Cosmo (Casey) Rosado: Lucchese Airport Extortionist

Cosmo (Casey) Rosado was a Lucchese Family associate who used his position as a union official to extort companies at Kennedy Airport in NYC.

Cosmo (Casey) Rosado was born in 1930 and was of Cuban and Spanish heritage. He resided at 74 Leonard Drive in Massapequa, Long Island.

Rosado was identified by the FBI as an “associate” of the Lucchese Family and the long-time president of the 1,200-member Local #71 -Transportation, Terminal, Interplant, and Commissary Food Employee’s Union & Welfare Fund (AFL-CIO) at Kennedy Airport.

Cosmo (Casey) Rosado

His activities included extortion, fraud, and labor racketeering.

Back in Tampa, Florida, he was known as a con artist and was nearly killed by a Cosa Nostra soldier who Rosado had apparently cheated by selling him barrels of frozen chicken that turned out to be more ice than chicken.

He was a close associate of mob boss Paul Vario starting in 1966.

Rosado was jailed five times in three years on contempt charges (four times 30-days each and 10-months on the fifth) for refusing to answer questions before a Nassau grand jury investigating a $30,000,000-a year-bookmaking/policy gambling ring controlled by mob boss Paul Vario.

The court wanted Rosado to testify about bets he made and money Rosado owed on gambling debts of $50,000 to bookmaker Milton (Milty) Wekar, a major mob gambler in the Lucchese Family.

He had been arrested on charges of passing fraudulent checks (5 times), assault, contempt of court (6 times), breaking and entering, and extortion (twice).

During a union strike against the Marriott Hotel Corp., (who was non-union) operating at Kennedy Airport when Marriott canceled the contract and fired 100 employees - who were union members - at the restaurants operating at the Eastern, National, and Pan American airline terminals.

Rosado and Local #71 were accused by Marriott officials of using strong-arm tactics in an attempt to unionize the firm. These tactics included attempted bombing (pipe bombs, firebombs, and stink bombs), threats against suppliers, illegal pickets, attempted robbery and assault of a Marriott food supplier, and assaults on employees.

Rosado was fined $75,000 and his union $25,000 by Federal Judge Jacob Mishler for acts of sabotage and vandalism against the now-closed Restaurants America Corp., at the International Arrivals building.

His associates included Vario, James (Jimmy the Gent) Burke, Harry Davidoff, and Luis Perez.

He was arrested in Florida on federal extortion (of gambling debts) charges with his union business agent, Perez, and James Burke for flying down to Florida and beating Gasper Ciaccio to a pulp for welching on a $60,000 baseball bet he made on the Major Baseball League All-Star game.

They were previously acquitted of similar state charges.

After his second criminal trial for contempt of a grand jury, in 1968, Rosado was hospitalized after he suffered a heart seizure.

He had another one again in 1971 which he didn’t survive. Rosado suddenly died of a massive heart attack in his kitchen, at his home in Massapequa, Long Island.....loved by his union membership, Casey certainly was a character-and-a-half!

As Sinatra used to sing - He did it his way!

Until next time..."The Other Guy"

Cosmo (Casey) Rosado: Lucchese Airport Extortionist

Dive Deeper into the Underworld

BG Presents: Jimmy Doyle Plumeri Documentary

The Joseph (Joe Beck) DiPalermo Regime: “The Prince Street Crew”

Stephen Oddo: The Undertaker

Welcome Back!

Create New Account!

Retrieve your password

Not enough quota to unlock this post

Are you sure want to cancel subscription?

Cosmo (Casey) Rosado: Lucchese Airport Extortionist

Often Imitated. Never Duplicated. Button Guys of The New York Mafia...There's Only One!

Tour the Underworld with Button Guys

Dive Deeper into the Underworld

BG Presents: Jimmy Doyle Plumeri Documentary

The Joseph (Joe Beck) DiPalermo Regime: “The Prince Street Crew”

Stephen Oddo: The Undertaker

Welcome Back!

Create New Account!

Retrieve your password

Not enough quota to unlock this post

Are you sure want to cancel subscription?