Charles "Trigger Happy"[1] Fischetti (March 24, 1901 – April 11, 1951) was a Chicago mobster who was Al Capone's bodyguard and cousin.
Charles Fischetti | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 24, 1901 |
| Died | April 11, 1951 |
| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn |
| Occupation | Mobster |
| Spouse | Ann Fischetti |
| Relatives | Rocco Fischetti (brother) Al Capone (cousin) |
Early life
editCharles Fischetti was born on March 24, 1901. His mother was named Mary.[2] He had a brother, Nicholas, who was a dentist,[2] and two other brothers, Rocco and Joseph, who were alleged criminals. He was a cousin of Al Capone.[3][4]
Career
editFischetti started his career as Al Capone's chauffeur in South Brooklyn.[2] In the 1920s, he helped Capone spread his business in Cicero, Illinois.[2] Fischetti attended the 1946 Havana Conference of Cosa Nostra leaders and received the murder contract on Bugsy Siegel.[citation needed] Fischetti was also good friends with singers Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, the former as early as the 1940s.[5] Upon Al Capone's death in 1947, Fischetti reportedly inherited his mob investments.[2]
Fischetti was called a notorious Chicago gangster in the FBI files.[5] With his brother Rocco, he surrendered April 2, 1951, to the sergeant-at-arms of the United States Senate having been sought to testify before the Senate Crime Investigating Committee (Kefauver committee). Charles Fischetti died nine days later, before he could testify.[6][7]
Personal life and death
editFischetti had a wife, Ann.[2] They resided in Miami Beach, Florida.[3]
Fischetti died of a heart attack on April 11, 1951, in Miami Beach, Florida.[6][7] $30,000 worth of flowers in seven cars were sent to his funeral, which was held at Our Lady of Peace Roman Catholic Church at 561 Carroll Street in Brooklyn.[2] It was attended by 1,500 relatives, most of them women.[2] The Brooklyn Daily Eagle suggested they may have been the wives of organized crime associates.[2] Meanwhile, there were also 12 policemen in uniform and 20 in plainclothes.[2] Fischetti was buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York City.[2]
References
edit- ^ Chandler, J. D. (2001) "Frank Sinatra and the Mob" Archived January 16, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Crime Magazine
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "$30,000 Flowers at Fischetti Rites: Seven Auto Loads Accompany Capone Heir To Cemetery--Underworld Pals Absent". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 16, 1951. pp. 1, 9. Retrieved October 8, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Death Claims Fischetti, Key In Underworld". The Evening Review. East Liverpool, Ohio. April 11, 1951. p. 7. Retrieved October 8, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ son of Ralph Capone, Al Capone's brother, Federal Bureau of Investigation "Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts Release of Frank Sinatra File # 174-304", part 2b page 14, accessed October 29, 2009
- ^ a b Federal Bureau of Investigation "Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts Release of Frank Sinatra File # 174-304", part 2b page 14, accessed October 29, 2009
- ^ a b "Underworld Leader Dies At Luxurious Miami Beach Home". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz, California. April 11, 1951. p. 11. Retrieved October 8, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b AP (April 11, 1951) "Charles Fischetti, Gangland Overlord, Dies in Florida" Corpus Christi Times page 11, column 1