Charles Gargotta
Charles Gargotta | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 13, 1900 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | April 5, 1950 (aged 49) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Mad Dog |
| Occupation | Gangster |
| Allegiance | Kansas City crime family |
Charles Gargotta, also known as "Mad Dog", (1900–1950) was a Kansas City, Missouri, gangster who became a top enforcer for the Kansas City crime family.
Born in Kansas City, Gargotta joined the criminal organization of boss
In 1933, Lazia's control over organized crime in Kansas City was challenged by Joe Lusco and Ferris Anthon, two other Kansas City mobsters. Lazia tasked Gargotta and several other mob associates to kill Anthon. On August 12, 1933, the gunmen shot Anthon as he was entering his apartment building in Kansas City. However, County Sheriff Tom Bash and Sheriff Deputy Lawrence Hodges came upon the scene, and opened fire. Two of Lazia's men were killed and one escaped. During the firefight, Gargotta leaped from the car, emptied a Colt .45 automatic at Bash, and then surrendered, yelling, "Don't shoot me – Don’t shoot me!"
In 1935, Gargotta was indicted for the 1933 attempted murder of Bash. However, Gargotta had strong allies in the law enforcement and legal community. The court granted 29 continuances before the case finally came to trial. Kansas City police officers switched the evidence tags on several guns recovered at the scene so as to shed doubt on the question of who held the murder weapon. Testimony of sheriff Bash and a ballistics expert placed the murder weapon securely in Gargotta's hands, but the jury had been bribed. Gargotta was acquitted of the homicide charge and convicted of the illegal possession of a gun, sentenced to a minimum term, and released promptly. Eventually, over the protest of the police department, the Governor of Missouri pardoned Gargotta. The police officer who changed the evidence tags was eventually convicted of perjury and sent to jail.
On April 5, 1950, Binaggio and Gargotta drove to the
However, the high-profile murders of Gargotta and Binaggio, along with their subversion of the criminal justice system, created public pressure on President
If ever a human being deserved the title of "Mad Dog" it was Gargotta.
External links
- "Pittsburgh Bosses". The American Mafia.
- Charles Gargotta at Find a Grave
- "National Affairs: This Terrible Lawlessness". Time. May 8, 1950.
- Gargotta vs. United States
- American Mafia: Kefauver Committee Interim Report #2 Feb. 28, 1951
- May, Allan (October 15, 2009). "The History of the Kansas City Family". Crime Magazine.
