Robert Cudak and Joel Rostau

Robert Cudak

Sunset Writes:

There are a number of old news clippings on various sites describing the activities of Robert F. Cudak. I will try to summarize them.  This post may not be 100% accurate as I don't have the time or capability to triple check every microscopic detail.

On June 16, 1971, Cudak was serving 7 years in a Federal Penitentiary.  To avoid further prosecution, he testified before a US Senate committee about an "organized crime" scam he had been involved in.  This scam, involving many people, was to steal bags of registered mail from airports.  Cudak said that if you walked around in an airport wearing the blue ear muffs and brown smocks of the tarmac crew, you could basically do anything you wanted and no one would ask any questions.  What they did was steal bags of registered mail and sell their contents for a period of 2.5 to 3 years from 1967 to 1970.  Cudak estimated the overall take to be around $100 million, Senator Charles H. PERCY said he was "amazed entire trucks were driven from airports without being checked."

These bags of mail contained valuable documents, items, and secret military documents.  Some of the documents were common stock, securities, and treasury notes.  One of the items was diamonds.  Cudak said he once pocketed a 16 carat marquise diamond without his partner noticing.  He said they also filled up a teacup with diamonds on one occasion.  "Cudak, 29, said he came across secret papers on about 20 occasions".  Cudak said he was afraid of the military documents.  One document on air force missiles came from a bag at New York's Kennedy International Airport.  

This loot was then sold to "fences", (receivers of stolen property).  One fence he named, was Joel J. Rostau, 34.  His "bullet ridden" corpse was found in a rental car at Kennedy International Airport in May of 1970.  Rostau had apparently been purchasing securities from the mob-connected theft ring, (I assume for resale).  One of Cudak's partners was James Schaeffer.  He testified that the fences were always affiliated with the mob.

Rostau by no means, was the only person involved in this scam that was murdered.   John B.
Eaton was named as a co-defendant in the stock theft ring case "for his own protection"... he was going to testify for the government.  His body was found one month and one day after Rostau's in a field west of Miami airport, two days after stock conspiracy charges were filed against him.  Joel J. Rostau, 34, Los Angeles, who had been charged with interstate theft of securities from the mail at Kennedy, was found shot to death May 26 in a parked car at that airport.

There were some pretty hardcore mobsters running this ring with Italian and Sicilian sounding names.  $100 million was a lot of money back then.  My "hunch" is that people would kill for it.  Cudak said once: His "mob boss" recommend killing his partner instead of sharing the $125,000 they had just stolen.  

The FBI was investigating the stock theft ring. Rostau had already been charged with the interstate theft of securities.  Some of these people were going to testify against the mob, probably for lesser sentences (I'm guessing). It seems pretty obvious to me, that the mob didn't want people with knowledge of this airport theft ring "fingering" them, that's why Rostau and several others were murdered.

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Lynyrd Responds:

I checked each microscopic detail (see newspaper articles below)... and in a word, I agree with Sunset.

Here's the "long and short" of it:
This mafia outfit would steal US mail at airports (primarily John F Kennedy) and "distribute" (ie, sell) the proceeds of those thefts for profit. "Securities"... i.e., stocks and bonds were the main target.  Forty-three million dollars worth of securities, were stolen from Kennedy Airpot alone.

The operation essentially consisted of two crews... the thieves and the "fences".  The thieves of course, would steal the mail... and the fences would unload it (sell it).  Government agents claim this theft and distribution operation was masterminded by the Cosa Nostra, specifically.

At any rate... shit hit the proverbial fan.

Two guys... Robert Cudak and James Schaefer were granted immunity, to testify against their cohorts.  They both executed public confessions... and in the end... they sang like birds.

Joel Rostau and several others were fingered, and awaiting trial.

Before they had a chance to attend trial (and testify)... Joel Rostau, John Eaton and George Wahl were ALL murdered in similar (mafia) fashion.

The police are convinced, that Rostau's death was definitely tied to this airport theft trial.
In fact, the police linked all three deaths (Rostau, Eaton and Wahl) to the airport theft trial.
All three men were "Cudak associates"... personally fingered by Cudak and/or Schaefer.. and about to testify.

This whole situation is, quite frankly, a "real life" version of the movie "Goodfellas".
We have a crime ring that steals from airports... and when shit hits the fan... folks start disappearing.
Rostau is basically one of those guys, who "disappeared".
Like "Carbone" in the movie... Rostau was killed, because the Cosa Nostra didn't want anyone else talking.
(John Eaton and George Wahl were killed for the same reason)

After pouring-over all these newspaper clippings... I must agree with Sunset.
It seems apparent, that Rostau's death, probably had nothing to do with TLB.

The question becomes:
What about Rostau's life?
Did his life have anything to do with TLB?

I will only say this:
It seems these criminals were "up to no good" on several levels.
In fact... several of these guys testified, that they often committed crimes against each other!
Yes... they even stole from each other (among other things).

Rostau reported to police, that $23,000 worth of jewelry had been stolen from his home.

So who knows...?

Did Rostau have another "gig" with drugs?  Sebring?  Frykowski?  Canadians?  Tex?
I have no idea.

But one thing seems fairly certain (from reading all these articles):
Rostau's "mafia-style" murder at Kennedy Airport... probably had nothing to do, with TLB.
Trust me... Rostau had a LOT more going-on at Kennedy Airport, than TLB! LOL
Three guys connected to this mafia theft ring were set to testify... and all three met the same demise.

Peace... LS

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