U.S. Treasury Department documents indicate that law enforcement believed Trafficante's legitimate business interests to include several legal casinos in Cuba; a Havana drive-in movie theater; and shares in several restaurants and bars in Trafficante's hometown of Tampa, Florida. Thanks for subscribing! He wants Trafficante, whom he considers to have an authoritative palate, to sample a new pastry that Alessi plans to sell at his bakery. Many of the familys gangsters were in prison, or too old to be effective. Trafficante crime family - Wikipedia TAMPA CRIME BOSS SANTO TRAFFICANTE JR PLAYS A CENTRAL ROLE IN THRILLER MAFIA SPIES. [20], In 2005, Lamar Waldron and Thom Hartmann's book Ultimate Sacrifice said that Trafficante was behind an aborted plot to kill Kennedy in Tampa on November 18, 1963. Geni requires JavaScript! In 1963, the Mob allegedly had enough of Kennedy. Returning to Miami, he joined his father, managing some . "My kids suffered a lot by it," he says. He headed the Trafficante crime family from 1954 to 1987 and controlled organized criminal operations in Florida and Cuba, which had previously been consolidated from several rival gangs by his father, Santo Trafficante Sr. Trafficante maintained links to the Bonanno crime family in New York City, but was more closely allied with Sam Giancana in Chicago. Upon his return to the United States, he became determined to bring down the man who ended his empire. By December 1953, one more rival was dead and another was too scared to even venture out of his home. At this point in our collective history, we're not sure anyone would be surprised to learn that there is, in fact, something called The Mafia. What you might be surprised to learn, however, is how prevalent-even rampantorganized crime in Tampa was in the early and mid-20th century. There are few indicators that the family is still an active crime network. He was married to his wife for 49 years. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. It was clear that federal and local law enforcement had an acute interest in the Trafficante family. "I'm a freak for that kind of stuff," he says. [8] Allusions to these historic connections were confirmed by the CIA's 2007 declassification of the "Family Jewels" documents. Perched on the edge of a leather chair in his attorney's office, Santo J. Trafficante III wears a pained expression on his jowly face. In 1965, Giancana was convicted of contempt of court, serving one year in prison. Let others know about your loved one's death. Associates: Sam Giancana, Charlie Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Cuba, Fidel Castro, Johnny Rosselli, Robert Maheu. You've got to be a fool to marry wrong," he says.