Brother of Frank Cacciatore Trafficante; Private and Private. WTF does that mean? Nobody emerged with Trafficante's stature and unquestioned authority. Trafficante Crime family Trafficante dies in a Houston hospital following surgery. "This is all bulls---," he said. Read the entire story about Mamones life of crime and current legal troubles written by Jane Musgrave in the Palm Beach Post. "I recently received some intelligence that Gotti's people had been in that area.". 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.. North Orange County - (714)834-4317. While he had several close calls with law enforcement including the famed FBI, Late in life LoScalzo denied any connections to organized crime. It's still a great chart on the Tampa Mob. Scott M. Deitche is the author of 5 books and on organized crime, including Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld, and The Silent Don: The World of Santo Trafficante Jr. His new attorney general his beloved brother, Robert F. Kennedy went after organized crime with a vengeance. The Trafficantes, Godfathers from Tampa, Florida: The Mafia, the CIA At the same time, in addition to his criminal work for Ignacio Antinori, he began to invest heavily in his own bolita numbers rackets, beginning in . Despite law enforcement's disagreement over the power structure, on one point they are unanimous: The La Cosa Nostra is alive and growing in Tampa since Trafficante's death. The younger Trafficante already had established connections with New York Mafia members. George Defeis was tied to the Trafficante crime family based in Tampa, as reported by NBC Miami. God Bless you bro Scott is a very talented guy. The senior Mamone spent years in a federal witness protection program after snitching on federal mobsters to try to reduce his sentences on racketeering and other charges. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. The Tampa Bay Times has obtained a cache of Vice Squad reports from the 1950s and 1960s, which offer insight into their investigations and what they were up against. LoScalzo was born in Sicily and moved with his family to New Orleans and then Tampa as a young man. You know what, guns actually do kill people | Letters, Seminole Heights serial killings case ends with guilty plea, 4 life sentences, Here is why the school zone speed camera bill should become law in Florida | Editorial. But on June 5, 1950, a Ford sedan pulled alongside Lumia's car, parked along Tampa's waterfront. They are among the most powerful men in Tampa, but few people know their names. Trafficante Jr. controlled his Tampa-based crime network for over three decades. Radioactive roads? The local mob once was known for its assassinations. "There's no truth to it whatsoever. Other times, the committee sent investigation reports to the law enforcement officials they trusted. Frank Diecidue is identified in U.S. Senate testimony as the new head of the Tampa mob. But once Kennedy actually entered the White House, he didnt live up to his end of the bargain. Domestic violence help - City of Santa Ana Frank Ragano (January 25, 1923 - May 13, 1998) was a self-styled "mob lawyer" from Florida, who made his name representing organized crime figures such as Santo Trafficante, Jr. and Carlos Marcello, and also served as lawyer for Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa.In his 1994 autobiography Mob Lawyer, Ragano recounted his career in defending members of organized crime, and made the controversial . The Bizarre Case Of Danny Goldman's Kidnapping - Grunge According to Det. Joseph Pistone spent six years posing as Mafia member "Donnie Brasco" to gather information for the FBI. Whatever happened to the Imperial Room Lounge that was owned by Doc Castellano in Tampa?? In October 2000, 19 Tampa LCN members and associates, including Steve Raffa and John Mamone, were indicted in Florida on charges of illegal gambling, loansharking, money laundering through check-cashing stores, and a massive financial fraud scheme run out of South Carolina , that reportedly brought in $32 million in profits. So, as the popular theory goes, the mob bosses that lent a helping hand in getting Kennedy into office wanted revenge. Originally from New Jersey, Mamone got his start with the Genovese family before moving to Florida and becoming part of the Trafficante family. The mobster would later testify: I got news that Cuban officials were looking for to put me in jail because one of the things was that I was a Batista collaborator. Immigrating right along with these hard-working early Sicilian immigrants came a band of shadowy criminal figures from their homeland. Santo Trafficante Jr. had long followed in his fathers footsteps, and proved to be an even more effective Mafia kingpin. He allegedly spent $28,000 on the 1947 Tampa election and $29,000 on the 1948 Hillsborough election. Following his death, Mobster Vincent LoScalvo took over the Trafficante family's criminal network in Florida. An "informant" visited Joseph Puglisi's Ybor City . 2021 Cigar City Magazine. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Trafficante expanded his organization into gambling, bookmaking and labor racketeering. Her father was Nick Nuccio. According to Iorio, Tampa witnesses produced a list of 105 officially protected outlets that law enforcement officials were not allowed to tamper with., The moral of the Tampa story is this, Estes Kefauver, the senator who led the nationwide investigation, wrote in his final report, if good citizens of a community shut their eyes to wholesale violation of a law law enforcement and honesty in public office will go to hell in a handcart., Subscribe to our free How They Lived newsletter. He was among a group of mob leaders in attendance when police raided a 1957 summit conference at Apalachin, N.Y. Diecidue is listed in state records as the owner of Dixie Amusement Co., a now-defunct vending and pinball machine company in Tampa. At least 26 people with ties to the Trafficante family and the New York-based Mafia have been convicted in Central and South Florida since Trafficante's death, federal court records show. Dino's drew many wrestlers including a bass player who became to be known as Hulk Hogan (his name was Terry Bollea). Law enforcement tracked his every move. Harris & Ewing/Library of Commons/Wikimedia CommonsCuban leader Fulgencio Batista in Washington, D.C. in 1938. Domestic Violence Assistance Program - Temporary Restraining Order Assistance Resource and Referral Counseling - (714)935-7956. He leads a modest lifestyle. 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. The American governments close ties to Santo Trafficante Jr. and the rest of the Mafia didnt end with their attempts to kill Castro. A fellow mobster claimed that Trafficante was part of a group of La Cosa Nostra principals who arranged Kennedy's murder. List of Italian American mobsters; Michael Napoli pleaded guilty in that case to using four Hillsborough bars as fronts for cocaine distribution. They own bars, restaurants and other businesses but aren't likely to be found at Chamber of Commerce meetings. Trafficante returns to Tampa and enlists in a CIA plot to poison Castro. Thanks. "But when I was working there undercover even when Santo was alive, if you wanted to talk to the main guy in town, you go to Frankie Albano.". Santo Trafficante Jr.: The Florida Godfather Who Tried To Kill Castro While the plot never came to fruition, Trafficante later testified that he did help the CIA recruit other mobsters for the surreal plot. Trafficante is jailed by Fidel Castro after Castro takes control of Cuba and dismatles the island's gambling operations. I am a legitimate businessman," LoScalzo said. Santo, Sr. arrived in Tampa in 1902 and settled in the Ybor City . The same informant returned the following month to find Henry Trafficante there with three unidentified associates. spiders. The chart is excellent! Drag is awesome. Trafficante refuses to testify to a congressional committee investigating the assassination of Hohn F. Kennedy. Tampa was a well placed secret not even counting Ybor city. Nuccio, who was not mentioned in the report, served eight years on city council and 19 years on the Hillsborough County Commission before successfully running for mayor in 1956. Santo Trafficante Jr. had long followed in his fathers footsteps, and proved to be an even more effective Mafia kingpin. Its still there today. An informant visited Joseph Puglisis Ybor City barbershop in November of that year, according to a report filed with the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office Vice Squad. Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 - March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. Everyone investigated him, Rushing said of her father. A grand jury did. Bud? But before Trafficante testified, someone conveniently killed Roselli. Legislature considers flooding our streets with cancer-causing chemicals | Column, Heres why the Weeki Wachee River needs stronger protections | Editorial, Floridas dental deserts leave millions without access to oral care. You fail Drug Slang 101 dude. Other Mafia leaders, as well as newer organized crime networks, took over many of the rackets the family ran throughout the 20th Century. The case ends in a mistrial. Getting in bed with Trafficante and other leading members of Americas organized crime seems like a strange thing to do for the CIA. The Trafficante family was involved with drug trafficking, racketeering, loansharking, corruption, prostitution, money laundering, and bookmaking during the 21st century, and it had around 20 members. The Trafficante Family - American Mafia History Mamone, who was indicted in October with his sons, John Anthony and Joseph Mamone, was part of the criminal enterprise, prosecutors said. All Rights Reserved. Reputed 'boss of bosses' dies at 72 TAMPA, Fla, Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52792202/frank-cacciatore-trafficante, L'Unione Italiana Cemetery, Ybor City, Hillsborough County, Florida, USA, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santo_Trafficante_Jr, Death of Santo Trafficante, Jr at Houston, TX. A city where it is necessary for a vigilante or crime commission to exist is not a healthy city, the Tampa Times reported he said. He convicted infamous criminal labor union head, Jimmy Hoffa. Santo Sr. was leaving more of the day-to-day operations to his son, Santo Jr. . The idea behind the assassination wasnt just to punish JFK but also to get his brother off the Mobs back. All of them was not evil strickly business men. The elder Trafficante was a virtual unknown to law enforcement for most of the early 20th century. The mobsters also attempted to get Castro into a poisoned wetsuit and even offered to blow him up with an exploding seashell. Purchase an annual subscription for unlimited access to the full Button Guys library! Their self-charged duties included vetting candidates for law enforcement positions, scrutinizing trials and investigations and forging their own probes. Frank Ragano; See also. He has never been charged with a crime, although state alcohol agents have forced him to give up one liquor license, and Tampa police sought an injunction that led to the closing of Ernesto's Bar and Package in 1985. Ed Giorandino/NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesSanto Trafficante arrives at Queens Supreme Court in Kew Gardens. In those early days, there were violent conflicts between Tampas competing racketeers as they gained a foothold in America. [CDATA[ Four months after a former soldier for the Trafficante crime family was indicted in connection with a $3.8 million health care fraud scheme, another 10 South Florida residents have been charged and the size of the alleged scam has swelled to $67 million. His positioning in Florida was prime for drug shipping as the product often passed through these ports en route to elsewhere in America. 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 a 1978 legal testimony, Trafficante discussed how quickly Castro shut it all down, then reopened the casinos on his own terms. Trafficante Family HitList - GangsterBB.NET Forums for Mafia Movies & More TheTrafficante crime familyis a family of the American Mafia from the city of Tampa, Florida, founded in 1925 by Ignacio Antinori. "I have never used drugs, or dealt drugs or had anything to do with drugs," he said in an interview. The crimes are punishable by a maximum 20-year prison sentence. Trafficante was one of the last surviving members of the original Luciano mob era upon his death, and the truth behind the JFK assassination may have perhaps died with him. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon rejected his request to travel to Las Vegas for business and to attend a wedding. The FBI identifies "Daddy Frank" as Diecidue. Four months after a former soldier for the Trafficante crime family was indicted in connection with a $3.8 million health care fraud scheme, another 10 South Florida residents have been charged and the size of the alleged scam has swelled to $67 million.. Like 70-year-old Delray Beach-area resident John Mamone, the 10 others who began appearing in federal court on Monday are accused of paying . After spending a brief time in a Cuban jail after Castro's coup, Trafficante returned to Tampa and took part in a CIA plot to poison the Cuban leader. Sentenced to a combined 16 1/2 years behind bars, Mamone was released in 2012 after he provided key testimony against Mafia enforcer Paul "Doc" Gaccione in the 1992 murder of Angelo Sangiuolo, a fellow member of the Genovese crime family. Trafficante Family Chart- All in the family - GangsterBB.NET Scams in genetic testing and durable medical equipment, or DME, have become a popular focus for federal prosecutors intent on cracking down on health care fraud. 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. Letsgetstarted. I-Team: Murder probe's legacy is debated Santo Traficante. In 1983, in Tampa, he was indicted for racketeering in a scheme to control garbage pickup on the Suncoast. The Trafficante Family Leadership Chart. In his previous statements, Roselli also tied Lee Harvey Oswalds killer, Jack Ruby, to Santo Trafficante. Italian and Sicilian immigrants offer bolita games and slot machines throughout the city. The Trafficante Family Leadership Chart - The New York Mafia He moved to Cuba in 1955 where he met the countrys authoritarian ruler Fulgencio Batista. 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. Diecidue, Albano and LoScalzo all surfaced in the investigation of Napoli and his bars: Mike's Lounge, the Journey's End, the South End and Levi's Saloon. The authorities continued to charge him with participating in illegal activities, but the aging mob boss escaped conviction each time. A grand jury declared the list a hoax. Temporary Restraining Order Infoline (Available 24 hours) - (714) 935-7956. The Trafficante crime family is a family of the American Mafia from the city of Tampa, Florida, founded in 1925 by Ignacio Antinori. No charges filed in the shooting death of 19-year-old University of Tampa student. Button Guys of The New York Mafia. After the Kennedy hubbub, Trafficante kept a low profile or, lower that is. You need to be a member of Gangsters Inc. - www.gangstersinc.org to add comments! Grossman, Daniel Goldman's kidnapping and murder was an act of revenge after Aaron Goldman went up against the group known as the Tampa Mafia. The twister killed hls mother when lt touched down about 6, honored Wednesday us the nation's sute legislator. State officials list him as the owner of Brother's Lounge in Tampa, although law enforcement officials say that he has a hidden interest in several other bars. 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. REPUTED FLORIDA GODFATHER TRAFFICANTE, 72, DIES - Sun Sentinel If it is still there I would love to know. Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. A former soldier in Floridas Trafficante Mafia family was charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and paying kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program. John Mamone, a soldier in Florida's Trafficante crime family, was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison Tuesday despite his cooperation with federal authorities. Trafficante crime family | Historica Wiki | Fandom Now in his late 70s or early 80s, LoScalzo is reported to be retired. 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. Meanwhile, he continued to make money from the drugs that came through Tampa. Santo Trafficante Jr. wounded during failed assassination attempt in Tampa. Elections would be won, and public officials would be paid to tolerate the status quo.. President John F. Kennedy, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Dennis Caruso/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images. Despite the fact that they were now the most powerful force in Tampas underworld, what became known as the Trafficante Family still worked side and side and sometimes came into conflict with other ethnic criminal groups prominent in the city. Santo Trafficante Senior died in 1954. 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. These were the first seeds laid down by the Sicilian Mafia as they took control of the city. But, in December 1950, during a local hearing that questioned politicians, law enforcement and alleged gangsters, the federal Kefauver Commission charged with exposing organized crime throughout the nation used the Velasco story as evidence of Tampas corruption. 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. I dont know why theyd investigate my uncle, said Mariette Rushing, 88, of Puglisi. Santo Trafficante Jr. - The Mob Museum See more ideas about crime family, crime, mobster. Shit dude, try kicking hammer. No one was ever charged with Lazzara murder. Steve Raffa was one of the handful of mobsters that actually committed suicide I think. Two Hollywood men 39-year-old Galina Rozenberg and 58-year-old Michael Rozenberg were arrested on Feb. 6, attempting to board a flight to Moscow, prosecutors said. Copyright 2019-2022. E-mail me when people leave their comments , Former Trafficante crime family mobster charged with pilfering $3.8 million in Medicare fraud, When the American government asked the Mafia for a favor, Inside the Montreal underworld: The Rizzuto Mob & the Hells Angels, On the trail of the Italian mafia's dirty money, The "secret" murder of Philly mob boss Joey Merlino's crew, Documentary | Millennials in Mexico - born into the world of drug cartels, How New York gangs use social media to recruit, intimidate and to glamorize their lifestyle, Narco-Propaganda is Fuelling Mexicos Drug War, Meeting With A Sinaloa Cartel Hitman Goes Wrong: Inside Los Chapitos vs Rafael Caro Quintero, How The Hells Angels Actually Works | How Crime Works | Insider. I was friends with the old school guys whi went to godfathers on hillsbourgh and the bottle club on dale mabrey. "Since Santo died, they really are not into the whole realm of what they were into when he was alive," Pistone said in a telephone interview from an undisclosed location. 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.. Law enforcement soon began to concentrate on Antinori's operation. So, who was this so-called Silent Don who wielded enough power to allegedly kill the President? While in prison, he was indicted a second time in connection with an $80 million marijuana smuggling operation that distributed more than 1,000 kilos of pot throughout the United States, prosecutors said. The family released receipts that they say proved Velasco used illegal gambling money to fund candidates who would ignore the mafias crimes. Released on bond, they are to be sentenced on July 8. Mobster dies, two nations. The conviction of Diecidue, who died . 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. Since 1980, LoScalzo has increased his property holdings in West Tampa and Ybor City; at various times he has owned property valued at more than $365,000 in Hillsborough County, according to property appraiser's records. "I don't know about Mafia. The chart was made by Scott M. Deitche on his site. After Nuccio was elected mayor, the first of Italian descent, he voluntarily spoke before the crime commission and, according to news archives, explained his family had owned a filling station, Lumia had been a gas dealer, and that was the extent of their relationship. That arrest also led Cuban authorities to become warier of the mobster, especially as the political tides seemed to be turning there. LoScalzo denies having any connection to drug distribution. prosecution, fled temporarily to Cuba. Napoli's wife, Florence, denied that her husband was associated with La Cosa Nostra. They are: Frank Diecidue, a 76-year-old Tampa businessman and longtime underboss to Trafficante. Category. He sought treatment for stomach cancer and was ready to hand power over to a trusted lieutenant. Tales from the Vice Squad | The Hillsborough County Crime Commission was formed in 1951 to root out organized crime and expose corrupt public officials. In 1963, the Mob allegedly had enough of Kennedy. The committees efforts, according to news archives, included: In 1952, they led a resident-raid on an illegal casino after local law enforcement did not respond to a tip. 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. Originally Posted By: DickNose_Moltasanti, Trafficante Family Chart- All in the family, Re: Trafficante Family Chart- All in the family, Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather, http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2004-03-25/news/the-snitch/. Instead, they used private radio waves as part of an effort to cloak their efforts from deputies believed to be in cahoots with the mafia. Chronicles of Events and Biographies Related to the American Mafia. By the late 1800s to early 1900s, Italian immigrants from Sicily were drawn to the City of Tampa and a tight-knit Little Italy-type community soon developed. He wasnt a captain or a high-ranking member, but he certainly had some pull, Tampa mob expert and author Scott Deitche told the Palm Beach Post. One of the earliest established Mafia Families in the United States was the criminal network that formed down in Tampa, Florida. Santo Trafficante Sr., a 'Sicilian of the old school,' ruled Tampa's Broward County organized crime investigators name restauranteur Vincent LoScalzo as the power behind Tampa's mob. Santo Trafficante Sr. succeeds him as boss. For nearly seven decades, Santo Trafficante, Sr. and his son, Santo, Jr. were prominent gangsters on the Tampa crime scene. Trafficante, though, never spent a night in an American jail. After a series of gangland murders, the smoke started to clear and a formal Family hierarchy was established. He was right, and when Castro took power in 1959, Trafficantes burgeoning gambling-and-drugs empire went under siege.