Wikimedia CommonsPresident John F. Kennedy, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. Welcome to Boxer Cycle Works. I can answer any questions you . Ex-FBI agent and later Howard Hughes aide Robert Maheu of Las Vegas was one of the primary go-betweens for Trafficante. Santo Trafficante Jr. had long followed in his fathers footsteps, and proved to be an even more effective Mafia kingpin. 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. Following his death, Mobster Vincent LoScalvo took over the Trafficante familys criminal network in Florida. The Shore Acres home is 2,350-square-feet with 10 rooms that Capone reputedly built in 1925 for his mother. He will be sorely missed and his heart of gold will be remembered by all who new him. 93461.". Peter Moruzzi/Wikimedia Commons The glamorous casino in the Hotel Nacional De Cuba in Havana in 1958. Failed to report flower. President John. When his father died in 1954 he took control of these establishments. 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. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He was married to his wife for 49 years. You and Santo will always have a special place in my heart. But considering the fiercely anti-Soviet atmosphere of the Cold War, its not that hard to believe. Plant a tree to honor the memory of your loved one. He walked outside and got into a 1951 Mercury sedan driven by one of his associates. He was right, and when Castro took power in 1959, Trafficantes burgeoning gambling-and-drugs empire went under siege. The glamorous casino in the Hotel Nacional De Cuba in Havana in 1958. Drag images here or select from your computer for Santo Trafficante Jr. memorial. More troubling for Trafficante was a court document that listed him for the first time as "a member of the Trafficante crime family.". "I was the most expensive forklift driver in the world," he says with a smile. He drove standard cars, lived in regular houses in quiet places, was married to the same woman, and generally described as a quiet man. President John F. Kennedy, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Dennis Caruso/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images. 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." 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. Santo was known to have been deeply involved in the CIA efforts to involve the underworld in assassination attempts on Fidel Castro. A Hillsborough judge threw out the wiretaps, the spine of the state's case. Who better than his son, Trafficante Jr., to inherit his throne? My prayers are with all of you. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. My ex-wife Erline Lazzara was a childhood friend you might remember. 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. Valenti hired his son-in-law at the produce company and allowed him to name his own salary. [15][16] He stated he was chosen by Hoffa because, as both Hoffa and Trafficante's lawyer, he could be assured of attorneyclient privilege. love gloria "owens" hill. Trafficante Sr. passed away four years later, leaving Jr. his Tampa and Cuba-based criminal empire. "I'm in the I.O.U. His wife also was named in the fraud charges. "The Mob? Santo Trafficante Senior died in 1954. In 1975, the CIA declassified a report stating that Trafficante had been persuaded to poison Castro, an allegation he denied. 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. So, at his attorney Ralph Fernandez's urging, he has agreed to talk publicly, hoping to shore up his damaged reputation. 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. The original Malio's Restaurant located on South Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa, Florida. 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. 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. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. Weve updated the security on the site. Trafficantes chance came in the 1960s when he became acquainted with mobster John Handsome Johnny Roselli. Died: March 17, 1987, Houston, Texas That arrest also led Cuban authorities to become warier of the mobster, especially as the political tides seemed to be turning there. Our prayers are with you. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Geni requires JavaScript! 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. RIP Santo. 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. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. "Banks are my greatest enemy. Try again later. 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. "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. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. 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. [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. "When my uncle visited it was like a family reunion. Comfort the family with flowers or a sympathy gift. "He's very creative in terms of the combination of things he eats," Alessi says. His son, Santo Trafficante Jr., took over the crime family and became tangled in a web of conspiracies to kill the leader of revolutionary Cuba and, it is rumored, President John F. Kennedy. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.. Share to let others add their own memories and condolences. Thanks for subscribing! Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. please know that i am praying for you and your family. 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! My uncle, never wore a ring," Trafficante says. Josephine Marchese Trafficante "My wife's got money. 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. THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF TAMPA'S UNDERWORLD IS OFTEN INTERTWINED WITH SOME OF Something went wrong. He attended the University of Florida for a year, then transferred to the University of Tampa and left without completing his degree. Pupello determined that his diabetic patient's arteries were healthy. He died of natural causes, at the age of 72, in Houston, Texas. Santo Trafficante, Jr. was born in the United States on November 15, 1914, as one of five sons of Mafia boss Santo Trafficante. Late in life LoScalzo denied any connections to organized crime. By this point, Trafficante Jr. had fully taken over the oversight of drugs shipped between Florida, Cuba, and the rest of the States. [3] Trafficante moved to Cuba in 1955, where he came into contact with Batista and Meyer Lansky. [1] Trafficante maintained several residences in New York City and Florida. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Failed to remove flower. [1] In 1997, further declassified documents indicated that some mafiosi worked with the agency on assassination attempts against Castro. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. prosecution, fled temporarily to Cuba. 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. Trafficante had now not only lost an ally but a significant portion of his income as his casinos were closed by the Marxist revolutionary. Fine food, and lots of it. 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. Santo Jr.'s daughters still owns 3610, where Santo spent time when he wasn't in Tampa or Miami. 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. The beachfront properties were the site of many parties and barbecues. 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. Try again later. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Trafficante took control of the Tampa mob in 1954 after the death of his father, Santo Trafficante Sr. He convicted infamous criminal labor union head, Jimmy Hoffa. There was a problem getting your location. Or does he just look like one? Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. 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.. [13] He stated that he received no payment for his involvement and that he acted out of patriotism. "Now when I walk in a bank," Trafficante says, "the president runs out the back door.". Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. He flew to Houston on March 15 for heart bypass surgery. 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. Finally, in 1987, Trafficante died at the age of 72. [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. Born Tampa, Florida March 24, 1920 The mafiosos that made up the family are either retired, in prison, or have died due to old age. 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. 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. Josephine Marchese Trafficante, 95, died peacefully in her sleep, Wednesday morning at her home. She was predeceased in death, by other loving family members. Salcines was observed at the properties the weekend of June 9, 1967. "They wouldn't even let me go to the track. However, by the late 1920s, facing little pressure, Sicilian gangsters began setting up lucrative gambling and narcotics rackets. Our thoughts and prayers with you. Trafficante would be charged with bank fraud, perjury and disclosure of criminal investigation. His sons, Dino and Joseph, run it for him, though he worries that sometimes they don't work hard. But then came Key Bank, a massive drug-money-laundering investigation. In the meantime, the allegation that he is a mobster has dogged him and his family. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Several were wounded. And purchase valuable sports memorabilia for himself. The next son was Luigi Santo Trafficante Jr. (his namesake and future Mafia boss), born on November 15, 1914. I hold such fond memories of Santo & Gerry when I was growing up. A car registered to former state attorney and current state appellate judge E.J. Don Santo Trafficante Jr was one of the last of the old-time American Mafia bosses in the United States. Email blog@themobmuseum.org. Indeed, a wiretapped conversation picked up a Key Bank official calling Trafficante a "sacred cow," with loans in excess of a million dollars. [13] Trafficante said that he introduced the trio to Cuban exiles in Florida. Husband of Private the daughter of immigrants from the Italian region of Basilicata. [13] Trafficante also stated that he had no recollection of meeting Oswald or Oswald's assassin, Jack Ruby. At age 16, he boarded the S.S. Lombardia and set sail for American in search of a better life. She was the Matriarch of the Trafficante Family; and we will all miss her presence, guidance, love and affection. His business ventures have not always been successful. View Source Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Memorials Region North America USA Florida Sign up for service and obituary updates. 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. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Verify and try again. "I still don't think I did anything wrong," Trafficante says. Phil Alessi, a childhood friend, marvels at Trafficante's taste and capacity. He was known as an organized crimes figure. 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. [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? Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. He was rumored to be part of a Mafia syndicate which owned many Cuban hotels and casinos. But the mobster tag has outlasted the case itself. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Santo Trafficante Jr. Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 - March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. He owned a West Tampa restaurant called Cafe Sevilla. 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. 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. Seven people were murdered. Still, theres a fine line between exploring a topic and glorifying it. He was a well-respected boss, even among the far larger New York crime families. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. In Trafficante's food chain, reporters rank only marginally higher than prosecutors and bank regulators, whom he likes to refer to as "rat bastards.". Dr. Dennis Pupello was looking for heart disease, brought on by his overweight and diabetic patient's "voracious eating.". In his previous statements, Roselli also tied Lee Harvey Oswalds killer, Jack Ruby, to Santo Trafficante. Rosselli testified in 1975 to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the efforts to kill Castro. Please check your entries and try again. Many of the familys gangsters were in prison, or too old to be effective. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. "I'm a freak for that kind of stuff," he says. She was a native of Tampa, a second-generation Sicilian immigrant who grew up in Ybor city. ). Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. In 1950, the aging Trafficante Sr. began to slow down. You'll learn about bolita, the rumored tunnels of Ybor, and the Era of Blood. After a lifetime in organized crime, Trafficante Jr. died of national causes in 1987. I laughed _ until I realized it was a total f------ disaster," Trafficante says. Harris & Ewing/Library of Commons/Wikimedia CommonsCuban leader Fulgencio Batista in Washington, D.C. in 1938. Santo Trafficante 5 10 (1.78 m) Born November 15, 1914 Tampa, Florida, USA Died March 17, 1987 Spouse Josephine Marchese April 17, 1938 - March 17, 1987 (his death, 2 children) Publicity listings 2 Portrayals Did you know Edit Trivia Represented by Frank Ragano. [13] He testified that he was brought into the plot by Roselli and Giancana, who had been recruited by Maheu. [5] Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? Please allow 24 hours for your entry to be reviewed for appropriate content. 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. When the CIA decided to recruit the Mob in their efforts to assassinate Fidel Castro, they went to see Trafficante. 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. Trafficantes partnership with Batista was profitable for both parties and so the mobsters fate became inextricably tied to that of Cubas political climate. This is a carousel with slides. They never returned. Santo Trafficante arrives at Queens Supreme Court in Kew Gardens. In the early 20th Century, Tampa was a small but growing city, and the organized crime it faced was modest. According to some, he was even involved in the infamous assassination of President John F. Kennedy. THE HIT THAT EXPOSED SOME OF TAMPAS ELITE. "You hope things will just disappear two or three years from now.". 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. "I think it's all bull----," says Trafficante's former horse trainer, Arthur Pedregal Jr. "It's only because his name is Trafficante. 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 . Instead of Italian suits, he wears horizontally striped golf shirts. More importantly, Castro imprisoned Trafficante and then had him exiled from Cuba. 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. Meet Santo Trafficante: The Silent Don Who Tried To Kill Fidel Castro And May Have Ordered JFKs Assassination. [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. His health had declined in his later years. She handled great adversity and difficult, troubling times with grace, dignity, and style; with respect and love for all around her. The twister killed hls mother when lt touched down about 6, honored Wednesday us the nation's sute legislator. "[12] Aleman claimed to have reported Trafficante's comments to his FBI contacts, who "dismissed the Kennedy warnings as gangland braggadocio. I have thought of you and Santo many times over the past 50 years. Conspiracy theorists consider Giancana along with Mafia leaders Santo Trafficante Jr. and Carlos Marcello associated with the assassination of Kennedy. He grimaces at the thought that the rumor has persisted so long. The idea behind the assassination wasnt just to punish JFK but also to get his brother off the Mobs back. After that, he ordered casino owners to cough up employee back pay, then shut them down again. 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. Authorities said he leaked a list of suspects in the case and then lied about it. The men started to drive away when another sedan drove past the Mercury, the occupants unloading a blast of buckshot as they passed. Buy the time LoScalzo took over in 1987, the Trafficante Crime Family was far past its heyday. [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. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Trafficante's appetite and his legal woes seem linked like the strands of a cruller. The chairman cited a confession from Roselli that Trafficantes allies organized a sharpshooter, Lee Harvey Oswald, to take out the President. The senior Trafficante's name has been linked to gambling, drug-dealing and even plots to kill Fidel Castro and John F. Kennedy. 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. They used to be my greatest friend," Trafficante says. [7], In January 1958, Trafficante was questioned by the Cuban police regarding the Apalachin meeting. [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.