Whether or not a Mafia conspiracy was behind the assassination of Kennedy is still up for debate. During the 1950s, Trafficante Jr. maintained a narcotic trafficking network with Tommy Lucchese, the boss of the Lucchese crime family in New York City. At 7:25 p.m. on January 3, 1953, Florida Mafia boss Santo Trafficante Jr. had just finished dinner with his wife and children at his father-in-laws house in the Ybor City section of Tampa, Florida. Read free previews and reviews from booklovers. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. She was a wonderful cook, and she loved to crochet and travel with her husband, but she lived her life for her family. And the Trafficante Crime family found out that it had an unusual ally in their concerns about Castro: the Central, Trafficante Jr. controlled his Tampa-based crime network for over three decades. Drag images here or select from your computer for Santo Trafficante Jr. memorial. [5][6] Cuba was one of the Apalachin topics of discussion, particularly the gambling and narcotics smuggling interests of La Cosa Nostra on the island. Josephine Marchese Trafficante, 95, died peacefully in her sleep, Wednesday morning at her home. The gunmen drove off, unaware they had failed to kill Trafficante, merely grazing his arm. Every so often I think of the Jekyll Island and White Lake, NC trip and laugh. "[19] In his book Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Vincent Bugliosi has claimed there to be many flaws in Ragano's claims, including his own claim that Trafficante was most likely not in Tampa on the day in question, but was rather in North Miami Beach, Florida, receiving dialysis treatments. In January 1963, he married Geraldine Valenti, the daughter. He owned a West Tampa restaurant called Cafe Sevilla. Email blog@themobmuseum.org. As such, Trafficante Sr. controlled gambling rackets for bolita, a lottery game popular in Florida and Cuba, until 1940 when the murder of Tampa boss Ignacio Antinori pushed the Trafficantes to assume ultimate power in the Florida underworld. The guy really tried to do it right.". 93461.". Hoffa said to me, This has to be done.'. Upon his return to the United States, he became determined to bring down the man who ended his empire. All the while, he lives in a palatial lakeside compound in rural northwest Hillsborough. When you think of Florida and organized crime, it is difficult to avoid conjuring up images of Tony Montana in. He is hardly the "Dapper Don." prosecution, fled temporarily to Cuba. department.". [13] He testified that he was brought into the plot by Roselli and Giancana, who had been recruited by Maheu. The Internal Revenue Service tried to collect $400,000 in back taxes owed on the business, saying it had not been run as business eligible for tax write-offs, but a hobby. Santo Jr. succeeded his father as the boss of Tampa upon his death. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. "The Mob? In this episode, we will discuss the fascinating life of Tampa's most powerful mobster: Santo Trafficante Jr. In fact, Florida had the dubious distinction of being home to a decades-old Mafia criminal network: the Trafficante Family. If the decision is upheld on appeal, charges against Trafficante may be dismissed. He was rumored to be part of a Mafia syndicate which owned many Cuban hotels and casinos. They had three daughters, Antoinette born . Trafficante Jr. controlled his Tampa-based crime network for over three decades. I think it was a case of mistaken identity.. The CIA came to Trafficante, and asked for his help in enlisting the Mafia to assassinate the Cuban leader. He dropped out of high school before the 10th grade. Sorry! U.S. Treasury Department documents indicate that law enforcement believed Trafficante's legitimate business interests to include several legal casinos in Cuba; a Havana drive-in movie theater; and shares in several restaurants and bars in Trafficante's hometown of Tampa, Florida. Our deepest condolences to the Trafficante family. I hold such fond memories of Santo & Gerry when I was growing up. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Santo Trafficante (53540265)? The original Malio's Restaurant located on South Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa, Florida. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission to advance the public understanding of organized crime's history and impact on American society. He even sent his son, Santo Trafficante Junior, to New York, to gain a better understanding of how the mafia operated there. This is a carousel with slides. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. She misses him, but she's making do. In the 1950s, Tampas reputation for corruption and vice was so bad it prompted one national magazine to label the area the Hell Hole of the Gulf Coast. Given such negativity, who can blame people for just wanting to forget? He convicted infamous criminal labor union head, Jimmy Hoffa. Batista let Trafficante and other mobsters build as many casinos and hotels as they wanted in exchange for a cash kickback. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. That arrest also led Cuban authorities to become warier of the mobster, especially as the political tides seemed to be turning there. For all the power he wielded, Trafficante was often described as quiet and reserved. Despite his arrest, Trafficante managed to escape charges and continue to fly under the laws radar. The twister killed hls mother when lt touched down about 6, honored Wednesday us the nation's sute legislator. Federal investigators brought racketeering and conspiracy charges against him in the summer of 1986. They never returned. He flew to Houston on March 15 for heart bypass surgery. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.. Share to let others add their own memories and condolences. [14], The HSCA had previously quoted Aleman as stating that he thought Trafficante's use of the phrase "he is going to be hit" meant that the mob boss knew Kennedy was going to be killed. Please check your email for further instructions. Who better than his son, Trafficante Jr., to inherit his throne? Anthony Accardo & Santo Trafficante Jr - Labor Union Kickbacks (1977- 1981)https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/05/us/16-indicted-over-union-fund-use.htmlCredit:. Early in Trafficantes federal court case in 1986, the judge declared a mistrial. Santo worked closely with Lucchese family boss Tommy Lucchese, who was a friend of his father, and a man who helped train him in the 1940s. He was accused of making false financial statements for loans he used to invest in his citrus business, to purchase luxury cars and to buy a beach condo. When you think of Florida and organized crime, it is difficult to avoid conjuring up images of Tony Montana in Scarface, or the heyday of Miami Vice. Trafficante weathered the violence of Floridas Mob wars and the various conspiracy theories, the Cuban Revolution and the loss of his offshore casinos, as well as intense law enforcement scrutiny, without ever spending time in prison. Ed Giorandino/NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesSanto Trafficante arrives at Queens Supreme Court in Kew Gardens. But according to declassified documents released in 1992, Santo Trafficante Jr. made a deathbed confession of his involvement in the Presidents murder. [7], In January 1958, Trafficante was questioned by the Cuban police regarding the Apalachin meeting. "Even my uncle (Santo Jr.) told me, "Santo, why don't you change your name?' [19] He claimed three witnesses could support his statement that he met Trafficante in Tampa, but refused to name them, adding: "One guy is afraid of retaliation. When he applied to the state for a parimutuel license that would allow him to race his horses at Tampa Bay Downs, he was refused. His wife also was named in the fraud charges. In 1963, the Mob allegedly had enough of Kennedy. Please check your entries and try again. Conspiracy theorists consider Giancana along with Mafia leaders Santo Trafficante Jr. and Carlos Marcello associated with the assassination of Kennedy. Santo Jr., who had inherited the leadership of the Tampa Mafia around 1950 when his father, Santo Sr., fell ill, had now completed his consolidation of power in Tampa and beyond. ). Trafficante's appetite and his legal woes seem linked like the strands of a cruller. 12 talking about this. Please reset your password. Santo was known to have been deeply involved in the CIA efforts to involve the underworld in assassination attempts on Fidel Castro. Love and peace to you all. Trafficante Sr. passed away four years later, leaving Jr. his Tampa and Cuba-based criminal empire. Robert F. Kennedy even taunted those mobsters he brought into court, telling Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana that I thought only little girls giggled, Mr. Giancana.. In 1957 he was suspected of involvement in the barbershop slaying of Albert Anastasia, the . He drove standard cars, lived in regular houses in quiet places, was married to the same woman, and generally described as a quiet man. Harris & Ewing/Library of Commons/Wikimedia CommonsCuban leader Fulgencio Batista in Washington, D.C. in 1938. Despite all of this or, perhaps, because of it, a few writers and filmmakers have chosen to focus on organized crime, determined to give Tampa its due. "I don't go to the bank and make all these billion-dollar deposits," he says. Join us for this one-of-a-kind walking tour of Tampa's most storied neighborhood. But considering the fiercely anti-Soviet atmosphere of the Cold War, its not that hard to believe. Try again. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. While shouldering the legacy of his father and. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Indeed, some people would rather not dwell on the less-than-noble aspects of our local history. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Trafficante was arrested on a bookmaking conspiracy charge. A year later they had their first son, Frank, born on April 16, 1910. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. Mobster Johnny Rosselli, who worked for both Trafficante and the Chicago Outfit, was another associate involved in the unsuccessful efforts to kill Castro and, according to some biographies, was the man who put Trafficante and Giancana together with Maheu. Peter Moruzzi/Wikimedia Commons The glamorous casino in the Hotel Nacional De Cuba in Havana in 1958. He was known as an organized crimes figure. Getty ImagesSanto Trafficante was wanted in 48 states by the time he was 43. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Trafficantes chance came in the 1960s when he became acquainted with mobster John Handsome Johnny Roselli. Bankruptcy court documents show that Trafficante is owed $500,000 by a business partner. Indeed, he owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in foreclosures to local banks, which he says treat him "like I had leprosy" because of Key Bank. Try again later. Husband of Private And purchase valuable sports memorabilia for himself. The charges of bank fraud against Trafficante and more than a dozen bank employees and customers may well be dismissed. As law enforcement pressure increased on the Mafia in the late 1940s, Santo, fearing. During a recent trip to Lake Tahoe he bought two basketballs autographed by Michael Jordan. He sought treatment for stomach cancer and was ready to hand power over to a trusted lieutenant. He headed the . Returning to Miami, he joined his father, managing some . However the meeting came to be, the mob nonetheless brought influential states like Illinois into the Kennedy fold in exchange for the White House going easy on organized crime. It was all on the up and up. Zeng8r/Wikimedia Common A set of bolita balls. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Failed to remove flower. Santo Trafficante Jr Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 - March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Brother of Frank Cacciatore Trafficante; Private and Private. He has been featured on the History Channel, A&E, Discovery Channel, AHC, Oxygen Network and many local and national news shows. Many fond memories of Santo will continue with me. The men started to drive away when another sedan drove past the Mercury, the occupants unloading a blast of buckshot as they passed. When his father died in 1954 he took control of these establishments. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). He worked to expand the crime familys business holding and territory he was particularly interested in Cuba as a location for gambling, hotels and night clubs and worked to cement good ties with his fellow mobsters in. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Santo Traficante Jr fue uno de los ltimos y mas poderosos capos de la mafia en Florida y Cuba. With that act, Santo Trafficante now reigned supreme in Tampa. There is a problem with your email/password. [14] He stated that he was concerned for his safety and was not certain that he had ever correctly heard or understood Trafficante's comment. And as for the rest of the Trafficante Crime family? [2] Trafficante Jr. would frequently meet with Lucchese in New York City for dinner.[2]. Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 - March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. He was, in many ways, the archetypical old-school Mob boss. Undercover detectives ran a gambling sting operation there, hoping to nab a circle of Tampa men they said were making illegal sports bets. You'll learn about bolita, the rumored tunnels of Ybor, and the Era of Blood. "I'm in the I.O.U. For the U.S. government, it was a classic case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend.. Meanwhile, he continued to make money from the drugs that came through Tampa. But he was also the most powerful crime boss in pre-Castro Cuba, with influence that extended into Florida and the rest of the United States. Don Santo Trafficante Jr was one of the last of the old-time American Mafia bosses in the United States. SANTO TRAFFICANTE SR, A Sicilian of the Old School, RULED TAMPAS UNDERWORLD FOR MORE THAN A DECADE! The other guys are two doctors, who say they'll testify if they're summoned to court. Santo told the state attorney, I dont have an enemy in the world. She was the Matriarch of the Trafficante Family; and we will all miss her presence, guidance, love and affection. "[1][13] He stated that he was positive that he did not say it because he always spoke to Aleman in Spanish, and said that there was no way to state the phrase in Spanish. They raided my apartment, they were looking for money, they tore up all the furniture, they used to come and get me at nighttime, take me out in the woods, trying to tell where I had my money, this and that, until I finally went into hiding.. He buys Jaguars for his two sons, hobnobs with sports stars on resort golf courses and occasionally flies to Miami for lunch at a favorite restaurant, the Rascal House. "When my uncle visited it was like a family reunion. Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. On the day that investigators raided Key Bank, a cardiologist at St. Joseph's Hospital was inserting a catheter in Trafficante's groin. Santo met and married Maria Giuseppe Cacciatore on April 20, 1909. When Fidel Castro began his ascent to power in the 1950s, Santo Trafficante feared the radical Marxist revolutionary wouldnt cooperate with him. In the early 20th Century, Tampa was a small but growing city, and the organized crime it faced was modest. He headed the Trafficante crime family and controlled organized criminal operations in Florida and Cuba, which had previously been consolidated from several rival gangs by his father, Santo Trafficante Sr. Trafficante maintained links to the Bonanno crime family in New York City, but was more closely allied with Sam Giancana in Chicago. Trafficante was a ruthless mob boss, and quickly consolidated control over the criminal networks in Tampa. [3] Trafficante moved to Cuba in 1955, where he came into contact with Batista and Meyer Lansky. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. You can always change this later in your Account settings. "I still don't think I did anything wrong," Trafficante says. Dennis Caruso/NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesFrank Ragano and Santo Trafficante Jr. (right). Santo Jr.'s daughters still owns 3610, where Santo spent time when he wasn't in Tampa or Miami. The Unbelievable Story Of Richard Lee McNair The Man Who Mailed Himself Out Of Prison, What JFK's Mob-Affiliated Mistress May Have Known About His Assassination, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. She was born on March 24, 1920. He headed the Trafficante crime family from 1954 to 1987 and controlled organized criminal operations in Florida and Cuba, which had previously been consolidated from several rival gangs by his father, Santo Trafficante Sr. Honorary Pallbearers are Joe Castellana, Malio Iavarone, FrankCookie Fava, Antonino Marchese, Derek Iavarone, Frank Albano, Drew Smith, Joey Hunt, Michael Sierra, Tony Marchese, Peter Albano, Mario Pullara, Frank Miranda, Dino Trafficante, and Joseph Trafficante. Finally, after the infamous failed Bay of Pigs Invasion, the CIA gave up on their attempts to kill the Cuban dictator and thus Trafficantes attempts at revenge never materialized. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. The authorities continued to charge him with participating in illegal activities, but the aging mob boss escaped conviction each time. The east coast of Florida was a loosely knit conglomerate of New York family interests with links to Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, Angelo Bruno, Carlos Marcello, and Frank Ragano. He went to Jesuit High School and played some football. An editor and public historian, Carly Silver has written for Smithsonian, Narratively, The Atlantic, Atlas Obscura, and Archaeology, among other publications. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. While the senior Trafficante had been a major mobster in his own right, nobody could have expected the heights that were going to be reached by his son. The choice was nothing more than honoring a tradition. Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista in Washington, D.C. in 1938. Ex-FBI agent and later Howard Hughes aide Robert Maheu of Las Vegas was one of the primary go-betweens for Trafficante. President John. Born Tampa, Florida March 24, 1920 His luck has not improved recently. "Now when I walk in a bank," Trafficante says, "the president runs out the back door.". the daughter of immigrants from the Italian region of Basilicata. Try again later. Rosselli testified in 1975 to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the efforts to kill Castro. Other Mafia leaders, as well as newer organized crime networks, took over many of the rackets the family ran throughout the 20th Century. Desr Gerry, please know that I am thinking of you and never forget the kindness bestowed on me in my difficult time but especially the generosity and affection shown to my daughter and grandson. [1] In 1997, further declassified documents indicated that some mafiosi worked with the agency on assassination attempts against Castro. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. [22], sfn error: no target: CITEREFDouglass2010 (, Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 15:02, United States House Select Committee on Assassinations, Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, "With Santo Trafficante, an era is ending", "SANTO TRAFFICANTE, REPUTED MAFIA CHIEF, DIES AT 72", "Why mob bigs who met to crown a king had to run like roaches", "For Sale, a House WithAcreage.Connections Extra;Site of 1957 Gangland Raid Is Part of Auction on Saturday", "20 Apalachin Convictions Ruled Invalid On Appeal", "Narcotic Traffic Called Topic In Apalachin Talks", Memorandum for the Director of Central Intelligence, Subject: Roselli, Johnny, "Witness denies assassination, Cuba tied", "Mafia Linked In JFK Probe; By Cuban Exile", "Hoffa Lawyer: Jimmy Recruited Mob for JFK Hit", "Lawyer Says Hoffa Told 2 Mob Bosses to Have President Kennedy Killed", "Frank Ragano, 75, Lawyer for Mob and Hoffa", "The Sins of the Godfather? Rosselli later claimed to be involved with or to actually be a shooter in a Mob conspiracy to kill President John F. Kennedy, and some accounts have Trafficante involved in the alleged, and unproven, conspiracy. Trafficante would rather be force-fed raw carrot sticks for eternity than be seen talking to a reporter. His new attorney general his beloved brother, Robert F. Kennedy went after organized crime with a vengeance. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. We have to admit we are fascinated by the whole idea of the mafia and the people we knew and the whispers we grew up hearing. So, at his attorney Ralph Fernandez's urging, he has agreed to talk publicly, hoping to shore up his damaged reputation. Visitation will take place on Saturday, May 16th, from 9:30 to 11:30 AM, with service to follow at Gonzalez Funeral Home, 7209 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, FL. Over the next 30-plus years, Trafficante, Jr. rose to oversee Mafia operations across the state of Florida. By 1987, the Mafia boss, who had walked the casino floors of the Sans Souci in Cuba, dined and hobnobbed with Frank Sinatra in the nightclubs and hotels of South Beach, and who commanded a presence in Tampa that is still felt today, was suffering from a diseased kidney and bad heart. Scott M. Deitche, Mob Museum Advisory Council member and mob http://www.scottdeitche.com/books.htmlauthor of Tampa's favorite books, Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld & The Silent Don: The Criminal Underworld of Santo Trafficante Jror Manny Leto, previous Editor of Cigar City Magazine and Tampa historian, will guide you on a 1.5 -2 hour walking tour to old gambling palaces, street corners, and alleys where some mobsters met their demise, and restaurants where wise guys, like famed boss Santo Trafficante Jr, held court. [2] Trafficante Jr. had known Lucchese since the 1940s, when his father and Lucchese had trained him in the mafia traditions. My uncle, never wore a ring," Trafficante says. Afterwards, the son he had groomed to take his place, Santo Trafficante Jr., took the reins of the Trafficante crime family. They lived in modest, ranch-style houses in quiet neighborhoods in Tampa and Miami.

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