If the decision is upheld on appeal, charges against Trafficante may be dismissed. Interestingly, Trafficante who was worth about $25 billion at his height in the 80s lived a fairly reserved, modest lifestyle. Born in Tampa, Florida in 1914, Trafficante hailed from a family already deeply involved in organized crime. 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. With that act, Santo Trafficante now reigned supreme in Tampa. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. "He's very creative in terms of the combination of things he eats," Alessi says. The people of Tampa, especially the ones still around to remember those days still feel a duty of sorts to keep quite of these things, as if these people are still amongst us and can hear our chatter. 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. Ed Giorandino/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images. More importantly, Castro imprisoned Trafficante and then had him exiled from Cuba. Every so often I think of the Jekyll Island and White Lake, NC trip and laugh. By this point, Trafficante Jr. had fully taken over the oversight of drugs shipped between Florida, Cuba, and the rest of the States. The American governments close ties to Santo Trafficante Jr. and the rest of the Mafia didnt end with their attempts to kill Castro. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. When Fidel Castro began his ascent to power in the 1950s, Santo Trafficante feared the radical Marxist revolutionary wouldnt cooperate with him. "If my uncle knew I was talking to the press, Christ, he'd shoot me," Trafficante says, half-laughing. Please reset your password. Buy the time LoScalzo took over in 1987, the Trafficante Crime Family was far past its heyday. [13] He testified that he was brought into the plot by Roselli and Giancana, who had been recruited by Maheu. He owned and operated some of the most lavish casinos in pre-Castro Cuba. Instead of Italian suits, he wears horizontally striped golf shirts. There was a problem getting your location. TAMPA CRIME BOSS SANTO TRAFFICANTE JR PLAYS A CENTRAL ROLE IN THRILLER MAFIA SPIES. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. 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. Santo was known to have been deeply involved in the CIA efforts to involve the underworld in assassination attempts on Fidel Castro. He sought treatment for stomach cancer and was ready to hand power over to a trusted lieutenant. He had a big heart and will be missed. 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. "I think it's all bull----," says Trafficante's former horse trainer, Arthur Pedregal Jr. "It's only because his name is Trafficante. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). [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. Mob Lawyer Frank Ragano Says He Knows Who Killed JFK", "Book alleges plot to kill JFK in Tampa, cover-up", "At Santo Trafficante auction, a chance to buy a piece of Tampa's mob history", Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, Associated Press report on Trafficante's death, "Little Man: Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life" By Robert Lacy, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Santo_Trafficante_Jr.&oldid=1140940042, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 15:02. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/53540265/santo-trafficante. 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. "I'm a freak for that kind of stuff," he says. 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. Santo Jr. was indicted several times through the 1950s but was convicted only once, on state charges in 1954 for bribery, and that conviction was overturned by the Florida Supreme Court. After Cuban revolution, the Mafia saw Castro as a threat to their business. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. At 76,. With over 1,900 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 375,000 families a year. Please check your entries and try again. Alongside Chicago boss Sam Giancana, Roselli and Trafficante came up with some truly insane plots to kill Fidel Castro. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. "I was going to ask him to come over and try our beignets to see how they compare to the Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans," Alessi says. Finally, in 1987, Trafficante died at the age of 72. Frank Ragano and Santo Trafficante Jr. (right). 2023, Tampa Mafia. He is just a businessman, he says, his money tied up in wholesale automobiles, an orange grove and real estate. [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. Trafficante Jr. was nonetheless a ruthless and old-school mob boss. His health had declined in his later years. And despite relatively small time beginnings, Trafficante proved to be a shrewd mobster. She handled great adversity and difficult, troubling times with grace, dignity, and style; with respect and love for all around her. Santos Trafficante Jr. was the son of Santos Trafficante Sr., who owned several casinos in Havana. He maintained all of the lucrative casinos in Cuba, further cemented, After Cuban revolution, the Mafia saw Castro as a threat to their business. The report was given to the District Attorney's office. He was left with about 25 horses at his stable in Lutz that he couldn't race and couldn't sell for more than it cost to keep them fed. Their plans ranged from simply shooting him to having him smoke poisoned cigars or drinking a tainted milkshake. 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. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. My aim is to provide you with the best Service experience for you and your motorcycle. The charges of bank fraud against Trafficante and more than a dozen bank employees and customers may well be dismissed. 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. "I don't go to the bank and make all these billion-dollar deposits," he says. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.. Share to let others add their own memories and condolences. Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 - March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. Try again. Santos married Josephine Marchese in 1938, they would have two daughters. He drove standard cars, lived in regular houses in quiet places, was married to the same woman, and generally described as a quiet man. Ed Giorandino/NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesSanto Trafficante arrives at Queens Supreme Court in Kew Gardens. 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. 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. With deepest sympathy and love. She is survived by her daughters, Mary Jo Paniello and Sarah Ann Valdes; her grandchildren, Dr. Santo Paniello and wife Susan; Dina Smith and husband Don; Melissa Castellana and husband John; and Valerie Cordell and husband Ian; her great-grandchildren, Michael Sierra, Elizabeth Paniello, Sam Paniello, Christopher Paniello, Christina Castellana, Augie Castellana, Alexa Cordell, Anna Cordell Drew Smith, Allison Hunt and husband Joey; as well as endless extended family. Most mornings Trafficante spends a few hours at his modest wholesale automobile lot at the intersection of Dale Mabry Highway and W Broad Street. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. [13] Trafficante also stated that he had no recollection of meeting Oswald or Oswald's assassin, Jack Ruby. Reputed 'boss of bosses' dies at 72 TAMPA, Fla, "' Trafficante dies at age 72 TAMPA. During a recent trip to Lake Tahoe he bought two basketballs autographed by Michael Jordan. [14], After a grant of immunity from prosecution, Trafficante testified before the HSCA the following day, September 28, and denied the allegation that he told Aleman that "Kennedy was going to be hit. Associates: Sam Giancana, Charlie Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Cuba, Fidel Castro, Johnny Rosselli, Robert Maheu. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. You and Santo will always have a special place in my heart. Our thoughts and prayers are with you Gerry and your family. This was proven in 1953 when he eliminated the last contender to the Tampa mob throne: Joe Antinori, son of the late Ignacio. 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. Born in Tampa, Florida to Sicilian parents Mafia don Santo Trafficante, Sr. and his wife Maria Giuseppa Cacciatore. In 1975, the CIA declassified a report stating that Trafficante had been persuaded to poison Castro, an allegation he denied. "I still don't think I did anything wrong," Trafficante says. They lived in modest, ranch-style houses in quiet neighborhoods in Tampa and Miami. Trafficante was arrested frequently throughout the 1950s on various charges of bribery and of running illegal bolita lotteries in Tampa's Ybor City district. It never did exist.". Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Santo Trafficante (53540265)? View Source Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Memorials Region North America USA Florida A few months later, two members of that group took the train to New York City to drum up support for a move against Santo. The choice was nothing more than honoring a tradition. "When my uncle visited it was like a family reunion. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Died: March 17, 1987, Houston, Texas Getting in bed with Trafficante and other leading members of Americas organized crime seems like a strange thing to do for the CIA. Send your deepest condolences with fresh flowers. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. The other case was a RICO indictment for insurance fraud. She was born on March 24, 1920. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the
Done button to see the photos in the gallery. The authorities continued to charge him with participating in illegal activities, but the aging mob boss escaped conviction each time. His sons, Dino and Joseph, run it for him, though he worries that sometimes they don't work hard. Seven people were murdered. A year has passed. He headed the . He wears tasselled leather loafers without socks. Maheu hid the fact that he was sent by the CIA, instead portraying himself an advocate for international corporations. [15][16] He stated he was chosen by Hoffa because, as both Hoffa and Trafficante's lawyer, he could be assured of attorneyclient privilege. The senior Trafficante's name has been linked to gambling, drug-dealing and even plots to kill Fidel Castro and John F. Kennedy. Trafficantes chance came in the 1960s when he became acquainted with mobster John Handsome Johnny Roselli. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. 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. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. So, as the popular theory goes, the mob bosses that lent a helping hand in getting Kennedy into office wanted revenge. In this episode, we will discuss the fascinating life of Tampa's most powerful mobster: Santo Trafficante Jr. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. "They'll sleep under trees on you.". Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Trafficante was a ruthless mob boss, and quickly consolidated control over the criminal networks in Tampa. Over the next 30-plus years, Trafficante, Jr. rose to oversee Mafia operations across the state of Florida. He was the lynchpin in Tampa Charlie Wall The Kefauver hearings arrived in Tampa in December of 1950. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. In the meantime, the allegation that he is a mobster has dogged him and his family. A full report was made by the Cuban police, dated January 23, 1958, includes transcripts of long-distance telephone calls made from the Sans Souci during the period AugustDecember 1957. Century, Tampa was a small but growing city, and the organized crime it faced was modest. [3] Trafficante moved to Cuba in 1955, where he came into contact with Batista and Meyer Lansky. The beachfront properties were the site of many parties and barbecues. For the last 20 years, everyone knew her as JuJu. One of the last surviving mobsters from the Luciano era, he died of heart disease in a Houston, Texas, hospital in 1987. "I thought I could just go down to (former Hillsborough State Attorney) Bill James and (Assistant State Attorney) Lee Atkinson and explain it all away in 15 minutes.". My prayers are with all of you. 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.. While shouldering the legacy of his father and. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Santo Trafficante Jr. He owned a West Tampa restaurant called Cafe Sevilla. 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. Harris & Ewing/Library of Commons/Wikimedia Commons. 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. He flew to Houston on March 15 for heart bypass surgery. [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. "Sam Gold" was Sam Giancana; "Joe" was Trafficante. That arrest also led Cuban authorities to become warier of the mobster, especially as the political tides seemed to be turning there. 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." All the while, he lives in a palatial lakeside compound in rural northwest Hillsborough. When you start talking about organized crime, things can get dicey. THE CHARLIE WALL STORY Kingpin Charlie Wall (center holding bottle, right of child) and his notorious gang. The Trafficante Family Under Santo Junior . ". All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. 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. [20], In 2005, Lamar Waldron and Thom Hartmann's book Ultimate Sacrifice said that Trafficante was behind an aborted plot to kill Kennedy in Tampa on November 18, 1963. In addition, "on January 23, 1958 the Cuban Department of Investigation, Havana, Cuba notified the Bureau of Narcotics that Santo Trafficante was registered in their Alien Office under No. 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. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. Search above to list available cemeteries. [13] He stated that he received no payment for his involvement and that he acted out of patriotism. After Fidel Castro's revolutionary government seized the assets of Trafficante's Cuban businesses and expelled him from the country as an "undesirable alien," Trafficante came into contact with various US intelligence operatives, and was involved in several unsuccessful plans to assassinate Castro. Don Santo Trafficante Jr was one of the last of the old-time American Mafia bosses in the United States. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. As Jimmy Hoffas former lawyer Frank Ragano would later recall, Jimmy told me to tell [New Orleans boss Carlos] Marcello and Trafficante they had to kill the president. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. After his father died in 1954, he became the head in Tampa and took over his fathers interests in Cuba. Afterwards, the son he had groomed to take his place, Santo Trafficante Jr., took the reins of the Trafficante crime family. Chronicles of Events and Biographies Related to the American Mafia. A native and lifelong resident of Tampa, Mr. Traffi-cante is survived by his loving family, wife, Geraldine "Gerry" L. Trafficante; sons, Dino Jose and Joseph Frank Trafficante; daughters,. And as for the rest of the Trafficante Crime family? 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. After a lifetime in organized crime, Trafficante Jr. died of national causes in 1987. [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? Son of Santo Trafficante and Maria Giuseppa Trafficante Conspiracy theorists consider Giancana along with Mafia leaders Santo Trafficante Jr. and Carlos Marcello associated with the assassination of Kennedy. Santo met and married Maria Giuseppe Cacciatore on April 20, 1909. But considering the fiercely anti-Soviet atmosphere of the Cold War, its not that hard to believe. But before Trafficante testified, someone conveniently killed Roselli. Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. However, by the late 1920s, facing little pressure, Sicilian gangsters began setting up lucrative gambling and narcotics rackets. GREAT NEWS! "Banks are my greatest enemy. 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.
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