The Sinatra Files (25 page)

ASSOCIATION WITH CRIMINALS AND HOODLUMS

A. Ralph Capone

According to an informant of unknown reliability, Frank Sinatra is a nephew of Ralph Capone, well-known Chicago gambler, being a son of one of Capone’s sisters. According to this informant, the Capones brought Sinatra out of obscurity by buying him a nightclub job and paying representatives of the press for favorable publicity.

B. Charles “Lucky” Luciano

In February, 1947, a newspaper columnist reported that Frank Sinatra had been in Havana, Cuba, for four days during the past week and “his companion in public and in private was Luciano, Luciano’s body guards, and a rich collection of gamblers and highbinders. The friendship was beautiful. They were seen together at the race track, the gambling casino and at special parties.”

Luciano is the notorious underworld character who was deported from Cuba to Italy in the spring of 1947.

In connection with the above story concerning Sinatra’s association with Luciano, Robert Ruark personally advised Mr. Nichols that he had been investigating Sinatra.

C. Mickey Cohen

An informant obtained Mickey Cohen’s personal address and telephone book from a highly confidential source and it is to be noted that Frank Sinatra was listed in this book together with his address, 10051 Valley Springs Lane, North Hollywood.

On December 23, 1946, Mickey Cohen asked Jimmy Tarantino to get Frankie Sinatra to come over to the Cohens’ house for ten minutes in order to meet the 14 year old daughter of a Frank Minitti of Cleveland, Ohio, where he was engaged in the excavating business, and asked Tarantino to ask Frankie “to do it for me.” Later it was arranged that Cohen and the Minittis attend one of Sinatra’s broadcasts and sit on the stage and apparently they did meet him.

It was further reported that, since January 7, 1947, Sinatra and Cohen have consulted several times, apparently about some fighters that Sinatra had under contract. Further, that on one occasion Cohen accused an unknown individual of having threatened Frank Sinatra, which was denied.

D. Charles Fischetti, Joseph Fischetti and Rocco Fischetti

In his column entitled “Broadway” which appeared in the “Washington Times Herald” of February 28, 1947, Danton Walker stated “Frankie Sinatra was the Miami Beach house guest of the Fischetti boys of Chicago—Rocky, Charlie and Joe—and flew with him to Havana, which is how he happened to meet Lucky Luciano, which is expected to get bigger as time goes on.”

The Fischetti brothers are well-known underworld characters in the Chicago area, who have been reported by other sources to be closely acquainted with Frank Sinatra. The Fischettis are reported to be cousins of the late Alphonse Capone. This may possibly account for Sinatra’s connection with them, if it is true, as reported above, that he is a nephew of Ralph Capone, the brother of the late Al Capone.

Joseph Fischetti, born in May, 1910, Brooklyn, New York, is considered more or less a public relations contact for his two brothers, Rocco and Charles, and is known to have contacts throughout the country among the underworld, as well as with individuals in the entertainment field. It is believed that he is associated with his brothers in handbook operations in Chicago and,
according to reports, the brothers operate a gambling concession at the Chez Paree night club in Chicago, which is reported to be operated under the protection of Joseph Arvey and Arthur X. Elrod, Democratic politicians in Chicago.

charles Fischetti, who claims to have been born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 24, 1901, was reported, in 1948, by police informants to be the nation-wide contact man for the Chicago Syndicate and to own several gambling houses on the wealthy Chicago North Shore. Rocco Fischetti has been the business manager of the Fischetti gambling houses.

As of October, 1948, the Fischetti brothers resided at the Barry Apartments, 8100 Sheridan Road, Chicago. In addition, they reportedly spend considerable time in Miami, where they are also reported to operate their gambling interests.

Additional evidence of Sinatra’s association with the Fischetti brothers is noted below:

Through the assistance of former members of the Chicago Police Department, a photograph was located which had been taken in Havana, Cuba, in September, 1947, which shows Frank Sinatra getting off of an airplane preceded by Joseph Fischetti and followed by Rocco Fischetti.

During May, 1947, an informant reported observing Frank Sinatra in the company of Joseph Fischetti several times, during the period that Sinatra had been in Miami Beach, at that time. The informant added that he believed the two men had made a trip together to Havana, Cuba. This informant further stated that either Joseph Fischetti had made a statement to the effect that he had a financial interest in Sinatra, or that someone had repeated this remark as having been made by Joseph Fischetti.

Information was received that when Joseph Fischetti returned to Chicago on July 23, 1946, he was in touch with Frank Sinatra, who was then entertaining at the Copacabana in New York City, and arrangements were made for the men to visit together.

Sometime between August 16 and August 23, 1946, exact date not given, Frank Sinatra’s secretary, Bobby Burns, contacted Joseph Fischetti from Los Angeles to explain that Sinatra expected to be in New York about September 5, and arrangements were made with Fischetti for them to get together in New York City for three or four days.

The Chicago Field Office advised that Charles Fischetti was requested to get in touch with his brother, Joe Fischetti, for the purpose of contacting Sinatra in New York to expedite room reservations for a football game to be played around November 7, 1946. It was indicated that the reservations for the hotels were desired by the Fischettis as they intended to take in the Notre Dame-Army football game. In addition, it was reported that Fischetti forwarded two dozen shirts to Frank Sinatra in Hollywood.

charles Fischetti, accompanied by Frank Sinatra, visited Fischetti’s mother at 424 2nd Street, Brooklyn, New York, about May or June, 1946. It was the informant’s impression that Sinatra was a very close friend of Charles Fischetti, since he visited Charles Fischetti and Fischetti’s mother for approximately three hours, during this particular visit.