“We took care of Kennedy”
Those were the famous words uttered by the Acting Boss of the Chicago Outfit, Sam Giancana, after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
Sam, or Momo as he was also called, was a notorious mobster who mingled with the stars of Hollywood, with politicians, and more importantly with the CIA in a plot to assassinate Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
Giancana’s Early Career
In the 1920’s and 1930’s Giancana developed a reputation for being an excellent getaway driver, a high earner and a vicious killer. As part of the 42 Gang he would take part in small time robberies, reporting to the boss of the gang Joseph Esposito. After Esposito’s murder in 1928, the 42 Gang merged into what we now know the Chicago Outfit.
Giancana’s leadership qualities and knack for making money on the street gained him the notice of the Outfit’s leaders, and by the late 1950’s Giancana had the chance to step into the Bosses shoes when Tony Accardo and Paul Ricca decided to take a backseat.
However, Giancana was believed to have been just an acting boss during his reign, having to consult
Accardo and Ricca on all major business transactions and assassinations. By the late 50’s Fidel Castro had also come into power in Cuba…
The Plot to Kill Fidel Castro
Giancana, along with Santo Trafficante, Jr. were contacted in September 1960, about the possibility of an assassination attempt by a go-between from the CIA. The CIA had spoken to Johnny Roselli who was Giancana’s number-two man.
They had offered the mob $150,000 for the elimination of Castro. This is where Giancana’s first ties with the Kennedy Administration came into play, but despite several attempts at poising, Castro was never removed from his position.
The John F. Kennedy Assassination
Moving on a few years Giancana was again at the center of attention for being behind the JFK hit in 1963. Giancana is said to have helped Kennedy win the Illinois election of 1960, against his opponent Richard Nixon.However the Kennedy Administration soon turned on Giancana when both John and Robert Kennedy decided to crack down on organized crime in an effort to expose the inner-workings of the mob to the public.
First on the hitlist, Sam Giancana.
In early 1963 the FBI had put a 24-hour surveillance team on Giancana’s home, by orders from the Kennedy Administration.
On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was shot in the head as his car passed through downtown Dallas. Stories began to compile that Santo Trafficante, Carlos Marcello, Jimmy Hoffa, and Johnny Roselli were all involved in the assassination.
The mob’s lawyer, 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.”
Both men gave the impression that they intended to carry out this order.
Giancana Gets Whacked
Did Giancana win the 1960 election for JFK? Was he then part of the Kennedy assassination? Who knows as he was rubbed out before he could testify.
On July 19, 1975 Giancana let a friend into his house, and made him and his guest some dinner (sausage with peppers with beans). We don’t know who his friend was, we just know that there was no forced entry into his Oak Park home, situated at 1147 South Wenonah Avenue.
To add flames to the fire, remember the FBI surveillance? Well even though that was 24/7 on his house no FBI were in sight on the evening of his murder. This means that orders must have been given to pull the FBI so the murder could take place and the hitman could have escaped the scene without issue.
Giancana was shot once in the back of the head, and then six times in the face.
One theory points to the Outfit’s Enforcer, Anthony Spilotro, as being the man behind the Giancana shooting.
Giancana was 67.
