Why Is Frank Sinatra Important

Frank Sinatra, famous crooner and actor, took the world by storm and was considered to be one of the most influential music artists of the 20th Century. Referred to as “the voice”, Sinatra lead a life of great wealth and fame, but also great controversy. The mafia, Chicago outfit, dating back over a century, were powerful and dangerous. Frank Sinatra’s alleged involvement with this crime-syndicate could be the most controversial aspect of his life. While some claim it’s impossible, there is far too much evidence on the contrary to ignore. His own heritage (being of Italian descent), his investments in hotels and casinos own and ran by known mobsters and his affiliation with Mob Boss Carlo Gambino all clearly indicate that Sinatra was connected
His father, Anthony Martin Sinatra, migrated from Italy to America in 1903, at the age of 11. He went on to become a firefighter in Hoboken, professional boxer, and bar owner during the prohibition. Frank Sinatra’s mother, Natalina Marina Vitoria Garaventa, or “Dolly” as she was sometimes called, was born in December 1896, and migrated to America with her family in the following February, at 2 months old. She became a midwife, and even performed illegal abortions free of charge. She opened a bar, Marty O’Brien’s, during World War One, the name being that which Anthony used during his boxing career. The pair met in 1912, and Natalina would dress as a male to sneak in and watch Anthony’s boxing matches. They wed on Valentine’s Day, 1914, much to her father’s dismay, due to the groom’s illiteracy. Obviously, due to the nature of the prohibition, the Sinatra’s were hit hard in regards to the running of their bar, so there is certainly a possibility that they were involved in bootlegging themselves. This considered, it has often been claimed that the bar that they ran together was frequented by infamous mobsters Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, Dutch Schultz and Lucky Luciano. Meyer Lansky, a major organised-crime figure that was considered to be among the most powerful men in the country for decades, is believed to be a close friend of the family, confirmed in an interview with
While this wasn’t an odd occurrence in the least, concerns were raised at the initial investors and owners. For example, FBI files reveal that one establishment that Sinatra was tied to, the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, was Mafia-controlled, being owned by Joseph “Doc” Stacher, an associate of Meyer Lansky and a Jewish syndicate leader. In the mid-1950s, Frank bought a percentage share in the hotel. *Refer to FBI excerpts on slides* (First Excerpt) From this FBI file excerpt, we see first a confirmation of Frank’s investment, and also the percentage of the hotel that he owned, being two percent, at the cost of $120,000,000. (Second Excerpt) This second slide reveals Stacher as the real owner of the Sands Hotel, and also lists the known investors, one of which being Frank Sinatra. By 1961, his share percentage had grown to 9 percent. In a similar situation, in 1960 Frank bought the Cal Neva Lodge and Casino in Tahoe. What was unknown to the public at that time, is that Frank had bought it with mob boss Sam Giancana as his silent partner. In her biography, Crossing Over with Sinatra, author Carol West states that “the licence was his as long as no criminals were allowed on the premises, which is kinda tricky when you’re in business with one.” The evidence of these two controversial investments