Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Financial Data and Tax Problems

Financial Data and Tax Problems Jack Ruby’s pockets and the trunk of his car effectively served as his bank; he and his clubs rarely used bank accounts, paying most expenses directly from club receipts. In the latter half of 1963, the Carousel, the Vegas, and Ruby each maintained small checking accounts at the Merchants State Bank in Dallas. An examination of more than 50 banking institutions revealed only three other dormant accounts, and two safety deposit boxes were found empty. Ruby’s financial records were chaotic; one accountant abandoned efforts to prepare his returns because of the disarray. The Texas charter of the corporation controlling the Sovereign and Carousel clubs was canceled in 1961 for failure to pay Texas franchise taxes. Ruby’s most serious tax problem involved federal excise taxes: relying on an attorney’s advice that the Vegas Club, a dance hall serving food, was not a “cabaret,” Ruby collected excise-free charges from patrons until federal courts ruled that dance halls providing “incidental” food were cabarets, leaving him liable for more than six years of taxes totaling almost exactly $40,000. He also fell behind on personal income taxes, owing more than $4,400 for 1959 and 1960 at the time of his arrest. The Government filed tax liens of more than $20,000 in 1960 and rejected Ruby’s subsequent compromise offers of $8,000 in November 1962 and $3,000 in June 1963, the latter remaining unresolved as of November 24, 1963.

Other Business Ventures

Other Business Ventures Because his clubs occupied few of his daytime hours, Ruby engaged in numerous other commercial ventures, most of which were unsuccessful. While running the Silver Spur, he sold costume jewelry at discount prices and, in about 1951, sold sewing machine attachments at the Texas State Fair. Around 1952, he managed a young Black performer known as “Little Daddy” Nelson, eventually traveling to Chicago in 1953 or 1954 to seek a television appearance before abandoning the venture. In 1954, he sold pizza crusts to Dallas restaurants. He was also reported to have sold an arthritic preparation, manufactured and sold a liquid vitamin formula called “Miniron,” attempted in 1958 or 1959 to build and sell log cabins at a Texas lake resort, and investigated in early 1959 the possibility of selling jeeps to Cuba. Additional side activities included furnishing entertainment for a Dallas hotel, promoting records for musicians, and selling English stainless steel razor blades. In October 1963, Ruby assisted producers of the “How Hollywood Makes Movies” carnival show at the Texas State Fair and explored opening a new club in Dallas, even offering his brother Hyman a managerial post at the Carousel—an offer Hyman declined. He also unsuccessfully attempted to sell “twistboards,” an exercise device, despite his brother Earl’s contrary advice, having one of his strippers demonstrate the product at the Texas Products Show in early November 1963.

CHAPITRE II. With the assistance of Agent in Charge Sorrels of the

This chapter compiles an investigative profile of Jack Ruby assembled with assistance from the FBI’s Agent in Charge Sorrels in Dallas. It documents Ruby’s record of arrests and regulatory violations from 1949 through November 24, 1963; examines the nature and extent of his associations with members of the Dallas Police Department; reviews his contacts with underworld figures, gamblers, and professional criminals; and traces his known travels between 1947 and the assassination, with particular attention to a 1959 trip to Havana. A subsequent section characterizes Ruby’s personality and interests, detailing his family relationships (especially with his sister Eva Grant), social relationships, fondness for dogs, Jewish religious observance, physical regimen and history of violence as an unofficial bouncer, and his generosity to friends coupled with a strong need for personal recognition. The chapter concludes with the opening of Appendix XVII, which describes Ruby’s repeated requests for a polygraph examination and the preliminary defense arrangements to obtain one.

Arrests and Violations

Between 1949 and November 24, 1963, Jack Ruby was arrested eight times by the Dallas Police Department on charges including disturbing the peace, allegedly carrying a concealed weapon, violating State liquor laws, permitting dancing after hours, simple assault, and ignoring traffic summonses; outcomes ranged from fines and dismissals to an acquittal for simple assault in February 1963. He also accumulated roughly 20 motor vehicle violations and was placed on six months’ probation as a traffic violator in 1956 and again in 1959. Separately, the Texas Liquor Control Board suspended Ruby on multiple occasions—most notably for moral turpitude, obscene striptease performances, allowing a drunkard on his premises, dishonored checks, and permitting on-premises solicitation of alcoholic beverages—with suspensions ranging from three to ten days.