October 28, 1963. FBI Headquarters, New York Field Office, Conference Room 4B.
Special Agent James Crawford stood at the head of a long table. Thirty agents watched him intently. On the wall behind him was a photograph of Bumpy Johnson taken outside the Smalls Paradise nightclub.
“Gentlemen,” Crawford began, his voice cold and precise. “We’ve been pursuing this man for 15 years. Every operation has failed. Every arrest has fallen apart. Every witness has disappeared or changed their story. But that ends now.”
She placed a manila folder on the table.
—Federal Judge Martin Whitmore has issued an arrest warrant for Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson. The charges include organized crime, conspiracy, and tax evasion. Bail has been set at €500,000. Even Johnson can’t come up with that kind of money overnight.
