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. 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. Many fond memories of Santo will continue with me. So is Santo Jose Trafficante III a mobster? Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He even sent his son, Santo Trafficante Junior, to New York, to gain a better understanding of how the mafia operated there. Failed to delete memorial. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Our thoughts and prayers are with you Gerry and your family. Upon his return to the United States, he became determined to bring down the man who ended his empire. The idea behind the assassination wasnt just to punish JFK but also to get his brother off the Mobs back. So, as the popular theory goes, the mob bosses that lent a helping hand in getting Kennedy into office wanted revenge. The mafiosos that made up the family are either retired, in prison, or have died due to old age. His health had declined in his later years. 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. Santo Trafficante Jr. was a reserved, modest man married to the same woman for 49 years. By the time Prohibition and the Era of Blood ended, he was the top man in the Florida Mafia, operating with the blessing of exiled Mob boss Charlie Lucky Luciano, Frank Costello of the Five Families, and Meyer Lansky of the national Syndicate. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. All the while, he lives in a palatial lakeside compound in rural northwest Hillsborough. 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. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. When the CIA decided to recruit the Mob in their efforts to assassinate Fidel Castro, they went to see Trafficante. Learn more about managing a memorial . He grimaces at the thought that the rumor has persisted so long. We send our most sincere sympathies to the Trafficante family. Try again later. Born: November 15, 1914, Tampa, Florida The Trafficante Family Under Santo Junior . As law enforcement pressure increased on the Mafia in the late 1940s, Santo, fearing. Our prayers are with you. Whether or not a Mafia conspiracy was behind the assassination of Kennedy is still up for debate. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Search above to list available cemeteries. Verify and try again. After a violent mob war left several of Trafficantes rivals dead or weakened, his gang rapidly rose to prominence in Tampa. Try again later. Trafficante had now not only lost an ally but a significant portion of his income as his casinos were closed by the Marxist revolutionary. 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. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. English Don Santo Trafficante Jr was one of the last of the old-time American Mafia bosses in the United States. [9][10] The CIA and the Mafia had a common enemy in Castro, a communist revolutionary who had shut down Cuba's lucrative casino businesses. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. He will be sorely missed and his heart of gold will be remembered by all who new him. Comfort the family with flowers or a sympathy gift. [13] He testified that he was brought into the plot by Roselli and Giancana, who had been recruited by Maheu. In 1975, the CIA declassified a report stating that Trafficante had been persuaded to poison Castro, an allegation he denied. 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. Then, check out these photos of the aftermath from some of the bloodiest mob hits. Santo Trafficante, Jr. was born in the United States on November 15, 1914, as one of five sons of Mafia boss Santo Trafficante. The other case was a RICO indictment for insurance fraud. 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. Interestingly, Trafficante who was worth about $25 billion at his height in the 80s lived a fairly reserved, modest lifestyle. [4] All were fined, up to $10,000 each, and given prison sentences ranging from three to five years. Late in life LoScalzo denied any connections to organized crime. Valenti hired his son-in-law at the produce company and allowed him to name his own salary. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. 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. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Getting in bed with Trafficante and other leading members of Americas organized crime seems like a strange thing to do for the CIA. 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. love gloria "owens" hill. But then came Key Bank, a massive drug-money-laundering investigation. 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. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. (November 15, 1914 - March 17, 1987 ). Thanks for subscribing! No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. This was proven in 1953 when he eliminated the last contender to the Tampa mob throne: Joe Antinori, son of the late Ignacio. "Even my uncle (Santo Jr.) told me, "Santo, why don't you change your name?' They lived in modest, ranch-style houses in quiet neighborhoods in Tampa and Miami. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. With over 1,900 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 375,000 families a year. The guy really tried to do it right.". Buy the time LoScalzo took over in 1987, the Trafficante Crime Family was far past its heyday. But Santo knew who was behind the killing a rival Mafia faction. 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. A year later they had their first son, Frank, born on April 16, 1910. To use this feature, use a newer browser. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. [7], In January 1958, Trafficante was questioned by the Cuban police regarding the Apalachin meeting. My prayers are with all of you. Trafficante had been operating in Cuba since the late 1940s under his father, Santo Trafficante Sr., a mobster in Tampa, Florida. "I think it's all bull----," says Trafficante's former horse trainer, Arthur Pedregal Jr. "It's only because his name is Trafficante. 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. Email blog@themobmuseum.org. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. 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. prosecution, fled temporarily to Cuba. He has played golf with former New York Yankees third baseman Graig Nettles and former New York Islanders hockey player Clark Gillies. "[12] Aleman claimed to have reported Trafficante's comments to his FBI contacts, who "dismissed the Kennedy warnings as gangland braggadocio. My thoughts and prayers are with you all! [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. THE CHARLIE WALL STORY Kingpin Charlie Wall (center holding bottle, right of child) and his notorious gang. When you start talking about organized crime, things can get dicey. 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. "Now when I walk in a bank," Trafficante says, "the president runs out the back door.". 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. Try again. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. She handled great adversity and difficult, troubling times with grace, dignity, and style; with respect and love for all around her. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. She was a native of Tampa, a second-generation Sicilian immigrant who grew up in Ybor city. You've got to be a fool to marry wrong," he says. [5] One small gang, led by Italian immigrant Santo Trafficante Senior, profited from the illegal lottery-style games they ran across Tampa. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Santo Trafficante (53540265)? [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. Santo Jr. succeeded his father as the boss of Tampa upon his death. 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. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? He had a big heart and will be missed. 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. My ex-wife Erline Lazzara was a childhood friend you might remember. Indeed, a wiretapped conversation picked up a Key Bank official calling Trafficante a "sacred cow," with loans in excess of a million dollars. 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. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Let others know about your loved one's death. "He's very creative in terms of the combination of things he eats," Alessi says. She misses him, but she's making do. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. The glamorous casino in the Hotel Nacional De Cuba in Havana in 1958. 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. [2] Trafficante Jr. would frequently meet with Lucchese in New York City for dinner.[2]. Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. We are one of them! "My wife's got money. But according to declassified documents released in 1992, Santo Trafficante Jr. made a deathbed confession of his involvement in the Presidents murder. Failed to report flower. The Shore Acres home is 2,350-square-feet with 10 rooms that Capone reputedly built in 1925 for his mother. During the 1950s, Trafficante Jr. maintained a narcotic trafficking network with Tommy Lucchese, the boss of the Lucchese crime family in New York City. She touched all who knew her, and upon meeting her, she would embrace you, and you would instantly become part of the family. The first case stemmed from the FBIs well-known Donnie Brasco undercover sting operation. F. Kennedy not only failed to deliver on his promise to the mob but also actually put the Mafia under increasing pressure. Trafficante was born in Tampa, Florida, to Sicilian parents Santo Trafficante Sr. and his wife Maria Giuseppa Cacciatore in 1914. They used to be my greatest friend," Trafficante says. Santo Trafficante Senior died in 1954. Despite all of this or, perhaps, because of it, a few writers and filmmakers have chosen to focus on organized crime, determined to give Tampa its due. 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. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. In January 1963, he married Geraldine Valenti, the daughter of J.C. Valenti, who owned a thriving produce business. Mrs. Gerry, Gina, Dino, Joe and Marisa - they broke the mold with Traff. Trafficante's appetite and his legal woes seem linked like the strands of a cruller. He has been featured on the History Channel, A&E, Discovery Channel, AHC, Oxygen Network and many local and national news shows. "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. And while cocaine-fueled Latin American criminal networks have been a serious problem in Florida for decades, the Trafficante familys illicit activities were quite infamous as well. He moved to Cuba in 1955 where he met the countrys authoritarian ruler Fulgencio Batista. At age 16, he boarded the S.S. Lombardia and set sail for American in search of a better life. After a violent mob war left several of Trafficantes rivals dead or weakened, his gang rapidly rose to prominence in Tampa. 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. 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.. Santo Trafficante Jr. had long followed in his fathers footsteps, and proved to be an even more effective Mafia kingpin. Trafficantes chance came in the 1960s when he became acquainted with mobster John Handsome Johnny Roselli. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower?