Charles Raffa

Charles Raffa (c. 1904 - 1988) was an Italian emigrant to New York City who became a successful businessman. He was the father of Matilda Cuomo, and the maternal grandfather of Andrew Cuomo.^[1]

Raffa was born circa 1904 and emigrated to the United States from Messina, Italy in 1927. He was married to Mary Gitto, and had five children, Frank, Matilda, Sam, Joseph and Nancy. He maintained homes in East Flatbush, New York and New Jersey.

He worked as a laborer when he first immigrated from Italy. Later, he founded his own business, which became highly successful building supermarket shelves and refrigeration units. He used the proceeds from this company to invest in real estate, buying up dozens of residential and commercial properties in New York.^[2]

In 1984, Raffa was assaulted in an abandoned grocery store he owned. He was badly beaten and later received plastic surgery. Despite medical intervention, he never fully recovered and was confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. He succumbed to his illness at the Jewish Center for Geriatric Care in Long Island in 1988. Following his death, his descendants feuded over who should receive shares of his estate, valued at between 5ドル million and 13ドル million.^[3]

• 1900s births
• 1988 deaths
• Italian emigrants to the United States
• People from Messina

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles needing additional references from January 2025
• All articles needing additional references
• Year of birth uncertain