He has been featured on the History Channel, A&E, Discovery Channel, AHC, Oxygen Network and many local and national news shows. 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. Century, Tampa was a small but growing city, and the organized crime it faced was modest. View Source Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Memorials Region North America USA Florida In the meantime, the allegation that he is a mobster has dogged him and his family. Born Tampa, Florida March 24, 1920 By 1987, the Mafia boss, who had walked the casino floors of the Sans Souci in Cuba, dined and hobnobbed with Frank Sinatra in the nightclubs and hotels of South Beach, and who commanded a presence in Tampa that is still felt today, was suffering from a diseased kidney and bad heart. 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. prosecution, fled temporarily to Cuba. Oops, something didn't work. She was born on March 24, 1920. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. His luck has not improved recently. When he applied to the state for a parimutuel license that would allow him to race his horses at Tampa Bay Downs, he was refused. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Authorities said he leaked a list of suspects in the case and then lied about it. Like Trafficante Jr. before him, had many close calls with law enforcement, but always escaped serious charges. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. With over 30 years experience in the field of Mechanics, I will work with you on a personal basis, I will discuss with you your specific needs pertaining to your motorcycle. The gunmen drove off, unaware they had failed to kill Trafficante, merely grazing his arm. In the 1950s, Tampas reputation for corruption and vice was so bad it prompted one national magazine to label the area the Hell Hole of the Gulf Coast. Given such negativity, who can blame people for just wanting to forget? According to some, he was even involved in the infamous assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Following his death, Mobster Vincent LoScalvo took over the Trafficante familys criminal network in Florida. He even sent his son, Santo Trafficante Junior, to New York, to gain a better understanding of how the mafia operated there. Or does he just look like one? They used to be my greatest friend," Trafficante 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. 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 maintained all of the lucrative casinos in Cuba, further cemented, After Cuban revolution, the Mafia saw Castro as a threat to their business. His health had declined in his later years. . In February 2016, many of Trafficante's personal belongings were sold at an auction in St. Petersburg, Florida. After this look at Santo Trafficante Jr., read the gruesome story of the murderous American dentist, Benjamin Salomon, of World War II. This was proven in 1953 when he eliminated the last contender to the Tampa mob throne: Joe Antinori, son of the late Ignacio. 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. In his previous statements, Roselli also tied Lee Harvey Oswalds killer, Jack Ruby, to Santo Trafficante. prosecution, fled temporarily to Cuba. [3] His wife, Josephine, died in 2015 at the age of 95; he is survived by two of his daughters. 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. 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. He attended the University of Florida for a year, then transferred to the University of Tampa and left without completing his degree. As we all know, he was right, and Kennedy was assassinated by a sniper in November 1963. All the while, he lives in a palatial lakeside compound in rural northwest Hillsborough. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. He will always be remembered with fondness. The Shore Acres home is 2,350-square-feet with 10 rooms that Capone reputedly built in 1925 for his mother. "I don't go to the bank and make all these billion-dollar deposits," he says. Rosselli testified in 1975 to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the efforts to kill Castro. But then came Key Bank, a massive drug-money-laundering investigation. A A. But according to declassified documents released in 1992, Santo Trafficante Jr. made a deathbed confession of his involvement in the Presidents murder. Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. 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. Trafficante would be charged with bank fraud, perjury and disclosure of criminal investigation. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. The choice was nothing more than honoring a tradition. Failed to remove flower. Despite his arrest, Trafficante managed to escape charges and continue to fly under the laws radar. 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. Authorities also said he urged former bank vice president Michael Pupello to impersonate him in calls to federal bank regulators. THE HIT THAT EXPOSED SOME OF TAMPAS ELITE. With deepest sympathy and love. My ex-wife Erline Lazzara was a childhood friend you might remember. 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. He was right, and when Castro took power in 1959, Trafficantes burgeoning gambling-and-drugs empire went under siege. Buy the time LoScalzo took over in 1987, the Trafficante Crime Family was far past its heyday. The elder Trafficante set up illegal casinos in Cuba in the 1940s, which were sanctioned by Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. While the plot never came to fruition, Trafficante later testified that he did help the CIA recruit other mobsters for the surreal plot. In 1963, the Mob allegedly had enough of Kennedy. "I'm a freak for that kind of stuff," he says. While shouldering the legacy of his father and. Trafficante took control of the Tampa mob in 1954 after the death of his father, Santo Trafficante Sr. Returning to Miami, he joined his father, managing some . 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. In fact, Florida had the dubious distinction of being home to a decades-old Mafia criminal network: the Trafficante Family. "I was the most expensive forklift driver in the world," he says with a smile. 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. There are few indicators that the family is still an active crime network. 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. He will be sorely missed and his heart of gold will be remembered by all who new him. My heart goes out to the family. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Getting in bed with Trafficante and other leading members of Americas organized crime seems like a strange thing to do for the CIA. She touched all who knew her, and upon meeting her, she would embrace you, and you would instantly become part of the family. They lived in modest, ranch-style houses in quiet neighborhoods in Tampa and Miami. 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. She handled great adversity and difficult, troubling times with grace, dignity, and style; with respect and love for all around her. His abiding passion is food. But the mobster tag has outlasted the case itself. 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. 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. Santo met and married Maria Giuseppe Cacciatore on April 20, 1909. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Salcines was observed at the properties the weekend of June 9, 1967. His new attorney general his beloved brother, Robert F. Kennedy went after organized crime with a vengeance. [13] On September 27, 1978, Aleman reiterated to HSCA investigators that Trafficante had complained to him for hours in June or July 1963 about Kennedy's crackdown on organized crime at a meeting to discuss a business loan. Year should not be greater than current year. One small gang, led by Italian immigrant Santo Trafficante Senior, profited from the illegal lottery-style games they ran across Tampa. Trafficante was apprehended in November 1957, along with over 60 other mobsters, at the Apalachin meeting in Apalachin, New York. In Trafficante's food chain, reporters rank only marginally higher than prosecutors and bank regulators, whom he likes to refer to as "rat bastards.". There was an error deleting this problem. Daughters: Mary Josephine Sarah Ann Brothers: Frank, Salvatore (Sam), Epifanio and Enrico (Henry) Uncle: Joseph M. CACCIATORE (convicted narcotic trafficker) CRIMINAL HISTORY: cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 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. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Our heartfelt condolences go out to your family. Meet Santo Trafficante: The Silent Don Who Tried To Kill Fidel Castro And May Have Ordered JFKs Assassination. A year has passed. I have thought of you and Santo many times over the past 50 years. Associates: Sam Giancana, Charlie Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Cuba, Fidel Castro, Johnny Rosselli, Robert Maheu. "[12] Aleman claimed to have reported Trafficante's comments to his FBI contacts, who "dismissed the Kennedy warnings as gangland braggadocio. 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. I will never forget him as a fellow stroke survivor. 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. They had three daughters, Antoinette born . 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. Reputedly the most powerful crime boss in Batista -era Cuba, he . After his father died in 1954, he became the head in Tampa and took over his fathers interests in Cuba. In the early 20th Century, Tampa was a small but growing city, and the organized crime it faced was modest. She was predeceased in death, by other loving family members. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. 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.. All Rights Reserved. During a recent trip to Lake Tahoe he bought two basketballs autographed by Michael Jordan. The beachfront properties were the site of many parties and barbecues. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Valenti hired his son-in-law at the produce company and allowed him to name his own salary. We are one of them! He was known as an organized crimes figure. It was also rumored that Santos was involved in a Mafia plot to kill President John F. Kennedy, though he denied there was any such conspiracy. I found on Findagrave.com. Wife : Josephine MARCHESE (Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr. married Josephine in Tampa, Florida on April 17, 1938). The IRS was unsuccessful, according to Fernandez, Trafficante's attorney. 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. Verify and try again. "I still don't think I did anything wrong," Trafficante says. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. 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. [1] Trafficante maintained several residences in New York City and Florida. Ed Giorandino/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images. Try again later. In January 1963, he married Geraldine Valenti, the daughter of J.C. Valenti, who owned a thriving produce business. Love and peace to you all. Many fond memories of Santo will continue with me. And despite relatively small time beginnings, Trafficante proved to be a shrewd mobster. So, at his attorney Ralph Fernandez's urging, he has agreed to talk publicly, hoping to shore up his damaged reputation. [8] Allusions to these historic connections were confirmed by the CIA's 2007 declassification of the "Family Jewels" documents. Phil Alessi, a childhood friend, marvels at Trafficante's taste and capacity. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. He was, in many ways, the archetypical old-school Mob boss. However, by the late 1920s, facing little pressure, Sicilian gangsters began setting up lucrative gambling and narcotics rackets.
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