Phil Kastel
Testified in New Orleans on 25-26 January 1951 as president and general manager of the Beverly Club in Jefferson Parish, agreed that he and Frank Costello were in a 50-50 joint venture in the Bayou Novelty Co., and declined to say whether the club had a casino; the committee reported him for contempt.
- Aliases
- Phillip Frank Kastel, Philip Frank Kastel
- Role
- President and general manager of the Beverly Club (Beverly Country Club, Inc.), Jefferson Parish, by his own testimony before the Senate crime committee in January 1951.
- Source
- S. Rept. 82-124, Proceedings Against Phil Kastel for Contempt of the Senate (1951), via GovInfo
- Rights
- Biography on this page is limited to what the cited federal records state.
On the record
- 25-26 January 1951 — Kastel said the Beverly Club's business was "a restaurant and night club" selling liquor, that he was "the president" and "general manager," and declined on self-incrimination grounds to say whether it had a casino (S. Rept. 82-124, annexed transcript).
- 25-26 January 1951 — He agreed that he and Frank Costello were "a joint venture" and "50-50" in the Bayou Novelty Co., said he was a partner in the Louisiana Mint Co., and declined to say what business the Bayou Novelty and Pelican Novelty companies did. The Chairman stated that the Louisiana Mint Co. followed the Pelican Novelty Co., "operated from December 1942 to up in 1948," at 2601 Chartres Street, New Orleans.
- 25-26 January 1951 — He said that Costello drew $1,000 a month from the Beverly Club for "good-will" work; the Chairman described Beverly Country Club check no. 8148 of 28 October 1949 for $3,468.80 payable to Costello, entered with others as Exhibit 16 (Kefauver Part 8, p. 150).
- 1951 — Mayor Morrison told the committee that the Louisiana Mint Co. and its predecessors, which ran slot machines in New Orleans before 1946, were "owned and operated by Frank Costello, Phil Kastel, and others," and referred to "the Kastel-Marcello axis." The Mayor's assertions, not committee findings (Kefauver Part 8).
- 21 February 1951 — The committee reported Kastel for contempt of the Senate for refusing to answer questions and produce records for the Beverly Club and related companies (S. Rept. 82-124).
The role line is taken only from Kastel’s own testimony. The sources give a 50-50 joint venture in Bayou Novelty by his answer and a direct Costello interest in the Pelican company in his recollection; this page does not say he “ran” anyone’s interests. Statements by New Orleans Mayor Morrison about the Louisiana Mint Co. and a “Kastel-Marcello axis” are the Mayor’s assertions to the committee and are labelled so below.
An FBI summary of 1955, filed with the South Florida records, repeats a report of a Havana gambling combination that “reputedly” included Dandy Phil Kastel; it is an intelligence summary of reported information.
Records
itemKefauver Committee hearings, Part 8: Louisiana (1951)Printed hearings of the Senate Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce, Part 8, Louisiana: sessions in New Orleans and Washington, January to February 1951.
itemFBI 'Top Hoodlum Coverage' summary on Meyer Lansky: Havana gambling and the Tropicana Night Club (14 September 1955)An FBI intelligence summary says information from the Bureau representative in Cuba was that Meyer and Jake Lansky were trying to set up a gambling operation in Havana, and that agents saw Meyer Lansky with Dino Cellini, credit manager at the Tropicana Night Club's gambling concession. Part is redacted.