3/12/1964, "1964: Hoffa faces eight years behind bars," BBC News
"The president of the powerful American Teamsters union has been sentenced to eight years in jail on bribery charges.
James Hoffa has also been fined $10,000... for trying to bribe a Federal Court jury which was hearing a conspiracy charge against him in 1962.
He was accused of attempting to secure an acquittal on a charge of "shaking down" a local haulage company owner for a million-dollar contribution to the union funds
in return for 18 months of workforce co-operation.
This was Hoffa's first conviction - although he has now stood trial on four previous occasions. Past charges include trying to bribe a lawyer to spy on a Senate Committee and tapping the telephones of his subordinates in the Detroit office of his union.
Hoffa will remain free on bail pending an appeal.
If the sentence is upheld, it could mean the loss of his job as head of the 1.7 million-strong American Teamsters union - the nation's largest.
US District Judge Frank Wilson told Hoffa: "You stand here convicted of corrupting the administration of justice, of having struck at the foundation of this nation. Without fair, lawful administration of justice,
- there would be no civilisation in this country." ...
Hoffa and three others were found guilty on 4 March of trying to fix a jury which could not agree on a verdict in his 1962 trial on a conspiracy charge.
The other three have been sentenced to three years each. They have not received fines. They include Ewing King, former president of the Nashville Teamsters local; Larry Campbell, a Detroit Teamsters official and Thomas Ewing Parks, a handyman from Nashville."...
In July 1964, Hoffa was found guilty of misusing the union's pension funds. He appealed against this conviction as well.
Hoffa was re-elected president of the lorry drivers' union in July 1966 - despite two prison sentences totaling 13 years hanging over him.
He was also voted a big salary increase taking him to $100,000 and making him the highest-paid trade unionist in the country.
He commanded immense loyalty from Teamsters members for whom he had won significant overtime and fringe benefits.
The convictions against Hoffa were upheld and he served four years in prison, during which time he lost his job as Teamsters president.
On his release, he began working to regain the leadership but vanished in mysterious circumstances in 1975. He has not been seen since."...
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From 1992 movie Hoffa with Jack Nicholson where he tells off RFK when he was US Attorney General in the 1960's (bad language alert):
"Fuck you, too. Guy needed his brother elected fuckin' President of the United States to get a job. You're a joke. You'd have been a bond salesman somewheres. You're the brother-in-law they make jokes about.
(RFK) I don't know what you're trying to prove, but you're proving it.
I'm proving what? You got nothing on me. You got a TV show.
(RFK) The Justice Department has plenty on you, Mr. Hoffa.
You don't impress me and your office don't impress me, and your family don't impress me. Bunch of rumrunners. And I don't need $ million and my brother elected President to whop your fuckin' ass, you slimy little prick. I beat your ass, that trumped-up charge down south. I'll beat you again. There is no organized crime in the Teamsters...
(RFK) I am gonna see you in jail, Mr. Hoffa. -
For what? What'd I fuckin' do?
- Your loans...
The pension fund has the best record in the country on loans.
Bullshit!
- Best record in the country! -
Bullshit!
For the workingman. You ever heard of work? You know what work is?
(RFK) I want this man in jail, and I'm not gonna stop until I see you behind bars.
Who in the fuck are you? Who the fuck are you? Fuck you and fuck your threats and fuck your brother! -
(RFK) What did you say?
- You heard me!
(RFK) What the fuck did you say? I don't succumb to pressure and I don't succumb to threats.
(RFK) I've received both vilification and threats in the form of innuendo from personnel of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Nothing will stop me or this office from the continuance of our duties. I swear to you that I will not stop until those corrupted individuals have been put where they belong: behind bars."...
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From movie, Jack Nicholson portrays Hoffa addressing teamsters. Dialogue from script of 1992 movie follows.
"Brothers! - Yeah! - Brothers, can you hear me? - Yeah! Look at them up there, sitting on their fat asses, drinking coffee and eating doughnuts. - Have you had enough of it? - Yeah! We're gonna march on the RTA headquarters! We're gonna demand that they recognize the Teamsters! Yeah! We are gonna hold together in good order, and we are gonna get what we came down here for! Let's get up at 'em! Come on! That's right! I'm sick to death of them. Come on! - Mr. Hoffa, are we gonna win this strike? - Mister, we have won this strike. We won it the minute we started across this railroad yard."...
clip of 1992 movie Hoffa via Michael Savage
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