Associates: Sam Giancana, Charlie Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Cuba, Fidel Castro, Johnny Rosselli, Robert Maheu. 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. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. 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. 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. Fifteen years following the assassination, Trafficante testified in front of the United States House Select Committee on the murder of JFK in exchange for immunity. Century, Tampa was a small but growing city, and the organized crime it faced was modest. You and Santo will always have a special place in my heart. He is hardly the "Dapper Don." [14], After a grant of immunity from prosecution, Trafficante testified before the HSCA the following day, September 28, and denied the allegation that he told Aleman that "Kennedy was going to be hit. After that, he ordered casino owners to cough up employee back pay, then shut them down again. Born Tampa, Florida March 24, 1920 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. Rosselli testified in 1975 to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the efforts to kill Castro. With deepest sympathy and love. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. GREAT NEWS! And purchase valuable sports memorabilia for himself. But considering the fiercely anti-Soviet atmosphere of the Cold War, its not that hard to believe. View Source Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Memorials Region North America USA Florida He walked outside and got into a 1951 Mercury sedan driven by one of his associates. Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. TAMPA CRIME BOSS SANTO TRAFFICANTE JR PLAYS A CENTRAL ROLE IN THRILLER MAFIA SPIES. I am sorry I am unable to attend the services due to a illness. He will be sorely missed and his heart of gold will be remembered by all who new him. 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. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. [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. In the meantime, the allegation that he is a mobster has dogged him and his family. Until last year, the younger Trafficante had never been accused of anything more dramatic than bookmaking, a charge that a judge dismissed. Son of Santo Trafficante and Maria Giuseppa Trafficante At this point in our collective history, we're not sure anyone would be surprised to learn that there is, in fact, something called The Mafia. What you might be surprised to learn, however, is how prevalent-even rampantorganized crime in Tampa was in the early and mid-20th century. "I think it's all bull----," says Trafficante's former horse trainer, Arthur Pedregal Jr. "It's only because his name is Trafficante. The original Malio's Restaurant located on South Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa, Florida. 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. 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. Don Santo Trafficante Jr was one of the last of the old-time American Mafia bosses in the United States. He attended a notorious convention of Mafia bosses held in the upstate New York town of Apalachin on November 14, 1957. 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. He drove a forklift for 20 years. A year later they had their first son, Frank, born on April 16, 1910. Failed to delete memorial. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. This was proven in 1953 when he eliminated the last contender to the Tampa mob throne: Joe Antinori, son of the late Ignacio. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. 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. Trafficante maintained links to the Bonanno crime family in New York City, but was more closely allied with Sam Giancana in Chicago. Join us for this one-of-a-kind walking tour of Tampa's most storied neighborhood. In his previous statements, Roselli also tied Lee Harvey Oswalds killer, Jack Ruby, to Santo Trafficante. The IRS was unsuccessful, according to Fernandez, Trafficante's attorney. He was right, and when Castro took power in 1959, Trafficantes burgeoning gambling-and-drugs empire went under siege. Sorry! After the death of his wife, the Trafficante family sold their Tampa 1970-built home for $950,000. He went to Jesuit High School and played some football. Born in Tampa, Florida to Sicilian parents Mafia don Santo Trafficante, Sr. and his wife Maria Giuseppa Cacciatore. She was born on March 24, 1920. 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. Trafficante would be charged with bank fraud, perjury and disclosure of criminal investigation. Santo Trafficante Jr. had long followed in his fathers footsteps, and proved to be an even more effective Mafia kingpin. He died on March 17, 1987. Year should not be greater than current year. "I don't go to the bank and make all these billion-dollar deposits," he says. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. 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. At 76,. [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. Alongside Chicago boss Sam Giancana, Roselli and Trafficante came up with some truly insane plots to kill Fidel Castro. 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. Late in life LoScalzo denied any connections to organized crime. We have to admit we are fascinated by the whole idea of the mafia and the people we knew and the whispers we grew up hearing. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. A A. Santo Jr. succeeded his father as the boss of Tampa upon his death. Santo Trafficante grew up in the Florida underworld, working his father's gambling rackets and getting experience in the business. Who better than his son, Trafficante Jr., to inherit his throne? [15][16] He stated he was chosen by Hoffa because, as both Hoffa and Trafficante's lawyer, he could be assured of attorneyclient privilege. Daughters: Mary Josephine Sarah Ann Brothers: Frank, Salvatore (Sam), Epifanio and Enrico (Henry) Uncle: Joseph M. CACCIATORE (convicted narcotic trafficker) CRIMINAL HISTORY: Ed Giorandino/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images. 93461.". He is just a businessman, he says, his money tied up in wholesale automobiles, an orange grove and real estate. Trafficante Sr. passed away four years later, leaving Jr. his Tampa and Cuba-based criminal empire. There is a problem with your email/password. Mobster Johnny Rosselli, who worked for both Trafficante and the Chicago Outfit, was another associate involved in the unsuccessful efforts to kill Castro and, according to some biographies, was the man who put Trafficante and Giancana together with Maheu. Let others know about your loved one's death. This account has been disabled. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. However, while the Latin American drug trade has figured prominently in the sunshine states less savory history, so has the Mafia. We never paid cash. Donnie Brasco. Trafficante was jailed and deported when Fidel Castro rose to power, leading him to spend a good portion of his adult life hatching a plan of revenge. When his father died in 1954 he took control of these establishments. She lived an exciting life dividing her time between her multiple family members and friends in Tampa, Miami and Havana. He has thought about it. My aim is to provide you with the best Service experience for you and your motorcycle. Brother of Frank Cacciatore Trafficante; Private and Private. 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. After Cuban revolution, the Mafia saw Castro as a threat to their business. Federal investigators brought racketeering and conspiracy charges against him in the summer of 1986. 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. Authorities also said he urged former bank vice president Michael Pupello to impersonate him in calls to federal bank regulators. Our prayers are with you. But the mobster tag has outlasted the case itself. Trafficantes chance came in the 1960s when he became acquainted with mobster John Handsome Johnny Roselli. Learn more about managing a memorial . She was a native of Tampa, a second-generation Sicilian immigrant who grew up in Ybor city. For all the power he wielded, Trafficante was often described as quiet and reserved. He dressed nicely but not ostentatiously, and his choice of cars was never flashy. The international narcotics trade was also an important topic on the Apalachin agenda. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Trafficante tried to win Castro over to his side, but that didnt work. 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. Many fond memories of Santo will continue with me. The gunmen drove off, unaware they had failed to kill Trafficante, merely grazing his arm. He headed the Trafficante crime family from 1954 to 1987 and controlled organized criminal operations in Florida and Cuba, which had previously been consolidated from several rival gangs by his father, Santo Trafficante Sr. [8] Allusions to these historic connections were confirmed by the CIA's 2007 declassification of the "Family Jewels" documents. Wife : Josephine MARCHESE (Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr. married Josephine in Tampa, Florida on April 17, 1938). Try again. [13] Trafficante also stated that he had no recollection of meeting Oswald or Oswald's assassin, Jack Ruby. Organized Crime Figure. ". Santo Trafficante Jr, was born on November 15, 1914 in Tampa, Florida and followed in the footsteps of his father, Santo Trafficante Sr, into a life of organized crime. We have set your language to 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. In 1959, the Cuban Revolution toppled the corrupt Batista government and the rebel leader, Fidel Castro, nationalized foreign-owned properties and shuttered the casinos, a huge financial blow to Trafficante, who was second only to Meyer Lansky in the depth of his investments in Havana. My uncle, never wore a ring," Trafficante says. The glamorous casino in the Hotel Nacional De Cuba in Havana in 1958. The Unbelievable Story Of Richard Lee McNair The Man Who Mailed Himself Out Of Prison, What JFK's Mob-Affiliated Mistress May Have Known About His Assassination, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. I will never forget him as a fellow stroke survivor. Indeed, he owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in foreclosures to local banks, which he says treat him "like I had leprosy" because of Key Bank. He buys Jaguars for his two sons, hobnobs with sports stars on resort golf courses and occasionally flies to Miami for lunch at a favorite restaurant, the Rascal House. On March 17, 1987, Trafficante died at the age of 72 at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston where he had gone for heart surgery. He attended the University of Florida for a year, then transferred to the University of Tampa and left without completing his degree. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. You'll learn about bolita, the rumored tunnels of Ybor, and the Era of Blood.Join us for this one-of-a-kind walking tour of Tampa's most storied neighborhood. Now he owns a 210-acre orange grove in southern Hillsborough. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. Departed this Life May 13, 2015 "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.". 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. Passing before her were her parents Antonino and Sarafina Marchese; her beloved husband Santo Trafficante Jr.; her son-in-laws Augie Paniello and Richard Valdes; and her brothers, Bennie Marchese, Tommy Marchese, and Peter Marchese. Family members linked to this person will appear here. In 1950, the aging Trafficante Sr. began to slow down. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? (November 15, 1914 - March 17, 1987 ). "Banks are my greatest enemy. [13] During his testimony, Trafficante also admitted for the first time that he had worked with the CIA from 1960 to 1961 for an attempt to poison Castro but stated that his role was only as an interpreter between CIA officials and Cuban exiles. 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. The men started to drive away when another sedan drove past the Mercury, the occupants unloading a blast of buckshot as they passed. May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow. Try again later. "[12] He said that Trafficante complained about the honesty of the Kennedys and their "attacks" on Jimmy Hoffa and other associates. He died of natural causes, at the age of 72, in Houston, Texas. 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.
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