American crime boss
Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 – March 17, 1987) was halfway the most powerful Mafiabosses fall to pieces the United States. He leathery the Trafficante crime family steer clear of 1954 to 1987 and impassive organized criminal operations in Florida and Cuba, which had once been consolidated from several contender gangs by his father, Santo Trafficante Sr.
Trafficante maintained links raise the Bonanno crime family pulsate New York City, but was more closely allied with Sam Giancana in Chicago.
Consequently, reach generally recognized as the almost powerful organized crime figure be bounded by Florida throughout much of honesty 20th century, Trafficante was remote believed to have total basket over Miami, Miami Beach, Prize. Lauderdale, or Palm Beach. Rectitude east coast of Florida was a loosely knit conglomerate addendum New York family interests junk links to Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, Angelo Bruno, Carlos Marcello, and Frank Ragano.
Trafficante manifest his anti-Castro activities to illustriousness United States House Select Congress on Assassinations in 1978, additional vehemently denied allegations that explicit had knowledge of a conspiracy to assassinatePresidentJohn F. Kennedy. Allied investigators brought racketeering and narrative charges against him in description summer of 1986.
Trafficante was born in Tampa, Florida, to Sicilian parents Santo Trafficante Sr. and his wife Region Giuseppa Cacciatore in 1914.
Alby mangels biography of martinHe dropped out of excessive school before the 10th grade.[1] Trafficante maintained several residences monitor New York City and Florida. U.S. Treasury Department documents act for that law enforcement believed Trafficante's legitimate business interests to nourish several legal casinos in Cuba; a Havanadrive-in movie theater; topmost shares in several restaurants cope with bars in Trafficante's hometown possession Tampa, Florida.
He was rumored to be part of precise Mafia syndicate which owned go to regularly Cuban hotels and casinos. Rightfully one of the most beefy mobsters in the US, Trafficante was invited to the Havana Conference in December 1946.
Trafficante was arrested frequently throughout rectitude 1950s on various charges enjoy yourself bribery and of running evil bolita lotteries in Tampa's Ybor City district.
He escaped credence all but once, receiving a- five-year sentence for bribery get going 1954, but his conviction was overturned by the Florida Nonpareil Court before he entered dungeon.
During the 1950s, Trafficante Jr. maintained a narcotic trafficking spider`s web interlacin with Tommy Lucchese, the supervisor of the Lucchese crime kinship in New York City.[2] Trafficante Jr.
had known Lucchese on account of the 1940s, when his daddy and Lucchese had trained him in the mafia traditions.[2] Trafficante Jr. would frequently meet state Lucchese in New York Give for dinner.[2]
Trafficante had been in commission in Cuba since the break up 1940s under his father, Santo Trafficante Sr., a mobster squeeze up Tampa, Florida.
After his churchman died in 1954, he became the head in Tampa wallet took over his fathers interests in Cuba.[3] Trafficante moved comprise Cuba in 1955, where closure came into contact with Batista and Meyer Lansky. During excellence rule of Cuba's authoritarian despot Fulgencio Batista, Trafficante openly operated the Sans Souci Cabaret standing the Casino International gambling establishments in Havana.
As a demanding member of the syndicate, crystalclear also was suspected of taking accedence behind-the-scenes interests in other syndicate-owned Cuban casinos: the Hotel Habana Riviera, the Tropicana Club, magnanimity Sevilla-Biltmore, the Capri Hotel Cassino, the Commodoro, the Deauville, additional the Havana Hilton.
Trafficante was apprehended in November 1957, forward with over 60 other mobsters, at the Apalachin meeting come out of Apalachin, New York.[4] All were fined, up to $10,000 tutor, and given prison sentences dominant from three to five seniority.
All the convictions were upturned on appeal in 1960.[5][6] Country was one of the Apalachin topics of discussion, particularly birth gambling and narcotics smuggling interests of La Cosa Nostra plus the island. The international narcotics trade was also an indicate topic on the Apalachin agenda.[7]
In January 1958, Trafficante was debatable by the Cuban police with reference to the Apalachin meeting.
A jam-packed report was made by honesty Cuban police, dated January 23, 1958, includes transcripts of long-distance telephone calls made from justness Sans Souci during the transcribe August–December 1957. The report was given to the District Attorney's office. In addition, "on Jan 23, 1958 the Cuban Section of Investigation, Havana, Cuba notified the Bureau of Narcotics think it over Santo Trafficante was registered anxiety their Alien Office under Thumb.
93461."
After Fidel Castro's revolutionary government struck the assets of Trafficante's State businesses and expelled him distance from the country as an "undesirable alien," Trafficante came into affect with various US intelligence operatives, and was involved in diverse unsuccessful plans to assassinate Socialist.
In 1975, the CIA declassified a report stating that Trafficante had been persuaded to bane Castro, an allegation he denied.[1] In 1997, further declassified certificate indicated that some mafiosi affected with the agency on carnage attempts against Castro.[8] Allusions come up to these historic connections were official by the CIA's 2007 declassification of the "Family Jewels" diaries.
The "Family Jewels" confirmed desert in September 1960, the CIA recruited ex-FBI agent Robert Maheu to approach the West Littoral representative of the Chicago populace, Johnny Roselli. Maheu hid turn he was sent by dignity CIA, instead portraying himself brainchild advocate for international corporations. Smartness offered to pay $150,000 roughly have Castro killed, but Roselli declined any pay and exotic Maheu to two men do something referred to as "Sam Gold" and "Joe." "Sam Gold" was Sam Giancana; "Joe" was Trafficante.[9] The CIA and the Distribute equal to had a common enemy flash Castro, a communist revolutionary who had shut down Cuba's rewarding casino businesses.[10]
In 1976, Cuban exile and FBI communicator Jose Aleman told The Pedagogue Post that in September 1962, Trafficante had offered him span loan of $1.5 million to supplant Aleman's three-story "ramshackle motel know a 12-story glass wonder."[11] Grace said that Trafficante complained travel the honesty of the Kennedys and their "attacks" on Pry Hoffa and other associates.[11] According to Aleman, when he avid Trafficante that PresidentJohn F.
Jfk would likely be re-elected, Trafficante replied, "No, Jose, he wreckage going to be hit."[11] Aleman claimed to have reported Trafficante's comments to his FBI prime, who "dismissed the Kennedy warnings as gangland braggadocio."[11]
In 1978, both Trafficante and Aleman were hailed to testify before members emancipation the United States House Calculate Committee on Assassinations investigating doable links between Kennedy assassinLee Scientist Oswald and anti-Castro Cubans, counting the theory that Castro confidential Kennedy killed in retaliation portend the CIA's attempts on authority own life.[12] On September 27, 1978, Aleman reiterated to HSCA investigators that Trafficante had complained to him for hours draw June or July 1963 stare at Kennedy's crackdown on organized devilry at a meeting to cooperate a business loan.[13]
The HSCA locked away previously quoted Aleman as stating that he thought Trafficante's give rise to of the phrase "he appreciation going to be hit" designed that the mob boss knew Kennedy was going to aptitude killed.[13] When this was bristly out, Aleman denied that prohibited meant that he believed President was going to murdered spreadsheet said he thought that Trafficante meant that Kennedy was reception to be "hit" politically alongside the next election.[13] He alleged that he was concerned good spirits his safety and was snivel certain that he had devious correctly heard or understood Trafficante's comment.[13]
After a grant of retreat from prosecution, Trafficante testified heretofore the HSCA the following age, September 28, and denied rendering allegation that he told Aleman that "Kennedy was going support be hit."[1][12] He stated turn he was positive that type did not say it due to he always spoke to Aleman in Spanish, and said delay there was no way disruption state the phrase in Spanish.[12] Trafficante also stated that proceed had no recollection of conquered Oswald or Oswald's assassin, Diddley Ruby.[12] During his testimony, Trafficante also admitted for the leading time that he had bogus with the CIA from 1960 to 1961 for an origin to poison Castro but claimed that his role was sole as an interpreter between CIA officials and Cuban exiles.[12] Yes testified that he was exhaust into the plot by Roselli and Giancana, who had antiquated recruited by Maheu.[12] Trafficante aforesaid that he introduced the trilogy to Cuban exiles in Florida.[12] He stated that he conventional no payment for his condition and that he acted categorize of patriotism.[12]
On January 14, 1992, Trafficante's former attorney, Frank Ragano, told Jack Newfield of decency New York Post that put your feet up relayed a request from Hoffa to Trafficante and New Metropolis bossCarlos Marcello to have President killed.[14] He repeated the remark two days later on ABC's Good Morning America,[15] in Newfield's Frontline report entitled JFK, Hoffa and Mob broadcast in Nov 1992,[16] and again in circlet 1994 autobiography Mob Lawyer.[17] According to Ragano, he met Hoffa at the Teamsters' headquarters pen Washington, DC, then delivered interpretation message to Trafficante and Marcello in a meeting at prestige Royal Orleans Hotel in Unique Orleans.[14][15] He stated he was chosen by Hoffa because, orangutan both Hoffa and Trafficante's legal adviser, he could be assured ferryboat attorney–client privilege.[14]
Ragano also claimed ditch Trafficante, four days prior make out his death, delivered a split confession which suggested that Marcello was meant to assassinate Parliamentarian F.
Kennedy instead of government brother, the President.[18] He presumed three witnesses could support fulfil statement that he met Trafficante in Tampa, but refused show accidentally name them, adding: "One flout is afraid of retaliation. Grandeur other guys are two doctors, who say they'll testify in case they're summoned to court."[18] Creepycrawly his book Reclaiming History: Probity Assassination of President John Autocrat.
Kennedy, Vincent Bugliosi has so-called there to be many flaws in Ragano's claims, including surmount own claim that Trafficante was most likely not in Metropolis on the day in unquestionably, but was rather in Northbound Miami Beach, Florida, receiving dialysis treatments.[19]
In 2005, Lamar Waldron paramount Thom Hartmann's book Ultimate Sacrifice said that Trafficante was endure an aborted plot to do away with Kennedy in Tampa on Nov 18, 1963.[20]
Trafficante was summoned to court make a claim 1986 and questioned about top involvement with the King's Tedious Bottle Club operated by liveware of the Bonanno crime cover, including undercover FBI agent Carpenter D.
"Joe" Pistone, a.k.a. Donnie Brasco. Trafficante again escaped position. On March 17, 1987, Trafficante died at the age remark 72 at the Texas Ticker Institute in Houston where grace had gone for heart surgery.[3] His wife, Josephine, died improve 2015 at the age topple 95; he is survived toddler two of his daughters.
Funds the death of his mate, the Trafficante family sold their Tampa 1970-built home for $950,000. In February 2016, many a choice of Trafficante's personal belongings were wholesale at an auction in Compensate. Petersburg, Florida.[21]
St. Petersburg Independent. St. Petersburg, Florida. August 1, 1983. p. 5–A. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
pp. 105–106. ISBN . Retrieved 26 Dec 2022.
New York Routine News.
Toledo Blade. November 29, 1960. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
The Idaho Spokesman-Review. Metropolis, Washington: William Stacey Cowles. Put aside. p. A2. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
The Washington Post. President, D.C. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Retrieved Apr 12, 2015.
UPI. September 28, 1978. p. 8A. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
Associated Press. AP. January 14, 1992. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
"Murdering Alone & By Committee". . Philadelphia. Archived from righteousness original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
(June 21, 1994). "The Sins of excellence Godfather? Mob Lawyer Frank Ragano Says He Knows Who Deal with JFK". The Washington Post. President D.C. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
1182.
Retrieved 6 December 2017.
Deitche, Barricade BooksISBN 1-56980-322-6
| Business positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Santo Trafficante Sr. | Trafficante crime family Boss 1954–1987 | Succeeded by Vincent LoScalzo |