---
category: Other
location: Los Angeles, California
summary: In October 1989, Ari Ben-Menashe visited Siff in Los Angeles.
tags:
- Person
---

[Leon Siff](/people/leon-siff/) was a retired probation officer from [Los Angeles](/places/los-angeles/), [California](/places/california/), who became involved in charitable work. He was the chief organizer of "One Universe," a non-profit alliance that included "National Food Relief," "Homes for the Homeless," and "Counseling Without Walls." His organization, also known as "Friends of the Universe," aimed to help the homeless living in and around Venice Beach, [Los Angeles](/places/los-angeles/).[^1]

[Siff](/people/leon-siff/) was a Jewish man with a son who became a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka. He met [Ari Ben-Menashe](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in July 1989, where he was observed dancing alone in a hotel lobby. [Siff](/people/leon-siff/) later invited [Ari Ben-Menashe](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) to visit his operations in [Los Angeles](/places/los-angeles/).[^1]

In October 1989, [Ari Ben-Menashe](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) visited [Siff](/people/leon-siff/) in [Los Angeles](/places/los-angeles/). [Siff](/people/leon-siff/) insisted [Ben-Menashe](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) stay at his home and arranged a party in his honor. During this visit, [Ari Ben-Menashe](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) realized that [Siff](/people/leon-siff/) was acquainted with [Joseph O'Toole](/people/joseph-otoole/), an individual involved in arms brokering, raising [Ben-Menashe's](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) suspicions.[^1]

[Siff](/people/leon-siff/) was later implicated in [Ben-Menashe's](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) arrest. On November 3, 1989, [Ari Ben-Menashe](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) was arrested in [Siff's](/people/leon-siff/) bathroom by [U.S.](/places/united-states/) Customs Service agents. [Siff](/people/leon-siff/) did not protest the arrest and later refused to admit any part in it, claiming he was looking for a lawyer for [Ben-Menashe](/people/ari-ben-menashe/).[^1]

[^1]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network*. TrineDay, 1992.