James DeSimone
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James DeSimone (Palermo, Sicily-May 1977 Springfield, Missouri) was an Italian-American Kansas City, Missouri gangster and drug trafficker. He is a relative of Rosario DeSimone, Frank DeSimone, Anthony DeSimone, Thomas DeSimone, Robert DeSimone, Dolores DeSimone, Joseph DeSimone and Ralph DeSimone.
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[edit] Business Relationship with Antinori Family
On October 23rd, 1940, Ignacio Antinori was killed by a gunman armed with a shotgun as he drank coffee during the early morning hours at the Palm Garden Inn in Kansas City, Missouri. It is speculated that the patriarch was murdered over a bad shipment of heroin that had been sent from Tampa, Florida to Chicago, Illinois. The suspected hitmen were James and Nicola Impastato. Ignacio's two sons Paul and Joseph took over the reins of their father's heroin trafficking operation and became business partners with James and his partner-in-crime Nicola Impastato, also from Kansas City, Missouri.
[edit] Downfall and Incarceration
James's success in the heroin drug trafficking enterprise was short lived. In 1942 fellow Kansas City made member of the family, became State's Evidence against his leaders. His testimony led to the indictment and conviction of Paul and Joseph Antinori, Charles Gerrigama, Nicholas Impastato, Louis and Pasquale Ventola, Charles Triabi, Samuel Pernice, and Fellipo Fernice.
[edit] Crumbling of the Drug Ring
In the mid 1940's with the arrival of Santo Trafficante as boss of Tampa, Florida the Kansas City-Tampa drug cartel crumbled. In May 1977, DeSimone died of natural causes in the Federal Medical Center for prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.
[edit] References
The KC/Tampa Drug Connection by Scott M. Dietche January 2000 AmericanMafia.com
