Mob Stories

A black and white photo of the front of a restaurant.
THE BEST OF TAMPA’S MOBSTER HANGOUTS
The original Malio's Restaurant is located on South Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa, Florida. THE...
A man and woman standing next to each other.
THROUGH THE EYES OF A DAUGHTER: THE HIT ON JIMMY VELASCO
Sylvia at age 12 and her father Jimmy Velasco in California, June 1948 Jimmy Velasco...
A man in a suit and tie with a mustache.
TAMPA’S FIRST MAFIA BOSS
Ignazio Italiano's mug shot Sicilian Black Hand activities have existed in Tampa and Ybor City...
A group of people sitting around a table.
THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BOLITA
Forget everything you think you know about Tampa mafia wives and girlfriends in the 1950s....
A man in suit and tie posing for the camera.
THE HIT THAT EXPOSED SOME OF TAMPA’S ELITE
Jimmy Velasco Wearing a long coat and a hat that covered half his face, the...
A white house with two black dogs statues in front of it.
AL CAPONE’S TAMPA BAY CONNECTION
The Shore Acres home is 2,350-square-feet with 10 rooms that Capone reputedly built in 1925...
TAMPA MAFIA TAKEOVER OF THE ‘BURG’
Henry Tafficante When bolita kingpin Charlie Williams was killed in Ybor City in February of 1953, local...
A black and white photo of an old man.
THE KILLER IN YBOR CITY!
Robert Anderson aka The Killer Between 50 and 100 buildings were burned. Seven people were...
A group of men standing next to each other.
THE DEVIL LOOKS AFTER HIS OWN
THE CHARLIE WALL STORY Kingpin Charlie Wall (center holding bottle, right of child) and his...
A wooden board with buttons on it
BOLITA VICE SQUAD
Bolita Bust In March of 1958, Buddy Meisch, a young hard-nosed ex-Tampa cop turned deputy,...
A black and white photo of fidel castro and an older man.
SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY
Did the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Make a Deal With Fidel Castro for the Release...
A man with a very large forehead and eyes.
HORROR IN YBOR CITY-The Victor Licata Murders
Victor Licata was nicknamed "The Dream Slayer." Blood soaked the beds and dripped off the...
A black and white drawing of a giant gorilla
REEFER MADNESS HITS YBOR CITY
That's not always the café con leche and tobacco smoke you smell wafting through the...
A man in a suit and bow tie is sitting at a microphone.
ORGANIZED CRIME ON TRIAL: The Kefauver Hearings
Charlie Wall The Kefauver hearings arrived in Tampa in December of 1950. Tennessee Senator Estes...
A man in striped robe standing next to dresser.
CHARLIE WALL: THE BOLITA KINGPIN
Charlie Wall would conduct illegal gambling meetings in his home wearing his iconic robe. Hollywood...