2 arrested in slaying of mobster Blitzstein

Rachael Levy

Wednesday, June 4, 1997 | 10:33 a.m.

The FBI has arrested a 29-year-old Las Vegas man and charged him with firing the gun that killed mobster Herbie Blitzstein earlier this year.

The murder was part of organized crime families' efforts to muscle in on Blitzstein's rackets, authorities alleged.

Antone David Davi was in the Clark County Detention Center Tuesday and was expected to make an initial appearance in Las Vegas federal court late today.

FBI agents also arrested Richard Friedman, 55, of Las Vegas and charged him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. FBI Special Agent Aurelio Flores said it is possible an additional charge of murder could be filed against Friedman, who also was to make a court appearance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Johnson declined to comment Tuesday. The FBI affidavit was sealed and a complaint had not been filed.

Blitzstein, once a top lieutenant to Chicago mob enforcer Anthony Spilotro, was found dead in his Las Vegas living room Jan. 6. He was slumped over a chair, a single bullet in his head. He was 63.

At the time of the slaying, Blitzstein was described by his attorney as a used-car salesman and professional gambler now leading a quiet life. The indictment said he ran a loan-sharking and insurance fraud operation from Any Auto Repair, 3055 Fremont St.

In April, a federal grand jury indicted nine men on various racketeering charges. Two of them were charged with paying an unnamed hit man money and property to murder Blitzstein. All pleaded not guilty.

Blitzstein's death came in the middle of a joint Metro Police-FBI investigation into the Buffalo, N.Y., and Los Angeles La Cosa Nostra crime families' activities in Las Vegas.

Authorities emphasized at the time of the indictment that the slaying caught police and federal agents by surprise.