Carlos Marcello

[Adam Wilkinson]

I am beginning to research into Carlos Marcello, the New Orleans mafia boss and his connection with Jack Ruby. Marcello was a chief target of the Kennedy administrations war on crime. I was wanting to know everybody’s thoughts on the Marcello aspect to the assassination, and if anybody could provide information for me.

[Tim Gratz]

Marcello was clearly involved. He mentioned his involvement while under sedation in a hospital and being guarded by FBI agents. A copy of the actual FBI reports and reproduced in the book "Triangle of Death". In addition, his buddy Santo Trafficante, Jr. admitted to his lawyer the involvement of Trafficante (i.e. himself) and Marcello) in the assassination.

I believe Marcello may have used his "bagman" Jack Halfen to blackmail LBJ into engineering the cover-up.

[John Dolva]

I am beginning to research into Carlos Marcello, the New Orleans mafia boss and his connection with Jack Ruby. Marcello was a chief target of the Kennedy administrations war on crime. I was wanting to know everybody’s thoughts on the Marcello aspect to the assassination, and if anybody could provide information for me.

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Adam, over here in wa in the local Crazy Prices they are stocking a set of mafia cd's, lots of background stuff, one on jfk and mafia. (also they have one on kgb and jfk) Mostly it's footage with voice over. about 10 bucks a pop.

From when I lived in blue mntns, I remember they have the crazy stores over there too.

[Stephen Roy]

I am beginning to research into Carlos Marcello, the New Orleans mafia boss and his connection with Jack Ruby. Marcello was a chief target of the Kennedy administrations war on crime. I was wanting to know everybody’s thoughts on the Marcello aspect to the assassination, and if anybody could provide information for me.

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A couple of quick thoughts:

If you don't have them, get John Davis's Mafia Kingfish and David Sceim's Contract on America, as well as Blakey's book.

I used to be heavily into the mob theory, but have softened in recent years. Nevertheless MANY people I have interviewed for my Ferrie biography have Marcello stories. Clearly, Ferrie was close to the Marcello group, at least 1963-1967. Some stories are minor, like Ferrie lending a red T-Bird to a patron at his gas station while repairing his car. The patron later found that the car belonged to one of the Marcello brothers. Some are more substantial: Ferrie brought a friend a package apparently containing tapes and papers, in case something happened to him. He later retrieved it unopened. The friend understood it to be material relating to Marcello. And a businessman told Ferrie about an investment and Ferrie showed up with 50k. Is this from your Italian friends? Yes. Well, I don't want it. Lots of interesting stuff, so you never know.

[Adam Wilkinson]

I am beginning to research into Carlos Marcello, the New Orleans mafia boss and his connection with Jack Ruby. Marcello was a chief target of the Kennedy administrations war on crime. I was wanting to know everybody’s thoughts on the Marcello aspect to the assassination, and if anybody could provide information for me.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Adam, over here in wa in the local Crazy Prices they are stocking a set of mafia cd's, lots of background stuff, one on jfk and mafia. (also they have one on kgb and jfk) Mostly it's footage with voice over. about 10 bucks a pop.

From when I lived in blue mntns, I remember they have the crazy stores over there too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for that John, I will look into it.

Edited September 2, 2005 by Adam Wilkinson

[Scott Deitche]

Marcello also had control over Dallas. Although the FBI claims that the Dallas family dissolved after Joe Civello's death in 1971 (or 72 can't recall offhand), Joe Campisi kept things alive there as an extended arm of the Marcello crime family. You also had the Maceos in Galveston who were tied to Marcello and elements of the loosely configured Dixie Mafia.

Trafficante kept close ties with Marcello and after his death and the imprionment of Carlos Marcello from BRILAB, the Trafficante criem family kept those ties humming along. IN fact, there was a Marcello guy who lived in Tampa, and just a couple years ago, a Marcello associate Lebo Mancuso was running sophisticated mutli-million dollars cons in Tampa.

Vincent LoScalzo, Trafficante's alleged successor, also kept close with Joe Campisis before Campisi died.

[Lynne Foster]

I am beginning to research into Carlos Marcello, the New Orleans mafia boss and his connection with Jack Ruby. Marcello was a chief target of the Kennedy administrations war on crime. I was wanting to know everybody’s thoughts on the Marcello aspect to the assassination, and if anybody could provide information for me.

This is certainly an excellent summary about marcello's involvement.

[Lynne Foster]

As you can see, Jim Garrison and J. Edgar Hoover were ultimately the source behind the power of "tomato salesmen" like Carlos Marcello.

[Daniel Meyer]

The New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper, in marking their 175 anniversary, has been running a series of New Orleans area history articles.

Most of the articles are nothing special (and many regrettably sloppy), but lots of the old photos they've been digging out from their archives are of interest. Today's feature was on Carlos Marcello:

http://www.nola.com/175years/index.ssf/2011/11/1951_mafia_boss_carlos_marcell.html

Photo gallery:

http://photos.nola.com/4500/gallery/1950_carlos_marcello_and_organized_crime/index.html

I'm amused to see that Marcello's forged Guatemalan birth certificate seems to be written in a mix of Spanish and Italian.

Also note some reader comments defending Marcello. While far from general, such opinions are still heard.

Many who encountered him while they were working in service industries or as musicians remember him as a very generous tipper.

One musician friend has an amusing story of how he was in a band playing for the St. Joseph's Day Italian Parade. Different prominent families and organizations sponsored carriages they rode in and bands that followed them. The band my friend was in was a good hot New Orleans jazz brass band, getting an enthusiastic response -- so Carlos Marcello hired the band away from their original sponsors during the event with handfuls of banknotes and had them follow his carriage for the rest of the parade.

Related threads on this forum:

* http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=3174 Carlos Marcello Admits Involvement

* http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=4068 The Mafia Did It

* http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKmarcello.htm Carlos Marcello bio on Spartacus Educational

One more Marcello related observation tied to earlier discussion on this thread: I find it remarkable how few who allege a major connection between Marcello and Garrison have observed that Marcello's family home, country house, casino, base restaurant, and office were all out of Garrison's district. Come to think of it, I can't recall any of them ever making that observation.

Edited November 26, 2011 by Daniel Meyer