Radioactive roads? Rather, court records and testimony say, three men share control. Since 1980, LoScalzo has increased his property holdings in West Tampa and Ybor City; at various times he has owned property valued at more than $365,000 in Hillsborough County, according to property appraiser's records. Michael Napoli pleaded guilty in that case to using four Hillsborough bars as fronts for cocaine distribution. The Trafficante family was involved in gambling, prostitution, and numbers rackets in both Florida and Cuba, although its Cuban operations would be shut down after Fidel Castro's communist takeover of Cuba in 1959. Interestingly, Trafficante who was worth about $25 billion at his height in the 80s lived a fairly reserved, modest lifestyle. E-mail me when people leave their comments , Former Trafficante crime family mobster charged with pilfering $3.8 million in Medicare fraud, When the American government asked the Mafia for a favor, Inside the Montreal underworld: The Rizzuto Mob & the Hells Angels, On the trail of the Italian mafia's dirty money, The "secret" murder of Philly mob boss Joey Merlino's crew, Documentary | Millennials in Mexico - born into the world of drug cartels, How New York gangs use social media to recruit, intimidate and to glamorize their lifestyle, Narco-Propaganda is Fuelling Mexicos Drug War, Meeting With A Sinaloa Cartel Hitman Goes Wrong: Inside Los Chapitos vs Rafael Caro Quintero, How The Hells Angels Actually Works | How Crime Works | Insider. The family released receipts that they say proved Velasco used illegal gambling money to fund candidates who would ignore the mafias crimes. Everyone investigated him, Rushing said of her father. In the late 1950s, banks in Miami were utilized by crime syndicates to conceal and launder money. According to Det. In 1976, Diecidue was charged with racketeering in an indictment that charged others with participating in a plot to kill Tampa Police Detective Richard Cloud, who was investigating the mob. LoScalzo denies having any connection to drug distribution. Consequently, while generally recognized as the most powerful organized crime figure in Florida throughout much of the 20th century, Trafficante was not believed to have total control over Miami, Miami Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, or Palm Beach. Tampa was a well placed secret not even counting Ybor city. Jimmy Lumia was an oil company executive who controlled gambling rackets in Tampa in the 1940s. According to Iorio, Tampa witnesses produced a list of 105 officially protected outlets that law enforcement officials were not allowed to tamper with., The moral of the Tampa story is this, Estes Kefauver, the senator who led the nationwide investigation, wrote in his final report, if good citizens of a community shut their eyes to wholesale violation of a law law enforcement and honesty in public office will go to hell in a handcart., Subscribe to our free How They Lived newsletter. Gambling becomes big business in Tampa, turning some streets into full-time casinos. They also released a list of alleged bribes he gave to elected officials, which included Mayor Curtis Hixon. When Tampa was a hotbed of organized crime from the late 1800s through mid 1900s, the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office charged the Vice Squad with cleaning up what the federal government deemed one of the most corrupt cities in the nation. When you think of Florida and organized crime, it is difficult to avoid conjuring up images of Tony Montana in. Decades later, it is unclear if all of their investigations were warranted or if some were politically motivated or worse, simple harassment of innocent residents. A A. Do you know why he was never charged? One of the earliest established Mafia Families in the United States was the criminal network that formed down in Tampa, Florida. Son of Santo Trafficante and Maria Giuseppa Trafficante Now in his late 70s or early 80s, LoScalzo is reported to be retired. 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. Antinori was eventually eclipsed by Trafficante, who held his own strong connections to Mangano crime family boss Vincent Mangano and Profaci crime family boss Joseph Profaci . Jan 23, 2019 - Explore Al Lanzilotti's board "Trafficante Crime family" on Pinterest. A former soldier in Florida's Trafficante Mafia family was charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and paying kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program. Mafia Books Santo Trafficante Jr. had long followed in his fathers footsteps, and proved to be an even more effective Mafia kingpin. So, who was this so-called Silent Don who wielded enough power to allegedly kill the President? Prosecutors allege 70-year-old John Mamone stole around $3.8 million by submitting phony bills to Medicare for knee, shoulder and wrist braces. "I came to this country 40 years ago and I've worked hard to get what I have today. SANTA ANA, California - A 33-count federal grand jury indictment unsealed today charges 31 members and associates of the Orange County Mexican Mafia with racketeering offenses, two murders and six attempted murders, and related drug and gun charges.. When his son, Santo Jr., took over the family operations, he was also a regular fixture at the Columbia. However, there were events outside of the United States and even organized crime that inadvertently led Santo Trafficante Jr. to put his own peculiar stamp on American history. Despite law enforcement's disagreement over the power structure, on one point they are unanimous: The La Cosa Nostra is alive and growing in Tampa since Trafficante's death. "There's no truth to it whatsoever. He was innocent. His only crime, she added, was being Italian and serving in public office at a time when other elected officials were corrupted by Italian gangsters. Trafficante refuses to testify to a congressional committee investigating the assassination of Hohn F. Kennedy. Alongside Chicago boss Sam Giancana, Roselli and Trafficante came up with some truly insane plots to kill Fidel Castro. They are the new local leaders of La Cosa Nostra, the Mafia in the United States. This is the full chart of the Trafficante Mafia Family of Tampa, FL. Diecidue, Albano and LoScalzo all surfaced in the investigation of Napoli and his bars: Mike's Lounge, the Journey's End, the South End and Levi's Saloon. Home Mafia Charts The Trafficante Family Leadership Chart. South Orange County - (949)752-1971. In Tampa, Trafficante enlisted Frank Diecidue as his underboss. He was among a group of mob leaders in attendance when police raided a . While the senior Trafficante had been a major mobster in his own right, nobody could have expected the heights that were going to be reached by his son. The Trafficante crime family is a family of the American Mafia from the city of Tampa, Florida, founded in 1925 by Ignacio Antinori. When doing a chart like this you have to mention the members of the past too. Four months after a former soldier for the Trafficante crime family was indicted in connection with a $3.8 million health care fraud scheme, another 10 South Florida residents have been charged and the size of the alleged scam has swelled to $67 million. Santo Trafficante, Jr (1914 - 1987) - Genealogy 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. He maintained all of the lucrative casinos in Cuba, further cemented, After Cuban revolution, the Mafia saw Castro as a threat to their business. The Trafficante Family Leadership Chart - The New York Mafia In addition, mobsters such as Florida mobster Santo Trafficante Sr. soon set up rival smuggling rings. But according to declassified documents released in 1992, Santo Trafficante Jr. made a deathbed confession of his involvement in the Presidents murder. 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.In his 1994 autobiography Mob Lawyer, Ragano recounted his career in defending members of organized crime, and made the controversial . He was only a barber., She said there was an innocent explanation for Henry Trafficante being at the barbershop. Like Trafficante Jr. before him, had many close calls with law enforcement, but always escaped serious charges. Tampa residents once took on corruption that turned city into 'hell in lucianos partner port of tampa ditaliano salvatore the red, All A year later, La Gaceta newspaper reported that the Vice Squad had stopped using the sheriff offices designated radio waves. Late in life, LoScalzo denied any connections to organized crime. As Jimmy Hoffas former lawyer Frank Ragano would later recall, Jimmy told me to tell [New Orleans boss Carlos] Marcello and Trafficante they had to kill the president. 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.. Her father was Nick Nuccio. 'Versace on my sneaks' and COVID-19 in jail: Gifford rap star YNW Melly The senior Mamone spent years in a federal witness protection program after snitching on federal mobsters to try to reduce his sentences on racketeering and other charges. President John F. Kennedy, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Dennis Caruso/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images. he said when a reporter asked about the FBI's claim that he heads the local mob. Legislature considers flooding our streets with cancer-causing chemicals | Column, Heres why the Weeki Wachee River needs stronger protections | Editorial, Floridas dental deserts leave millions without access to oral care. President John. 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. Yes I do - I worked for Doug. Why did the Traficante and Marcello families fade? : r/Mafia Medicare fraud charges filed against John Mamone, former mob soldier With that act, Santo Trafficante now reigned supreme in Tampa. In the early 20th Century, Tampa was a small but growing city, and the organized crime it faced was modest. 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. Trafficante along with 56 other mobsters was arrested in New York while discussing what to do about the recent death of Gambino family head, Albert Anastasia. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Harris & Ewing/Library of Commons/Wikimedia CommonsCuban leader Fulgencio Batista in Washington, D.C. in 1938. by Lisa Babick and The Other Guy. A Pinellas school regains its name, and Black history, after 55 years, Bolita, Tampas illegal lottery, was deadly and lucrative, Velasco used illegal gambling money to fund candidates who would ignore the mafias crimes, I tried to spend the night in Tampas most haunted building. Tampa politician and gambler Jimmy Velosco murdered in a war over control of the city's gambling. But he was also the most powerful crime boss in pre-Castro Cuba, with influence that extended into Florida and the rest of the United States. Albano is married to the former Lucille Trafficante, the daughter of Santo Trafficante Jr. Albano, who once owned Majestic Cleaners in Tampa and the Claiborne Restaurant on South Howard Avenue, recently managed the Mercedes Cafe and is now working in sales for a vending company. Diecidue was convicted of the charge and was in federal prison from 1976 to 1979 before his conviction was overturned on appeal. was supposedly built by Santo Traficante. The real mafia played dominoes at the casino and never disclosed themselves. Connect to the World Family Tree to find out, Mar 19 1987 - Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Suspicious cash flow was observed in accounts owned by associates of high-profile individuals, including Santo Trafficante Jr. (pictured above) the boss of the Trafficante crime family, also known as the Tampa Mafia. The Trafficante family was involved in gambling, prostitution, and numbers . Late in life LoScalzo denied any connections to organized crime. After a violent mob war left several of Trafficantes rivals dead or weakened, his gang rapidly rose to prominence in Tampa. Trafficante enjoyed life in Cuba, developed a relationship with its strongman, the dictator Fulgencio Batista, and helped the Trafficante Crime family garner even more profits from its legitimate gambling operations there. I'm sure not many these days will remember the place. Mob Fireside Chat BGs Official YouTube Channel, Racketeer Snapshot Tampa, FL Boss Salvatore (Turiddo) Scaglione, Racketeer Snapshot: Los Angeles Mafioso Joe Dipollito. One of the earliest established Mafia Families in the United States was the criminal network that formed down in Tampa, Florida. Category:Trafficante crime family - Wikipedia Lumia was engaged in a war for control of the lucrative gambling districts with Jimmy Velasco, a Tampa politician who was murdered in 1948. Why are real estate prices still rising? Hoffa said to me, This has to be done.'. "I don't know about Mafia. Boss. As such, Trafficante Sr. controlled gambling rackets for bolita, a lottery game popular . A place on Snow in Tampa next to The Great American Food and Beverage Company, the waiters wore tuxedos, was very sedate, not much of a crowd. 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. Individuals in this category were/are "made" members of the Trafficante crime family, sometimes known as the Tampa crime family. The chart was made by Scott M. Deitche on his site. Damn what was the name of that place. He drove standard cars, lived in regular houses in quiet places, was married to the same woman, and generally described as a quiet man. 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. Youll get a remembrance of Tampa Bay residents weve lost, including heartwarming and amusing details about their lives, every Tuesday. The American governments close ties to Santo Trafficante Jr. and the rest of the Mafia didnt end with their attempts to kill Castro. Mamone, who was indicted in October with his sons, John Anthony and Joseph Mamone, was part of the criminal enterprise, prosecutors said. Nearly three years after opening it's door, the SA FJC serves as a national best practice model of community trust building and victim . The Trafficante Family - American Mafia History prosecution, fled temporarily to Cuba. 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 Trafficante then categorically denied every allegation about stating he wanted RFK or JFK dead and got off scot-free. "But because I go into business for myself they put this horrible stigma on me.". The crimes range from loansharking and extortion to cocaine distribution and interfering with interstate commerce. I am a legitimate businessman," LoScalzo said. TheTrafficante crime familyis a family of the American Mafia from the city of Tampa, Florida, founded in 1925 by Ignacio Antinori. Scott's favorite cocktail is the Negroni. In a 1978 legal testimony, Trafficante discussed how quickly Castro shut it all down, then reopened the casinos on his own terms. It is unclear if the Vice Squad investigated him. Sentenced to a combined 16 1/2 years behind bars, Mamone was released in 2012 after he provided key testimony against Mafia enforcer Paul "Doc" Gaccione in the 1992 murder of Angelo Sangiuolo, a fellow member of the Genovese crime family. Health care fraud case swells to $67M, prosecutors allege; another 10 No charges filed in the shooting death of 19-year-old University of Tampa student. Despite the fact that they were now the most powerful force in Tampas underworld, what became known as the Trafficante Family still worked side and side and sometimes came into conflict with other ethnic criminal groups prominent in the city. CSP Dispute Resolution Services. In the mid-2000's, 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. Frank Ragano - Wikipedia There are few indicators that the family is still an active crime network. Many of the familys gangsters were in prison, or too old to be effective. Albano laughed, then got serious. You know what, guns actually do kill people | Letters, Seminole Heights serial killings case ends with guilty plea, 4 life sentences, Here is why the school zone speed camera bill should become law in Florida | Editorial. The glamorous casino in the Hotel Nacional De Cuba in Havana in 1958. Like 70-year-old Delray Beach-area resident John Mamone, the 10 others who began appearing in federal court on Monday are accused of paying kickbacks and bribes to telemedicine companies to get them to order unnecessary tests and medical equipment for Medicare recipients. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. And while cocaine-fueled Latin American criminal networks have been a serious problem in Florida for decades, the Trafficante familys illicit activities were quite infamous as well. And the Trafficante Crime family found out that it had an unusual ally in their concerns about Castro: the Central, Trafficante Jr. controlled his Tampa-based crime network for over three decades. Victim Referral Services - Orange County Sheriff's Department Mons Venus was the little bar. Not sure about what is going on in Tampa, though. Trafficante is indicted in Tampa on charges he tried to illegally take control of garbage collection on the Suncoast. Born in Tampa, Florida in 1914, Trafficante hailed from a family already deeply involved in organized crime. * underboss. And you're "dealing with some shit"? Family Justice Center - City of Santa Ana He has been featured on the History Channel, A&E, Discovery Channel, AHC, C-SPAN and . Frank Albano, 52, who once owned the Claiborne Restaurant in South Tampa and now works in sales for a vending company in Tampa. 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/. After Cuban revolution, the Mafia saw Castro as a threat to their business. He leads a modest lifestyle. And, in 1954, the committee helped the St. Petersburg police investigate whether Santo Trafficante Jr. and his brother Henry Trafficante offered a bribe to law enforcement in that city. He quoted LoScalzo: "Daddy Frank said to give you anything you want.". Frank Ragano; See also. It is unclear when he returned to South Florida. Joe is reportedly a longtime associate of the Trafficante mob, and his barber shop is a known hang-out of some of this group.. In 1983, in Tampa, he was indicted for racketeering in a scheme to control garbage pickup on the Suncoast. A former soldier in Floridas Trafficante Mafia family was charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and paying kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program. Santo Trafficante Jr. (November 15, 1914 - March 17, 1987) was among the most powerful Mafia bosses in the United States. He even sent his son, Santo Trafficante Junior, to New York, to gain a better understanding of how the mafia operated there. Trafficante was a ruthless mob boss, and quickly consolidated control over the criminal networks in Tampa. He sought treatment for stomach cancer and was ready to hand power over to a trusted lieutenant. But, in December 1950, during a local hearing that questioned politicians, law enforcement and alleged gangsters, the federal Kefauver Commission charged with exposing organized crime throughout the nation used the Velasco story as evidence of Tampas corruption. Santo Trafficante Jr.: The Florida Godfather Who Tried To Kill Castro Instead, they used private radio waves as part of an effort to cloak their efforts from deputies believed to be in cahoots with the mafia. Dennis Caruso/NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesFrank Ragano and Santo Trafficante Jr. (right). The Trafficante family was involved with drug trafficking, racketeering, loansharking, corruption, prostitution, money laundering, and bookmaking during the 21st century, and it had around 20 members. 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. No one was ever charged with Lazzara murder. In each case, authorities charged that a multitude of crimes occurred in LoScalzo's nightclubs. what they into into these days the tampa italians that is. Following his death, Mobster Vincent LoScalvo took over the Trafficante familys criminal network in Florida. Everyone in Ybor knew each other, and that included the Trafficantes and my father and uncle. // ]]>, Report an Issue | It's still a great chart on the Tampa Mob. 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. All victims of crime, their family members and witnesses of crime may obtain information and assistance from the CSP Victim/Witness Assistance Program, (714) 834-4350. After a lifetime in organized crime, Trafficante Jr. died of national causes in 1987. Central District of California | 3 Mexican Mafia Members and 28 Today, Santo Trafficantes criminal legacy lives on through his nephew and namesake, Santo Trafficante III, who was charged with organized fraud in 1992. And the Trafficante Crime family found out that it had an unusual ally in their concerns about Castro: the Central Intelligence Agency. 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. After a violent mob war left several of Trafficantes rivals dead or weakened, his gang rapidly rose to prominence in Tampa. Then, check out these photos of the aftermath from some of the bloodiest mob hits. Trafficante was a ruthless mob boss, and quickly consolidated control over the criminal networks in Tampa. The mafiosos that made up the family are either retired, in prison, or have died due to old age. The Trafficante crime family, also known as the Tampa Mafia, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Tampa, Florida. Its still there today. Heres why. The Bizarre Case Of Danny Goldman's Kidnapping - Grunge In his previous statements, Roselli also tied Lee Harvey Oswalds killer, Jack Ruby, to Santo Trafficante. Other Mafia leaders, as well as newer organized crime networks, took over many of the rackets the family ran throughout the 20th Century. Prosecutors allege 70-year-old John Mamone stole around $3.8 million by submitting phony bills to Medicare for knee, shoulder and wrist braces. He also said he overheard the men described as Italians who were dressed exceptionally well discussing horse and dog races. He died in 1955. Santo Trafficante Sr. took control of local gambling but died of natural causes in 1954, leaving his second son, Santo Jr., to carry on the family business.