Frank Sinatra Jr. Kidnapped
But how did Jan and Dean figure in?
Here’s an interesting little celebrity yarn I came across years back while researching a different kidnapping. I wasn’t familiar with this case, which of course meant I had to rectify that. This story boasts a star-studded cast including Ol’ Blue Eyes, Jan and Dean, and Brian Griffin from “Family Guy.” Fascinating stuff, especially when you consider the players involved.
On December 10, 1963, Hollywood legend Frank Sinatra received a phone call from a group of co-conspirators who’d been holding his son Frank Jr. hostage since December 8. They demanded a ransom payment of $240,000, which Sinatra handed over immediately.
It was a bizarre crime, to say the least. The kidnapping was perpetrated by two old high school classmates who abducted the son of a living legend to make a quick buck. And not just any old living legend, mind you — one who had famously tight connections with influential people from the Kennedys to the mob. Apparently, “go big or go home” was their motto.
Barry Keenan and Joe Amsler, two 23-year-olds from Los Angeles, had been following Frank Sinatra Jr. around for several weeks. After a couple of bungled attempts, the pair decided to strike on December 8, 1963, when Sinatra was playing Harrah’s Club Lodge in Lake Tahoe.
