Several were wounded. She touched all who knew her, and upon meeting her, she would embrace you, and you would instantly become part of the family. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. Santos Trafficante Jr. was the son of Santos Trafficante Sr., who owned several casinos in Havana. Donnie Brasco. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/53540265/santo-trafficante. According to Scott M. Deitche in The Silent Don, the family was profiting not only from its offshore casinos but from narcotics trafficking. Wife : Josephine MARCHESE (Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr. married Josephine in Tampa, Florida on April 17, 1938). "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.". Batista let Trafficante and other mobsters build as many casinos and hotels as they wanted in exchange for a cash kickback. May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow. 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.. Please try again later. Trafficante Jr. controlled his Tampa-based crime network for over three decades. Afterwards, the son he had groomed to take his place, Santo Trafficante Jr., took the reins of the Trafficante crime family. He was a well-respected boss, even among the far larger New York crime families. After the Kennedy hubbub, Trafficante kept a low profile or, lower that is. He headed the . Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. Oops, something didn't work. F. Kennedy not only failed to deliver on his promise to the mob but also actually put the Mafia under increasing pressure. 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. Trafficante was arrested on a bookmaking conspiracy charge. Zeng8r/Wikimedia Common A set of bolita balls. 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. In the early 20th Century, Tampa was a small but growing city, and the organized crime it faced was modest. Santo told the state attorney, I dont have an enemy in the world. 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. Santo was known to have been deeply involved in the CIA efforts to involve the underworld in assassination attempts on Fidel Castro. 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. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. By the time Prohibition and the Era of Blood ended, he was the top man in the Florida Mafia, operating with the blessing of exiled Mob boss Charlie Lucky Luciano, Frank Costello of the Five Families, and Meyer Lansky of the national Syndicate. Frank Ragano and Santo Trafficante Jr. (right). In 1975, the CIA declassified a report stating that Trafficante had been persuaded to poison Castro, an allegation he denied. [15][16] He stated he was chosen by Hoffa because, as both Hoffa and Trafficante's lawyer, he could be assured of attorneyclient privilege. "The Mob? They never returned. [13] He testified that he was brought into the plot by Roselli and Giancana, who had been recruited by Maheu. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Meanwhile, he continued to make money from the drugs that came through Tampa. Try again later. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. He owned a West Tampa restaurant called Cafe Sevilla. GREAT NEWS! A Hillsborough judge threw out the wiretaps, the spine of the state's case. He sought treatment for stomach cancer and was ready to hand power over to a trusted lieutenant. Santo Trafficante Jr. had long followed in his fathers footsteps, and proved to be an even more effective Mafia kingpin. SANTO TRAFFICANTE SR, A Sicilian of the Old School, RULED TAMPAS UNDERWORLD FOR MORE THAN A DECADE! "He's very creative in terms of the combination of things he eats," Alessi says. Undercover detectives ran a gambling sting operation there, hoping to nab a circle of Tampa men they said were making illegal sports bets. The Dignity Memorial brand name is used to identify a network of licensed funeral, cremation and cemetery providers that include affiliates of Service Corporation International, 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas. 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. department.". TAMPA CRIME BOSS SANTO TRAFFICANTE JR PLAYS A CENTRAL ROLE IN THRILLER MAFIA SPIES. Santos ran numerous legitimate businesses as well as illegal, including several legal casinos in Cuba, a Havana drive-in movie theater, and shares in restaurants and bars in Tampa. [7], In January 1958, Trafficante was questioned by the Cuban police regarding the Apalachin meeting. 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. With over 1,900 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 375,000 families a year. His son was turned away from a date's house and his daughter has been refused jobs. In 1946, Santo Sr. sent his son, already a family underboss, to Cuba to invest in the growing number of nightclubs and casinos in the island nation. After a lifetime in organized crime, Trafficante Jr. died of national causes in 1987. His wife also was named in the fraud charges. [14] He stated that he was concerned for his safety and was not certain that he had ever correctly heard or understood Trafficante's comment. He allegedly controlled organized crime operations in Florida and Cuba Organized Crime Figure. This is a carousel with slides. 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. 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. They had three daughters, Antoinette born . Trafficante took control of the Tampa mob in 1954 after the death of his father, Santo Trafficante Sr. She lived an exciting life dividing her time between her multiple family members and friends in Tampa, Miami and Havana. Over the next 30-plus years, Trafficante, Jr. rose to oversee Mafia operations across the state of Florida. "I was going to ask him to come over and try our beignets to see how they compare to the Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans," Alessi says. "[12] Aleman claimed to have reported Trafficante's comments to his FBI contacts, who "dismissed the Kennedy warnings as gangland braggadocio. Returning to Miami, he joined his father, managing some . 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. Rosselli later claimed to be involved with or to actually be a shooter in a Mob conspiracy to kill President John F. Kennedy, and some accounts have Trafficante involved in the alleged, and unproven, conspiracy. He was married to his wife for 49 years. But once Kennedy actually entered the White House, he didnt live up to his end of the bargain. If the decision is upheld on appeal, charges against Trafficante may be dismissed. You have been in pain too long. But before Trafficante testified, someone conveniently killed Roselli. Getting in bed with Trafficante and other leading members of Americas organized crime seems like a strange thing to do for the CIA. "I was the most expensive forklift driver in the world," he says with a smile. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. 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. I hold such fond memories of Santo & Gerry when I was growing up. [11], In 1976, Cuban exile and FBI informant Jose Aleman told The Washington Post that in September 1962, Trafficante had offered him a loan of $1.5million to replace Aleman's three-story "ramshackle motel with a 12-story glass wonder. Plant a tree to honor the memory of your loved one. Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. 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. 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. My aim is to provide you with the best Service experience for you and your motorcycle. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. For the last 20 years, everyone knew her as JuJu. 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. But considering the fiercely anti-Soviet atmosphere of the Cold War, its not that hard to believe. Honorary Pallbearers are Joe Castellana, Malio Iavarone, FrankCookie Fava, Antonino Marchese, Derek Iavarone, Frank Albano, Drew Smith, Joey Hunt, Michael Sierra, Tony Marchese, Peter Albano, Mario Pullara, Frank Miranda, Dino Trafficante, and Joseph Trafficante. 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. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. 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. 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. 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. Another bank sued Trafficante and his wife in October for repayment of a $100,000 promissory note. He even sent his son, Santo Trafficante Junior, to New York, to gain a better understanding of how the mafia operated there. 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. [22], sfn error: no target: CITEREFDouglass2010 (, Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 15:02, United States House Select Committee on Assassinations, Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, "With Santo Trafficante, an era is ending", "SANTO TRAFFICANTE, REPUTED MAFIA CHIEF, DIES AT 72", "Why mob bigs who met to crown a king had to run like roaches", "For Sale, a House WithAcreage.Connections Extra;Site of 1957 Gangland Raid Is Part of Auction on Saturday", "20 Apalachin Convictions Ruled Invalid On Appeal", "Narcotic Traffic Called Topic In Apalachin Talks", Memorandum for the Director of Central Intelligence, Subject: Roselli, Johnny, "Witness denies assassination, Cuba tied", "Mafia Linked In JFK Probe; By Cuban Exile", "Hoffa Lawyer: Jimmy Recruited Mob for JFK Hit", "Lawyer Says Hoffa Told 2 Mob Bosses to Have President Kennedy Killed", "Frank Ragano, 75, Lawyer for Mob and Hoffa", "The Sins of the Godfather? Passing before her were her parents Antonino and Sarafina Marchese; her beloved husband Santo Trafficante Jr.; her son-in-law's Augie Paniello and Richard Valdes; and her brothers, Bennie Marchese, Tommy Marchese, and Peter Marchese. Still, he lives comfortably enough to give his sons Jaguar sports cars, red for Dino and white for Joseph. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Ed Giorandino/NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesSanto Trafficante arrives at Queens Supreme Court in Kew Gardens. [5] Interestingly, Trafficante who was worth about $25 billion at his height in the 80s lived a fairly reserved, modest lifestyle. 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. 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. He will be sorely missed and his heart of gold will be remembered by all who new him. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? In the early 1980s Trafficante was ensnared in two major cases that could have sent the aging don to prison for the first time in his life, apart from his time in the Triscornia detention camp in Cuba following Castros takeover in 1959. tampa crime boss santo trafficante jr plays a central role in thriller 'mafia spies' Bolita , Mob Hits , Scott M. Deitche , Tampa Mafia SANTO TRAFFICANTE SR, A 'Sicilian of the Old School,' RULED TAMPA'S UNDERWORLD FOR MORE THAN A DECADE! [1] Trafficante maintained several residences in New York City and Florida. Let others know about your loved one's death. She was a native of Tampa, a second-generation Sicilian immigrant who grew up in Ybor city. Santo Trafficante Jr. was a reserved, modest man married to the same woman for 49 years. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santo_Trafficante_Jr. I found on Findagrave.com. We guarantee you'll never look at Ybor City the same way again. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.. Share to let others add their own memories and condolences. Verify and try again. He attended the University of Florida for a year, then transferred to the University of Tampa and left without completing his degree. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. Santo was one of the FBIs targets in that case. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Brother of Frank Cacciatore Trafficante; Private and Private. Many of the familys gangsters were in prison, or too old to be effective. 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. Santo Trafficante, Sr., the powerful Trafficante crime family's patriarch, was born on May 28, 1886, in Alexandria Della Rocca, Sicily. By Santo III's own estimation, this was a wise move. [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. Learn more about managing a memorial . He offered to pay $150,000 to have Castro killed, but Roselli declined any pay and introduced Maheu to two men he referred to as "Sam Gold" and "Joe." He was severed from that trial for medical reasons. In January 1963, he married Geraldine Valenti, the daughter. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. A system error has occurred. However, by the late 1920s, facing little pressure, Sicilian gangsters began setting up lucrative gambling and narcotics rackets. [15], Ragano also claimed that Trafficante, four days prior to his death, delivered a deathbed confession which suggested that Marcello was meant to assassinate Robert F. Kennedy instead of his brother, the President. He has thought about it. 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.