Antinori took notice of Santo Trafficante and invited him into his organization and together they expanded the Bolita games across the state. The war between the two continued on for years, until October 23, 1940, when Ignacio Antinori was shot and killed by a shotgun blast to the head at the Palm Garden Inn in Tampa. [8] As the new boss LoScalzo maintained control of criminal interests in illegal gambling, prostitution, narcotics, union racketeering, hijacking and fencing stolen goods. He maintained close working ties with the Lucchese crime family and the Bonanno crime family from New York City. The Hotel Deauville is a historic hotel in Centro Habana located at Calle Galiano 1 on a corner with the Malecn promenade, and overlooking the Bay of Havana. The family suspected the perpetrator was Charlie Wall and consequently, in 1955, had him killed. El Tropicana Night Club in Havana, Cuba located in a lush, six-acre estate tropical garden opened on December 30, 1939 at the Villa Mina in Marianao. The North Florida operations were run by the Maglianos & Granados. Antinori took notice of Santo Trafficante and invited him into his organization and together they expanded the Bolita games across the state. [ citation needed ] "It was like World War II" he told the committee. Trafficante was an intimate of top Mafia leaders throughout the country, but he numbered among his closest friends and confidantes such iconic Cosa Nostra leaders as Louisiana boss Carlos Marcello, Texas boss Joseph Civello, New York leader Joseph Profaci, and Chicago's Sam Giancana . Bruno ran the crew with associates and freelancers after the death of Santo Jr. Raffa maintained a good relationship with Loscalzo, the new boss of the family and Genovese mobster John Mamone. 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. ST. Petersburg Times. Frank had many connections in the political arena which helped his influence in the underworld. shoreline wa breaking news. Trafficante accepted. New York: Barricade Books. The first Italian gang in the Tampa Bay area was created by Ignacio Antinori in 1925. The group, which went through five bosses between 1910 and 1957, is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings . [1] Author Scott Deitche reported that Santo Jr. was involved with the CIA to plot assassination attempts on Fidel Castro. 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. The Tampa mob made a considerable amount of money in Cuba, but never achieved its ambition of making the island part of its territory. He always wanted to make it big in Cuban casinos and dispatched his son, Santo, Jr., to Havana in 1946 to help operate a mob owned casino. Mamone disappeared into the witness protection program almost two decades ago, after becoming a witness against his colleagues in the Mafia, a wide variety of them, including members of the Trafficante, Gambino, Colombo, and Bonanno families. "The Mob" April 26, 2001", "Witness denies assassination, Cuba tied", "Entire John "Junior" Gotti Tampa Gambino Crime Family Indictment", "The American Mafia - Tampa Crime Bosses", "FLORIDA MAFIA FIGURE "BIG SAM" CAROLLO GONE AT 83, ONE OF THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS IN TRAFFICANTE CLAN", "Old Florida Mafia Looses Veteran Shot Caller To Father Time, Alleged Tampa Mobster Jimmy Valenti Dies At 91", Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, Rick Porrello's American Mafia: Tampa, Florida, Dieland Mob: The Trafficante Family (Tampa), American Gangland:Trafficante Crime Family, List of Italian-American mobsters by organization, Collaborations between the United States government and Italian Mafia. Loscalzo maintained ties to Mafia families in California, New Jersey, and New York as well as being connected to the Sicilian Mafia. According to the 1994 book written by attorney Frank Ragano, who represented Hoffa, the teamster leader asked mob bosses Santos Trafficante and Carlos Marcello to arrange the assassination of. 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 ). 2007, Weimar, Carrie. To add further credence to this theory of JFKs assassination, famed prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi (who also wrote the infamous true crime novel on the Manson Family, Helter Skelter), who penned Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, quoted a witness who said that New Orleans boss Marcello had quipped: The dog [JFK] will keep biting you if you only cut off its tail [RFK]., The final piece of evidence for the theory that Santo Trafficante was involved in JFKs assassination was a witness who reported that the mobster had once said himself that JFK not going to make it to the [1964] election. The Tampa mob made a considerable amount of money in Cuba, but never achieved its ambition of making the island part of its territory. Santo was being watched closely by police and made Salvatore "Red" Italiano the acting boss. [5], Despite numerous unrealized ambitions, he was regarded as one of the most powerful mob bosses of the American Mafia and ruled his family with an iron fist. By just glancing at those numbers it makes a lot of modern day family rackets look like a joke. Biography Santo Trafficante, Jr. started the family's south Florida crew in the early 1980s, and put Raffa in charge. It is located next door to the old Colegio de Beln, presently, the Instituto Tcnico Militar. Aug 26, 2022 - Explore Raider-Cop Podcast Nation's board "Trafficante Crime Family" on Pinterest. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Antinori was regarded as the first boss of the Tampa crime family, later known as the Trafficante crime family. Trafficante had already set up Bolita games throughout the city and was a very powerful man. Santo, Jr. never spent a day in jail, and he died of natural causes in 1987. Joseph Francis Civello was an American mobster and the leader of the Dallas crime family from 1956 until his death in 1970. The most notable boss was Santo Trafficante, Jr. who ruled Tampa and the crime family with an iron fist. Powered by. October 16, 2006, Van Sickler, Michael. The Trafficante Family Leadership Chart below depicts all known inducted members and their significant criminal associates from approximately 1910 through 2000. Some people also alleged that Trafficante Jr played a role in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy due to his anti-organized crime efforts, but Trafficante Jr. always denied it. Immigrating right along with these hard-working early Sicilian immigrants came a band of shadowy criminal figures from their homeland. What the fuck seriously?! Cleveland crime family (Porrello family) Wisconsin. Trafficante crime family - The Trafficante crime family, also known as the Tampa Mafia, is the only original Mafia crime family in the . There are tons of strip clubs around here and I figure someone has to be running those rackets. He wasnt a captain or a high-ranking member, but he certainly had some pull, Tampa mob expert and author Scott Deitche told the Palm Beach Post. The Trafficante crime family, also known as the Tampa Mafia, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Tampa, Florida. 19401948 Salvatore "Red" Italiano fled in Mexico. His two sons also face charges in this case. Santo Trafficante arrives at Queens Supreme Court in Kew Gardens. The most notable boss was Santo Trafficante, Jr. who ruled Tampa and the crime family with an iron fist. In 2000 nineteen members of the crew were arrested and Raffa committed suicide. 2007, Weimar, Carrie. 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. . Ignacio Antinori, a Sicilian-born immigrant, became a well-known drug kingpin and the Italian crime boss during the late 1920s. [2][1], Santo Trafficante, Jr. was born in the United States on November 15, 1914, as one of five sons of Mafia boss Santo Trafficante. The glamorous casino in the Hotel Nacional De Cuba in Havana in 1958. You need to be a member of Gangsters Inc. - www.gangstersinc.org to add comments! On July 1, 1989 LoScalzo was indicted on racketeering charges that included grand theft, the charges were later dropped and then reinstated. Are they left over from the Trafficante days? In this page-turning narrative, noted true crime writer Ron Chepesiuk chronicles the story of one of history's lesser known but most important mob dynasties. This Family first came to the attention of federal law enforcement in the early 1950s, while under the leadership of "Capo" Santo Trafficante Sr. Lazzara was killed because he was had learned inside details of the workings of an arson ring. With Lumia eliminated Trafficante took over again. Interesting. He sought treatment for stomach cancer and was ready to hand power over to a trusted lieutenant. He also figured in the 1975 disappearance and presumed murder of national Teamsters President James R. Hoffa. Santo Trafficante Jr. Interestingly, Trafficante who was worth about $25 billion at his height in the 80s lived a fairly reserved, modest lifestyle. Tampa crime started with Charlie Wall who in the 1920s controlled a number of gambling rackets and corrupt government officials. [6] Trafficante Jr. would frequently meet with Lucchese in New York City for dinner. The Atlantic City Conference held between 1316 May 1929 was a historic summit of leaders of organized crime in the United States. Shit dude, try kicking hammer. These were the first seeds laid down by the Sicilian Mafia as they took control of the city. Trafficante Sr. had always wanted to make it big in Cuban casinos and dispatched his son, Santo, Jr., to Havana in 1946 to help operate a mob-owned casino. The original Malio's on South Dale Mabry was a favorite haunt. Deitche, Scott. "The Silent Don: The Criminal Underworld of Santo Trafficante Jr". LoScalzo pleaded no contest on October 7, 1997, and received three months of probation. After the hearings ended the Trafficantes returned to Tampa to find out that Italiano had just fled to Mexico, leaving Jimmy Lumia the biggest mobster in the city. 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. 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. From 1951 until 1967, he was the boss of the Lucchese crime family, one of the Five Families that dominate organized crime in New York City. Originally Posted By: Mickey_MeatBalls_DeMonica. [1] 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 conference had a major impact on the future direction of the criminal underworld and it held more importance and significance than the Havana Conference of 1946 and the Apalachin meeting of 1957. Trafficante crime family. For nearly seven decades, Santo Trafficante, Sr. and his son, Santo, Jr. were prominent gangsters on the Tampa crime scene. When you think of Florida and organized crime, it is difficult to avoid conjuring up images of Tony Montana in. The idea behind the assassination wasnt just to punish JFK but also to get his brother off the Mobs back. The Trafficante crime family, also known as the Tampa Mafia, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Tampa, Florida. Not all names listed below served during the same time period, but all of them played a part at one time or another in the criminal function of this borgata. In Trafficante Sr.'s adult life he portrayed himself as a successful Tampa cigar factory owner. 3. Santo Trafficante Jr. had long followed in his fathers footsteps, and proved to be an even more effective Mafia kingpin. He drove standard cars, lived in regular houses in quiet places, was married to the same woman, and generally described as a quiet man. 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. Santo, Jr. was born in the United States on Nov. 15, 1914 and was one of five sons of Mafia boss Santo Trafficante. When doing a chart like this you have to mention the members of the past too. Upon his return to the United States, he became determined to bring down the man who ended his empire. New York: Barricade Books. [citation needed] "It was like World War II" he told the committee. The Trafficante clan was based out of the Tampa-St. Petersburg area for years, but has since gone dormant. 19201940 Santo Trafficante, Sr. promoted to boss. In those early days, there were violent conflicts between Tampas competing racketeers as they gained a foothold in America. But in January 1981, on the night of the Las Vegas function, the police raided Knights Court. The chart is excellent! 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. Interestingly, Trafficante who was worth about $25 billion at his height in the '80s lived a fairly reserved, modest lifestyle. Trafficante remained the boss of Tampa until he died of natural causes in 1954. Santo Jr. succeeded his father as the boss of Tampa upon his death. Copyright 2019-2022. It's still a great chart on the Tampa Mob. Santo Trafficante then categorically denied every allegation about stating he wanted RFK or JFK dead and got off scot-free. Hyperleap helps uncover and. The Gambino crime family is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia. LoScalzo controlled a much smaller family, over the years many of the older mobsters retired or died and were not replaced with new members. Prosecutors allege 70-year-old John Mamone stole around $3.8 million by submitting phony bills to Medicare for knee, shoulder and wrist braces. Alpha. New York: Barricade Books. See more ideas about crime family, crime, mobster. LoScalzo's new family was smaller because many of the older mobsters were dead or retired. As we head into 2020 About The Mafia takes its annual look at the current Mafia bosses and hierarchies for the remaining American Mafia families. Copyright 2019-2023, Button Guys of The New York Mafia. The members of other crime families sometimes refer to Lucchese family members as "Lukes". 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. Now in his late 70s or early 80s, LoScalzo is reported to be retired. [9], As of November 25, 2007, Vincent LoScalzo was in his 70's and considered a semi-retired mobster and just a "regular Joe" according to Scott Deitche, author of Cigar City Mafia. [4] Santo was being watched closely by police and made Salvatore "Red" Italiano the acting boss. According to some, he was even involved in the infamous assassination of President John F. Kennedy. 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