Carlos Marcello
February 6, 1910 – March 3, 1993
Carlos Marcello (born Calogero Minacore) was born to Sicilian parents in Tunis, North Africa, on 6 February, 1910. Marcello emigrated to the United States and in 1929 was arrested for bank robbery by the police in New Orleans. These charges were later dropped but the following year he was convicted of assault and robbery and was sentenced to the State penitentiary for 9 years (served 5 years).
In 1938 Marcello was arrested and charged with the sale of more than 23 pounds of narcotics. Despite receiving another lengthy prison sentence and a $76,830 fine, Marcello served less than 10 months in prison. On his release from prison Marcello became associated with Frank Costello, the leader of the Genovese crime family in New York.
By the end of 1947, Marcello had taken control of Louisiana’s gambling network. He had also joined forces with Meyer Lansky in order to buy some of the most important gambling casinos in the New Orleans area. By this time Marcello was the undisputed leader of the Mafia in New Orleans. He was to hold this position for the next 30 years.
On 24th March, 1959, Marcello appeared before the Senate Committee investigating organized crime. Serving as chief counsel to the committee was Robert F. Kennedy; his brother, Senator John F. Kennedy, was a member of the committee. In response to committee questioning, Marcello again invoked the fifth amendment in refusing to answer any questions relating to his background, activities, and associates. After becoming president John F. Kennedy appointed his brother, Robert Kennedy, as U.S. Attorney General. The two men worked closely together on a wide variety of issues including the attempt to tackle organized crime. In March 1961, the Attorney General took steps to have Marcello deported to Guatemala (the country Marcello had falsely listed as his birthplace). On 4th April, Marcello was arrested by the authorities and taken forcibly removed to Guatemala.
It did not take Marcello long to get back into the United States. Undercover informants reported that Marcello made several threats against John F. Kennedy, at one time uttering the traditional Sicilian death threat curse, “Take the stone from my shoe.” In September 1962 he told private investigator Edward Becker that a dog will continue to bite you if you cut off its tail (meaning Attorney General Robert Kennedy.) Whereas if you cut off the dog’s head, (meaning President Kennedy) it would cease to cause trouble. Becker reported that Marcello “clearly stated that he was going to arrange to have President Kennedy killed in some way.” Marcello told another informant that he would need to take out “insurance” for the assassination by “setting up some nut to take the fall for the job, just like they do in Sicily.” Just before Kennedy was assassinated on 22nd November, 1963, Jack Ruby made contact with Marcello, and another Mafia leader, Santos Trafficante, about a labor problem he was having with the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA).
After the assassination of Kennedy the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated Marcello. They came to the conclusion that they “did not believe Carlos Marcello was a significant organized crime figure” and that Marcello earned his living “as a tomato salesman and real estate investor.” As a result of this investigation the Warren Commission concluded that there was no direct link between Ruby and Marcello.
In 1966 Marcello was arrested in New York City after having met with some local gangsters. He was eventually charged with consorting with known felons and after a long drawn out legal battle he was eventually convicted for assault. Sentenced to two years in prison he served less than six months, and was released on 12 March, 1971.
G. Robert Blakey, chief counsel and staff director to the House Select Committee on Assassinations, published The Plot to Kill the President in 1981. In the book Blakey argues that there was a conspiracy to kill John F. Kennedy. He believes that Lee Harvey Oswald was involved but believes that there was at least one gunman firing from the Grassy Knoll. Blakey came to the conclusion that Marcello, along with Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana and Tampa, Florida mafia leader Santo Trafficante, Jr. were complicit in planning the assassination.
On 14th January, 1992, a New York Post story claimed Marcello, Jimmy Hoffa and Santo Trafficante had all been involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Frank Ragano was quoted as saying that at the beginning of 1963 Hoffa had told him to take a message to Trafficante and Marcello concerning a plan to kill Kennedy. When the meeting took place at the Royal Orleans Hotel, Ragano told the men: “You won’t believe what Hoffa wants me to tell you. Jimmy wants you to kill the president.” He reported that both men gave the impression that they intended to carry out this order.
In his autobiography, Mob Lawyer (1994) (co-written with journalist Selwyn Raab) attorney Frank Ragano added that in July, 1963, he was once again sent to New Orleans by Jimmy Hoffa to meet Marcello and Santo Trafficante concerning plans to kill President John F. Kennedy. When Kennedy was killed, Hoffa apparently told Ragano: “I told you that they could do it. I’ll never forget what Carlos and Santo did for me.” He added: “This means Bobby is out as Attorney General”. Marcello later told Ragano: “When you see Jimmy (Hoffa), you tell him he owes me and he owes me big.”
Carlos Marcello died in prison on 3 March, 1993 while serving a federal sentence on bribery charges.