John Roselli
Mobster who aided CIA in Castro assassination plots.
Los Angeles Police Department · Public domain
John Roselli, born Filippo Sacco, was an Italian-American mobster for the Chicago Outfit who helped that organization exert influence over Hollywood and the Las Vegas Strip. He was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in a plot to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro, and later testified before the Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities (the Church Committee) about the assassination attempts.
- born
- July 4, 1905, in Esperia, Lazio, Italy
- nationality
- Italian-American
Lore & Background
Roselli was born Filippo Sacco on July 4, 1905, in Esperia, Lazio, Italy. He immigrated to Boston at age six with his mother, after his father had moved to the United States first. In 1922, he was arrested on narcotics charges in Massachusetts, fled to New York, then Chicago, where he changed his name to John Roselli. He worked for bootlegger Tony Cornero, bribing Orange County officials, and later went independent, becoming involved in prostitution and gambling. Roselli also became a film producer at Eagle Lion Studios and was friends with Columbia Pictures co-founder Harry Cohn. In the 1930s, Roselli became the liaison between Los Angeles Mayor Frank L. Shaw's corrupt administration and the city's underworld, helping Jack Dragna's organization become preeminent. By the mid-1950s, Roselli became the Chicago and Los Angeles mob's chief representative in Las Vegas, overseeing casino revenue skimming. The plots involved poison pills but failed.
Reader's Guide
John Roselli's significance lies in his dual role as a high-ranking mobster and a CIA asset in Cold War covert operations. His involvement in the CIA's assassination plots against Fidel Castro illustrates the intersection of organized crime and U.S. intelligence during the early 1960s, a period marked by the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and ongoing tensions with Cuba. His career also reflects the mob's expansion into Hollywood and Las Vegas, where he facilitated skimming operations and maintained corrupt ties with local government. Roselli's mysterious death, likely a mob hit, underscores the violent consequences of his underworld and intelligence entanglements. His legacy remains a cautionary example of the blurred lines between national security and criminal enterprise.
Did You Know?
- Roselli was born Filippo Sacco and changed his name to John Roselli after fleeing to Chicago in 1922.
- Roselli became a film producer at Eagle Lion Studios and was friends with Columbia Pictures co-founder Harry Cohn.
Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is John Roselli?
John Roselli, born Filippo Sacco on July 4, 1905, in Esperia, Lazio, Italy, was an Italian-American gangster who rose through the Chicago Outfit and later became an unwitting operative for the CIA. He is best remembered for his involvement in a covert plot to kill Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
What was Roselli's role in the Chicago Outfit?
As a senior figure in the Chicago-based organized crime syndicate, Roselli helped extend the Outfit's financial and political reach into the entertainment industry in Hollywood and the casino operations along the Las Vegas Strip. His connections gave the mob a foothold in two of America's most visible commercial sectors.
How did Roselli get involved with the CIA and the Castro assassination plot?
The CIA recruited Roselli, leveraging his mob contacts and access to resources, to help orchestrate an attempt on Fidel Castro's life during the early 1960s. Roselli was not fully briefed on the scope of the operation and later expressed shock at having been used as a front for a government assassination scheme.
How did John Roselli's life end?
Roselli vanished on July 28, 1976, and his decomposed body was discovered on August 7 of that year. The circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death were never fully resolved, and his death is widely attributed to retaliation within the criminal underworld.
Why is John Roselli historically significant?
Roselli's testimony before the Church Committee in the mid-1970s exposed the disturbing overlap between U.S. intelligence operations and organized crime, bringing national attention to how the CIA had exploited mob figures for covert actions. His case remains a key example of the murky intersection between government power and the criminal underworld in the Cold War era.
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