Bum Farto
Bum Farto | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Farto c. 1970 | |
| Born | Joseph Farto July 3, 1919 |
| Disappeared | February 16, 1976 (aged 56) Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Status | Declared dead in absentia in 1986 |
| Occupation | Fire chief |
| Spouse |
Esther Beiro (m. 1955) |
| Conviction(s) |
|
Joseph "Bum" Farto (July 3, 1919 – 1986)[nb 1] was a fire chief and convicted drug dealer in Key West, Florida, who disappeared in 1976. He was one of several politically connected Key West individuals arrested as part of a sting operation known as Operation Conch. Farto disappeared shortly after his conviction and was declared dead in absentia in 1986. His life and disappearance has been the subject of a 2020 podcast series and a 2021 Pamela Stephenson play.
Early life
[edit]Farto's father was a restaurant owner who came to Key West from Spain via Cuba in 1902. Farto was the youngest of three children and his mother died when he was young. As a child, he often hung out at Key West's Fire Station No. 1, which was behind his house.[2][3] He was nicknamed Bum because he fetched the firefighters' coffee and shined their shoes, and at 10 he first snuck onto a fire truck that was answering a call.[3][4] He quit school when his father died.[3] Farto worked for the WPA's National Youth Administration and became a fireman in 1942.[3] He married his wife Esther Beiro in 1955.[5]
Career
[edit]Farto worked his way up at the fire station from lieutenant to captain and finally to fire chief in 1964.[3][6] In a Miami Herald profile, Farto was described as an excessively alert "man of motion" who did not plausibly sit behind desks and for whom being still "just doesn't look natural".[3]
Fire Chief Farto, who also managed a little league team,[7] was well known for his flamboyant style and ostentatious behavior. He was frequently seen smoking large cigars and wearing gold jewelry and rose-tinted glasses.[4]He wore red outfits, typically red suits, to ward off evil spirits, and his home featured red walls and red living room carpet. This preference was attributed to a belief in voodoo,[8] but Farto's friend Charles Felton said Farto was dedicated to Saint Barbara.[4] Bum Farto drove a lime green Ford Galaxie 500 with mirrored tint, chrome hubcaps, an "El Jefe" license plate,[7] and "El Jefe" written on its side.[6] He wore a gold double-headed fire axe pinned to his tie.[4][9]
In 1968, the Civil Service Board issued him a 30 day suspension from his fire chief role on eight charges, including forging another fireman's signature to cash a $90.73 check.[10][7] The Civil Service Board, which was headed by Fire Chief Farto's nephew, attracted controversy when it ultimately did not uphold the suspension.[10][11] In January 1971, Farto drove into a motorcycle patrolman and was charged for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle.[12] Later that month, he fell into an irrigation canal while on a fire call. Several nearby emergency responders had to rescue him since he could not swim.[12]
Arrest and conviction
[edit]In 1976, Farto was arrested and charged with selling cocaine and marijuana to an undercover officer in a sting operation called Operation Conch, a six-month investigation undertaken by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Florida Department of Criminal Law Enforcement and the Dade County Organized Crime Bureau.[11] He was the first of twenty-eight drug dealers arrested. He was brought to county jail with fellow narcotics criminal Manny James, the city attorney and son of the police chief.[5][13] A crowd of 200 gathered to watch, including a wanted heroin dealer whom agents recognized and arrested from the crowd.[14] Farto was convicted in 30 minutes in early February 1976.[13]
Disappearance
[edit]After being convicted of drug trafficking Farto faced a prison sentence of up to 31 years, but he disappeared before he could be sentenced.[13] On February 16, 1976, he jumped his $25,000 bail and drove a rental car north out of Key West, at which point he disappeared.[15][1] Bum Farto was so well-known that when his wanted poster in the police station was torn up by an unknown vandal, the police chief did not replace it because "[e]verybody here knows what he looks like anyway".[15] A Key West shop sold t-shirts with slogans such as "Where is Bum Farto?", "The Answer is Bum's Away", and "What ever happened to El Jefe?"[16][17] The shopkeeper said the t-shirts were purchased in large numbers, and he reported that his buyers were "probably kids who like to do a lot of coke", as well as Charles Addams.[18][15] In 1986, Bum Farto was declared legally dead so that his wife could collect his pension and insurance policies, worth about $5,000 and $2,000 respectively.[1]
Legacy
[edit]Farto's life story was the subject of a seven-episode podcast titled The Bum Farto Story in 2020 and a musical by Pamela Stephenson called Bum Farto – The Musical in 2021.[2][19][20]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "'Bum' Farto is declared legally dead". Miami Herald. May 21, 1986. p. 111. Retrieved August 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Assam, Kevin (September 15, 2022). "'Bum Farto – The Musical' returns". Key West Florida Weekly. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Wardlow, Jean (March 8, 1966). "Fire Chief 'Hooked' on Job at An Early Age". Miami Herald. p. 51. Retrieved August 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Schatz, Barry (June 19, 1976). "Come Home Bum; You're Missed". Miami Herald. p. 133. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ a b Shillington, Patty (January 27, 1984). "Dead Or Alive?". Miami Herald. p. 173. Retrieved August 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Sloan, David (May 19, 2020). "The Bum Farto Files: Hail To The Chief". Florida Keys Weekly Newspapers. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Attorney, Fire Chief Suspended". Miami Herald. September 10, 1975. p. 87. Retrieved August 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Key West Locals Agog Over Recent Drug Bust". Fort Lauderdale News. September 16, 1975. p. 26. Retrieved August 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Sloan, David (April 9, 2020). "The Bum Farto Files: Better Red than Dead". Florida Keys Weekly Newspapers. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ a b Langley, Wright (December 8, 1968). "Where's Justice In Board Action?". Miami Herald. p. 71. Retrieved August 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Lopez-Keough, Maxine (October 12, 2016). "Whatever happened to Bum Farto?". Fort Myers Florida Weekly. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ a b "Water Hazard Nabs Fire Chief". Miami Herald. January 29, 1971. p. 79. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ a b c Sloan, David (August 14, 2020). "The Bum Farto Files: The Other Operation Conch". Florida Keys Weekly Newspapers. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ "Fire chief held in Florida on cocaine count". The Arizona Republic. September 11, 1975. p. 6. Retrieved August 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Come Home, Bum; You're Missed". Miami Herald. June 19, 1976. p. 133. Retrieved August 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kleinman, Jeff (October 14, 2022). "Who is Bum Farto – and is he back? Fugitive's story returns to Key West in a new form". Miami Herald. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ "Key West: Laid-back pace in the Florida sun". The Manhattan Mercury. February 14, 1982. p. 23. Retrieved August 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Farto Remains Out of Sight But Still on Minds and Backs". Miami Herald. December 12, 1976. p. 200. Retrieved August 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Where is Bum Farto? Key West's notorious drug-dealing fire chief is now a musical". Florida Keys Weekly Newspapers. November 3, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ "Bum Farto podcast explores Key West's drug-dealing, fugitive fire chief". Florida Keys Weekly Newspapers. January 3, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2024.