Tony Brancato
| Anthony Brancato | |
|---|---|
| FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive | |
| Charges | Robbery |
| Description | |
| Born |
July 18, 1914 Kansas City, Missouri, United States |
| Died | August 6, 1951 (aged 37) Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Status | |
| Added | June 27, 1951 |
| Caught | June 29, 1951 |
| Number | 21 |
| Captured | |
Anthony Brancato (July 18, 1914 – August 6, 1951) was a Kansas City, Missouri criminal who served as a freelance gunman to various Mafia and syndicate organizations.
Born in Kansas City in 1914, Brancato became involved in armed robbery and drug dealing. He later moved to Southern California. Arriving in Los Angeles during the early stages of the feud between Los Angeles crime family boss Jack Dragna and Mickey Cohen, Brancato was immediately able to find freelance work. He soon compiled a criminal record including illegal gambling, narcotics, and bootlegging. He was considered a suspect in many gangland slayings, including that of New York mobster Bugsy Siegel and Cohen gunman Hooky Rothman. Brancato was also a suspect in the July 1949 assassination attempt on Cohen himself. Fresno, California police questioned Brancato about the drug-related death of Abe Davidson. He was a relative of Cleveland crime syndicate underboss Frank Brancato who served under Jack Lacovelli in 1972 and later underboss to John Scalish until his death in 1973.
Brancato frequently teamed up with fellow Kansas City criminal Anthony Trombino. The two men were arrested 46 times in total on charges ranging from robbery and rape to assault.
On May 28, 1951, the "Two Tonys", as they were called, robbed the sports betting operation at the syndicate-controlled Flamingo Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, escaping with $3,500 in cash. Neglecting to wear a mask during the robbery, Brancato was identified by sportsbook manager Hy Goldbaum, who had been held up by Brancato in Beverly Hills two years earlier. He was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list on June 27, 1951. Two days later, with his lawyer present, Brancato surrendered to federal agents in San Francisco. After posting a $10,000 bail, Brancato was rearrested before leaving the building on a Nevada warrant charging him as a fugitive from justice. However, he was now out of money and was unable to post bail.
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