This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. Late in life LoScalzo denied any connections to organized crime. 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. But according to declassified documents released in 1992, Santo Trafficante Jr. made a deathbed confession of his involvement in the Presidents murder. His son was turned away from a date's house and his daughter has been refused jobs. Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. By this point, Trafficante Jr. had fully taken over the oversight of drugs shipped between Florida, Cuba, and the rest of the States. He died of natural causes, at the age of 72, in Houston, Texas. He was accused of making false financial statements for loans he used to invest in his citrus business, to purchase luxury cars and to buy a beach condo. Departed this Life May 13, 2015 Shop eBooks and audiobooks at Rakuten Kobo. [13] Trafficante also stated that he had no recollection of meeting Oswald or Oswald's assassin, Jack Ruby. On Oct. 26, 1937, Frank Trafficante named his first son after his own father, Santo Trafficante Sr. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. He maintained close working ties with the Lucchese crime family and the Bonanno crime family from New York City. Over the next 30-plus years, Trafficante, Jr. rose to oversee Mafia operations across the state of Florida. Like Trafficante Jr. before him, had many close calls with law enforcement, but always escaped serious charges. [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. Fine food, and lots of it. You've got to be a fool to marry wrong," he says. 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. He sought treatment for stomach cancer and was ready to hand power over to a trusted lieutenant. 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. Dr. Dennis Pupello was looking for heart disease, brought on by his overweight and diabetic patient's "voracious eating.". Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. 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. Josephine Marchese Trafficante, 95, died peacefully in her sleep, Wednesday morning at her home. Failed to delete memorial. When his father died in 1954 he took control of these establishments. Please check your email for further instructions. We are one of them! Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Wife : Josephine MARCHESE (Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr. married Josephine in Tampa, Florida on April 17, 1938). Santo Trafficante Jr. - IMDb A Drive-By Historical Tour of Tampa's Notorious Wise Guys She is now living in Virginia. F. Kennedy not only failed to deliver on his promise to the mob but also actually put the Mafia under increasing pressure. Trafficantes father was the lucky survivor of what was called the Era of Blood, when rival gangs based in Tampa fought for control of Prohibition-era nightclubs and, crucially, the local numbers rackets called bolitas. Battling Mob rivals in South Florida essentially weakened each other financially and, through murder, the number of available soldiers. Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. Most mornings Trafficante spends a few hours at his modest wholesale automobile lot at the intersection of Dale Mabry Highway and W Broad Street. [4] All were fined, up to $10,000 each, and given prison sentences ranging from three to five years. 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. [15] He repeated the claim two days later on ABC's Good Morning America,[16] in Newfield's Frontline report entitled JFK, Hoffa and Mob broadcast in November 1992,[17] and again in his 1994 autobiography Mob Lawyer. My aim is to provide you with the best Service experience for you and your motorcycle. Mobster dies, two nations. I have thought of you and Santo many times over the past 50 years. "I don't go to the bank and make all these billion-dollar deposits," he says. View Source Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Memorials Region North America USA Florida She was a wonderful cook, and she loved to crochet and travel with her husband, but she lived her life for her family. With over 1,900 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 375,000 families a year. "You hope things will just disappear two or three years from now.". According to some, he was even involved in the infamous assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He was married to his wife for 49 years. 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. Associates: Sam Giancana, Charlie Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Cuba, Fidel Castro, Johnny Rosselli, Robert Maheu. It wasn't somebody going into a back room to kiss somebody's ring. Send your deepest condolences with fresh flowers. Josephine Trafficante Obituary - Tampa, FL It was clear that federal and local law enforcement had an acute interest in the Trafficante family. Our prayers are with you. "I think it's all bull----," says Trafficante's former horse trainer, Arthur Pedregal Jr. "It's only because his name is Trafficante. 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. 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. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Over the next 30-plus years, Trafficante, Jr. rose to oversee Mafia operations across the state of Florida. Santo, Jr. never spent a day in jail, and he died of natural causes in 1987. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. [5] [13] He stated that he received no payment for his involvement and that he acted out of patriotism. 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. gerry,i am so sorry to hear about santo. Pupello determined that his diabetic patient's arteries were healthy. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/53540265/santo-trafficante. To use this feature, use a newer browser. We guarantee you'll never look at Ybor City the same way again. 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. 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. Search results for "Images of America" at Rakuten Kobo. He attended a notorious convention of Mafia bosses held in the upstate New York town of Apalachin on November 14, 1957. In January 1963, he married Geraldine Valenti, the daughter. 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. Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Chronicles of Events and Biographies Related to the American Mafia. 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. I laughed _ until I realized it was a total f------ disaster," Trafficante says. Don Santo Trafficante Jr. the godfather from Tampa, Florida, USA. Trafficante Sr. hung back and developed relationships with politicians and his Mob colleagues in New York and Chicago. The elder Trafficante set up illegal casinos in Cuba in the 1940s, which were sanctioned by Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. His business ventures have not always been successful. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. He was a well-respected boss, even among the far larger New York crime families. Ex-FBI agent and later Howard Hughes aide Robert Maheu of Las Vegas was one of the primary go-betweens for Trafficante. Buy the time LoScalzo took over in 1987, the Trafficante Crime Family was far past its heyday. When you think of Florida and organized crime, it is difficult to avoid conjuring up images of Tony Montana in. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? A A. Let others know about your loved one's death. "[19] In his book Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Vincent Bugliosi has claimed there to be many flaws in Ragano's claims, including his own claim that Trafficante was most likely not in Tampa on the day in question, but was rather in North Miami Beach, Florida, receiving dialysis treatments. 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. Santo Trafficante Jr. (1914-1987) - Find a Grave Memorial He headed the . After Cuban revolution, the Mafia saw Castro as a threat to their business. A Hillsborough judge threw out the wiretaps, the spine of the state's case. The glamorous casino in the Hotel Nacional De Cuba in Havana in 1958. Authorities said he leaked a list of suspects in the case and then lied about it. You'll learn about bolita, the rumored tunnels of Ybor, and the Era of Blood. Don Santo Trafficante Jr was one of the last of the old-time American Mafia bosses in the United States. He even sent his son, Santo Trafficante Junior, to New York, to gain a better understanding of how the mafia operated there. [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. 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. This browser does not support getting your location. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 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. 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. Trafficante was born in Tampa, Florida, to Sicilian parents Santo Trafficante Sr. and his wife Maria Giuseppa Cacciatore in 1914. Santo TRAFFICANTE Obituary (2010) - Tampa, FL - TBO.com Died: March 17, 1987, Houston, Texas TRAFFICANTE, Santo Jose, 72, of Tampa, passed away July 13, 2010, To Plant Memorial Trees in memory, please visit our, All my Love to the family Michael R. Tartaro. "[12], In 1978, both Trafficante and Aleman were called to testify before members of the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations investigating possible links between Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald and anti-Castro Cubans, including the theory that Castro had Kennedy killed in retaliation for the CIA's attempts on his own life. Husband of Private please know that i am praying for you and your family. Though his prison sentence wasnt long and he returned to a strong position in Florida, Trafficante never forgave Castro. 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. 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. Born in Tampa, Florida to Sicilian parents Mafia don Santo Trafficante, Sr. and his wife Maria Giuseppa Cacciatore. Dennis Caruso/NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesFrank Ragano and Santo Trafficante Jr. (right). Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? With deepest sympathy and love. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. I found on Findagrave.com. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Frank Ragano and Santo Trafficante Jr. (right). Santo Trafficante Jr.: The Florida Godfather Who Tried To Kill Castro The American governments close ties to Santo Trafficante Jr. and the rest of the Mafia didnt end with their attempts 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. Plant a tree to honor the memory of your loved one. Chris and I will never forget Santo's presence at Leia's welcome home party. He will be sorely missed and his heart of gold will be remembered by all who new him. Trafficante had been operating in Cuba since the late 1940s under his father, Santo Trafficante Sr., a mobster in Tampa, Florida. A year has passed. Those were some of the greatest memories growing up. [15][16] He stated he was chosen by Hoffa because, as both Hoffa and Trafficante's lawyer, he could be assured of attorneyclient privilege. Undercover detectives ran a gambling sting operation there, hoping to nab a circle of Tampa men they said were making illegal sports bets. Santo Trafficante Jr - Mafia Facts This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Trafficante weathered the violence of Floridas Mob wars and the various conspiracy theories, the Cuban Revolution and the loss of his offshore casinos, as well as intense law enforcement scrutiny, without ever spending time in prison.