmised by some researchers, that there were a few people involved with the U.S. Government, plus the mob, along with many powerful business CEOs who did not want to see JRH make a come back.. It appears JRH's long time friend and associate Allen Dorfman, with other former loyalists, began to turn against him.  All of these things seem to have contributed  in setting the stage for Hoffa’s eventual disappearance in 1975. 

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Another person connected to Dorfman and to Hoffa was business CEO John Murphy of Gateway Transportation.  At the time he was on the board trustees of the pension fund along with Dorfman and Fitzsimmons.  John Murphy was seen a couple of months after Hoffa disappeared golfing with ex President Richard Nixon and Fitzsimmons.  Allen Dorfman was also a participant and had in the past been golfing with suspects Rolland McMaster and Anthony Provenzano, along with others associated with the demise of Jimmy Hoffa.  Earlier Dorfman himself threw in with the anti Hoffa people.  Many researchers feel JRH was faced with a choice whether he should exchange information with the Church Committee in order to gain leverage in his pursuit to reestablish control of IBT or retire all together from labor union causes.  It appears as if many of the interested parties that had been poised against JRH reestablishing control of IBT, were found together at this golf course in California after his disappearance. The gathering did not go unnoticed by secret service agents or some media reporters at the scene.  Findinghoffa.com believes this was evidence of an historic event demonstrating the possible collusion of those involved with the Hoffa disappearance outlined in the Hoffex Memo.

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On October 9, 1975, just over 2 months later the annual Frank Fitzsimmons Golf Tournament at the LaCosta Resort, we have a group of major Hoffa suspects together with ex U.S. President Richard Nixon. Allen Dorfman owned luxury home on that golf course and participated in the event.  A  "fivesome" group of Nixon, Frank Fitzsimmons, John Murphy (Trustee of the IBT Pension Fund and CEO of Gateway Transportation), Murry Miller (Executive Secretary of IBT) and Joseph Teratola (LCN, IBT Vice President and President of Joint Council 16 in New York). Other participants included Allen Dorfman, with Anthony Provenzano (former IBT Vice President, at the time; President of Local 560 New Jersey, and LCN Genovese Crime Family Capo) in the same tournament with these participants. Nixon was making his first public appearance since his resignation connected to "Watergate" and also since the mysterious Hoffa disappearance.  Findinghoffa.com would like to look at the entire list of participants at this event.  We surmised there were others in attendance connected to the Hoffa case. We know there were other CEOs noted as being big into ‘golf course capitalism’ back in the day. Some of these same folks were at the Fitzsimmons Tournament in 1974. This event seems to tie Dorfman and the other major players and groups together before and after the JRH disappearance.

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Allen Dorfman was suspected by some researchers of using his other ties with mob owned sanitation businesses and meat rendering companies as a means to dispose of Hoffa. If so, it is the opinion of some researchers that this would have been in conjuncture with the Vitale & Quasarano businesses of Market Vending Company and the Central Sanitation Incinerator in Hamtramck, Michigan. We realize many of these already  suspected places were searched for JRH's physical remains and these businesses were under surveillance before, during, and after Hoffa vanished due to the intense violence preceding the Hoffa event in the city of Detroit.  Cars were fire bombed. Bullets were flying through union office buildings, people were seriously assaulted, and even a yacht was blown to bits by means of a mysterious explosion.  Law enforcement was watching anyone that showed up on their radar. So, they were baffled as to how Hoffa’s remains were kept hidden from them and they are still mystified after all these years. Certain alleged meetings coming from rumors and questionable sources seemed to have gotten more publicity than the “indisputable” meeting having taken place at the La Costa Golf course. (Examples of this tact are seen with an “unsubstantiated” meeting of IBT’s Frank Fitzsimmons with LCN’s Vitale and Quasarano before the disappearance and a reported meeting involving the same two mobsters with a Genovese family front man “Fat Tony” Salerno, afterward). If the reports of these other meetings actually happened, it was not enough to deter the FBI from the direction they chose to go with this case months later when they completed the Hoffex Memo. It was John Murphy's Gateway Transportation that was named in the Hoffex Memo as the means to transfer Hoffa's body to his hidden burial site. 

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These two men (Dorfman and Murphy) were both  involved with the Pension Fund. Murphy was being looked at for an $800K  loan to his Gateway Transportation trucking company  granted just a few months after Hoffa went missing . As a trustee of the IBT Pension Fund it was considered a conflict of interests by some of the members of the U.S. Congress.  Some members looked at it as a violation of the "ERISA" act of 1974.  The money, the timing and the circumstances are quite suspicious to say the least.  Even so, the way Murphy was treated by the authorities was much different from how Dorfman was dealt with.  It is odd that Murphy shows up the next year in the White House with already mentioned Trucking Industrialist Walter F. Carey to supposedly discuss the future of the trucking industry with President Gerald Ford. In contrast, Dorfman was regarded as a Hoffa suspect.   John Murphy, seen with Dorfman, on that day in California never got a second look as to any connection to Hoffa. Rather, the Federal Grand Jury in Detroit, looking into the JRH disappearance,  summoned Murphy’s subordinates.  Murphy himself  got a pass.  He made himself unavailable to serve with a subpoena.  His main office told those who attempting to contact him that he could not be reached because he was "out of town".  No one followed up on Murphy's whereabouts.  Shortly after these events, Murphy jumped ship as a trustee on the pension fund and 11 more trustees resigned under pressure from possible investigations. We think we are on target with Dorfman and we believe Murphy and others like him should have received a closer look since they shared a similar background connection with Jimmy Hoffa.

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Murphy's Gateway’s headquarters were always in LaCrosse, Wisconsin and always under the control of the Murphy family. As already mentioned, Allen Dorfman also spent much time at the JOLL property in Northern Wisconsin. It certainly is not a stretch to think Murphy and Dorfman spent time together in Wisconsin more than they did in California. Findinghoffa.com is dedicated to hunt down these leads with hopes of clearing up the Hoffa mystery.  Allen Dorfman may have been involved with the initial planning to get rid of Hoffa along with some others yet to be identified by law enforcement.  We believe Dorfman had knowledge of the Hoffa incident and eventually became a threat to both the LCN and other conspirators. When he was facing pressure from a long sentence to prison, there were those who feared he may talk to the authorities about all the secrets he held in exchange for a better deal. Dorfman’s involvement with some of the planners of Hoffa’s vanishing would certainly explain the factors we observe from his own “untimely” death years later. 

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Less than a decade after Hoffa vanished a lot of things took a different course with how IBT business was done and who had obtained control of it. The IBT Central States Pension Fund was soon to be changed forever. By 1977 Dorfman among the 8 union trustees coupled with 8 trucking executives serving on the board of trustees of the Central States Pension Fund, were stripped of their control.  The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 resulting from investigations of labor corruption and organized crime activities called for such action. By 1982, the IBT Pension Fund trustees had to sign a consent decree with the Department of Labor which limited it's independence and transferred money management decisions to external investment firms. All the while Dorfman was besieged by investigations leading to a possible 55 year prison sentence. Then, three days before his sentencing, on January 20, 1983, Allen Dorfman was gunned down in Lincolnwood, IL. A professional hit was suspected due to his desire to turn over Hoffa and Pension Fund crime evidence to reduce his sentence. The lesson continues.

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Produced by Steve Drummond 2020