Gaetano Lococo

Gaetano Lococo, or "Thomas "Tano" Lococo", was a mobster identified as one of the "Five Iron Men" of Kansas City, Missouri. Lococo was known within the Kansas City crime family as an enforcer in his early years. Later on, he controlled an interest in several illegal gambling establishments.

Arrival in Kansas City

In the 1930s, Lococo was frequently mentioned in local newspaper articles about major mob-related events. According to grand jury testimony, Lococo helped gunmen escape from the scene of the bloody June 1933 Union Station massacre in Kansas City, Missouri. Lococo, Tony Gizzo, Charles Gargotta and Dominick Binaggio (brother of Charles Binaggio) allegedly provided the gunmen with a stolen car and escorted them out of the city a few days later.

Ambush Murder

In August 1933, Lococo participated in yet another bloody gangland shootout. was identified as probably being the suspect who escaped from Jackson County, Missouri Sheriff Tom Bash following the infamous Armour Boulevard shootout. Gargotta, Sam Scola, Gus Fasone and a fourth unidentified mobster (probably Lococo) were planning to whack Ferris Anthon. Anthon was a rival gangster who was interfering with the Kansas City family's bootlegging operations. One evening that August, Gargotta and Lococo were sitting in a parked car on 15th Street a few block from a club operated by Anthon. While they were waiting, a passing policeman checked on them; the two men said they were waiting for a friend.

Eventually Anthon, his wife, and their young son pulled up to their apartment building near Armour Blvd. and Forest St, close to Anthon's Club. Spotting their target, Gargotta and Lococo approached Anthon's car. Mrs. Anthon and her young son exited their car started entering the building; Anthon was lagging behind. The two gunmen opened up on Anthon with a burst of .45 automatic pistol fire. Anthon died instantly from several wounds.

Shootout with the Sheriff

By pure chance, County Sheriff Bash, one of his deputies, the sheriff's wife, and a teenaged girl were a block away from the murder scene when they heard gunfire; they all were returning from a party. The sheriff directed his deputy to drive toward the sound of the gunfire. As the sheriff's car stopped at Armour and Forest, Gargotta and Lococo were still standing in the street. Scola and Fasone were in the front seat of the getaway car with the engine running. Scola saw Sheriff Bash exit his car with a 12 gauge shotgun; he gunned the engine and plowed his getaway car directly into the Sheriff's car. Still in their wrecked car, both Scola and Fasone opened fire on Bash, but he quickly cut them down with his riot gun (Scola and Fasone died at the scene). Meanwhile, Lococo took off on foot (his headquarters was a few blocks away). The deputy, now out of the car, exchanged shots with Lococo. Throwing down his gun, Lococo disappeared down an alley. As Lococo made his escape, Gargotta charged Sheriff Bash with guns blazing. However, Gargotta soon ran out of ammunition and surrendered to Bash.

Despite the dubious efforts of the local police force (which was very corrupt at the time), Lococo was never charged for Anthon's murder or the ensuing shootout. But in 1939, during a citywide cleanup campaign, Lococo was charged with income tax evasion and sent to prison for a short term. This would be Lococo's only major conviction.

Later years

By the late 1940s, Lococo was stricken with arthritis and was making health-related trips to the U.S. Southwest and Mexico. In 1948, he moved to Nogales, Arizona, and purchased a small hotel. Lococo then attempted to open a gambling operation in the hotel, but the Santa Cruz County Sheriff thwarted his project. Lococo finally sold the hotel and returned to Kansas City.

In March 1950, Lococo was identified at a conference of U.S. and Sicilian Mafia members at a hotel in Tiajuana, Mexico. When local Mexican police found out about the conference, they ended it prematurely. Less than a month after the Tiajuana conference, both Kansas City boss Charles Binaggio and underboss Gargotta were assassinated. A few years later, during the U.S. Senate hearings on organized crime (the Kefauver hearings) it was speculated that the decision to whack Binaggio had been made at this conference. However, there was no way to ever prove it.

In the 1960's, Lococo retired in Kansas City. In his later years, a Kansas City pizza restaurant ("Gaetano's") was reportedly named for him. In the late 1990's, Gaetano Lococo died of natural causes.

References

* cite web
last = May
first = Allan
year = 2000-3-27
url = http://www.americanmafia.com/Allan_May_3-27-00.html
title = The Five Iron Men Of Kansas City
work = A Look Back
publisher = AmericanMafia.com
accessdate = 2006-03-27