Augustine (Gus) Friscia came into this world on February 2, 1905. His parents, Francesco and Rosalia (nee’ Cicura) Friscia, were Italian-born immigrants who had only recently arrived on American soil and settled in Florida. He was born in the City of Tampa. This was also the place where he would grow up and remain a part of for the rest of his life.
As a young man, Gus married a local Cuban woman by the name of Visitation Rodriquez. For many years, the couple lived in a small ranch-style home at 2302 Ridgewood Avenue in Tampa.
Friscia stood 5 feet 7 inches tall and had a medium-stocky build at 170 pounds. He had a swarthy complexion, a full head of kinky salt-and-pepper hair he wore close-cropped, and dark brown eyes. Old photographs also show he favored wearing dark-tinted glasses.
FBI #689739, TAMPA-PD #11094
He had a limited but very serious police record dating back to 1933 when he was 28 years old. His “rap sheet” shows arrests for such offenses as using the United States mail to defraud, felonious assault, and assault with intent to kill.
By at least the late 1940s, Gus Friscia had been identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) as a long-time documented “soldier” serving in the Tampa-based Santo Trafficante Crime Family.
He was a known associate of many top members of that Cosa Nostra borgata, including such notorious mafiosi as former acting boss Salvatore (Red) Italiano, underboss Francesco (Daddy Frank) Diecidue, capo Augustine (Primo) Lazzara, and fellow soldiers like Frank Trafficante, Mario Perla, Angelo Bedami, Salvatore (Sam) Mondello, and Frank (Cowboy) Ippolito.
Gus Friscia was described by the Tampa Police Department as a local underworld figure active in the Cuban “Bolita” lottery racket, the Italian lottery, and also as dabbling in horse bookmaking. He was considered a subordinate of Tampa gambling kingpins Frank Diecidue and Primo Lazzara.
Friscia reputedly operated his daily gambling activities out of Gene’s Bar and the Yellow House Bar and was also known to frequent the Columbia Restaurant, all three of which were notorious locations often frequented by other Trafficante Family members.
Law enforcement authorities also considered him to be something of an arson specialist as well as a syndicate strong-arm man. They further described Friscia as being persistently unemployed over the years and a man who never showed any source of legitimate annual income.
Mafioso Augustine (Gus) Friscia’s underworld career was abruptly cut short in 1960. The FBI listed him as having died on April 17th of that year. Gus was only fifty-five years old.
Until next time…”The Other Guy”
