61 Years Ago Today, Frank Sinatra Jr. Was Kidnapped: Why His Dad Began Carrying Dimes in His Pockets

After Frank Sinatra’s death, the acclaimed singer was reportedly buried with a bottle of whiskey, cigarettes, a lighter and 10 coins in his pockets — the last he had carried with him since his son, Frank Sinatra Jr., was kidnapped on August 12, 1963.

That evening, Frank Jr. was 19 years old and followed in his father’s footsteps in the music business. He was in his dressing room at Harrah’s Club Lodge in Lake Tahoe after a show when two men entered the room and blindfolded him before taking him to a car and fleeing the scene.

The next evening, Sinatra received a phone call from one of the kidnappers, who told him to communicate with them only through payphones – which in 1963 could be paid for with small change. The elder Sinatra followed the instructions and began carrying 10 dimes with him at all times, a tradition he maintained until the day he died.

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As expected, the kidnappers demanded a large sum of cash for Frank Jr.’s safe return: a $240,000 ransom (equivalent to more than $2.4 million in 2023). Sinatra collected the money and delivered it to the agreed-upon surrender location. On December 11, and to his relief, his only child returned unharmed.

A thorough investigation reveals that Barry Keenan, Joe Amsler and John Irwin conspired to kidnap Frank Jr., and their motive is as old as time: money. Keenan was the mastermind The Washington Post reported in 1998, and was a former classmate of Frank Jr.’s sister, Nancy Sinatra.

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Barry Keenan, center, leaves a Los Angeles courthouse on March 4, 1964. Co-defendant John Irwin is on the left and defendant Joseph Amsler is on the right.

AP photo

In the end, all three were convicted for their roles in the highly publicized kidnapping and most of the hefty ransom was returned.

Keenan and Amsler were originally sentenced to life in prison plus 75 years, and Irwin was sentenced to 75 years. Esquire reported. However, their sentences were dramatically reduced and Amsler and Irwin served less than four years, while Keenan served four and a half.

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