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 dimes in his pockets — the last of which he had carried around ever since his son, Frank Sinatra Jr., was kidnapped on Dec. 8, 1963.

On that evening, Frank Jr. was 19 years old and following in his dad’s footsteps in the music business. He was in his dressing room at Harrah’s Club Lodge in Lake Tahoe after performing when two men entered the room and blindfolded him before bringing 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 only communicate with them through pay phones — which in 1963 could be paid for with dimes. The elder Sinatra followed instructions and began to carry 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 cash sum for the safe return of Frank Jr.: $240,000 in ransom (which is equivalent to more than $2.4 million in 2023.) Sinatra gathered the money and delivered it to an agreed on drop-off point on Dec. 11, and to his relief, his only son was returned unharmed.

The thorough investigation revealed that Barry Keenan, Joe Amsler and John Irwin conspired to kidnap Frank Jr., with their motive being 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.

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

Keenan and Amsler were initially 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.