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. Ed Giorandino/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images. Harris & Ewing/Library of Commons/Wikimedia CommonsCuban leader Fulgencio Batista in Washington, D.C. in 1938. After this look at Santo Trafficante Jr., read the gruesome story of the murderous American dentist, Benjamin Salomon, of World War II. He is currently working on his seventh book, The Jersey Mob., Feedback or questions? When Fidel Castro began his ascent to power in the 1950s, Santo Trafficante feared the radical Marxist revolutionary wouldnt cooperate with him. Home - Boxer Cycle Works She was the Matriarch of the Trafficante Family; and we will all miss her presence, guidance, love and affection. 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. THE CHARLIE WALL STORY Kingpin Charlie Wall (center holding bottle, right of child) and his notorious gang. Interestingly, Trafficante who was worth about $25 billion at his height in the 80s lived a fairly reserved, modest lifestyle. He was a well-respected boss, even among the far larger New York crime families. The guy really tried to do it right.". At Boxer Cycle Works. "I'm a freak for that kind of stuff," he says. He allegedly controlled organized crime operations in Florida and Cuba After a violent mob war left several of Trafficantes rivals dead or weakened, his gang rapidly rose to prominence in Tampa. Following his death, Mobster Vincent LoScalvo took over the Trafficante familys criminal network in Florida. Son of Santo Trafficante and Maria Giuseppa Trafficante Santo Trafficante Senior died in 1954. But the mobster tag has outlasted the case itself. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? "I still don't think I did anything wrong," Trafficante says. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? "I was the most expensive forklift driver in the world," he says with a smile. Year should not be greater than current year. Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. Oops, something didn't work. Santo Trafficante Sr. was a Florida mobster who survived a series of vicious gang wars to become the leader of a powerful Mafia crime family based in Tampa. Or does he just look like one? 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. While he had several close calls with law enforcement including the famed FBI, Late in life LoScalzo denied any connections to organized crime. For the last 20 years, everyone knew her as JuJu. Father of Private and Private Images of America Series de libros - eBooks | Rakuten Kobo Mxico 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. He maintained close working ties with the Lucchese crime family and the Bonanno crime family from New York City. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. [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. When his father died in 1954 he took control of these establishments. His abiding passion is food. After the Kennedy hubbub, Trafficante kept a low profile or, lower that is. He is just a businessman, he says, his money tied up in wholesale automobiles, an orange grove and real estate. He walked outside and got into a 1951 Mercury sedan driven by one of his associates. According to Scott M. Deitche in The Silent Don, the family was profiting not only from its offshore casinos but from narcotics trafficking. santo trafficante daughters The first case stemmed from the FBIs well-known Donnie Brasco undercover sting operation. 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. She was predeceased in death, by other loving family members. And the Trafficante Crime family found out that it had an unusual ally in their concerns about Castro: the Central Intelligence Agency. That arrest also led Cuban authorities to become warier of the mobster, especially as the political tides seemed to be turning there. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. But before Trafficante testified, someone conveniently killed Roselli. Welcome to Boxer Cycle Works. A Hillsborough judge threw out the wiretaps, the spine of the state's case. And as for the rest of the Trafficante Crime family? Trafficante had been operating in Cuba since the late 1940s under his father, Santo Trafficante Sr., a mobster in Tampa, Florida. With deepest sympathy and love. The American governments close ties to Santo Trafficante Jr. and the rest of the Mafia didnt end with their attempts to kill Castro. The wiretap evidence has been thrown out of court. Trafficante proceeded to open casinos in Cuba at his fathers behest and facilitated heroin smuggling by working together with famous mobsters Charles Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky. Dr. Dennis Pupello was looking for heart disease, brought on by his overweight and diabetic patient's "voracious eating.". Now in his late 70s or early 80s, LoScalzo is reported to be retired. His uncle, the late Santo Trafficante Jr., was reputed to have been the boss of the local Mafia. Valenti hired his son-in-law at the produce company and allowed him to name his own salary. 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. Notoriety comes with family name - Tampa Bay Times After months of wiretapped phone conversations, investigators seized boxloads of documents, some with Trafficante's name on them. Santo Trafficante was wanted in 48 states by the time he was 43. By Santo III's own estimation, this was a wise move. "I don't go to the bank and make all these billion-dollar deposits," he says. Organized Crime Figure. On March 17, 1987, Trafficante died at the age of 72 at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston where he had gone for heart surgery. The original Malio's Restaurant located on South Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa, Florida. Buy the time LoScalzo took over in 1987, the Trafficante Crime Family was far past its heyday. [13] Trafficante said that he introduced the trio to Cuban exiles in Florida. She was a native of Tampa, a second-generation Sicilian immigrant who grew up in Ybor city. While he had several close calls with law enforcement including the famed FBI Donnie Brasco investigation he never spent a single day of his life in jail. When you think of Florida and organized crime, it is difficult to avoid conjuring up images of Tony Montana in. 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. Santo Trafficante Jr. was a reserved, modest man married to the same woman for 49 years. Santo Trafficante Jr. - Wikipedia "[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. Sign up for service and obituary updates. [14] When this was pointed out, Aleman denied that he meant that he believed Kennedy was going to murdered and said he thought that Trafficante meant that Kennedy was going to be "hit" politically during the next election. 12 talking about this. 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. Trafficante scrambled out the passenger-side door. Chronicles of Events and Biographies Related to the American Mafia. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. The other case was a RICO indictment for insurance fraud. The idea behind the assassination wasnt just to punish JFK but also to get his brother off the Mobs back. Santo Trafficante, Jr. - facebook.com He was again called to testify in April 1976 on the alleged conspiracy to kill Kennedy, but Rosselli never made it: His body was found in a barrel floating in Biscayne Bay off the coast of Florida. Mobster dies, two nations. Hoffa said to me, This has to be done.'. santo trafficante daughters - shantisrl.com We are one of them! "You hope things will just disappear two or three years from now.". Santo Trafficante Jr.: The Florida Godfather Who Tried To Kill Castro 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. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. He was rumored to be part of a Mafia syndicate which owned many Cuban hotels and casinos. "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 sure that you want to delete this memorial? Please check your entries and try again. He offered to pay $150,000 to have Castro killed, but Roselli declined any pay and introduced Maheu to two men he referred to as "Sam Gold" and "Joe." Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Until last year, the younger Trafficante had never been accused of anything more dramatic than bookmaking, a charge that a judge dismissed. Santos ran numerous legitimate businesses as well as illegal, including several legal casinos in Cuba, a Havana drive-in movie theater, and shares in restaurants and bars in Tampa. Trafficante's appetite and his legal woes seem linked like the strands of a cruller. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Federal investigators brought racketeering and conspiracy charges against him in the summer of 1986. My heart goes out to the family. 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 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. [2] Trafficante Jr. would frequently meet with Lucchese in New York City for dinner.[2]. 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. But according to declassified documents released in 1992, Santo Trafficante Jr. made a deathbed confession of his involvement in the Presidents murder. [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. While the plot never came to fruition, Trafficante later testified that he did help the CIA recruit other mobsters for the surreal plot. 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. Phil Alessi, a childhood friend, marvels at Trafficante's taste and capacity. However, LoScalzo was nonetheless able to expand the families criminal reach into new locations across Florida, and took advantage of alliances with other Mafia families to ensure the mob maintained its hold on criminal activities. It wasn't somebody going into a back room to kiss somebody's ring. He went to Jesuit High School and played some football. Tampa Mafia Tour - Tampa Mafia Santo met and married Maria Giuseppe Cacciatore on April 20, 1909. On the day that investigators raided Key Bank, a cardiologist at St. Joseph's Hospital was inserting a catheter in Trafficante's groin. And despite relatively small time beginnings, Trafficante proved to be a shrewd mobster. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. They lived in modest, ranch-style houses in quiet neighborhoods in Tampa and Miami. In January 1963, he married Geraldine Valenti, the daughter. After that, he ordered casino owners to cough up employee back pay, then shut them down again. He dropped out of high school and spent time in New York learning the trade from some of the countries toughest mobsters. My thoughts and prayers are with you all! ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 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. [15], Ragano also claimed that Trafficante, four days prior to his death, delivered a deathbed confession which suggested that Marcello was meant to assassinate Robert F. Kennedy instead of his brother, the President. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. We send our most sincere sympathies to the Trafficante family. He owned a West Tampa restaurant called Cafe Sevilla. Drag images here or select from your computer for Santo Trafficante Jr. memorial. The Trafficante Family - American Mafia History In January 1963, he married Geraldine Valenti, the daughter of J.C. Valenti, who owned a thriving produce business. Afterwards, the son he had groomed to take his place, Santo Trafficante Jr., took the reins of the Trafficante crime family. Spoiled by mobsters, Meyer Lansky's daughter recalls family men, not 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. He was the lynchpin in Tampa Charlie Wall The Kefauver hearings arrived in Tampa in December of 1950. [13] He stated that he received no payment for his involvement and that he acted out of patriotism. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The "Family Jewels" confirmed that in September 1960, the CIA recruited ex-FBI agent Robert Maheu to approach the West Coast representative of the Chicago mob, Johnny Roselli. wills o' nats last of the summer wine. The next son was Luigi Santo Trafficante Jr. (his namesake and future Mafia boss), born on November 15, 1914. "If my uncle knew I was talking to the press, Christ, he'd shoot me," Trafficante says, half-laughing. Join us for this one-of-a-kind walking tour of Tampa's most storied neighborhood. One bank filed suit in November against him and a business partner, alleging that they defaulted on an $85,000 loan for a piece of property. Weve updated the security on the site. 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. TAMPA The daughter sits on the front porch of a little bungalow in Seminole Heights, her new home since her husband died a few months ago down south. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. The other guys are two doctors, who say they'll testify if they're summoned to court. In his previous statements, Roselli also tied Lee Harvey Oswalds killer, Jack Ruby, to Santo Trafficante. [13], On January 14, 1992, Trafficante's former attorney, Frank Ragano, told Jack Newfield of the New York Post that he relayed a request from Hoffa to Trafficante and New Orleans boss Carlos Marcello to have Kennedy killed. Search above to list available cemeteries. Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 - March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. 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.. Santo was known to have been deeply involved in the CIA efforts to involve the underworld in assassination attempts on Fidel Castro. He had a big heart and will be missed. However, there were events outside of the United States and even organized crime that inadvertently led Santo Trafficante Jr. to put his own peculiar stamp on American history. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. "Banks are my greatest enemy. The chairman cited a confession from Roselli that Trafficantes allies organized a sharpshooter, Lee Harvey Oswald, to take out the President. Ed Giorandino/NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesSanto Trafficante arrives at Queens Supreme Court in Kew Gardens. In October 1966, while waiting in a Queens courthouse for his turn to be questioned by a grand jury about the infamous LaStella meeting (later dubbed "Little Apalachin") held a couple of weeks earlier on September 22, Santo Trafficante Jr., who was the boss of the Tampa Bay Crime Family, overheard reporters talking about someone . A year has passed. At this point in our collective history, we're not sure anyone would be surprised to learn that there is, in fact, something called The Mafia. What you might be surprised to learn, however, is how prevalent-even rampantorganized crime in Tampa was in the early and mid-20th century. There was an error deleting this problem. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. So, who was this so-called Silent Don who wielded enough power to allegedly kill the President? Departed this Life May 13, 2015 Many of the familys gangsters were in prison, or too old to be effective. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Fine food, and lots of it. Perched on the edge of a leather chair in his attorney's office, Santo J. Trafficante III wears a pained expression on his jowly face. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. He dropped out of high school before the 10th grade. Born Tampa, Florida March 24, 1920 Please enter your email and password to sign in. According to the account of Judith Exner, however, one of JFKs many mistresses, it was she who introduced Kennedy to Chicago boss Giancana. Reputed 'boss of bosses' dies at 72 TAMPA, Fla, "' Trafficante dies at age 72 TAMPA. We cant help ourselves when it comes to watching mob films like The Godfather, Goodfellas, Casino and HBOs Boardwalk Empire and the iconic cable TV show, The Sopranos. Santo Trafficante then categorically denied every allegation about stating he wanted RFK or JFK dead and got off scot-free. She misses him, but she's making do. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Upon his return to the United States, he became determined to bring down the man who ended his empire. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. Trafficante would rather be force-fed raw carrot sticks for eternity than be seen talking to a reporter. She was born on March 24, 1920. RIP Santo. Scott M. Deitche is the author of six books on organized crime, including a biography of Santo Trafficante Jr., and has written dozens of articles on organized crime for magazines and newspapers. He returned to Tampa for the last time for internment in the LUnione Italiana Cemetery. "My wife's got money. [1] In 1997, further declassified documents indicated that some mafiosi worked with the agency on assassination attempts against Castro. This was proven in 1953 when he eliminated the last contender to the Tampa mob throne: Joe Antinori, son of the late Ignacio. "They'll sleep under trees on you.". Treasury Department History of Santo Trafficante Jr 1961 When the CIA decided to recruit the Mob in their efforts to assassinate Fidel Castro, they went to see Trafficante. Trafficante was arrested frequently throughout the 1950s on various charges of bribery and of running illegal bolita lotteries in Tampa's Ybor City district. Santo Trafficante Sr., a 'Sicilian of the old school,' ruled Tampa's Learn more about merges. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Those were some of the greatest memories growing up. 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. After his father died in 1954, he became the head in Tampa and took over his fathers interests in Cuba. "There's no such thing as organized crime in Hillsborough County," Trafficante says, clapping his hands for emphasis. "They wouldn't even let me go to the track. He attended the University of Florida for a year, then transferred to the University of Tampa and left without completing his degree. Chris and I will never forget Santo's presence at Leia's welcome home party. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. 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. As we all know, he was right, and Kennedy was assassinated by a sniper in November 1963. After a lifetime in organized crime, Trafficante Jr. died of national causes in 1987. Ex-FBI agent and later Howard Hughes aide Robert Maheu of Las Vegas was one of the primary go-betweens for Trafficante. Santo Trafficante Sr. was a Florida mobster who survived a series of vicious gang wars to become the leader of a powerful Mafia crime family based in Tampa. 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. Conspiracy theorists consider Giancana along with Mafia leaders Santo Trafficante Jr. and Carlos Marcello associated with the assassination of Kennedy. [3] His wife, Josephine, died in 2015 at the age of 95; he is survived by two of his daughters. Santo Jr. succeeded his father as the boss of Tampa upon his death. She touched all who knew her, and upon meeting her, she would embrace you, and you would instantly become part of the family. 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. His luck has not improved recently. The mafiosos that made up the family are either retired, in prison, or have died due to old age. "I think it's all bull----," says Trafficante's former horse trainer, Arthur Pedregal Jr. "It's only because his name is Trafficante. "He's very creative in terms of the combination of things he eats," Alessi says. In the early 1980s Trafficante was ensnared in two major cases that could have sent the aging don to prison for the first time in his life, apart from his time in the Triscornia detention camp in Cuba following Castros takeover in 1959.
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