Charles (Charlie the Blade) Tourine:The Globetrotting Gangster

Charles (Charlie the Blade) Tourine was a Genovese Family soldier who was one of the most independent mafioso to ever operate in this country and abroad.

Charles (Charlie the Blade) Tourine - aka "Charlie White" - was born on March 26, 1906, in Matawan, New Jersey. His father was named Frank. He resided for many years in Apt.#10-F, 40 Central Park South in Manhattan, one of the wealthiest sections of New York City. He also liked to spend his winters in Miami at 7116 Bay Drive in the Beaux Arts Apartments.

Charles (Charlie the Blade) Tourine

In addition, he had a residence at 7927 West Drive, Apt #A-6, Harbor Island, and 9101 E. Bay Harbor Dr., Miami, Florida. He also resided in Havana, Cuba while he operated there.

Charlie the Blade had a son named Charles (Charlie DelMonico) Tourine Jr. who also became a Genovese figure.

Tourine stood 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 160 pounds, with brown eyes and salt-and-pepper receding hair. He was an enigma and one of the most independent mafioso to ever operate in this country and abroad.

FBI #695716, NJPD #17747, Miami-PD #A-1783

Authorities listed him as being technically illiterate but judging from his accomplishments throughout his lifetime, that either was not true or certainly didn't hinder him in his abilities.

Law enforcement reports and informant tips have ranged alternately from Tourine being a wealthy, versatile hood who backed many large-scale operations to a mafioso who always broke.

In any case, Tourine was an extremely active guy who seemed to have his fingers in many pies through the decades including in Cuba, Miami, London, Las Vegas, New Jersey, Washington DC, New York City, Antigua-British West Indies, and elsewhere.

One story is of him living in exclusive Central Park South while pleading poverty to get free medical care at a local NYC hospital. Yet, he was known to often bankroll guys with large sums of money. No scam or racket seemed too big or too small for Tourine!

More than Just a Soldier?

Tourine was long ago identified as an important Luciano/Genovese Family member. It is debatable whether he was ever officially more than just a “soldier.” However, his access to the highest recesses and powers in the underworld makes Tourine a very interesting figure.

He is believed to have possibly served under Richie the Boot Boiardo or Gyp DeCarlo in a New Jersey regime.

His activities included bookmaking and lay-off service, floating dice and card games, slot machines, owner of legal gambling casinos, shylocking, extortion, suspected narcotics smuggling, strong-arm enforcement, and murder.

The FBN long considered Charlie the Blade Tourine to be an international heroin trafficker in league with the deported Giuseppe (Joe) Pici and Tourine’s son, Charlie Jr.

In addition, he is alleged to have held various interests in legal casino operations throughout the world including in London, England, and Nassau, Bahamas.

He had a piece of the Capri Hotel & Casino in Havana, Cuba, thriving under the Battista regime until Fidel Castro kicked him out of the country and seized the casino. He was one of many hoodlums expelled from Cuba in approximately 1957.

Tourine is also believed to have been a partner in several Miami Beach-based illicit gaming casinos including Treasure Isle Motel, Casablanca Hotel, and the Colony Club in London.

Charlie the Blade Tourine had a lengthy criminal record with numerous arrests stretching back to 1933. His criminal “jacket” sported page after page with his exploits, including:

1933 - murder - holdup and abduction

1935 - gambling

1937 - vagrancy

1937 - fugitive (extortion indictment)

1938 - investigation (holdup)

1939 - disorderly person (10 days)

1939 - fugitive (10 days)

1939 - holdup

1939 - disorderly conduct

1939 - disorderly (6 months-workhouse)

1940 - witness intimidation

1940 - violation of IRS laws

1941 - fraud

1941 - gambling (1-2 years)

1942 - held for investigation

1944 - unregistered alcohol still (5 years)

1947 - fugitive-parole violation

1948 - conspiracy (2-4 years)

1949 - parole violation

1951 - criminal investigation

1954 - criminal registration (Miami)

1955 - criminal registration ex-felon (Las Vegas)

1957 - vagrancy (Miami PD)

As a young man, he seems to have been a strong-arm and “torpedo” suspected in many gangland-style murders.

Informants claimed Charlie the Blade was utilized as a gunman/executioner traveling throughout the states as asked to eliminate various subjects.

As he evolved into a top hoodlum, it seems his specialty was varied gambling operations, whether it was an illegal crap game in Jersey or Miami, a lay-off service based in the state capitol, or legitimate financial investments in legalized casinos throughout the world.

All Walks of Life

Charlie the Blade also boasted close friendships with many wealthy and influential legitimate people from all walks of life including Hollywood actor George Raft.

Raft was said to be a close personal friend of Charlie and reportedly traveled to Europe with him on several occasions.

He had a close associate named Joseph Nesline, a Washington, D.C. gambler and shylock with whom he partnered in a bookmaking lay-off service based at the Beaux Arts Apartment complex in Miami where Tourine sometimes stayed.

In 1963, Nesline and Tourine were indicted for an Interstate Transportation in Aid of Racketeering (ITAR) related to a gambling layoff service they ran and the Amber Club, a gambling den.

Throughout his career, Charlie the Blade seamlessly mixed with major businessmen, politicians, casino owners, power brokers, and many of the most powerful hoodlums in this country from all the Families, including Vito Genovese, Ruggiero (Rickie the Boot) Boiardo, Anthony (Tony Boy) Boiardo, Angelo (The Gyp) DeCarlo, Vincent (Jimmy Blue Eyes) Alo, Gerardo (Jerry) Catena, Anthony (Little Pussy) Russo, Meyer Lansky, Abner (Longie) Zwillman, Nicholas (Butch the Fat) DiCostanzo, Santo Trafficante, Jr., Gilbert Lee Beckley, Joseph Massei, Marshall Caifano, Angelo (Bruno) Annaloro, Frank Erickson, Frank Costello, Joseph (Adonis) Doto, Pasquale (Patsy) Erra, and Michael (Trigger Mike) Coppola

As can be seen from the above list, his contacts were seemingly unlimited, and this list is but a sampling of the multitude of nationwide and international contacts Tourine had.

Personal Crew

Charlie the Blade's personal “crew” of hoodlum associates included several non-Italians such as his close friend, Joe Nesline.

Another key aide and minion was Gaetano (Tommy Nelson) D’Auria.

D'Auria was one of Tourine’s closest associates for many years with an arrest record that included illicit still, bookmaking, IRS violations, receiving stolen goods, larceny, forgery, and parole violation.

Other key operatives of Charlie the Blade Tourine included Robert (Little Dum-Dum) Ruggieri, an alleged shylock loan collector of Charlie’s in the Washington, D.C. area, and Benjamin (Benny Brown) Benevento, a NJ based associate and former pit boss at Tourine's Capri Casino in Cuba.

Another associate was Louie (Coke) DeBenedetto.

Charles “Charlie the Blade” Tourine died on May 28, 1980, in Florida. He was 74.

Until next time..."The Other Guy!"

Postscript: As I mentioned earlier in the bio, for me, he was an enigma and a rarity. A highly independent mafioso whose far-flung interests took him around the globe and enabled him to rub elbows with the likes of top racket guys, important businessmen, stars, and politicians alike!

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Charles (Charlie the Blade) Tourine:The Globetrotting Gangster

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