</s>FEDERAL REPUBLICATION HAVY. FEDERAL PROFESSIONAL HAY. COMMUNICATION SECTION F FBI WASH DC 11.1.1-1.2.1 11.2-1-3.1 11.3.3-4.5.6.7.8.9.9 TELETYPE 11.4.1 11.5-1 11.6-1 FRI ST LOUIS Mr. T. Mr. Trutten 11.10PM URGENT 5-14-68 JLS Mr. Truitten Mr. TRutten TO DIRECTOR, MEMPHIS AND ATLANTA Tele. R.C. Tele. T-1,2.4-5.8 FROM ST. LOUis (44-7775) MURKIN. RE AT SUMMARY MAY THIRTEEN, LAST. ONLY INFO KNOWN TO SL RE ALLEGED ROBBERY OF OIL CO ., IN ATLANTAIN BY RAY AND JOHN PAUL VELANTI IS BASED ON BIRMINGHAM INTERVIEW OF EX-CON JAMES W. BROWN, ONE OF DOUBLISHED CREDIBILITY, AS SET FORTH IN BH TEL MAY TEN LAST, ONE FIVE SEVEN PM, OF WHICH ATLANZA RECEIVED COPY. VELANTI HAS DENIED ASSOCIATION WITH RAY. VELANI STATES SEN- TENCED TWENTY YEARS ON FEB. ELEVEN, FIFTYFINE, FOR ARMED ROBBERY, RECEIVED MSP, FEB ., THIRTHERE, SIXTY, TRANSFERFERRED TO MORBERLY, MO ., PRISON, DEC. SIXTFYFOUR, AND PAROLED MARCH TWENTYEONE, SixtySEVEN. NOTE RAY ARRESTED SL, OCTOBER, FIFTYFINE, FITTYFINE. FOR ARMEO ROBBERRY. WOULD APPEAR ATLANLA OIL ROBBER, IF OCCURED, WAS EARLY. FIFTYFINNE, OR PRIOR. REC 6 SUBJECT ARMED AND DANGEROUS. P. REC 6-5512-3510-3511-3512-3310- EX-115 12 MAY 15 1968 END BGM FBI WASH dc 6.1 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The document contains multiple teletype messages and laboratory reports from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) dated May 15, 1968. A teletype message from St. Louis to Washington DC notes an alleged oil company robbery in Atlanta involving Ray and John Paul Velanti, based on an interview with James W. Brown, a former inmate with questionable credibility. Velanti is described as having a criminal record including a 20-year sentence for armed robbery (served until 1967) and prior arrests. The text references Ray’s arrest in St. Louis in October 1967 for armed robbery and suggests the Atlanta oil robbery, if it occurred, may have taken place around 1965 or earlier. A separate laboratory report details analysis of laundry tags from South Carolina locations (e.g., Parris Island, Charleston) but concludes that samples are insufficient for comparison with other tags on Q69, Q70, Q97, and Q499. Another teletype message discusses inmates Melvin Oliver Gridley and Milton Zavalcoski, both of whom knew Ray. Gridley was in solitary confinement around 1965–1966 and lost contact with Ray, while Zavalcoski recalls Ray’s escape from prison but has no further information. The document notes the subject (Ray) is described as armed and dangerous.  

Key People:  
- Ray (suspect linked to alleged crimes; former inmate at Missouri Training Center for Men)  
- John Paul Velanti (alleged associate in Atlanta oil robbery case; criminal record including armed robbery)  
- James W. Brown (ex-inmate interviewed about Velanti’s activities)  
- Melvin Oliver Gridley (inmate who knew Ray, served time in Missouri)  
- Milton Zavalcoski (inmate with prior armed robbery conviction, recalls Ray’s escape)  

Key Locations:  
- Atlanta, Georgia (alleged oil robbery location)  
- St. Louis, Missouri (teletype origin; Ray’s arrest location)  
- Memphis, Tennessee (FBI office referenced in teletypes)  
- South Carolina (locations of laundry tag samples: Parris Island, Charleston, Georgetown, Summerville)  
- Jefferson City, Missouri (prison facility where Gridley and Zavalcoski were incarcerated)  

Key Events:  
- Investigation into alleged oil company robbery in Atlanta involving Ray and Velanti (May 1968)  
- FBI laboratory analysis of laundry tags from South Carolina locations (May 15, 1968)  
- Interviews with former inmates (Brown, Gridley, Zavalcoski) regarding Ray’s criminal history and activities  
- Reference to Ray’s prior arrest in St. Louis for armed robbery (October 1967)  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Memphis office, Washington DC laboratory, St. Louis field office  
- U.S. Department of Justice – referenced in teletype communications  
- Missouri Training Center for Men (prison facility where Gridley and Zavalcoski were incarcerated)

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861_hs1-233652821_11-05-part_6_of_6.pdf

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