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. I dont know why theyd investigate my uncle, said Mariette Rushing, 88, of Puglisi. 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. 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. Health care fraud case swells to $67M, prosecutors allege; another 10 Victim/Witness Assistance Program will answer your questions and give you information or refer you to agencies in your community for services that . Joseph Pistone spent six years posing as Mafia member "Donnie Brasco" to gather information for the FBI. Why did the Traficante and Marcello families fade? : r/Mafia Youll get a remembrance of Tampa Bay residents weve lost, including heartwarming and amusing details about their lives, every Tuesday. He was going to be hit.. Originally from New Jersey, Mamone got his start with the Genovese family before moving to Florida and becoming part of the Trafficante family. The younger Trafficante already had established connections with New York Mafia members. Family Justice Center - City of Santa Ana Once, flying from Miami to Tampa, Trafficante purchased an airline ticket in the name of an agent who was supposed to be trailing him undercover. Letsgetstarted. Who better than his son, Trafficante Jr., to inherit his throne? Nuccio, who was not mentioned in the report, served eight years on city council and 19 years on the Hillsborough County Commission before successfully running for mayor in 1956. 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. He maintained all of the lucrative casinos in Cuba, further cemented ties with powerful Mafia families he had established as a young man in New York, and ruthlessly put down any attempts to usurp his territory or power. what they into into these days the tampa italians that is. While he had several close calls with law enforcement including the famed FBI, Late in life LoScalzo denied any connections to organized crime. 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. Bud? Before it was Dino's it was owned by my parents and known as Tony's Famous restaurant which they bought as a small corner store in '52. However, while the Latin American drug trade has figured prominently in the sunshine states less savory history, so has the Mafia. : Trafficante crime family. Ignacio Antinori - Wikipedia with his family. Vincent LoScalzo, 53, operates Brother's Lounge on West Kennedy Boulevard and other Tampa bars. Other Mafia leaders, as well as newer organized crime networks, took over many of the rackets the family ran throughout the 20th Century. Santo Trafficante Jr. - The Mob Museum The crimes range from loansharking and extortion to cocaine distribution and interfering with interstate commerce.