Some Suspects
According to the most popular Mafia-did-it theory, the gangsters Santo Traf-ficante Jr. and Carlos Marcello were responsible for Kennedy's assasination. Other mob names that turn up include Johnny Roselli, Charles Nicoletti, and Sam Giancana. There are dozens of other suspects with ties to the intelligence community, anti-Castro Cubans, right-wing politicians, left-wing Castro supporters, the KGB, and Lyndon Johnson, but this book will concentrate on the gangsters.
Who were some other mobsters that people say were killed because of the Kennedy assassination?
Although the life of a mobster is rife with pitfalls, including the very real possibility of getting whacked over a business deal, the murders of Trafficante associate Eladio del Valle, Chicago boss Sam Giancana, and Johnny Roselli may have been linked to the Kennedy assassination.
Santo Trafficante
Courtesy of AP Images
Mafia Boss Santo Trafficante, of Tampa, Fla., waves before a grand jury appearing, Sept. 30, 1966, Queens, New York. He was one of thirteen reputed Mafia leaders arrested in a Queens restaurant September 22 and held as material witnesses on bail totaling $1.3 million.
Charles Nicoletti
Charles “Chuckie” Nicoletti was a hit man for Sam Giancana. A coveted player in Giancana's stable, Chuckie was reportedly hired by anti-Castro Cuban and CIA figures to be part of the conspiracy to murder Kennedy. Giancana and Johnny Roselli are also part of this particular theory. The main evidence against Nicoletti comes from the confessions of James Files, his one-time driver. Files stated that he and Nicoletti were two of the gunmen that shot Kennedy that November day in Dallas. Chuckie himself was shot in the back of the head just days before he was scheduled to appear before the House Select Committee investigating the JFK assassination. His was just one of dozens of suspicious assassination-related deaths that occurred during the Committee's hearings.
Bill Bonanno's Story
Salvatore “Bill” Bonanno was the son of legendary crime boss Joseph Bonanno. In 1999 Bill came out with a book about his life in the Mafia. It contained a far-fetched story of who killed Kennedy. Bill maintained that Johnny Roselli was one of the shooters and that he shot at the president from a sewer hole in front of the motorcade. Bonanno also said that French/Corsican mobsters were involved in the hit. Bill offers little evidence to back up the claims.
