The Trafficante connection with New York was strong and lucrative, however. BILL DURYEA. [35], Although Ragano believed he had received a few hints from both Trafficante and Marcello that they had somehow been involved in the Kennedy assassination, it was not until just before he died in 1987 that Trafficante, according to Ragano, made a direct confession to him. Many big Nashville stars played there. Failed to report flower. Mob Fireside Chat BGs Official YouTube Channel, The Frank Piccolo Regime Leadership Chart. Santo Sr. was a longtime member of the Elks Lodge No. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. [21] As a result, he was suspended from the practice of law in 1976, and claims that Trafficante provided no support and abandoned him. lockhart's Gulf Signs at 102 145th Ave., Cliff Lockhart, owner. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. [19], In connection with an incident made famous in the Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas, Ragano helped represent four mobsters, including "Jimmy the Gent" Burke and Henry Hill, charged in 1972 with extortion in collecting a gambling debt in Tampa, Florida. According to some researchers, Santo Sr. was personally responsible for drug channels and trafficking, which brought in hundreds of millions of dollars. Soldier of fortune Gerry Hemming had a first-hand look at the Trafficante network, with heroin trafficked through Buenos Aries and brought up through Cuba into the United States. Santo Sr. and his son Santo Jr. also met in Tampa with Bureau of Narcotics head George White in September 1945 at the Columbia restaurant. Afterwards, the son he had groomed to take his place, Santo Trafficante Jr., took the reins of the Trafficante crime family. Many large databases are available to search covering from births, deaths and marriages, military records, census records and immigration records with many other smaller collections too. "[37], In his book Reclaiming History: the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Vincent Bugliosi has pointed out many flaws in Ragano's claims, including the fact that Trafficante was most likely not in Tampa on the day in question, but was rather in North Miami Beach receiving dialysis treatments. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. He entered the U.S. through New York City and proceeded south to the Tampa area. Drag images here or select from your computer for Santo Trafficante Sr. memorial. Please reset your password. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. Mafia Books [32] Ragano said that Jim Garrison served as a patsy for the New Orleans mob by disseminating theories that served to distract attention from mafia figures who were involved in the plot. In 1975, Ragano was asked by Trafficante to convey an urgent message to Hoffa to "be very careful and not take any chances. Her only connection to Tampa, she said, was "Santo," meaning Santo Trafficante Jr., one of . His father, Santo Trafficante Senior, was a leading figure in the Mafia. Santos remained the boss of Tampa until he died of natural causes in 1954. Tampa Mafia connections revealed by Kefauver Committee. From about 1930 until Antinori's death, with both Wall's and Antinori's criminal ranks depleted by the casualties and lives lost by their fighting each other, The war ended in the 1940's when Ignacio Antinori was shot and killed. The dictator of Cuba, Fulgencio Batista, received a large cut of the profits. Trafficante crime family. Ways to honor Santo Trafficante's life and legacy. Home Mafia Charts The Trafficante Family Leadership Chart. : 2036-08-31: Santo Trafficante hit his 500th career home run. Santo Trafficante then became the Capo-Famiglia who would truly put the Tampa Family on the underworld map, so to speak. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. By the late 1800s to early 1900s, Italian immigrants from Sicily were drawn to the City of Tampa and a tight-knit "Little Italy"-type . The best poems for funerals, memorial services., and cards. 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. Before it was Dino's it was owned by my parents and known as Tony's Famous restaurant which they bought as a small corner store in '52. Trafficante was heavily involved in the . All rights reserved. Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out the detail of Santo Trafficante, Sr. in your family tree. Trafficante and Antinori resided close to each other in Tampa and may have been boss and underboss at this time. : 2034-09-03: Santo Trafficante of the New York Americans is injured and is expected to be out 50 days. Loved it there. He continued to operate his crime Family unscathed until the day he died. Thanks. Antinori was born in Santo Stefano Quisquina, Sicily, and traveled to the United States late in 1899. Author Scott Deitche reported that Santo Jr. was involved with the CIA to plot assassination attempts on Fidel Castro. Santos remained the boss of Tampa until he died of natural causes in 1954. [8], In 1963, again on Trafficante's recommendation, Ragano began serving as attorney for Carlos Marcello, the head of the New Orleans crime family. The leaders also attained importance on a national level due to their access to Cuban rum. It's about Florida mobster Santo Trafficante Jr., his family and their underworld legacy. Born in Tampa, Hillsborough, Florida, USA on 15 Nov 1914 to Santo Trafficante and Maria Giuseppa Cacciatore. It was the end of the road for a man described by an FBI source as a Sicilian of the old school and one of the most important racket and gambling figures in Tampa.. During the 1940s, Trafficante Sr. maintained a strong alliance with Tommy Lucchese, the boss of the Lucchese crime family in New York City. The most notable boss was Santo Trafficante, Jr. who ruled Tampa and the crime family with an iron fist. 15 Nov 1914 - Tampa, Hillsborough, Florida, USA, 17 Mar 1987 - Houston, Harris, Texas, USA. Santo Trafficante Sr. was a Sicilian-born mobster, and father of the powerful mobster Santo Trafficante Jr. For faster navigation, this Iframe is preloading the Wikiwand page for Santo Trafficante Sr. . [10] When Kennedy was shot and killed later that year, Ragano wrote that Hoffa always assumed that Trafficante and Marcello had actually carried out such a plan. From 1940 to 1950, things were fairly quiet. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. This browser does not support getting your location. Oops, we were unable to send the email. It was learned that Italiano was closely acquainted with New York Mafia big shot Giuseppe Profaci. Santo Trafficante Sr. (May 28, 1886 August 11, 1954) was a Sicilian-born mobster, and father of the powerful mobster Santo Trafficante Jr. Santo Trafficante Sr. gained power as a mobster in Tampa, Florida and ruled the Mafia in Tampa from the 1930s until his death in 1954. Please try again later. 1954 - Santo Trafficante, Jr., (Nov. 15, 1914, to March 17, 1987), became Tampa Mafia boss upon the death of his father. [8] In 1995, the A&E Network aired an episode of American Justice devoted to his career as a "defender of the mob. It indicated that his remains would be transported back to the U.S. for burial by his son Salvatore "Sam" Zummo of Rhinelander Avenue in the Bronx. [26] On May 13, 1998, in Tampa, Frank Ragano died in his sleep. That is clearly not true as the Frank Ragano's original family had been in the Tampa Bay area since the early 1950s and Frank was born in Tampa. Research genealogy for Santo Trafficante of Cianciana,Provincia di Agrigento,Sicilia,Italy, as well as other members of the Trafficante family, on Ancestry. Records: 68. The two Zummos and their relative, Palermo resident Gaetano Prestigiacomo, reportedly died in a nighttime single-car crash on June 6, 1956. Castaways Lounge in Tampa at 4601 W. Kennedy Boulevard in the 1960s and 1970s. Youll get hints when we find information about your relatives . Scott lives in St. Petersburg, FL. Published by Tampa Bay Times on Jul. [6] He used his position with Hoffa to help place loans from the Teamsters' pension funds in return for "finder's fees." Writers of Wrongs: Caught in Cleveland - 1928 arrests at Hotel Statler. Two years later, Santo, Sr. followed like thousands of other Italian immigrants, settling near downtown Tampa in . In the early 1950s, he opened Columbus Restaurant at 215 E. Lafayette Street in the city. Floor Coatings. The large Italian and Greek-inspired building housed a theater, library, recreational space, meeting rooms, and remains a vibrant part of Tampa to this day. You can always change this later in your Account settings. A native and lifelong resident of Tampa, Mr. Traffi-cante is survived by his loving family, wife, Ger Try again. [24], In 1990, Ragano was again convicted of tax evasion. One of the vigilante gunmen involved in the 1891 Mafia lynchings in New Orleans reported that he subsequently spotted a number of New Orleans Mafiosi doing business in Tampa, Florida. Oops, something didn't work. You can contact the owner of the tree to get more information. [32] He repeated the claim two days later on ABC's Good Morning America,[33] in Newfield's Frontline report entitled JFK, Hoffa and Mob broadcast in November 1992,[34] and again in his 1994 autobiography Mob Lawyer. Trafficante. With them, however, it joins a select few that provide critical links in the circumstantial case that the mob planned JFKs killing. He, too, met a violent end. [22], In 1978 Ragano testified before the House Select Committee on Assassinations, which was reinvestigating the John F. Kennedy assassination, and he denied any involvement in any JFK plots. Scott M. Deitche is the author of 5 books and on organized crime, including Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld, and The Silent Don: The World of Santo Trafficante Jr. Santo Trafficante passed away on 17 Mar 1987 in Houston, Harris, Texas, USA. 1987 - Frank Diecidue (Feb. 20, 1915, to Oct. 19, 1994). "[41] Hart quoted G. Robert Blakey as stating that he believed Ragano and that his testimony "would have strengthened the conclusions" of the HSCA. While riding in Ragano's car, Trafficante allegedly told Ragano in Sicilian: "Carlos e' futtutu. Scott has been featured on The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, A&E, C-SPAN, and both national and local news and radio shows. 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! Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. The complaint was ignored and Italiano and Ferrara were never seen again. During one such visit, Trafficante told Ragano that in 1957 he and others had set up then Senator John F. Kennedy in a Havana hotel room with several prostitutes, and that Trafficante rued the day he had failed to preserve the moment in secret surveillance tapes that could have been used for bribery purposes.