MOB MYTH: Women and Family are sacrosanct (they really mean "my family asshole! Not yours!")

I dont really want to get into cases of cavorting mobsters and such, but there's one example that I want to reference in particular.

Santo Trafficante Jr. was/is considered mob royalty by some, perhaps one of the most succesful bosses ever; be that as it may, the guy was a snake. As ruthless as he was in Tampa (as exemplified by his families part in the so called Bolita Wars) as crafty as he was in Havana (where he made millions over the years) to his diplomacy towards other borgata's, its all in the business aint it?

Well hows this for old school mob values. Now Frank Ragano isn't a mobster, and some of his claims are a little on the dubious side. One thing that rings true for me though is his account of Trafficante's eventual proposition towards his wife of many years.

Ragano, the young Sicilian lawyer, had been taken under Trafficante's wing many years ago, as "house counsel" in a way to Trafficante. Trafficante had watched him court and later marry his partner (the same woman that was supposedly introduced to Tommy Lucchese, who apparantly insisted on buying her a fur coat, after she and Ragano accompanied Trafficante to a meeting with the NY boss).

Anyway, after decades of service, there was a falling out, precipitated in part, according to Ragano, by Trafficante's entreaty to his (Ragano's) wife to leave her husband, take their child and start a new life with him as Daddy. She is said to have politely declined.

Fucked up right? Dubious as some of Ragano's claim can be, and as much as he was motivated to "embiggen" (thanks you The Simpsons) Trafficante's spirit, this sounds a little too personal. There was some further nastiness when Ragano refused to represent Trafficante in some of his latter-year legal troubles, which led to threats against Ragano's son.

Now Trafficante was Old School. And he had no compunction over fucking over and later threatening to kill the first born son of a man that had for decades considered him padrino and paisan. Thats the mafia for you eh?

Last edited by Mickey_MeatBalls_DeMonica; 08/17/11 05:34 AM.
(cough.)