Tag: Sam Giancana

Handsome Johnny: The Life and Death of Johnny Rosselli: Gentleman Gangster, Hollywood Producer, CIA Assassin – Lee Server

On By Genyc79In BiographiesLeave a comment

On August 7, 1976, a fifty-five-gallon drum was found floating in Dumfoundling Bay near Miami, Florida. Upon closer inspection, authorities were shocked to discover human remains which had been packed inside of the drum with the victim’s legs completely severed. The body was later identified as Johnny “Handsome” Roselli (1905-1976), a well-known Italian American crime figure who had made a fortune in Hollywood and worked with factions within the United States Government to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro (1926-2016).  Roselli’s death was as mysterious as his life as a powerful figure in the criminal underworld. Author Lee Server explores his life in this interesting biography which gave me chills.

I knew of Johnny Roselli before reading the book due to his name appearing in books regarding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963). The Kennedy family makes their appearance in this book as well, when young Jack finds friends in Las Vegas through his connection to singer Frank Sinatra (1915-1998). But before we reach Roselli’s time on the West Coast, we first learn of his early life in Esperia, Italy, and the family’s migration to Boston, Massachusetts. At first it is a standard immigrant tale of the times but when Roselli’s father passes away, life for young Filippo Sacco as he was known then, is never the same. A stepfather enters the picture, but another curveball is thrown at the reader when we learn of the insanity surrounding his mother’s new love. I was speechless as I read this section, but I was not surprised that young Filippo soon found himself on the wrong side of the law which required an exit stage left.

Chicago is what you would expect, full of gangsters, corrupt politicians, and violence galore. And Johnny steps right into, engaging with some of the most dangerous figures in the annals of organized crime, including Alphonse “Al” Capone (1899-1947) and Frank Nitti (1886-1943). Eventually Chicago loses its luster, and an invitation to come out to California arrives. Seizing the moment, Roselli agrees and the biography changes gears as we revisit the golden age of Hollywood, Las Vegas, and their dark secrets. There is a lot to unpack but the author’s writing style is smooth and engaging, and I found myself soaking up the information as the pages went by. He provides the right amount of attention to each subject without affecting the pace of the book. Roselli was firmly entrenched in the film scene and found himself surrounded by the biggest names in the industry. Yet, no one knew anything about his past. He remained a mystery even to those who knew him well. But that anonymity and steady cash flow were derailed when Castro and his revolutionaries took over Cuba. Roselli may not have known it at the time, but his role in the efforts to silence Castro would seal his own fate in ways he could not have predicted.

When the decision is made to covertly approach the mafia to help oust Castro, the story morphs into a surreal tale of strange alliances, double crosses, and secret agreements. This part of the book is wild, and only the beginning. Roselli’s role and the fallout from the failed attempts to topple Castro are discussed in numerous books regarding Kennedy’s murder but Server provides a good summary of what happened to keep the focus on Roselli’s life story. However, what he does discuss is enough to leave readers with enough information to piece together the picture of the intelligence community’s desire to eliminate Castro. The White House was aware of the plans in store for Castro’s domain, and Roselli found himself in a usual position along with mobster Salvatore “Sam” Giacana (1908-1975), who plays a significant role in Roselli’s story and the Castro plots. There is also a discussion of the 1960 election which remains controversial due to claims that it was “fixed” for Kennedy’s win. When the covert plans between the mafia and government agencies are discovered, both Giacana and Roselli soon realize their lives will never be the same after the Government turned its attention to both.

Roselli finds himself on the radar of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) which begins to investigate his background, and what they find regarding his emigration to America comes back to haunt Roselli’s every move. I was not aware of this part of his story and could not help but think it is something we are currently seeing today as background checks take on a more serious nature. Criminal charges and a conviction for an unrelated issue arise, and following several years of incarceration, Roselli is freed in 1973. The author traces his steps as he relocates from California to Florida where his sister and husband reside. His life calms down as he keeps a low profile, but the past was not done with him. He had become a key witness for committees investigating the intelligence community and its bags of tricks. On July 28, 1976, Roselli took his sister’s car and left the house, never to be seen alive again. The author rightfully explains the gruesome death and the discovery of his remains, but the book does not go into motive or suspects. Instead, it concludes right after his body is given to his relatives. I think a discussion about the crime and who wanted him dead would have been beneficial, but the book is still a great read.

Johnny Roselli’s death remains unsolved, but there are theories as to who killed him. Personally, my first guess would be the mafia itself who saw him as a liability. The manner of his death and sudden disappearance have the markings of a mob hit. Whether that is what happened is unknown, but readers can come to their own conclusions. His death was tragic, but his life was anything but ordinary. He lived fast, spent lavishly, enjoyed access to powerful people, and died violently as powerful people covered their tracks and tied up loose ends. However, Roselli did leave his mark on Hollywood and in American history for better and worse. This is his story and a look at the Italian American mafia whose influence in the United States continues to fascinate readers and moviegoers alike.

ASIN‏ : B00AAYF9MK
Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin’s Press, November 13, 2018

The Trafficantes, Godfathers from Tampa, Florida: The Mafia, the CIA and the JFK Assassination – Ron Chepesiuk

On By Genyc79In American History, Organized CrimeLeave a comment

trafficante

The official story put forth by the Warren Commission is that President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald (1939-1963) who fired three shots from the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. However, Oswald’s guilt has long been in doubt and in 1976, the House Select Committee on Assassinations found a “probable conspiracy” in Kennedy’s murder. Some believe that the conspirators included members of the Italian American Mafia, notably mob bosses Santo Trafficante, Jr. (1914-1987) of Florida and Carlos Marcello (1910-1993) of New Orleans, Louisiana. We know for certain that Oswald was at the Book Depository as the assassination happened. However, events that played out following the shooting in Dealey Plaza indicated a darker and more sinister climate of danger that awaited Kennedy as he stepped off Air Force One at Love Field that morning. It is no secret that mobsters were not fans of Kennedy or his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy (1929-1968). But did the mob have the power to kill the president? Author Ron Chepesiuk explores this question and more in this short book about the Trafficante family and the role the mob may have played in Kennedy’s death.

Believers of the lone gunman theory will not entertain any theories about the mob, CIA, or others. And for good reason. If we do believe the mob was involved, then a conspiracy exists. However, the mob did have motive, and that aspect is addressed in the book. But before we get to the Kennedy assassination, the author primes us with background information on Trafficante and his father Santo Trafficante, Sr. (1886-1954) who were the undisputed rulers of the Tampa underworld. The book is not an extensive biography of the father or son but provides basic information to understand who they were. But what is of more interest are the connections between them and other underworld figures, and this is where the plot thickens.

Because the book is short, there is a lot of information that is highly condensed. Readers may benefit from other material on the Kennedy assassination, and I always recommend the late Jim Maars’ (1943-2017) ‘Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy‘ which provides a thorough analysis of the shooting in Dealey Plaza, the death of Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit (1924-1963) and numerous other components of the crime that will send chills down your spine.  Chepesiuk’s story is solely on the Mafia, but he does mention other players when necessary.  However, the story here remains centered around the Trafficantes, Marcello and the nexus of underworld crime figures who welded power in America. There are no “smoking guns”, but I did notice that anyone expected to appear before the House Select Committee on Assassinations seemed to meet a sudden death. Appearances are made in the story by Chicago mobster Salvatore “Sam” Giacana (1908-1975) and mobster Johnny Roselli (1905-1976). Their stories are surreal, especially Giancana’s direct link to Kennedy.

It is impossible to discuss the mob’s anger at Kennedy without acknowledging the impact of former Cuban President Fidel Castro (1926-2016). Prior to the Cuban Revolution, the Mafia had turned Cuba into a cash machine and playground for Americans looking for a quick getaway to have fun. Former Cuban President Fulgencio Batista (1901-1973) had allowed the mob open reign but on January 1, 1959, that all changed as Castro marched triumphantly down the streets of Havana. Mobsters who had the means to do so, left as soon as they could. But Trafficante Jr. had an interesting experience in Cuba which I had forgotten about. It is telling of what Castro through of the mob and sets the stage for the future alliance between the CIA, Mafia, and disgruntled Cuban exiles. Castro was serious and the only way the mob could enjoy Cuba was if the bearded leader were gone. This is the beginning of a dark rabbit hole which we cannot go into here. But the author gives us an idea of the sinister partnerships that existed for “mutual benefit”.

There is one more section of the book I want to address, as no discussion of Kennedy’s murder can be held without addressing the dark presence of Jack Ruby (1911-1967), whose actions that weekend following the assassination were strange to say the least. The Warren Commission insisted that Oswald and Ruby did not know each other. But is that the truth? As seen in the book there is compelling evidence that they did know each other, and I recommend readers watch the documentary ‘Rush to Judgment‘ by the late Mark Lane (1924-2016) who published the book of the same name.  Ruby’s mob connections cannot be ignored, and the author weaves them into the story at hand showing that powerful figures were watching Oswald.

The truth about Kennedy’s murder may never be known. And if it is, maybe not in my lifetime as author Anthony Summers says in his book regarding the murder.  Thousands of pages of records are still classified, and as time passes, those with knowledge of what did happen will pass on taking what they know with them to the grave. But I do believe that we have enough information to know that Oswald was only a small piece in a larger puzzle. The mob certainly wanted Kennedy gone and benefited from his death. It had the money and power, but to a certain extent. Removing a president from office is a concerted effort dependent on compartmentalization, a concept the Mafia knew well. The list of Kennedy’s enemies was long, and his death was nothing short of regime change. The mob was only one enemy, and its role is still up for debate. But what Chepesiuk shows is that the mob had a personal stake in seeing Kennedy eliminated. For a good understanding of the powerful crime figures who had turned sour on Kennedy, this is an informative read.

ASIN: B003BIGGQA

The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe-Donald H. Wolfe

On By Genyc79In Biographies1 Comment

MarilynOn August 5, 1962,  newspapers around the world relayed the news of the death of Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) the night before at her home in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles, California at the age of thirty-six.  The cause of death was listed as suicide from an overdose of the drugs Pentobarbital and chloral hydrate.  However, decades after her death, several question still remain regarding that tragic night of August 4, 1962.  What really happened that night and why was she paid a visit by then Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968) and his brother-in-law Peter Lawford (1923-1984)?

The image we have been given of Monroe is a drug-addicted sex symbol, starved for validation from the opposite sex and unable to cope with the rigors of Hollywood.  Her previous suicide attempts gave credence to this perpetuated image and for many, it was the ending that they expected for quite some time.   Her life reads like a tragic novel of a heroine unable to fully come to terms with herself and seeking love and affection in all of the wrong places.  However in just thirty-six years, she lived a live that some can only dream of.  At at one point in her life, she was the most desired woman in the world.  Donald H. Wolfe takes us back in time to the those final days in August, 1962 to piece together what really did happen and why.

The book opens by revisiting the night of August 4 and the pandemonium that ensued following Monroe’s death.  Immediately we learn of several disturbing facts that set the tone of the book. Wolfe does an incredible job of keeping the suspense going and the reader engaged.   And rightfully so, he not only explores her death but also provides a concise biography that sets the stage for events that took place later in her life.  Behind the facade of a starlet singing happy birthday to the President, lay a woman raised in a childhood which could best be described as tragic.  However, in order to understand Monroe’s life and her death, it is necessary to explore her beginnings which Wolfe presents to us without breaking the momentum of the book.  And I can assure you that once you start you will be hard pressed to put it down.

Although the book is about Monroe’s final days, there are many sub-stories that are told which gives us an inside view of the inner-workings of Hollywood and politics in the middle of the twentieth century.   As she moves through one circle to the next, some of the biggest names in show business, sports and politics make an appearance in her life such as   John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), Frank Sinatra (1915-1998), Clark Gable (1901-1960), J. Edgar Hoover (1895-1972) and Yankee legend Joe DiMaggio (1914-1999).   However, among all of the people who cross paths with her, her life takes a much darker and tragic turn through her association with the Kennedys and their associates and it is this relationship that forms the crux the remaining third of the book.  After you have finished the book, you may come to see the administration in a different light.  Today it is public knowledge that an affair did take place between Jack Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe.  And if all accounts are correct, Monroe and Robert Kennedy also had their intimate moments.  The sexual content is fodder for gossips and tabloid magazines.  But what was critical was the true nature of their relationship and the many secrets Monroe possessed about the most powerful man in the country.   In fact, it is quite possible that she did have the power to bring down a presidency.   Was this the reason for the urgent visits by J. Edgar Hoover to the White House in May, 1962 and that last visit by Robert Kennedy on the day she died?  Or was this the reason for the heated arguments that took place between Monroe and Robert Kennedy in the weeks leading up to her death? And how much did she know about their association with Frank Sinatra and mobster Sam Giancana?  Certainly, many of their discussions which were likely picked up by the FBI may never be known.  Other recordings by the President are locked away in the Kennedy library.  A little over one year after Monroe’s death,  John Kennedy himself was cut down in a hail of bullets in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963.  Several years later, Bobby would be gone as well, also the victim of an assassination at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California on June 5, 1968.  In death they joined a long list of political figures and stars that died during the turbulent decade of the 1960s.

Marilyn Monroe remains a sex icon decades after her death.  Young women still hang posters of her on their walls and purchase t-shirts with her image.  In death, she became a legend whose left this world far too soon.   Her life was in some ways a soap opera with affairs, fairy tale romances, political scandals, drugs, mental health issues and tragically, broken homes.  Sadly, many people in her life failed her not just on one but on several occasions.  But if there is one inspiring aspect of the story, it is her resiliency to move forward in life and command respect even in the most difficult of times.   And had her life taken a slightly different course, then perhaps she might still be alive today well into her senior years and full of knowledge about Hollywood’s golden era.  This is the story of the life and final days of Marilyn Monroe, a true Hollywood icon.

ISBN-10: 0688162886
ISBN-13: 978-0688162887

Double Cross: The Explosive Inside Story of the Mobster Who Controlled America-Sam Giancana,Chuck Giancana and Bettina Giancana

On By Genyc79In Organized CrimeLeave a comment

61nm4hsx32l-_sx331_bo1204203200_June 19, 1975-Former boss of the Chicago mafia, Sam “Mooney” Giancana is shot and killed in the basement kitchen of his home in Oak Park, IL.  Giancana had been extradited from Cuernavaca, Mexico and was scheduled to give testimony to the newly formed Church Committee.   Some have speculated that his murder was to silence the old mafioso in the fear that he might reveal an unknown number of secrets about the American mafia and its relationship with the Unites Government.  His death shocks the nation and raises many more questions about the events in Cuba, Chicago and Dallas, Texas.  For several decades, he ruled Chicago with an iron fist and was privy to nearly every major event to occur in the Windy City.

‘Double Cross’ is the inside story of Giancana’s life by his younger brother, the late Chuck Giancana, Sam’s nephew also named Sam and Bettina Giancana, a published author and recognized expert in the field of organized crime.  The book is written like a novel but it is far from fiction and this story of the mobster who controlled America is one of the most revealing books I have ever read and helps to reader to understand just how powerful the  mafia had become in the United States.   Years before the RICO act was designed and used by prosecutors to break the backbone of organized crime,  the mafia controlled nearly every aspect of American society.  And among these power players was none other than Sam Giancana, whose reach stretched from all corners of the country, countries abroad and even to the oval office.  The son of Italian immigrants learned the tricks of the trade through the hard knocks of life on the gritty streets of Chicago which at the time, was the city known to be a haven for organized crime featuring such characters as Hymie Weiss, Al Capone, George “Bugs” Moran and Dion O’Banion to name a few.   And his stint in Joliet prison served to toughen his character making a more hardened and remorseless gangster.  His brother Chuck, at his brother’s side for most of their lives, recalls their discussion about the events of the day and the secret world of the Syndicate.  And as we listen to Chuck while he tells us what he remembers, we begin to see a very dark portrait of a dangerous, power-hungry, merciless  and intelligent person fully entrenched in the underworld where he would remain for the rest of his life.

When John F. Kennedy’s election campaign began to pick up steam, it became evident that some states would need more attention than others.  An Irish-Catholic had never been elected President and many of the toughest states were Protestant strongholds.   One more than one occasion, it has been alleged that Joe Kennedy bought the election for his son.   We do know that Richard Nixon’s campaign wanted a recount, but their efforts were nipped in the bud by officials in Illinois.   If Chuck’s words ring true and other sources are to be believed, then this book’s revelations about more campaign secrets will serve to undercut all that we thought we knew about past elections.  Those familiar with the Kenned family  and the history of Joe Kennedy’s wealthy empire will be fully aware of the bootlegging of illegal liquor that helped him amass such a staggering fortune.  But what is often unknown, are the deep connections to the Chicago mob all leading directly to Giancana.

After Kennedy took office and made his younger brother Robert Attorney General,  a war was unleashed on the American mafia.   It was a war that Giancana called nothing short of a double cross and the number of victims would be staggering and include the late Marilyn Monroe.   The truth about Dallas is still completely unknown but after reading this book, you might find yourself with more answers than questions and view the crime in a completely different light.

ISBN-10: 1510711244
ISBN-13: 978-1510711242