Encounter Bill Bufalino, the Legal Advisor Who Forsook Jimmy Hoffa Prior to His Vanishing Act
Bill Bufalino, born in Pittston, Pennsylvania in 1918, was a prominent figure in the tumultuous world of organised crime during the mid-20th century. Known for his legal prowess and connections with the underworld, Bufalino's name is inextricably linked with that of Jimmy Hoffa, the controversial Teamsters Union president.
Bufalino's career began with a law degree from the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1942. He later used his legal skills to become president of Teamsters Local 985 in 1947. This position set the stage for his most notable association: representing Jimmy Hoffa in as many as seven trials.
However, Bufalino's relationship with Hoffa soured around 1971, marking the end of a long partnership. By this time, Hoffa had already been replaced as union leader by Frank Fitzsimmons, and was pardoned and paroled by President Nixon, but was not allowed to hold union office again until 1980.
Despite their falling out, Bufalino remained close to Hoffa's cousin, Russell Bufalino, the Pennsylvania godfather and boss of the Bufalino crime family. It was Russell Bufalino, not Bill Bufalino himself, who is frequently linked to ordering Hoffa’s disappearance and likely murder.
Theories and investigative leads have focused on Russell Bufalino and other mob figures such as Salvatore Briguglio, Charles O’Brien, and Tony Provenzano. Notably, Provenzano had a hostile history with Hoffa and allegedly arranged the meeting where Hoffa disappeared. Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran, Russell Bufalino's right-hand man and hitman, was also present at Bufalino's daughter's wedding, further fuelling speculation.
Bufalino's role in the saga was more advisory and legal as Hoffa's lawyer. He reportedly abandoned Hoffa shortly before Hoffa’s disappearance, but no sources directly accuse him of involvement in the crime.
In the years following Hoffa's disappearance, Bufalino continued to maintain a low profile. He hosted a wedding for his daughter in 1975, two days after Hoffa's disappearance, which was closely monitored by the FBI. Bufalino chose Russell Bufalino to be godfather of his daughter, a testament to their lifelong bond.
Bufalino's connection with Detroit's top crime family established him as a "made man," and he started his jukebox business with the help of the Meli family. His service in the Army's Judge Advocate General Corps during World War II and his marriage to Marie Antoinette Meli, the niece of Detroit crime boss Angelo Meli, further solidified his ties to the underworld.
Despite the numerous theories and investigations, Bufalino was not identified by credible investigations or expert consensus as having a direct role in Hoffa's disappearance or death. The evidence and theories centre on the Bufalino crime family boss Russell Bufalino and Provenzano as key figures behind the likely murder.
Sheeran later confessed to killing Jimmy Hoffa on the orders of Russell Bufalino, but Bufalino himself remained a mysterious figure in the shadow of the infamous mob boss and the unsolved mystery of Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance.
- Bill Bufalino's career in entertainment, spanning movies-and-tv, general-news, and crime-and-justice, was significantly influenced by his association with Jimmy Hoffa, particularly their legal battles during war-and-conflicts and politics.
- Despite his legal background and advisory role in history, Bufalino's name remains intertwined with the unsolved crime of Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance, alongside other prominent mob figures like Salvatore Briguglio, Charles O’Brien, and Tony Provenzano.
- Bufalino's connections with the underworld, forged through his service in the Army's Judge Advocate General Corps during World War II and his marriage to Marie Antoinette Meli, further solidified his position in the history of war-and-conflicts and crime-and-justice.
