Challenges in the Life of Jimmy Hoffa in a Detailed Timeline

Resilience and perseverance in the journey of Jimmy Hoffa. A timeline of obstacles and growth.

Jimmy Hoffa was a prominent American labor union leader, most notably serving as the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) from 1957 to 1971. His career was consistently shadowed by allegations of connections to organized crime. Hoffa vanished in 1975 under mysterious circumstances, becoming one of the most famous missing persons in American history. His disappearance has fueled countless theories and remains unsolved, solidifying his controversial legacy.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals Legacy & Impact

March 14, 1957: Arrest for Alleged Bribery

On March 14, 1957, Jimmy Hoffa was arrested for allegedly trying to bribe an aide to the Select Committee.

1957: Expulsion of IBT from AFL-CIO

In 1957, union members voted nearly five to one to expel the IBT from the AFL-CIO due to charges of Hoffa's corrupt leadership.

1961: Robert Kennedy as Attorney General

In 1961, Robert Kennedy became Attorney General and pursued a strong attack on organized crime and carried on with a so-called "Get Hoffa" squad of prosecutors and investigators.

1962: Conspiracy Trial in Nashville

In May 1963, Hoffa was indicted for jury tampering in Tennessee, charged with the attempted bribery of a grand juror during his 1962 conspiracy trial in Nashville.

May 1963: Indicted for Jury Tampering

In May 1963, Hoffa was indicted for jury tampering in Tennessee, charged with the attempted bribery of a grand juror during his 1962 conspiracy trial in Nashville.

March 4, 1964: Convicted of Jury Tampering

On March 4, 1964, Hoffa was convicted of jury tampering and sentenced to eight years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

July 26, 1964: Convicted of Conspiracy and Fraud

On July 26, 1964, while on bail, Hoffa was convicted in Chicago on one count of conspiracy and three counts of mail and wire fraud for improper use of the Teamsters' pension fund, and sentenced to five years in prison.

1964: Unsuccessful Appeals

Hoffa spent the next three years unsuccessfully appealing his 1964 convictions.

1964: Convicted of Jury Tampering, Bribery, and Fraud

In 1964, Jimmy Hoffa was convicted of jury tampering, attempted bribery, conspiracy, along with mail and wire fraud in two separate trials.

March 7, 1967: Begins Prison Sentence

On March 7, 1967, Jimmy Hoffa began serving his aggregate prison sentence of 13 years at the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary in Pennsylvania.

1967: Imprisonment

In 1967, Jimmy Hoffa was imprisoned and sentenced to 13 years.

1971: Drafting of the clause restricting Hoffa's labor involvement

In 1971, John Dean drafted the clause restricting Hoffa's labor involvement at Nixon's request.

1973: Hoffa plans to seize the presidency of the Teamsters again

By 1973, Jimmy Hoffa was planning to seize the presidency of the Teamsters again, despite restrictions placed on him by his commutation.

1973: Provenzano refuses to support Hoffa

In 1973, Hoffa asked Provenzano for his support to regain his former position, but Provenzano refused.

1974: Reported threat from Provenzano to Hoffa

In 1974, Anthony Provenzano reportedly threatened Jimmy Hoffa when Hoffa asked for his support to regain his former position.

1974: Court proceedings regarding restriction on Hoffa's power

In 1974, court proceedings were held where John Dean was called upon for depositions regarding Hoffa's lawsuit to invalidate the restriction that prevented him from reasserting his power over the Teamsters. Ultimately, Hoffa lost the court battle.

October 1975: Search for Hoffa's remains in Waterford Township

In October 1975, Michigan Attorney General Frank J. Kelley supervised an expedition in Waterford Township to locate and exhume Hoffa's remains based on a tip. The search was unsuccessful.

December 4, 1975: Testimony regarding Hoffa's abduction and murder

On December 4, 1975, a federal investigator in Detroit testified in court that a witness had identified three New Jersey men as having participated "in the abduction and murder of James R. Hoffa". The three men were close associates of Provenzano: Thomas Andretta, Salvatore Briguglio, and his brother Gabriel Briguglio.

1975: Maroon Mercury Marquis Brougham identified

In 1975, a maroon 1975 Mercury Marquis Brougham belonging to Anthony Giacalone's son Joseph was identified as a key piece of evidence in the investigation into Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance. On August 21, police dogs identified Hoffa's scent in the car.

1975: Giacalone's Mercury used for Hoffa's disappearance

In 1975, according to the "Hoffex Memo", Chuckie O'Brien was driving Joseph Giacalone's maroon 1975 Mercury on the day of Hoffa's disappearance, with Hoffa in the right rear seat. Police dogs located Hoffa's scent in the car.

1975: Witnessed burial around time of disappearance

In 1975, around the time of Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance, a person reported having witnessed the burial of a body under a suburban Detroit driveway.

January 1976: FBI briefing on the Hoffa case

In January 1976, the FBI held a briefing at their headquarters in Washington on the Hoffa case. The report prepared for this briefing, the "Hoffex Memo", recorded a belief that Hoffa was murdered at the behest of organized crime figures.

1976: Hoffex Memo focuses on Mafia opposition to Hoffa

In 1976, the Hoffex Memo focused on Mafia opposition to Hoffa's plans to regain the Teamsters' leadership and the threat Hoffa posed to the Mafia's control over the union's pension fund as potential motives.

March 6, 1980: Restriction on Hoffa's labor involvement

Jimmy Hoffa's commutation from Nixon included a restriction preventing him from engaging in the direct or indirect management of any labor organization until March 6, 1980.

1989: FBI agent claims knowledge of Hoffa's killer

In 1989, Kenneth Walton, the agent in charge of the FBI's Detroit office, stated that he knew who killed Jimmy Hoffa but a prosecution would never occur to protect informants.

1991: Sloane's book on Hoffa

In his 1991 book "Hoffa", Arthur A. Sloane discussed the most common theory of FBI investigators, that Russell Bufalino ordered the murder of Jimmy Hoffa.

Hoffa

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2000: Death of Stephen Andretta

In 2000, Stephen Andretta, a suspect in the Hoffa case, reportedly died of cancer. He was a New Jersey Teamster and reputed Genovese crime family mob associate.

2001: DNA match from Hoffa's hair found in Giacalone's car

In 2001, the FBI matched DNA from Jimmy Hoffa's hair, taken from a brush, with a strand of hair found in Joseph Giacalone's car.

2004: Publication of I Heard You Paint Houses

In 2004, Charles Brandt published "I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank 'The Irishman' Sheeran and the Closing of the Case on Jimmy Hoffa", in which Frank Sheeran claimed to have killed Jimmy Hoffa.

I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran & Closing the Case on Jimmy Hoffa

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2004: MythBusters episode on Hoffa's body

In 2004, an episode of the Discovery Channel show MythBusters, "The Hunt for Hoffa", scanned locations in Giants Stadium rumored to contain Jimmy Hoffa's body, but no trace of human remains was found.

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June 16, 2006: Publication of the Hoffex Memo

On June 16, 2006, the Detroit Free Press published the entire "Hoffex Memo", a 56-page report prepared by the FBI for a January 1976 briefing on the case.

2006: Kuklinski's jailhouse confession

In 2006, in a biography released after his death, Richard Kuklinski claimed that he was part of a four-man team that kidnapped and murdered Jimmy Hoffa. This claim was dismissed as a hoax by former FBI agent Robert Garrity.

2010: Demolition of Giants Stadium

In 2010, Giants Stadium was demolished, and no human remains were found, further debunking the theory that Hoffa's body was buried there.

2012: Roseville police investigate possible burial site

In 2012, Roseville, Michigan, police took samples from the ground under a suburban Detroit driveway after a person reported having witnessed the burial of a body there around the time of Hoffa's disappearance in 1975. Tests found no evidence of human remains.

January 2013: Zerilli implies Hoffa was buried in shallow grave

In January 2013, Tony Zerilli implied that Jimmy Hoffa was originally buried in a shallow grave, with plans to move his remains later to a second location, and that his remains lay in a field in northern Oakland County, Michigan.

June 17, 2013: FBI investigates property in Oakland Township

On June 17, 2013, the FBI, investigating the Zerilli information, was led to a property in Oakland Township, owned by Detroit mob boss Jack Tocco. After three days, the FBI called off the dig, finding no human remains.

2017: Buccellato suggests murder location

In 2017, James Buccellato, a professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northern Arizona University, suggested that Jimmy Hoffa was murdered at the house of Carlo Licata, a mile away from the restaurant where he was last seen.

2019: Death of Thomas Andretta

In 2019, Thomas Andretta, named by the FBI as a suspect involved in the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, died. He was a New Jersey Teamster and reputed Genovese crime family mob associate.

2019: Burnstein argues Provenzano's role in Hoffa case

In 2019, crime historian and journalist Scott Burnstein argued that Anthony Provenzano's only role in the Jimmy Hoffa case was to act as a lure.

2021: Continued searches for Hoffa's body

As of 2021, digs were still periodically conducted in the Detroit area in search of Jimmy Hoffa's body, though a common theory is that the body was cremated.