Jon Roberts

Jon Pernell Roberts (June 21, 1948 – December 28, 2011), born John Riccobono, was a noted drug trafficker and government informant, operated in the Miami area and was an associate of Colombia's Medellín Cartel during the growth phase in cocaine trafficking, 1975–1986. After his arrest, he was able to avoid a lengthy prison sentence by becoming a cooperating witness and proactive informant for the federal government. He was the author Evan Wright of American Desperado.

Roberts was born in New York City, New York, to a Sicilian-American father and a non-Italian mother. His father, Nat Riccobono, had earlier moved with his brothers from Sicily and made a living through involvement with various shady businesses throughout New York in the late 1940s. Riccobono eventually became a made member of the La Cosa Nostra mafia. After being convicted of various crimes, Riccobono was kicked out of the United States and deported to Sicily. Roberts' uncles were also made members of the Gambino crime family. 

After being apprehended by police for kidnapping, Roberts was allowed to expunge his military service record. Roberts claims to have served with the 101st Airborne for four years in Vietnam, though no records prove his military service. Upon returning to the United States from Vietnam, Roberts was an associate member/soldier in the Gambino family. Roberts confessed to committing extortion, assault, money laundering, and racketeering in the early 1970s.

In American Desperado, Roberts recounts how he was given the option to join the US Army in order to have charges for kidnapping and attempted murder dropped. He said he enjoyed Army life and was trained as a paratrooper. He was assigned to a special squad of three men when he arrived in Vietnam. They made many missions deep into enemy territory. He recounts numerous instances of killing children and women of all ages for no real reason other than fun. He also describes torturing and skinning alive enemy combatants in retaliation for the enemy committing similar atrocities. An errant U.S. artillery shell eventually hit his squad. One squad member was blown to pieces, and another had half his face blown away but lived. Roberts himself had a large hole blown open in his skull, and he had a metal plate inserted.

As demand for cocaine increased, Roberts found his Cuban suppliers unable to meet his demand. Through Roberts' girlfriend, he met Mickey Munday. Munday was a trafficker who introduced Roberts to Medellín agent Rafael "Rafa" Cardona Salazar. At first, Munday was apprehensive of Roberts, who had driven up in a black Mercedes Benz, which Munday described as having "drug dealer written all over it." He also stated that Roberts' flashy car and flamboyant lifestyle made Roberts look like "someone I wanted nothing to do with."

Nevertheless, Roberts and Munday began working under the supervision of Max Mermelstein, who had an agreement with Salazar to manage the transportation of cocaine from Colombia to Miami. He then oversaw the delivery of the loads to cartel safehouses in the Miami area. Roberts was able to increase his monthly cocaine business through this direct connection. Mermelstein and Munday established the routes for trips to Colombia, using boats, tow truck companies, safehouses, and airstrips, thereby setting up an effective transportation route for the cartel. 

Roberts claims to have made over $100 million USD dealing cocaine during this period. He spent $50 million of that money on his extravagant lifestyle. In the book American Desperado, Roberts claims that he had $150 million in a Panamanian bank, over $50 million invested in real estate and businesses, as well as several million in cash hidden in various safe houses and hiding spaces.

Mermelstein acted as a high-level trafficker working with cartel member Salazar and the Munday transportation group. He was apprehended in 1985 by Miami Police as a multi-kilo dealer and subsequently turned state's witness. Roberts was arrested on the morning of September 20, 1986.