19501954 Santo Trafficante, Jr. promoted to boss. Bliss, A.J., "MAKING A SUNBELT PLACE: TAMPA, FLORIDA," 19231964, Ph.D. dissertation, 2010. Aside from his rackets and legitimate holdings, during the 1950s Santo Trafficante Jr. lived on and off in Havana, Cuba where he held a controlling interest in several major hotel-casino operations under the Fulgencio Batista regime. 2007, Weimar, Carrie. 19481950 James "Head of the Elks" Lumia murdered on June 5, 1950. Yeah, Scott has some great information. The Five Families of New York City could work in any city in the state. Santo Trafficante Jr. had long followed in his fathers footsteps, and proved to be an even more effective Mafia kingpin. The most notable boss was Santo Trafficante, Jr. who ruled Tampa and the crime family with an iron fist. In his 1994 autobiography Mob Lawyer, Ragano recounted his career in defending members of organized crime, and made the controversial allegation that Florida mob boss Santo Trafficante, Jr. confessed to him shortly before he died in 1987 that he and Carlos Marcello had arranged for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Wall's closest associate, Evaristo "Tito" Rubio was shot on his porch on March 8, 1938. "Kingpin of no Kingdom: A Brandom man Denies any mafia ties". On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Santo Jr. started the family's south Florida crew in the early 1980s, he put Steven Bruno Raffa in charge. The Tampa mob made a considerable amount of money in Cuba, but never achieved its ambition of making the island part of its territory. Bud? [1] The family reached its height of influence under bosses Silvestro Carollo and Carlos Marcello.In the 1960s, due to Marcello's stubborn refusal of inducting new members into the . There were, of course, Italian associates as well. On March 8, 1938, Wall's closest associate, Evaristo "Tito" Rubio, was shot on his porch. The family suspected the perpetrator was Charlie Wall and consequently, in 1955, had him killed. The Trafficante family was involved in gambling, prostitution, and numbers . He even sent his son, Santo Trafficante Junior, to New York, to gain a better understanding of how the mafia operated there. After Cuban revolution, the Mafia saw Castro as a threat to their business. What was left of the family was mostly broken up over the past decade. Aug 26, 2022 - Explore Raider-Cop Podcast Nation's board "Trafficante Crime Family" on Pinterest. Loscalzo maintained ties to Mafia families in California, New Jersey, and New York as well as being connected to the Sicilian Mafia. The Lucchese crime family (pronounced [lukkeze]) is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or Cosa Nostra ). [11] The indictment stated that Gotti Jr. along with the other men had been involved in various criminal activities in Tampa and New York during the early 2000s. 19401948 Salvatore "Red" Italiano fled in Mexico. Tampa crime started with Charlie Wall who in the 1920s controlled a number of gambling rackets and corrupt government officials. The most notable boss was Santo Trafficante, Jr. who ruled Tampa and the crime family with an iron fist. Steve Bruno Raffa (died 2000) was a capo in the Trafficante crime family who ran the family's South Florida rackets. I live in Tampa and sometimes wonder if there's still an Italian presence. Edward Charles Deegan was born in January 1930. One of the earliest established Mafia Families in the United States was the criminal network that formed down in Tampa, Florida. Trafficantes chance came in the 1960s when he became acquainted with mobster John Handsome Johnny Roselli. . 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. Through deep-dive biographies and snapshots of mobsters to in-depth stories about mafia regimes and crews, youll uncover an underworld you might never have known existed maybe even in your own hometown! Antinori took notice of Santo Trafficante and invited him into his organization and together they expanded the Bolita games across the state. He stood back in the shadows, while men like Ignazio Antinori and Charlie Wall were well-known crime figures about town. Chronicles of Events and Biographies Related to the American Mafia. President John F. Kennedy, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Dennis Caruso/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images. The Trafficante crime family, also known as the Tampa Mafia, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Tampa, Florida, United States. Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. shoreline wa breaking news. The family suspected it was Charlie Wall and they had him killed in 1955. November 25, 2007, United States House Select Committee on Assassinations, "Deitche, Scott. The members of other crime families sometimes refer to Lucchese family members as "Lukes". Loscalzo maintained ties to Mafia families in California, New Jersey, and New York as well as being connected to the Sicilian Mafia. [9] Raffa the leader of the familys Miami faction committed suicide on November 16, 2000. Santo Trafficante Jr. - American Mafia - Bonanno crime family - Colombo crime family - Bolita - Ybor City - Ignacio Antinori. Interestingly, Trafficante who was worth about $25 billion at his height in the '80s lived a fairly reserved, modest lifestyle. As law enforcement pressure increased on the Mafia in the late 1940s, Santo, fearing. New York: Barricade Books. After this look at Santo Trafficante Jr., read the gruesome story of the murderous American dentist, Benjamin Salomon, of World War II. 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.. His specialty was narcotics trafficking. [citation needed] "It was like World War II" he told the committee. Not only was it a potential cash cow but his men did not have to be involved in the day-to-day running of the operation. Santo Trafficante Jr. was a reserved, modest man married to the same woman for 49 years. 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. According to Trafficante soldier John Mamone, when he was formally "made" or inducted, into the local Mafia by Steve Raffa in the mid 1990s, the ceremony took place at Malio's. Hillsborough Avenue also has a few choice locations. With Lumia eliminated Trafficante took over again. It shows many names common to Hispanics, Blacks, and White southerners. After that, he ordered casino owners to cough up employee back pay, then shut them down again. In 1953 Santo Jr. survived a shooting. Santo Sr. had Lumia killed after finding out he had been bad mouthing him while he was in Cuba. [3] Both Wall's and Antinori's organizations were weakened, leaving Santo Trafficante as one of the last and most powerful bosses in Tampa. One small gang, led by Italian immigrant Santo Trafficante Senior, profited from the illegal lottery-style games they ran across Tampa. 1. Die Bufalino-Familie (Pittston Crime Family, Scranton Wilkes-Barre Family) war eine italo-amerikanische Mafiafamilie der amerikanischen Cosa Nostra und in der nordstlichen Region von Pennsylvania, bzw. A A One of the oldest Italian crime groups to ever operate in the United States was the Santo Trafficante Family of Florida. The New Orleans family was also allied with the Tampa family going back to Santo trafficante sr.. the Tampa mob joined the Gulf coast network which was almost its own parallel national crime syndicate but in the south, its own separate cabal that operated in its own. Monday: A. In 1987, Vincent LoScalzo became boss of the Trafficante family and Florida was declared an open territory, meaning that the Five Families of New York City could operate in any city in Florida. [4] Santo was being watched closely by police and made Salvatore "Red" Italiano the acting boss. After the Kennedy hubbub, Trafficante kept a low profile or, lower that is. He has interests in gambling, prostitution, narcotics, union racketeering, hijacking and fencing stolen goods. You need to be a member of Gangsters Inc. - www.gangstersinc.org to add comments! Author Scott Deitche reported that Santo Jr. was involved with the CIA to plot assassination attempts on Fidel Castro. "The Silent Don: The Criminal Underworld of Santo Trafficante Jr". 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. He was killed, beaten with a baseball bat, and his throat slit, on April 18, 1955. A smaller Italian gang in the area was controlled by Santo Trafficante, Sr., who had lived in Tampa since the age of 18. He maintained all of the lucrative casinos in Cuba, further cemented, After Cuban revolution, the Mafia saw Castro as a threat to their business. 2007, Weimar, Carrie. "Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld". He shares the same nickname as real-life Lucchese crime family mob associate Joe Manri who was involved in the 1978 Lufthansa heist. Santo Jr. succeeded his father as the boss of Tampa upon his death. The American governments close ties to Santo Trafficante Jr. and the rest of the Mafia didnt end with their attempts to kill Castro. While he had several close calls with law enforcement including the famed FBI, Late in life LoScalzo denied any connections to organized crime. Ioan got involved in journalism over 20 years ago and has been on the front lines of th. In the mid-2000's, 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. During the early 1920s, Charlie Wall created an organized crime syndicate in Tampa, where he controlled a large number of illegal gambling rackets and corrupted many Tampa government officials through bribery. Read the entire story about Mamones life of crime and current legal troubles written by Jane Musgrave in the Palm Beach Post. The Tampa mob made a lot of money in Cuba, but never achieved its ambition of making the island part of its own territory. Even though there's always a few people who try to ruin it. Trafficante had already set up Bolita games throughout the city and was a very powerful man. SD provides an endless parade of mafiadom, crime personalities and corrupt officials. In the early 20th Century, Tampa was a small but growing city, and the organized crime it faced was modest. ST. Petersburg Times. [1] After the death of Santo Jr. in 1987, the Tampa Mafia family has been controlled by Vincent LoScalzo. On November 25, 2007, Vincent LoScalzo is now 70 years old a semi-retired mobster and a "regular Joe" said Scott Deitche, author of Cigar City Mafia. Among the very first mafiosi to ever set up shop in Tampa were members of the Antinori, Italiano, and Scaglione families, who were all mafiosi back in Sicily. However, while the Latin American drug trade has figured prominently in the sunshine states less savory history, so has the Mafia. In the 1960 presidential election, Kennedy family patriarch Joe Kennedy Sr. used his ties to organized crime to secure votes for his son, John F. Kennedy. The most notable boss was Santo Trafficante, Jr. who ruled Tampa and the crime family with an iron fist. By this point, Trafficante Jr. had fully taken over the oversight of drugs shipped between Florida, Cuba, and the rest of the States. 2004, Deitche, Scott. Each family had an operation going in Florida. 7. 2008, Deitche, Scott. Santo Trafficante was wanted in 48 states by the time he was 43. [4] Santo was being watched closely by police and made Salvatore "Red" Italiano the acting boss. Joseph "Baldie" LoPiccolo was an American criminal and member of the New York Gambino crime family and a capo under Santo Trafficante, Jr.'s criminal organization. "They told me to go to the draft board and sign up. In fact, Florida had the dubious distinction of being home to a decades-old Mafia criminal network: the Trafficante Family. [11] Evidence from the 2004 and 2006 trials of John Alite, Ronald J. Trucchio, and Charles Carneglia connected Gotti Jr. and others to criminal operations in Tampa, Florida. [3] In 1943, Antinori's two sons Paul and Joseph were convicted in Kansas City for drug dealing and sentenced to four years in prison finally ending the decade long war. Alongside Chicago boss Sam Giancana, Roselli and Trafficante came up with some truly insane plots to kill Fidel Castro. August 12, 1993 Trafficante Legacy Sunday: A native Sicilian whose father was a "ranking" mobster allegedly controls a third generation of the so-called Trafficante crime family. The North Florida operations were run by the Maglianos & Granados. Under pressure of a court order granting him immunity from prosecution, but threatening him with contempt if he refused to talk, Trafficante admitted to a Congressional committee in 1975 that he had in the early 1960s recruited other mobsters to assassinate Castro. The CIA came to Trafficante, and asked for his help in enlisting the Mafia to assassinate the Cuban leader. Copyright 2019-2023, Button Guys of The New York Mafia. When Fidel Castro began his ascent to power in the 1950s, Santo Trafficante feared the radical Marxist revolutionary wouldnt cooperate with him. He was convicted for the charge in 1999 and was sentenced to 60 days in jail. The Havana Conference is considered to have been the most important mob summit since the Atlantic City Conference of 1929. The mobsters also attempted to get Castro into a poisoned wetsuit and even offered to blow him up with an exploding seashell. Mob Fireside Chat BGs Official YouTube Channel, assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, The Frank Piccolo Regime Leadership Chart, Racketeer Snapshot: Shadowy Buffalo Hood Joe LaBarba. Trafficante had now not only lost an ally but a significant portion of his income as his casinos were closed by the Marxist revolutionary. New York: Barricade Books. [1] Author Scott Deitche reported that Santo Jr. was involved with the CIA to plot assassination attempts on Fidel Castro. The activities of this crew included money laundering, racketeering, narcotics distribution, and illegal gambling. [10], On August 5, 2008, the Tampa and New York FBI indicted John A. It also represented the first concrete move toward a National Crime Syndicate. Among those convicted in the murder conspiracy was Frank Diecidue, identified by a U.S. Senate committee as the underboss of Tampa's Trafficante crime family. [6] Trafficante Jr. had known Lucchese since the 1940s, when his father and Lucchese had trained him in the mafia traditions. November 25, 2007, United States House Select Committee on Assassinations, "Deitche, Scott. Antinori a Sicilian-born immigrant became a well-known drug kingpin and the Italian crime boss of Tampa in the late 1920s. And a Godfather-like legend surrounds Tampa-born crime boss Santo Trafficante Jr., who took over the Sicilian Mafia in Florida from his father in 1954 and built a criminal empire that was the. Finally, in 1987, Trafficante died at the age of 72. 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. Mamone pleaded not guilty last week and was released on bond, the Palm Beach Post reports. Deitche, Scott. He was convicted in 1999, and was sentenced to 60 days in prison. You fail Drug Slang 101 dude. He led the organization from 1990 until his death on February 1, 2007. The most notable boss was Santo Trafficante, Jr. who ruled Tampa and the crime family with an iron fist. Jeff is welcomed today by Ioan Grillo, one of the best journalists in the game today on narcos and drug cartels. And you're "dealing with some shit"? When doing a chart like this you have to mention the members of the past too. Santo, Jr. never spent a day in jail, and he died of natural causes in 1987. Harris & Ewing/Library of Commons/Wikimedia Commons. Santo, Jr. was born in the United States on Nov. 15, 1914 and was one of five sons of Mafia boss Santo Trafficante. The New Orleans crime family or New Orlean Mafia was an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in the city of New Orleans.The family had a history of criminal activity dating back to the late nineteenth century. 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