The King of Cuba's casinos was on the verge of mob stardom when a revolution destroys his plans. If you would like to view one of these trees in its entirety, you can contact the owner of the tree to request permission to see the tree. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. [12] He did tell Ragano later that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had once asked him for help in assassinating Castro in Cuba.[13]. Floor Coatings. Ragano wrote that on March 13, 1987, a dying Trafficante (he died four days later) asked to meet him in Tampa for a hurried meeting. Button Guys of The New York Mafia. Research genealogy for Santo Trafficante of Cianciana,Provincia di Agrigento,Sicilia,Italy, as well as other members of the Trafficante family, on Ancestry. Failed to delete memorial. With the advent of Prohibition, Tampa became a major nexus for the smuggling of rum, corn sugar and molasses from Cuba and whiskey from the Caribbean through Port Tampa Bay. Immigrating right along with these hard-working early Sicilian immigrants came a band of shadowy criminal figures from their homeland. After the Kefauver hearings, Santo Trafficante Sr. stepped into the shadows, and Santo Jr. took over, expanding the familys reach and influence in Havana, attending major Mafia summits in New York and Cuba, and becoming one of the most influential Mob bosses of his time, following the groundwork laid by his father years earlier. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. [9] In his book, Ragano claimed that Hoffa, who was being hounded by United States Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy on corruption and jury tampering charges, asked him to convey a message to Trafficante and Marcello that an assassination of President Kennedy should be arranged. 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. Havana (/hvn/; Spanish: La Habana [la aana] (listen)) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. Writers of Wrongs: Caught in Cleveland - 1928 arrests at Hotel Statler. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. He, too, met a violent end. Damn what was the name of that place. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. One of the oldest Italian crime groups to ever operate in the United States was the Santo Trafficante Family of Florida. 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. [39] Bugliosi also points out that by allegedly conveying a message in 1963 to that effect, and by relating this confession from an alleged conspirator, Ragano would himself be admitting to having been a part of a murder conspiracy. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. [26] On May 13, 1998, in Tampa, Frank Ragano died in his sleep. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Santo Trafficante Sr. and his aide Antonio Diecidue are known to have made at least one trip to Havana in 1926. 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 . A high-tech, visual effects-filled true crime travel television series entitled Mobtown America, based on Scott's popular walking tours of Mafia sites, has just started being shopped by Big Machine Productions. ). HSCA Press Release on organized Crime. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. (Trafficante's wife was born in Santo Stefano.) With them, however, it joins a select few that provide critical links in the circumstantial case that the mob planned JFKs killing. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission to advance the public understanding of organized crime's history and impact on American society. Discover your family history in millions of family trees and more than a billion birth,marriage, death, census, and miltary records. Giving to charity is a meaningful way to honor someone who has died. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? But the Kefauver panel succeeded in uncovering the depth of Mafia influence in Tampa, exposing its citizens to the truth of how deeply ingrained the Mafia were in everything, from politics to law enforcement. Funeral services were held June 18. 180-10141-10497. We have set your language to 1950 - James Lumia (Sept. 10, 1903, to June 5, 1950) was a highly regarded member of the old Italiano faction, working closely with Salvatore "Red" Italiano. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. Try again. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. 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. The committee subpoenaed leading underworld figures to testify. "[31], On January 14, 1992, Ragano told Jack Newfield of the New York Post that he relayed a request from Hoffa to Trafficante and Marcello asking that the two Mafia bosses kill Kennedy. Skip . Born in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida to Sicilian parents,[1] Ragano attended Stetson Law School and clerked for the Florida Supreme Court before admission to the Florida Bar in 1952 and beginning his trial practice in Tampa, Florida. [4] The city has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants,[5][4] and it spans a total of 781.58 km2 (301.77 sq mi) - making it the largest city by area, the most populous city, and the . Santo Trafficante passed away on 17 Mar 1987 in Houston, Harris, Texas, USA. Castaways Lounge in Tampa at 4601 W. Kennedy Boulevard in the 1960s and 1970s. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49035581/santo-trafficante. "[28] Publishers Weekly said: "The story, which profits from the smooth style of New York Times crime reporter Raab, has less impact as an account of a man who woke up too late than for its revelations about significant events of our time. David Kessler's top 4 tips for dealing with holiday grief. Cuban Information Archives: Santo Trafficante Jr. Creative Loafing: The Mob -- A Drive-By Historical Tour of Tampa's Notorious Wise Guys, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Santo_Trafficante_Sr.&oldid=1129674436, This page was last edited on 26 December 2022, at 16:12. In early 1947, Col. George White of the bureau accused Salvatore "Charlie Luciano" Lucania - then under arrest in Havana, Cuba - of ordering the 1940 slaying of Antinori as part of his effort to establish an orderly narcotics and vice network across the United States. Henry Gonzalez of . Trafficante crime family. 0 cemeteries found in Ybor City, Hillsborough County, Florida, USA. Please enter your email and password to sign in. 1930s - Santo Trafficante Sr. was regarded as the leading figure in the Sicilian underworld of Tampa as the Prohibition Era drew to a close. The two Zummos and their relative, Palermo resident Gaetano Prestigiacomo, reportedly died in a nighttime single-car crash on June 6, 1956. 1900 - Ignazio Antinori (Feb. 17, 1885, to Oct. 23, 1940). The heart of the La Habana province, Havana is the country's main port and leading commercial center. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Santo Trafficante Sr. was born on May 24, 1886, in Cianciana, Sicily. All of them was not evil strickly business men. Lumia may have seized power in the Tampa underworld briefly during the absences of Santo Trafficante Sr. and Salvatore Italiano. Santo Trafficante Sr., along with Santo Jr., skipped town to avoid the summonses. Born in Tampa, Hillsborough, Florida, USA on 15 Nov 1914 to Santo Trafficante and Maria Giuseppa Cacciatore. From city to city and state to state, Button Guys of The New York Mafia breaks down the history of organized crime in America. The Italiano faction in Tampa found the situation intolerable. 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.. This was a respected decision since the New York bosses and Tampa mobsters liked Santo, Jr. Learn more about managing a memorial . I live at 9205 Poes Rd., Odessa, FL. As such, Trafficante Sr. controlled gambling rackets for bolita, a lottery game popular . 9209 Post Road, Odessa This is the home of Santo Jose Trafficante, nephew of Santo Trafficante Jr. Santo Jose was named by the FDLE in 1992 as a member of the Trafficante crime family. Lumia was murdered in 1950. This account has been disabled. On April 18, 1955, eight months after Santo Sr. death, Walls wife came home to Ybor City from visiting her sister to find the 75-year-old Charlie murdered in the back room of their house, throat cut and head bashed in from a blackjack. Antinori was born in Santo Stefano Quisquina, Sicily, and traveled to the United States late in 1899. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. On August 12, 1954, Tampa, Florida, Mafia boss Santo Trafficante Sr. died from stomach cancer. Mafia Don. Frank Ragano (January 25, 1923 May 13, 1998) was a self-styled "mob lawyer" from Florida, who made his name representing organized crime figures such as Santo Trafficante, Jr. and Carlos Marcello, and also served as lawyer for Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa. He entered the U.S. through New York City and proceeded south to the Tampa area. Non duvevamu ammazzari a Giovanni. [2] His son, Santo Trafficante Jr. subsequently took over the crime family. In the 1940s he joined up with Lucky Luciano, Frank Costello, and Meyer Lansky to set up gambling operations in Cuba. Organized Crime Figure. This database contains family trees submitted to Ancestry by users who have indicated that their tree can be viewed by all Ancestry subscribers.These trees can change over time as users edit, remove, or otherwise modify the data in their trees. They may have commanded remnants of the earlier Monreale-based Mafia there. The U.S. Narcotics Bureau apparently believed Antinori took on far greater foes than Charlie Wall. You have funeral questions, we have answers. . Sorry! In 1953 Santo Jr. survived a shooting. Both men traveled extensively across the U.S. and had many underworld connections. The best poems for funerals, memorial services., and cards. These were the first seeds laid down by the Sicilian Mafia as they took control of the city. There was Uncle Frank Costello, and Uncle Abe Zwillman, the kings of New York and New Jersey. We encourage you to research and examine these records to determine their accuracy. Some researchers believe it was to solidify American intelligence involvement in trafficking channels through Central and South America. Try again later. Be the first to post a memory or condolences. Tampa Mafia connections revealed by Kefauver Committee. If you would like to view one of these trees in its entirety, you can contact the owner of the tree to request permission to see the tree. Her only connection to Tampa, she said, was "Santo," meaning Santo Trafficante Jr., one of . Mafia Locations Wife : Josephine MARCHESE (Santo TRAFFICANTE Jr. married Josephine in Tampa, Florida on April 17, 1938). Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Maria Giuseppe Cacciatore Trafficante. Santo Jr. was frequently in Havana, Cuba, managing Mafia investments in gambling casinos and other rackets. FBI Files: Press clippings relating to Trafficante. From Admin Folder L-4. 1987 - Frank Diecidue (Feb. 20, 1915, to Oct. 19, 1994). Sam is the cousin of Tampa mob boss Santo Trafficante Sr, and the son of old-school Tampa mobster Joseph "Jo-Jo" Cacciatore. Santo Trafficante Jr. had long followed in his father's footsteps, and proved to be an even more effective Mafia kingpin. The Tampa mob made a lot of money in Cuba. Santo Sr. was a longtime member of the Elks Lodge No. It shows many names common to Hispanics, Blacks, and White southerners. Jacobo Arbenz Guzman came from a Salvadoran family, and was an army officer and later Defense Minister (1945-1950) in the Guatemalan government before being elected President (1950). This browser does not support getting your location. We should have killed Bobby. Start a free family tree online and well do the searching for you. Unless you are experienced as an estate executor, you probably should hire an attorney. "[17] He lost his suit. Santo Sr. was leaving more of the day-to-day operations to his son, Santo Jr. An opposing faction disagreed with the transfer of power and internal battles began in 1950, leaving another trail of bodies in Tampa. Antonio Italiano and Dominic Ferrara reportedly went to New York Mafia bosses with a complaint. Loved it there. For a time, Trafficante and other Mafia leaders worked with American intelligence agencies to plot the overthrow or assassination of Castro. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. The procession, including a line of vans carrying floral arrangements, wound from the Wilson Sammon funeral home to his final resting place, a freestanding tomb in the southern section of the LUnione Italiana Cemetery. [18] Belli had previously represented Jack Ruby, the man who killed Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused killer of Kennedy, and Ragano claimed that Trafficante warned him not to ask Belli any questions about Ruby. In 1974, Frank Ragano was convicted on 5 separate tax fraud charges[44] Further, Hal Shaw's recollection that he gave tennis lessons to Frank Ragano's wife was not confirmed by Mrs. Ragano, who has no recollection of any such lessons in Tampa. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. The other guys are two doctors, who say they'll testify if they're summoned to court. All Rights Reserved. Encyclopedia of Cold War Espionage, Spies, and Secret Operations 17 "[30] Ronald Goldfarb reviewed the book for The Washington Post stating: "Ragano's biography of his career is full of naive rationalizations about the virtues of these men he cavorted with and represented, and self-serving criticism of the government's Gestapo-like tactics, selective prosecution, use of spies as witnesses and intimidation of suspects' families. His successor, Ignazio Antinori, soon found himself in a war for control of the rackets with Charlie Wall, an independent racketeer known as The White Shadow (his nickname from local Latino residents) and dean of the underworld. [24], In 1990, Ragano was again convicted of tax evasion. [25] In 1993 he served 10 months in prison. Last edited on 26 December 2022, at 16:12, Learn how and when to remove this template message. Many big Nashville stars played there. Home American Mafia Mafia Families Coast to Coast The Santo Trafficante Family of Tampa, FL.