Joseph "Bum" Farto (born July 3, 1919) was a fire chief and convicted drug dealer in Key West, Florida who disappeared in 1976.
Bum Farto | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Farto c. 1970 | |
| Born | Joseph Farto July 3, 1919 Key West, U.S. |
| Disappeared | February 16, 1976 (aged 56) Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Status | Declared dead in absentia |
| Occupation | Fire chief |
| Spouse |
Esther Beiro (m. 1955) |
| Conviction(s) |
|
Early life
editFarto's father was a restaurant owner who came to Key West from Spain via Cuba in 1902. He was the youngest of three children, growing up in a house behind Key West's Fire Station No. 1.[1][2] He was nicknamed Bum because as a child he would frequently hang around the fire station in Key West.[3] When his father died he quit school to go to work.[2] Farto worked for the WPA's National Youth Administration and became a fireman in 1942.[2] He married his wife Esther Beiro in 1955.[4]
Career
editFarto worked his way up at the fire station from lieutenant to captain and finally to Fire Chief in 1964.[2][5] He was known for his ostentatious behavior, driving a bright green car with El Jeffe written on its side, smoking big cigars, and wearing red suits and rose-tinted glasses.[3] He was reported to practice voodoo and wore a gold double-headed fire axe pinned to his tie.[3][6] He drove a "key lime-yellow Ford Galaxy 500 LTD with mirrored tint [and] chrome hubcaps..."[5] He received a thirty-day suspension from his position in 1968 by Key West's Civil Service Board for illegal check cashing.[7] His nephew was serving on the board and some felt that Farto not receiving criminal charges was the result of favoritism.[7][8]
Arrest and conviction
editFarto 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.[8] Twenty-eight other drug dealers were arrested.[4][9] He was convicted in thirty minutes in early February, 1976.[9]
Disappearance
editFarto disappeared on February 16, 1976, while he was awaiting sentencing after being convicted of drug trafficking, facing a prison sentence of up to 31 years.[9] He jumped bail and drove a rental car from Key West to Miami where he disappeared.[10] After his disappearance, his name appeared on t-shirts asking "Where is Bum Farto?" with companion t-shirts stating "The Answer is Bum's Away."[11] He was declared legally dead in 1986 so that his wife could collect his pension.[10]
Legacy
editFarto's life story was the subject of a seven-episode podcast, The Bum Farto Story, in 2020 and a musical by Pamela Stephenson called Bum Farto – The Musical in 2021.[1][12][13]
References
edit- ^ a b Assam, Kevin (2022-09-15). ""Bum Farto – The Musical" returns". Key West Florida Weekly -. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ a b c d Wardlow, Jean (March 8, 1966). "Fire Chief "Hooked" on Job at An Early Age". Miami Herald. p. 51. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ a b c Schatz, Barry (June 19, 1976). "Come Home Bum; You're Missed". Miami Herald. p. 133. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ a b Shillington, Patty (January 27, 1984). "Dead Or Alive?". Miami Herald. p. 173. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ a b Sloan, David (2020-05-19). "The Bum Farto Files: Hail To The Chief". Florida Keys Weekly Newspapers. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
- ^ Sloan, David (2020-04-09). "The Bum Farto Files: Better Red than Dead". Florida Keys Weekly Newspapers. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
- ^ a b Langley, Wright (December 8, 1968). "Where's Justice In Board Action". Miami Herald. p. 71. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ a b Lopez-Keough, Maxine (2016-10-12). "Whatever happened to Bum Farto?". Fort Myers Florida Weekly -. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
- ^ a b c Sloan, David (2020-08-14). "The Bum Farto Files: The Other Operation Conch". Florida Keys Weekly Newspapers. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
- ^ a b Ornstein, Susan (May 21, 1986). "'Bum' Farto is Declared Legally Dead". Miami Herald. p. 111. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Kleinman, Jeff (2022-10-14). "and is he back? Fugitive's story returns to Key West in a new form". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
- ^ "WHERE IS BUM FARTO? KEY WEST'S NOTORIOUS DRUG-DEALING FIRE CHIEF IS NOW A MUSICAL". Florida Keys Weekly Newspapers. 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
- ^ "Bum Farto podcast explores Key West's drug-dealing, fugitive fire chief". Florida Keys Weekly Newspapers. 2020-01-03. Retrieved 2024-06-04.