0 cemeteries found in Ybor City, Hillsborough County, Florida, USA. Santo Trafficante: Building the Family Business - Gangsters Inc Trafficante was arrested again in 1957 for attending the famous Apalachin summit of Mob leaders in New York, but those charges were dropped. Our thoughts and prayers with you. Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Failed to delete memorial. Santo told the state attorney, I dont have an enemy in the world. But the news was not good on the Key Bank front. We guarantee you'll never look at Ybor City the same way again. My heart goes out to the family. 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. Santo Trafficante Jr. (1914-1987) - Find a Grave Memorial 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. 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. And as for the rest of the Trafficante Crime family? Dr. Dennis Pupello was looking for heart disease, brought on by his overweight and diabetic patient's "voracious eating.". The charges of bank fraud against Trafficante and more than a dozen bank employees and customers may well be dismissed. I can answer any questions you . Meanwhile, he continued to make money from the drugs that came through Tampa. Despite his arrest, Trafficante managed to escape charges and continue to fly under the laws radar. Donnie Brasco. He sought treatment for stomach cancer and was ready to hand power over to a trusted lieutenant. Failed to report flower. "[1][13] He stated that he was positive that he did not say it because he always spoke to Aleman in Spanish, and said that there was no way to state the phrase in Spanish. 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. My aim is to provide you with the best Service experience for you and your motorcycle. The wiretap evidence has been thrown out of court. Though his prison sentence wasnt long and he returned to a strong position in Florida, Trafficante never forgave Castro. Love, Jimmy Schaffer. Born: November 15, 1914, Tampa, Florida Alongside Chicago boss Sam Giancana, Roselli and Trafficante came up with some truly insane plots to kill Fidel Castro. Getty ImagesSanto Trafficante was wanted in 48 states by the time he was 43. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. After a lifetime in organized crime, Trafficante Jr. died of national causes in 1987. She is now living in Virginia. Santo Trafficante Jr. was a reserved, modest man married to the same woman for 49 years. Our heartfelt condolences go out to your family. Indeed, some people would rather not dwell on the less-than-noble aspects of our local history. Anthony Accardo & Santo Trafficante Jr - Labor Union Kickbacks 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. Afterwards, the son he had groomed to take his place, Santo Trafficante Jr., took the reins of the Trafficante crime family. A A. Visitation will take place on Saturday, May 16th, from 9:30 to 11:30 AM, with service to follow at Gonzalez Funeral Home, 7209 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, FL. This is a carousel with slides. The glamorous casino in the Hotel Nacional De Cuba in Havana in 1958. He was known as an organized crimes figure. [15][16] He stated he was chosen by Hoffa because, as both Hoffa and Trafficante's lawyer, he could be assured of attorneyclient privilege. She was an amazing daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and friend. THE HIT THAT EXPOSED SOME OF TAMPAS ELITE. In 1954, Santo Sr. died of natural causes (at a time when some of his remaining rivals were still being violently dispatched), and his son took over leadership of the crime family. And the Trafficante Crime family found out that it had an unusual ally in their concerns about Castro: the Central Intelligence Agency. Now in his late 70s or early 80s, LoScalzo is reported to be retired. Santo met and married Maria Giuseppe Cacciatore on April 20, 1909. 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. The guy really tried to do it right.". President John. You'll learn about bolita, the rumored tunnels of Ybor, and the Era of Blood. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. He even sent his son, Santo Trafficante Junior, to New York, to gain a better understanding of how the mafia operated there. Dennis Caruso/NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesFrank Ragano and Santo Trafficante Jr. (right). Interestingly, Trafficante who was worth about $25 billion at his height in the 80s lived a fairly reserved, modest lifestyle. 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. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. At age 16, he boarded the S.S. Lombardia and set sail for American in search of a better life. Still, he lives comfortably enough to give his sons Jaguar sports cars, red for Dino and white for Joseph. Valenti hired his son-in-law at the produce company and allowed him to name his own salary. [13] Trafficante said that he introduced the trio to Cuban exiles in Florida. The seeds for Trafficantes most interesting historical chapter were planted, as the mobster would go on to have a well-established relationship with the CIA in an ongoing effort to assassinate Castro. She is survived by her daughters, Mary Jo Paniello and Sarah Ann Valdes; her grandchildren, Dr. Santo Paniello and wife Susan; Dina Smith and husband Don; Melissa Castellana and husband John; and Valerie Cordell and husband Ian; her great-grandchildren, Michael Sierra, Elizabeth Paniello, Sam Paniello, Christopher Paniello, Christina Castellana, Augie Castellana, Alexa Cordell, Anna Cordell Drew Smith, Allison Hunt and husband Joey; as well as endless extended family. Images of America Series de libros - eBooks | Rakuten Kobo Mxico Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. Send your deepest condolences with fresh flowers. Hey, they have more convicts at the track than straight people," Trafficante says. There are few indicators that the family is still an active crime network. She was born on March 24, 1920. Learn more about managing a memorial . 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. On Oct. 26, 1937, Frank Trafficante named his first son after his own father, Santo Trafficante Sr. 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. Or does he just look like one? A Drive-By Historical Tour of Tampa's Notorious Wise Guys They never returned. I have thought of you and Santo many times over the past 50 years. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Santo Trafficante Sr., a 'Sicilian of the old school,' ruled Tampa's Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. He attended the University of Florida for a year, then transferred to the University of Tampa and left without completing his degree. In his previous statements, Roselli also tied Lee Harvey Oswalds killer, Jack Ruby, to Santo Trafficante. However, by the late 1920s, facing little pressure, Sicilian gangsters began setting up lucrative gambling and narcotics rackets. 93461.". 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 . "[12] He said that Trafficante complained about the honesty of the Kennedys and their "attacks" on Jimmy Hoffa and other associates. Santo was one of the FBIs targets in that case. My uncle, never wore a ring," Trafficante says. That horse won $161,080 for its new owners, according to the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders Association. Who better than his son, Trafficante Jr., to inherit his throne? Santo Trafficante Jr. had long followed in his father's footsteps, and proved to be an even more effective Mafia kingpin. Shop eBooks and audiobooks at Rakuten Kobo. He attended a notorious convention of Mafia bosses held in the upstate New York town of Apalachin on November 14, 1957. Meet Santo Trafficante: The Silent Don Who Tried To Kill Fidel Castro And May Have Ordered JFKs Assassination. He convicted infamous criminal labor union head, Jimmy Hoffa. [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. "If my uncle knew I was talking to the press, Christ, he'd shoot me," Trafficante says, half-laughing. TAMPA CRIME BOSS SANTO TRAFFICANTE JR PLAYS A CENTRAL ROLE IN THRILLER MAFIA SPIES. While the plot never came to fruition, Trafficante later testified that he did help the CIA recruit other mobsters for the surreal plot. 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. He maintained close working ties with the Lucchese crime family and the Bonanno crime family from New York City. Trafficante took control of the Tampa mob in 1954 after the death of his father, Santo Trafficante Sr. 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. She misses him, but she's making do. "He's very creative in terms of the combination of things he eats," Alessi says. 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. He is hardly the "Dapper Don." We cant help ourselves when it comes to watching mob films like The Godfather, Goodfellas, Casino and HBOs Boardwalk Empire and the iconic cable TV show, The Sopranos. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. So is Santo Jose Trafficante III a mobster? 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. The chairman cited a confession from Roselli that Trafficantes allies organized a sharpshooter, Lee Harvey Oswald, to take out the President. After months of wiretapped phone conversations, investigators seized boxloads of documents, some with Trafficante's name on them. 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. Still, theres a fine line between exploring a topic and glorifying it. Santo Trafficante, Sr., the powerful Trafficante crime family's patriarch, was born on May 28, 1886, in Alexandria Della Rocca, Sicily. In a final disappointment, he sold a filly named "Run Marisa Run" (after his daughter) for $7,500. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/53540265/santo-trafficante. All the while, he lives in a palatial lakeside compound in rural northwest Hillsborough. Make sure that the file is a photo. Learn more about merges. Santo Trafficante Jr.: The Florida Godfather Who Tried To Kill Castro Florida Mafia boss Santo Trafficante Jr. died 30 years ago March 17 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. 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. Sam Giancana - Wikipedia In 1957 he was suspected of involvement in the barbershop slaying of Albert Anastasia, the . Drag images here or select from your computer for Santo Trafficante Jr. memorial. "I thought I could just go down to (former Hillsborough State Attorney) Bill James and (Assistant State Attorney) Lee Atkinson and explain it all away in 15 minutes.". Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista in Washington, D.C. in 1938. His uncle, the late Santo Trafficante Jr., was reputed to have been the boss of the local Mafia. Instead of Italian suits, he wears horizontally striped golf shirts. THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF TAMPA'S UNDERWORLD IS OFTEN INTERTWINED WITH SOME OF Something went wrong. He headed the . Finally, in 1987, Trafficante died at the age of 72. Trafficante Sr. hung back and developed relationships with politicians and his Mob colleagues in New York and Chicago. The beachfront properties were the site of many parties and barbecues. Try again later. Born in Tampa, Florida to Sicilian parents Mafia don Santo Trafficante, Sr. and his wife Maria Giuseppa Cacciatore. He returned to Tampa for the last time for internment in the LUnione Italiana Cemetery. 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. Seven people were murdered. The gunmen drove off, unaware they had failed to kill Trafficante, merely grazing his arm. Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. The CIA came to Trafficante, and asked for his help in enlisting the Mafia to assassinate the Cuban leader. 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. Buy the time LoScalzo took over in 1987, the Trafficante Crime Family was far past its heyday. Trafficante proceeded to open casinos in Cuba at his fathers behest and facilitated heroin smuggling by working together with famous mobsters Charles Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky. In February 2016, many of Trafficante's personal belongings were sold at an auction in St. Petersburg, Florida. Claiming association with the CIA, Roselli knew of Trafficantes vendetta and told his new pal that the U.S. government also wanted to take down Castros Communist regime. They had three daughters, Antoinette born . Spoiled by mobsters, Meyer Lansky's daughter recalls family men, not Santo Trafficante Jr. had long followed in his fathers footsteps, and proved to be an even more effective Mafia kingpin. [20], In 2005, Lamar Waldron and Thom Hartmann's book Ultimate Sacrifice said that Trafficante was behind an aborted plot to kill Kennedy in Tampa on November 18, 1963. Conspiracy theorists consider Giancana along with Mafia leaders Santo Trafficante Jr. and Carlos Marcello associated with the assassination of Kennedy. Trafficante Sr. passed away four years later, leaving Jr. his Tampa and Cuba-based criminal empire. 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. 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. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. View Source Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Memorials Region North America USA Florida On the day that investigators raided Key Bank, a cardiologist at St. Joseph's Hospital was inserting a catheter in Trafficante's groin. [3] Trafficante moved to Cuba in 1955, where he came into contact with Batista and Meyer Lansky. In the mid-2000s, he would say he was a legitimate businessman, citing, Tony "Joe Batters" Accardo - De Facto Boss of the Chicago Outfit, Giacomo Black Jack Tocco - Last of the Old School Detroit Partnership, Joseph Iacobacci - "Joe Loose" of the Cleveland Mob, John "Sonny" Franzese - A Colombo Family Legend. Anthony Accardo & Santo Trafficante Jr - Labor Union Kickbacks (1977- 1981)https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/05/us/16-indicted-over-union-fund-use.htmlCredit:. When his father died in 1954 he took control of these establishments. Please reset your password. Trafficante was apprehended in November 1957, along with over 60 other mobsters, at the Apalachin meeting in Apalachin, New York. She was the Matriarch of the Trafficante Family; and we will all miss her presence, guidance, love and affection. Trafficante again escaped conviction. Their plans ranged from simply shooting him to having him smoke poisoned cigars or drinking a tainted milkshake. Maheu hid the fact that he was sent by the CIA, instead portraying himself an advocate for international corporations. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. He was going to be hit.. [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. With that act, Santo Trafficante now reigned supreme in Tampa. All Rights Reserved. Add to your scrapbook. The hit man and the mobster: Jack Ruby and Santos Trafficante 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. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Santo Trafficante Jr - Mafia Facts Born in Tampa, Florida in 1914, Trafficante hailed from a family already deeply involved in organized crime. Chronicles of Events and Biographies Related to the American Mafia. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? For the last 20 years, everyone knew her as JuJu. Trafficante Jr. was nonetheless a ruthless and old-school mob boss. Santo Trafficante Senior died in 1954. He was the lynchpin in Tampa Charlie Wall The Kefauver hearings arrived in Tampa in December of 1950. He drove a forklift for 20 years. Santo Trafficante was wanted in 48 states by the time he was 43. Salcines was observed at the properties the weekend of June 9, 1967. 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.