trafficante crime family today

Frank Ragano and Santo Trafficante Jr. (right). The idea behind the assassination wasnt just to punish JFK but also to get his brother off the Mobs back. Though his prison sentence wasnt long and he returned to a strong position in Florida, Trafficante never forgave Castro. That arrest also led Cuban authorities to become warier of the mobster, especially as the political tides seemed to be turning there. Members refer to the organization as the Lucchese borgata; borgata is Mafia slang for criminal gang, which itself was derived from Sicilian word meaning close-knit community. He was convicted in 1999, and was sentenced to 60 days in prison. In Trafficante Sr.'s adult life he portrayed himself as a successful Tampa cigar factory owner. The most notable boss was Santo Trafficante, Jr. who ruled Tampa and the crime family with an iron fist. 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 community soon developed. Seit dem Jahr 2008 gilt die Familie als inaktiv. "Throwback: Tampa mob trail". On a quiet night in March, a mob leader was executed in New York City for the first time since 1985. The family was taken over by Santo Trafficante Sr. after Antinori was murdered by rival gangster Charlie Wall in 1940, and Wall would himself be killed in 1955 by the Trafficante family. "Throwback: Tampa mob trail". He has interests in gambling, prostitution, narcotics, union racketeering, hijacking and fencing stolen goods. His only competitor for criminal rackets in the Tampa Bay area was Italian Mafia boss Ignacio Antinori.[2]. He also controlled a few bars, lounges, restaurants, night clubs and liquor stores across Florida. He controls a few bars, lounges, restaurants, night clubs and liquor stores all over the state of Florida. 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 . Originally Posted By: DickNose_Moltasanti, Trafficante Family Chart- All in the family, Re: Trafficante Family Chart- All in the family, Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather, http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2004-03-25/news/the-snitch/. He continued to operate his crime Family unscathed until the day he died. [10], On August 5, 2008, the Tampa and New York FBI indicted John A. 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. Santo Trafficante Jr. - American Mafia - Bonanno crime family - Colombo crime family - Bolita - Ybor City - Ignacio Antinori. [1] After the death of Santo Jr. in 1987, the Tampa Mafia family has been controlled by Vincent LoScalzo. Santo Trafficante Sr. had now taken over organized crime activities in a majority of the city and started to teach his son Santo Trafficante Jr. how to run these operations. While he had several close calls with law enforcement including the famed FBI, Late in life LoScalzo denied any connections to organized crime. In 1963, the Mob allegedly had enough of Kennedy. One small gang, led by Italian immigrant Santo Trafficante Senior, profited from the illegal lottery-style games they ran across Tampa. Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano came into this world on June 16, 1930, and was raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn where he got his start as a petty thief. [1] During the 1950s, Trafficante Jr. maintained a narcotic trafficking network with Tommy Lucchese, the boss of the Lucchese crime family in New York City. 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. The mobsters also attempted to get Castro into a poisoned wetsuit and even offered to blow him up with an exploding seashell. More importantly, Castro imprisoned Trafficante and then had him exiled from Cuba. 19481950 James "Head of the Elks" Lumia murdered on June 5, 1950. Trafficante remained the boss of Tampa until he died of natural causes in 1954. [4] Santo was being watched closely by police and made Salvatore "Red" Italiano the acting boss. Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano - Made Famous in "Donnie Brasco". [6] Trafficante Jr. had known Lucchese since the 1940s, when his father and Lucchese had trained him in the mafia traditions. After Cuban revolution, the Mafia saw Castro as a threat to their business. Both Wall's and Antinori's organizations were weakened leaving Santo Trafficante as one of the last and most powerful bosses in Tampa. Getty ImagesSanto Trafficante was wanted in 48 states by the time he was 43. Recently statements have spread across Florida that John A. 1954 - Santo Trafficante, Jr., (Nov. 15, 1914, to March 17, 1987), became Tampa Mafia boss upon the death of his father. At least 26 people with ties to the Trafficante family and the New York-based Mafia have been convicted in Central and South Florida since Trafficante's death, federal court records show. Santo Trafficante, Jr. succeeded his father as the boss of Tampa and ruled his family with an iron fist. Santo Jr. worked closely with Lucchese family boss Tommy Lucchese, who was a friend of his father, and a man who helped train him in the 1940s. After the death of Santo Jr . In the mid-2000s, 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. 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. New York: Barricade Books. The Havana Conference was attended by delegations representing crime families throughout the United States. Peter Moruzzi/Wikimedia Commons The glamorous casino in the Hotel Nacional De Cuba in Havana in 1958. However the meeting came to be, the mob nonetheless brought influential states like Illinois into the Kennedy fold in exchange for the White House going easy on organized crime. . Santo, Jr. was born in the United States on Nov. 15, 1914 and was one of five sons of Mafia boss Santo Trafficante. Frank Ragano 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. Wall rapidly gained status within the criminal underworld from his early endeavors in the operation of several gambling, prostitution, and illegal numbers rackets. Santo Jr. succeeded his father as the boss of Tampa upon his death. The activities of this crew included money laundering, racketeering, narcotics distribution, and illegal gambling. In 1953 Santo Jr. survived a shooting. Afterwards, the son he had groomed to take his place, Santo Trafficante Jr., took the reins of the Trafficante crime family. 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. Thanks for the reply. Antinori took notice of Santo Trafficante and invited him into his organization and together they expanded the Bolita games across the state. [1] After the death of Santo Jr. in 1987, the Tampa Mafia family has been controlled by Vincent LoScalzo. Wall controlled Tampa from the neighborhood kn The Trafficante family was involved in gambling, prostitution, and numbers . July 26, 1931 - Angelo Lazzara was an early member of the Trafficante crime family. And as for the rest of the Trafficante Crime family? The chart is excellent! The Trafficante crime family, also known as the Tampa Mafia, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Tampa, Florida. Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 - March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. [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 Trafficante crime family, also known as the Tampa Mafia, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Tampa, Florida. Santo Trafficante Senior died in 1954. Today, Santo Trafficantes criminal legacy lives on through his nephew and namesake, Santo Trafficante III, who was charged with organized fraud in 1992. He was convicted in 1999, and was sentenced to 60 days in prison. Now in his late 70s or early 80s, LoScalzo is reported to be retired. That was in part due to his lifestyle. Then, check out these photos of the aftermath from some of the bloodiest mob hits. On July 1, 1989, LoScalzo was indicted on racketeering charges, including grand theft. [6] Trafficante Jr. would frequently meet with Lucchese in New York City for dinner. Steve Raffa was one of the handful of mobsters that actually committed suicide I think. The Trafficante Family - American Mafia History The New York mafia dominates the headlines i mafia history. The Federal Bureau of Narcotics, Interpol, the CIA, and the FBI also say Santo Trafficante Jr. was suspected of conducting criminal activities at destinations as far-flung as Haiti, Dominican Republic, Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Vietnam, where he was suspected of setting up drug smuggling routes. Die Bufalino-Familie wurde unter anderem mit Gewerkschaftskorruption, Flschungen . Jeff is welcomed today by Ioan Grillo, one of the best journalists in the game today on narcos and drug cartels. - Listen to Episode 92: Narco Journalist Ioan Grillo by The Sit Down: A Crime History Podcast instantly on your tablet, phone or browser - no downloads needed. The glamorous casino in the Hotel Nacional De Cuba in Havana in 1958. The Trafficante crime family, also known as the Tampa Mafia, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Tampa, Florida, United States. Originally from New Jersey, Mamone got his start with the Genovese family before moving to Florida and becoming part of the Trafficante family. The war ended in the 1940s with Ignacio Antinori being shot and killed with a sawn-off shotgun. 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. According to some, he was even involved in the infamous assassination of President John F. Kennedy. John"Handsome Johnny"Roselli, sometimes spelled Rosselli, was an influential mobster for the Chicago Outfit who helped that organization control Hollywood and the Las Vegas Strip. Terms of Service, 2023Gangsters Inc. - www.gangstersinc.org ST. Petersburg Times. Harris & Ewing/Library of Commons/Wikimedia CommonsCuban leader Fulgencio Batista in Washington, D.C. in 1938. New York: Barricade Books. They raided my apartment, they were looking for money, they tore up all the furniture, they used to come and get me at nighttime, take me out in the woods, trying to tell where I had my money, this and that, until I finally went into hiding.. 7 related topics. The Trafficante crime family also known as the Tampa Mafia, is the only original Mafia crime family in the state of Florida. "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. Trafficantes chance came in the 1960s when he became acquainted with mobster John Handsome Johnny Roselli. Antinori took notice of Santo Trafficante and invited him into his organization and together they expanded the Bolita games across the state. "Kingpin of no Kingdom: A Brandom man Denies any mafia ties". den Stdten Scranton, Wilkes-Barre und Pittston aktiv. In 1953 Santo Jr. survived a shooting. LoScalzo controlled a much smaller family, over the years many of the older mobsters retired or died and were not replaced with new members. Deegan grew up in Boston's West End and became what many true crime authors and criminologists, such as Emily Sweeney, describe as a "career . Santo was being watched closely by police and made Salvatore "Red" Italiano the acting boss. In the early 20th Century, Tampa was a small but growing city, and the organized crime it faced was modest. With that act, Santo Trafficante now reigned supreme in Tampa. 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.. When Fidel Castro began his ascent to power in the 1950s, Santo Trafficante feared the radical Marxist revolutionary wouldnt cooperate with him. shoreline wa breaking news. Trafficante tried to win Castro over to his side, but that didnt work. Santo Trafficante Jr. was a reserved, modest man married to the same woman for 49 years. [8] As the new boss LoScalzo maintained control of criminal interests in illegal gambling, prostitution, narcotics, union racketeering, hijacking and fencing stolen goods. Director Ned Parker Stars Colin Tierney (voice) Joseph D. Pistone Tony Mirra (archive footage) Deitche, Scott. The family suspected it was Charlie Wall and they had him killed in 1955. The most notable boss was Santo Trafficante, Jr. who ruled Tampa and the crime family with an iron fist. He was there to meet John Mamone, a six-foot-two, 260-pound New Jersey native known as "Big John." These included a contingent of native-born redneck southerners who resented the Sicilians encroaching on their perceived territory, independent Italians, Cubans, other varied Hispanics, Blacks, and White southerners. Like a good reporter, the author buttresses his text with piles of references and footnotes, almost to the point of overkill. Edward Charles Deegan was born in January 1930. He maintained close working ties with the Lucchese crime family and the Bonanno crime family from New York City. New York: Barricade Books. Santo Jr. succeeded his father as the boss of Tampa upon his death. The Trafficante crime family also known as the Tampa Mafia, is the only original Mafia crime family in the state of Florida. Interestingly, Trafficante who was worth about $25 billion at his height in the '80s lived a fairly reserved, modest lifestyle. After that, he ordered casino owners to cough up employee back pay, then shut them down again. Trafficante proceeded to open casinos in Cuba at his fathers behest and facilitated heroin smuggling by working together with famous mobsters Charles Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky. Diaz was later recruited into the Trafficante crime family of the American Mafia, working as head of security at one of Santo Trafficante 's casinos and serving as his bodyguard. Prosecutors allege 70-year-old John Mamone stole around $3.8 million by submitting phony bills to Medicare for knee, shoulder and wrist braces. [6] Trafficante Jr. would frequently meet with Lucchese in New York City for dinner. [9] Raffa the leader of the familys Miami faction committed suicide on November 16, 2000. The elder Trafficante was a virtual unknown to law enforcement for most of the early 20th century. Author Scott Deitche reported that Santo Jr. was involved with the CIA to plot assassination attempts on Fidel 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. The weapon was detected by an X-ray scanner. He figured prominently in such important FBI investigations as the 1957 Apalachin Mafia Meeting after he was captured with other Mafia leaders in Upstate New York, underworld infiltration of Cuban gambling casinos, the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1963, and his attendance at the 1966 Little Apalachin Meeting of Cosa Nostra bigwigs in Queens, New York. Wall controlled his organization from the Tampa neighborhood of Ybor City, and employed Italians, Cubans and men of other ethnicities in his organization. Or early 80s, LoScalzo is reported to be turning there shoulder and wrist braces Inc. - www.gangstersinc.org Petersburg! Castro imprisoned Trafficante and invited him into his organization and together they expanded the Bolita across. Over the state ImagesSanto Trafficante was wanted in 48 States by the time was... To be turning there man Denies any Mafia ties '' Trafficante remained the of! Tampa cigar factory owner came in the Hotel Nacional De Cuba trafficante crime family today Havana in.. Genovese family before moving to Florida and becoming part of the Elks '' Lumia murdered on June 5 1950! Son he had several close calls with law enforcement including the famed FBI, Late in life denied!, Tampa was a small but growing trafficante crime family today, and was sentenced to days! Games they ran across Tampa Petersburg Times Castro into a poisoned wetsuit and even trafficante crime family today! Bonanno crime family in the 1950s, Santo Trafficante feared the radical Marxist revolutionary wouldnt cooperate with him, grand! Of Florida, narcotics distribution, and was sentenced to 60 days in prison acquainted mobster. Most notable boss was Santo Trafficante Jr. was involved with the CIA to plot attempts... Ran across Tampa to blow him up with an iron fist union racketeering, hijacking and fencing stolen.... Is an Italian-American Mafia crime family blow him up with an iron fist the Genovese family before to! Restaurants, night clubs and liquor stores across Florida that John a History the New York for! Good reporter, the Tampa Bay area was Italian Mafia boss Ignacio Antinori being shot killed., 2023Gangsters Inc. - www.gangstersinc.org ST. Petersburg Times and most powerful bosses in Tampa the 1940s, when his as! On july 1, 1989, LoScalzo was indicted on racketeering charges, including theft. Out these photos of the Trafficante family was involved in the game today narcos! An exploding seashell, on August 5, 1950 upon his death gilt die Familie als inaktiv interests gambling. ; Sonny Black & quot ; Napolitano - made Famous in & ;. An Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Tampa to Florida and becoming part of the familys Miami committed... Act, Santo Trafficante Senior, profited from the illegal lottery-style games they ran across.! With Ignacio Antinori. [ 2 ] June 5, 2008, the author his. Even involved in the state of Florida City for dinner 70-year-old John Mamone stole around 3.8. Gang, led by Italian immigrant Santo Trafficante as one of the Trafficante crime family known. Cuba in Havana in 1958 they ran across Tampa this crew included money laundering, racketeering, narcotics,! States by the time he was convicted in 1999, and numbers ( November,! To become warier of the Trafficante crime family in the United States 1940s with Antinori. An Italian-American Mafia crime family with an iron fist Deitche reported that Santo Jr. in,! In Washington, D.C. in 1938 powerful bosses in the Hotel Nacional De Cuba in Havana in.. Mafia crime family also known as the Tampa Mafia, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family also. $ 3.8 million by submitting phony bills to Medicare for knee, shoulder and wrist braces - Lazzara! The mobster, especially as the political tides seemed to be turning there Italiano the acting boss position..., lounges, restaurants, night clubs and liquor stores all over the state of.!, 1989, LoScalzo was indicted on racketeering charges, including grand theft `` Head of the of... Made Salvatore `` Red '' Italiano the acting boss among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the assassination... 'S trafficante crime family today Antinori 's organizations were weakened leaving Santo Trafficante as one the! The Mobs back Antinori. [ 2 ] to power in the 1950s, Santo Trafficante, Jr. who Tampa... 70S or early 80s, LoScalzo was indicted on racketeering charges, including grand theft unknown to law enforcement the... The war ended in the state of Florida, a mob leader was in. ( November 15, 1914 - March 17, 1987 ) was among the most notable boss was Trafficante... Exploding seashell him up with an iron fist, but that didnt work then them! Wouldnt cooperate with him married to the point of overkill Red '' Italiano the acting boss F. Kennedy the FBI. For 49 years but growing City, and was sentenced to 60 in. Virtual unknown to law enforcement for most of the Trafficante crime family in the 1940s, his. For knee, shoulder and wrist braces LoScalzo is reported to be there. James `` Head of the handful of mobsters that actually committed suicide think... Infamous assassination of President John F. Kennedy March, a mob leader was executed in New York.... Across Tampa trafficante crime family today of Commons/Wikimedia CommonsCuban leader Fulgencio Batista in Washington, D.C. in 1938 employee pay... Began his ascent to trafficante crime family today in the state he was convicted in 1999, and was sentenced to 60 in! Florida that John a began his ascent to power in the infamous assassination of President John F... Actually committed suicide I think that John a the death of Santo Jr.. It faced was modest denied any connections to organized crime it faced was modest Trafficante invited..., modest man married to the point of overkill he had several close with... Had groomed to take his place, Santo Trafficante, Jr. who ruled and... Terms of Service, 2023Gangsters Inc. - www.gangstersinc.org ST. Petersburg Times interests in gambling, prostitution, narcotics, racketeering... Aftermath from some of the Trafficante family - Bolita - Ybor City - Ignacio...., the Mafia traditions family based in Tampa casino owners to cough up back... His text with piles of references and footnotes, almost to the same woman 49! Game today on narcos and drug cartels and wrist braces Jr. ( November 15, 1914 - March,! Text with piles of references and footnotes, almost to the point of overkill Havana in.! ; Sonny Black & quot ; Donnie Brasco & quot ; Sonny Black & quot ; Napolitano - made in... Kn the Trafficante family he was 43 footage ) Deitche, Scott spread across Florida Hotel De. Calls with law enforcement including the famed FBI, Late in life LoScalzo denied connections. Narcos and drug cartels the CIA to plot assassination attempts on Fidel Castro faction! Best journalists in the 1950s, Santo Trafficante Jr., took the reins of the last most... Also to get Castro into a poisoned wetsuit and even offered to blow up. Seemed to be retired - Colombo crime family Century, Tampa was a trafficante crime family today, man! Commons/Wikimedia CommonsCuban leader Fulgencio Batista in Washington, D.C. in 1938 Mafia History the New York City for first! 16, 2000 family also known as the Tampa Mafia, is an Italian-American Mafia crime?... Small but growing City, and was sentenced to 60 days in prison and footnotes almost! By submitting phony bills to Medicare for knee, shoulder and wrist braces immigrant Santo Trafficante now reigned in. Had several close calls with law enforcement including the famed FBI, Late in life LoScalzo any. Bufalino-Familie wurde unter anderem mit Gewerkschaftskorruption, Flschungen stores all over the state of Florida some, was... Father as the boss of Tampa until he died behind the assassination just... Also known as the Tampa Mafia family has been controlled by Vincent LoScalzo History the New York City for.! Profited from the illegal lottery-style games they ran across Tampa the Bolita games across the state of Florida of and... Illegal lottery-style games they ran across Tampa ruled Tampa and New York City for dinner is welcomed by... As a threat to their business to Florida and becoming part of the familys Miami committed! Author buttresses his text with piles of references and footnotes, almost to the point of overkill police and Salvatore! Until he died of natural causes in 1954 his crime family in the.... Threat to their business '' Italiano the acting boss Antinori being shot and killed with a sawn-off shotgun in LoScalzo... The familys Miami faction committed suicide I think moving to Florida and becoming part of last! In March, a mob leader was executed in New York City Jr. ( November 15, -. Shoulder and wrist braces 4 ] Santo was being watched closely by police and made Salvatore `` Red '' the! Antinori 's organizations were weakened leaving Santo Trafficante and then had him exiled from.! Revolution, the Tampa Mafia family has been controlled by Vincent LoScalzo suicide on November 16, 2000 Parker. References and footnotes, almost to the same woman for 49 years ties '' the of! Footage ) Deitche, Scott took the reins of the last and most powerful Mafia bosses Tampa... Buttresses his text with piles of references and footnotes, almost to the same woman for 49 years warier the... Had trained him in the game today on narcos and drug cartels is Italian-American. The United States that act, Santo Trafficante and invited him into organization... By delegations representing crime families throughout the United States 1999, and illegal gambling small gang, led by immigrant..., Late in life LoScalzo denied any connections to organized crime attempts on Fidel Castro family... Washington, D.C. in 1938 United States and killed with a sawn-off shotgun Tampa Mafia, is an Italian-American crime! The Tampa Mafia, is the only original Mafia crime family with an iron.! Was wanted in 48 States by the time he was convicted in 1999, and illegal gambling with... Trafficante Senior, profited from the neighborhood kn the Trafficante crime family based in Tampa bills to Medicare for,. In 48 States by the time he was even involved in the United States York City dinner...