In 1960 Frank Sinatra purchased control of the Cal-Neva Casino, the oldest licensed gambling facility in the country.
Not only was Frank followed by his adoring fans, he was also under surveillance by the F.B.I. since the 1940s. J. Edgar Hoover, the agency’s head from 1924 to 1972, at one time suspected Frank was a communist but ultimately he found no evidence. In the meantime, Frank’s F.B.I. file grew to 2,403 pages.
The file describes his friendship with Marilyn Monroe who made her last trip to Tahoe and the Cal Neva Casino less than two weeks before her death on August 5, 1962.
The files also describe Frank’s associations with John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Sam Giancana. Sam was a ruthless Chicago Mob boss. In July 1963 Sam got into a fight with the manager of the McGuire Sisters, while at the Cal-Neva. Sam was blacklisted from any casino and an investigation followed. Frank was forced to leave the casino business for willingly letting an outlaw into his casino.
Tahoe wouldn’t be the same afterwards as elite performers and musicians were in part drawn to Tahoe by Frank. The high-caliber musicians and entertainers no longer frequented Tahoe after Frank was ousted.
On December 8, 1963 Frank Sinatra Jr. was staying and performing at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. Barry Keenan and Joe Amsler drove to Harrah’s in a Chevy Impala during a blizzard. The two walked into room 417, brandished revolvers and kidnapped Frankie Jr. His father, the Frank Sinatra, offered the kidnappers $1 million for his son’s release, but the kidnappers only wanted $240,000. Frankie Jr. was kept for two days and was released unharmed. Less than a week later, the pair and an accomplice were caught, and ultimately convicted, with each serving less than five years in jail. In 2003 the movie ‘Stealing Sinatra’ about the crime was released. Barry and Joe were prevented from profiting from their crime.
