Casey Rosado

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Caecus Rosado (1934-1972) was an Cuban Lucchese crime family associate. Rosado served as the powerful president of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union local at John F. Kennedy Airport in Brooklyn from 1957 until his death in 1972.

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[edit] Biography

Born in Havana, Rosado became a powerful mafioso during the rule of dictator Fulgencio Batista in Cuba. During this period, Rosado allegedly became a close associate of Florida mob boss Santo Trafficante Jr.. Rosado had one brother, Rosario "Rosey" Rosado, a Colombo crime family mob associate and gourmet chef in New York.

In 1949, Rosado immigrated to the United States and settled in New York. He soon became a mob associate with the Lucchese crime family. Rosado was involved in loan sharking, extortion, hijacking, and labor racketeering. Eventually, Rosado was put in charge of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union at JFK Airport, controlling the local for the Lucchese family. Although a powerful associate with the Lucchese family, Rosado could never become a full member because he was not Italian. Rosado was reportedly a close friend of mob boss Tommy Lucchese and longtime Lucchese caporegime Paul Vario. Through the control of the airport by Rosado and Lucchese mobster Francesco Manzo, and later another corrupt Teamster local, they offered labor peace in return for a La Cosa Nostra surtax on air freight companies and air freight brokers.

[edit] Extorting Gaspar Ciacco

In 1972, Rosado asked Lucchese mob associates Jimmy Burke and Tommy DeSimone to come down to Miami to help two local brothers, Luis and Raul Charbonier, collect a debt. The debtor was Gaspar Ciacco, owner of The Temple Terrace Lounge (now called Gaspar's), Temple Terrace, Florida who owed the Charboniers $13,000. Ciacco had spent the money on racing greyhounds and bolita and was avoiding payment. DeSimone was arrested in New York around this time and could not go to Florida. Vario suggested that mob associate and future government witness Henry Hill take DeSimone's place.

After arriving in Florida, Hill and Burke found Ciacco one evening at his bar and forced him into their car. Hill pistol whipped Ciacco as they drove to a lounge owned by the Charboniers. Once there, the two mobsters beat Cicacco, then chained him to the back of a car and dragged him down a street. At this point, Ciaccio agreed to pay the debt.However, the two New York mobsters did not know that Ciacco's sister worked for the FBI in Miami. When she heard about what happened to her brother, she went to law enforcement. The Charboniers, Hill, and Burke were eventually convicted of extortion.

[edit] Casey's untimely death

During the extortion trial in 1972, Rosado was due to testify for Hill and Burke. However, on the day of his testimony, Rosado suffered a coronary artery aneurysm, allegedly from snorting cocaine. Rosado died at home at the foot of his bed. His death supposedly ruined Hill and Burke's defense; both men received ten years for extortion later that same year. In 1983, Rosado's mob colleague Manzo would be convicted and incarcerated for his racketeering activities at JFK Airport.


[edit] References

  • Wiseguy: Life In A Mafia Family by Nicholas Pileggi
  • Gangsters and Goodfellas: Wiseguys . . . and Life on the Run By Henry Hill & Gus Russo (2005)
  • The Mob: A Drive-By Historical Tour of Tampa's Notorious Wise Guys by Scott Dietche
  • "HOW THE MAFIA LOOTS JFK AIRPORT MORE THAN $59 BILLION OF FREIGHT " June 22nd 1987 Fortune Magazine by Roy Rowan and Christopher Knowlton