The dumbest kidnappers EVER

On December 8, 1963 Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped.  As you can imagine, this was quite the story. Reader Ron Havens asked an FQ about it.  

You lived in LA at the time. What do you remember about this incident? Was it as big a story?

Yes, it was a HUGE story.  It was the stuff of tabloids.  And it was a welcome distraction from the mourning the country was going through following the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22nd.  

In my memoir, THE ME GENERATION… BY ME — GROWING UP IN THE ‘60s (available on Amazon, hint hint), I write about the incident.  These were my thoughts:

The only story I was really following was the Frank Sinatra Jr. kidnapping case. Imagine someone trying to get back at the Corleone family by abducting Fredo. 

The three nimrods who pulled off this harebrain scheme were found guilty by a federal jury and sentenced to life plus 75 years, which is still getting off easier than if Frank had doled out justice his way. 

My interest was really sparked because the buffoons’ hideout was just a few blocks from my house. It’s the kind of national attention new tract housing developments could only dream about.

from By Ken Levine