Trafficante was born in Tampa, Florida, to Sicilian parents Santo Trafficante Sr. and his wife Maria Giuseppa Cacciatore in 1914. There was an error deleting this problem. In the 1960 presidential election, Kennedy family patriarch Joe Kennedy Sr. used his ties to organized crime to secure votes for his son, John F. Kennedy. But according to declassified documents released in 1992, Santo Trafficante Jr. made a deathbed confession of his involvement in the Presidents murder. Trafficante was arrested on a bookmaking conspiracy charge. Please reset your password. "But then you get into alias this and alias that and when they get you in court, you probably just create more problems," he says. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. 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. 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. Fine food, and lots of it. Join us for this one-of-a-kind walking tour of Tampa's most storied neighborhood. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Trafficante was one of the last surviving members of the original Luciano mob era upon his death, and the truth behind the JFK assassination may have perhaps died with him. Harris & Ewing/Library of Commons/Wikimedia Commons. Santo Trafficante Jr, was born on November 15, 1914 in Tampa, Florida and followed in the footsteps of his father, Santo Trafficante Sr, into a life of organized crime. love gloria "owens" hill. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. I hold such fond memories of Santo & Gerry when I was growing up. Our deepest condolences to the Trafficante family. [13] During his testimony, Trafficante also admitted for the first time that he had worked with the CIA from 1960 to 1961 for an attempt to poison Castro but stated that his role was only as an interpreter between CIA officials and Cuban exiles. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. "[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. The twister killed hls mother when lt touched down about 6, honored Wednesday us the nation's sute legislator. After this look at Santo Trafficante Jr., read the gruesome story of the murderous American dentist, Benjamin Salomon, of World War II. 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 New York City. Today, Santo Trafficantes criminal legacy lives on through his nephew and namesake, Santo Trafficante III, who was charged with organized fraud in 1992. We send our most sincere sympathies to the Trafficante family. Verify and try again. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. He maintained all of the lucrative casinos in Cuba, further cemented ties with powerful Mafia families he had established as a young man in New York, and ruthlessly put down any attempts to usurp his territory or power. prosecution, fled temporarily to Cuba. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. It was all on the up and up. 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 Trafficante Family Under Santo Junior . Those were some of the greatest memories growing up. A Hillsborough judge threw out the wiretaps, the spine of the state's case. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Santo Trafficante (53540265)? [13] Trafficante said that he introduced the trio to Cuban exiles in Florida. Please try again later. Trafficantes chance came in the 1960s when he became acquainted with mobster John Handsome Johnny Roselli. Hoffa said to me, This has to be done.'. Mrs. Gerry, Gina, Dino, Joe and Marisa - they broke the mold with Traff. Santo Trafficante Jr. continued to develop his interests in Cuba serving as Luciano and Lanskys local liaison. The chairman cited a confession from Roselli that Trafficantes allies organized a sharpshooter, Lee Harvey Oswald, to take out the President. The guy really tried to do it right.". He had a big heart and will be missed. Robert Anderson aka The Killer Between 50 and 100 buildings were burned. Interestingly, Trafficante who was worth about $25 billion at his height in the 80s lived a fairly reserved, modest lifestyle. "I'm a freak for that kind of stuff," he says. 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. The Trafficante family formed a strong alliance with the Batista government in Cuba and profited from their investments, although they never achieved the goal of dominating gambling on the island. "Banks are my greatest enemy. However, while the Latin American drug trade has figured prominently in the sunshine states less savory history, so has the Mafia. Santo Trafficante Jr. was a reserved, modest man married to the same woman for 49 years. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Italian Club of Tampa Cemetery Fund, 1731 East 7th Ave., Tampa, FL 33605. 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. My aim is to provide you with the best Service experience for you and your motorcycle. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Ed Giorandino/NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesSanto Trafficante arrives at Queens Supreme Court in Kew Gardens. [3] His wife, Josephine, died in 2015 at the age of 95; he is survived by two of his daughters. "Sam Gold" was Sam Giancana; "Joe" was Trafficante. Trafficante enjoyed life in Cuba, developed a relationship with its strongman, the dictator Fulgencio Batista, and helped the Trafficante Crime family garner even more profits from its legitimate gambling operations there. Father of Private and Private Until last year, the younger Trafficante had never been accused of anything more dramatic than bookmaking, a charge that a judge dismissed. 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. Under pressure of a court order granting him immunity from prosecution, but threatening him with contempt if he refused to talk, Santos admitted to a Congressional committee in 1975 that he had in the early 1960s recruited other mobsters to assassinate Castro. And as for the rest of the Trafficante Crime family? 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. One of the last surviving mobsters from the Luciano era, he died of heart disease in a Houston, Texas, hospital in 1987. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Trafficante along with 56 other mobsters was arrested in New York while discussing what to do about the recent death of Gambino family head, Albert Anastasia. The mafiosos that made up the family are either retired, in prison, or have died due to old age. Love and peace to you all. In 1959, the Cuban Revolution toppled the corrupt Batista government and the rebel leader, Fidel Castro, nationalized foreign-owned properties and shuttered the casinos, a huge financial blow to Trafficante, who was second only to Meyer Lansky in the depth of his investments in Havana. You have been in pain too long. President John F. Kennedy, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Dennis Caruso/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images. However, by the late 1920s, facing little pressure, Sicilian gangsters began setting up lucrative gambling and narcotics rackets. 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. But once Kennedy actually entered the White House, he didnt live up to his end of the bargain. He died of natural causes, at the age of 72, in Houston, Texas. Santo Trafficante Jr. had long followed in his fathers footsteps, and proved to be an even more effective Mafia kingpin. Chronicles of Events and Biographies Related to the American Mafia. Santo Trafficante Jr. had long followed in his fathers footsteps, and proved to be an even more effective Mafia kingpin. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. At Boxer Cycle Works. The Shore Acres home is 2,350-square-feet with 10 rooms that Capone reputedly built in 1925 for his mother. CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. Getty ImagesSanto Trafficante was wanted in 48 states by the time he was 43. . You'll learn about bolita, the rumored tunnels of Ybor, and the Era of Blood. Santo Trafficante Jr. was a reserved, modest man married to the same woman for 49 years. Early in Trafficantes federal court case in 1986, the judge declared a mistrial. A system error has occurred. He is currently working on his seventh book, The Jersey Mob., Feedback or questions? Hey, they have more convicts at the track than straight people," Trafficante says. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. As we all know, he was right, and Kennedy was assassinated by a sniper in November 1963. In the mid-2000s, he would say he was a legitimate businessman, citing his ownership of a car dealership, and employment at various restaurants and night clubs over the years. He attended the University of Florida for a year, then transferred to the University of Tampa and left without completing his degree. Try again later. 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. 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. He escaped conviction all but once, receiving a five-year sentence for bribery in 1954, but his conviction was overturned by the Florida Supreme Court before he entered prison. You've got to be a fool to marry wrong," he says. Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. [15] He repeated the claim two days later on ABC's Good Morning America,[16] in Newfield's Frontline report entitled JFK, Hoffa and Mob broadcast in November 1992,[17] and again in his 1994 autobiography Mob Lawyer. That horse won $161,080 for its new owners, according to the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders Association. Josephine Marchese Trafficante During a recent trip to Lake Tahoe he bought two basketballs autographed by Michael Jordan. Email [email protected]. Trafficantes father was the lucky survivor of what was called the Era of Blood, when rival gangs based in Tampa fought for control of Prohibition-era nightclubs and, crucially, the local numbers rackets called bolitas. Battling Mob rivals in South Florida essentially weakened each other financially and, through murder, the number of available soldiers. "[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. Now in his late 70s or early 80s, LoScalzo is reported to be retired. Love, Jimmy Schaffer. For the U.S. government, it was a classic case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend.. 2023, Tampa Mafia. [13] He testified that he was brought into the plot by Roselli and Giancana, who had been recruited by Maheu. The seeds for Trafficantes most interesting historical chapter were planted, as the mobster would go on to have a well-established relationship with the CIA in an ongoing effort to assassinate Castro. tampa crime boss santo trafficante jr plays a central role in thriller 'mafia spies' Bolita , Mob Hits , Scott M. Deitche , Tampa Mafia SANTO TRAFFICANTE SR, A 'Sicilian of the Old School,' RULED TAMPA'S UNDERWORLD FOR MORE THAN A DECADE! She was born on March 24, 1920. Published: March 15th, 2017 - By Scott M. Deitche, Contributing Writer, Florida Mafia boss Santo Trafficante Jr. died 30 years ago March 17, El Chapos lawyers complain about strict rules at New York prison. Trafficante was jailed and deported when Fidel Castro rose to power, leading him to spend a good portion of his adult life hatching a plan of revenge. After a lifetime in organized crime, Trafficante Jr. died of national causes in 1987. Trafficante admitted his anti-Castro activities to the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations in 1978, and vehemently denied allegations that he had knowledge of a plot to assassinate President John F. Kennedy. [4] All were fined, up to $10,000 each, and given prison sentences ranging from three to five years. The charges of bank fraud against Trafficante and more than a dozen bank employees and customers may well be dismissed. [12] According to Aleman, when he told Trafficante that President John F. Kennedy would likely be re-elected, Trafficante replied, "No, Jose, he is going to be hit. Meanwhile, he continued to make money from the drugs that came through Tampa. Like many of the most prominent mobsters of the 20th century, his father, Santo Trafficante Sr., grew up in Sicily, Italy but became a major player in the criminal world after migrating to America. They lived in modest, ranch-style houses in quiet neighborhoods in Tampa and Miami. He is just a businessman, he says, his money tied up in wholesale automobiles, an orange grove and real estate. Santo Trafficante, Sr., the powerful Trafficante crime family's patriarch, was born on May 28, 1886, in Alexandria Della Rocca, Sicily. Please allow 24 hours for your entry to be reviewed for appropriate content. Make sure that the file is a photo. Returning to Miami, he joined his father, managing some . Send your deepest condolences with fresh flowers. He was the lynchpin in Tampa Charlie Wall The Kefauver hearings arrived in Tampa in December of 1950. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Please enter your email and password to sign in. The Dignity Memorial brand name is used to identify a network of licensed funeral, cremation and cemetery providers that include affiliates of Service Corporation International, 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas. The wiretap evidence has been thrown out of court. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Santo Trafficante Jr. "He's very creative in terms of the combination of things he eats," Alessi says. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. A A. Pallbearers are Augie Castellana, Sam Paniello, Christopher Paniello, Anthony B. Marchese, Peter Marchese Jr., Ian Cordell, Don Smith, Frank Pancho Trafficante, John Castellana, and Dr. Santo Paniello. James Anthony Traficant Jr. (May 8, 1941 - September 27, 2014) was an American politician who served as a Democrat, and later independent, member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio.He represented the 17th Congressional District, which centered on his hometown of Youngstown and included parts of three counties in northeast Ohio's Mahoning Valley. My thoughts and prayers are with you all! [15][16] He stated he was chosen by Hoffa because, as both Hoffa and Trafficante's lawyer, he could be assured of attorneyclient privilege. Thanks for your help! "I'm in the I.O.U. THE CHARLIE WALL STORY Kingpin Charlie Wall (center holding bottle, right of child) and his notorious gang. The Trafficante Family Under Santo Junior. Federal investigators brought racketeering and conspiracy charges against him in the summer of 1986. English In the mid-2000s, he would say he was a legitimate businessman, citing, Tony "Joe Batters" Accardo - De Facto Boss of the Chicago Outfit, Giacomo Black Jack Tocco - Last of the Old School Detroit Partnership, Joseph Iacobacci - "Joe Loose" of the Cleveland Mob, John "Sonny" Franzese - A Colombo Family Legend. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Drag images here or select from your computer for Santo Trafficante Jr. memorial. If the decision is upheld on appeal, charges against Trafficante may be dismissed. "The Mob? please know that i am praying for you and your family. He maintained close working ties with the Lucchese crime family and the Bonanno crime family from New York City. "If my uncle knew I was talking to the press, Christ, he'd shoot me," Trafficante says, half-laughing. They never returned. With that act, Santo Trafficante now reigned supreme in Tampa. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. So, as the popular theory goes, the mob bosses that lent a helping hand in getting Kennedy into office wanted revenge. In 1957 he was suspected of involvement in the barbershop slaying of Albert Anastasia, the . 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. U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current, U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, Florida, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1823-1982, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. He has thought about it. He was rumored to be part of a Mafia syndicate which owned many Cuban hotels and casinos. Some people also alleged that Trafficante Jr played a role in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy due to his anti-organized crime efforts, but Trafficante Jr. always denied it. In his previous statements, Roselli also tied Lee Harvey Oswalds killer, Jack Ruby, to Santo Trafficante. After months of wiretapped phone conversations, investigators seized boxloads of documents, some with Trafficante's name on them. He has been featured on the History Channel, A&E, Discovery Channel, AHC, Oxygen Network and many local and national news shows. And despite relatively small time beginnings, Trafficante proved to be a shrewd mobster. Batista let Trafficante and other mobsters build as many casinos and hotels as they wanted in exchange for a cash kickback. Learn more about managing a memorial . Passing before her were her parents Antonino and Sarafina Marchese; her beloved husband Santo Trafficante Jr.; her son-in-laws Augie Paniello and Richard Valdes; and her brothers, Bennie Marchese, Tommy Marchese, and Peter Marchese. Don Santo Trafficante Jr was one of the last of the old-time American Mafia bosses in the United States. Try again later. As a leading member of the syndicate, he also was suspected of having behind-the-scenes interests in other syndicate-owned Cuban casinos: the Hotel Habana Riviera, the Tropicana Club, the Sevilla-Biltmore, the Capri Hotel Casino, the Commodoro, the Deauville, and the Havana Hilton. Sorry! I think it was a case of mistaken identity.. There was a problem getting your location. (November 15, 1914 - March 17, 1987 ). Every so often I think of the Jekyll Island and White Lake, NC trip and laugh. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. Consequently, while generally recognized as the most powerful organized crime figure in Florida throughout much of the 20th century, Trafficante was not believed to have total control over Miami, Miami Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, or Palm Beach. Brother of Frank Cacciatore Trafficante; Private and Private. Peter Moruzzi/Wikimedia Commons The glamorous casino in the Hotel Nacional De Cuba in Havana in 1958. The investigators were looking for proof of drug-money laundering. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. F. Kennedy not only failed to deliver on his promise to the mob but also actually put the Mafia under increasing pressure. Trafficante Jr. was nonetheless a ruthless and old-school mob boss. She is now living in Virginia. THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF TAMPA'S UNDERWORLD IS OFTEN INTERTWINED WITH SOME OF Something went wrong. The gunmen drove off, unaware they had failed to kill Trafficante, merely grazing his arm. Trafficante was arrested frequently throughout the 1950s on various charges of bribery and of running illegal bolita lotteries in Tampa's Ybor City district. Associates: Sam Giancana, Charlie Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Cuba, Fidel Castro, Johnny Rosselli, Robert Maheu. "You hope things will just disappear two or three years from now.". Trafficante was arrested again in 1957 for attending the famous Apalachin summit of Mob leaders in New York, but those charges were dropped. By this point, Trafficante Jr. had fully taken over the oversight of drugs shipped between Florida, Cuba, and the rest of the States. While the plot never came to fruition, Trafficante later testified that he did help the CIA recruit other mobsters for the surreal plot. In 1954, Santo Sr. died of natural causes (at a time when some of his remaining rivals were still being violently dispatched), and his son took over leadership of the crime family. His wife also was named in the fraud charges. Plant a tree to honor the memory of your loved one. She was a native of Tampa, a second-generation Sicilian immigrant who grew up in Ybor city. Pupello determined that his diabetic patient's arteries were healthy. Despite his arrest, Trafficante managed to escape charges and continue to fly under the laws radar. On the day that investigators raided Key Bank, a cardiologist at St. Joseph's Hospital was inserting a catheter in Trafficante's groin. A car registered to former state attorney and current state appellate judge E.J. 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. He allegedly controlled organized crime operations in Florida and Cuba There is a problem with your email/password. Santo met and married Maria Giuseppe Cacciatore on April 20, 1909. To add further credence to this theory of JFKs assassination, famed prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi (who also wrote the infamous true crime novel on the Manson Family, Helter Skelter), who penned Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, quoted a witness who said that New Orleans boss Marcello had quipped: The dog [JFK] will keep biting you if you only cut off its tail [RFK]., The final piece of evidence for the theory that Santo Trafficante was involved in JFKs assassination was a witness who reported that the mobster had once said himself that JFK not going to make it to the [1964] election. He died on March 17, 1987. 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. The CIA came to Trafficante, and asked for his help in enlisting the Mafia to assassinate the Cuban leader. His luck has not improved recently. TRAFFICANTE, Santo Jose, 72, of Tampa, passed away July 13, 2010, To Plant Memorial Trees in memory, please visit our, All my Love to the family Michael R. Tartaro. We are one of them! Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Our heartfelt condolences go out to your family. During the rule of Cuba's authoritarian dictator Fulgencio Batista, Trafficante openly operated the Sans Souci Cabaret and the Casino International gambling establishments in Havana. Trafficante would rather be force-fed raw carrot sticks for eternity than be seen talking to a reporter. Santo Trafficante Jr., one of the last of the old-time reputed Mafia dons, who was reportedly enlisted in 1960 in a futile effort to kill Fidel Castro, has died at the age of 72. But the news was not good on the Key Bank front. But Santo knew who was behind the killing a rival Mafia faction. [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. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Another bank sued Trafficante and his wife in October for repayment of a $100,000 promissory note. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Wife : Josephine MARCHESE (Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr. married Josephine in Tampa, Florida on April 17, 1938). [21], Trafficante was summoned to court in 1986 and questioned about his involvement with the King's Court Bottle Club operated by members of the Bonanno crime family, including undercover FBI agent Joseph D. "Joe" Pistone, a.k.a. [11], In 1976, Cuban exile and FBI informant Jose Aleman told The Washington Post that in September 1962, Trafficante had offered him a loan of $1.5million to replace Aleman's three-story "ramshackle motel with a 12-story glass wonder.
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