From fame and riches to obscurity, Frank Lucas wife Julianna Farrait’s life story looks like it was cut out from an episode of a true crime TV series. At the height of her fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Julianna Farrait was one of the famous names in the underworld of Harlem, New York. More than half a century later, Farrait has faded into oblivion.
For most of her life, Julianna Farrait has been known and defined by her marriage to Frank Lucas. Frank Lucas was an American drug lord operating in Harlem, who, at the height of his reign, was Harlem’s top crime lord. Here’s more on the life and story of Frank Lucas’ wife, Julianna Farrait.
Julianna Farrait’s Growing Years and Rise to Fame
Not much is known about Julianna Farrait’s early years. However, she was born in Puerto Rico in 1941. She’s often reported as a Puerto Rican beauty queen, alluding to her beauty. However, Farrait wasn’t Miss Puerto Rican as widely reported, but did win homecoming queen. Also, not much is known about whether she ever attempted to have a modeling career. As earlier stated, Farrait’s life has stood out for her associations with her husband. Julianna Farrait first met Frank Lucas on a flight from Puerto Rico to the United States. Although Farrait shies away from the public, much of their love story was revealed in Frank Lucas’ memoir, Original Gangster: The Real Life Story of One of America’s Most Notorious Drug Lords (2010).
Onboard the flight, Farrait and Lucas shared glances several times, leading to conversations that would be the start of their unending romance. Julianna Farrait and Frank Lucas married in 1967. However, the couple had their first child, Francine Lucas, about 18 years later in 1985. Although Frank Lucas fathered seven children, Julianna Farrait only had one for him. However, she looked after Lucas’ children as though they were hers. Before her marriage to Frank Lucas, Farrait led a simple life. Lucas, in his memoir, States he had to make her look fabulous by buying her expensive clothing and jewelry to look the part of Frank Lucas’ wife. Although she may have lived a simple life before meeting Lucas, Farrait loved to live a luxurious life.
Julianna Farrait’s Life as Wife of a Drug Lord
At the peak of his life as a drug lord, Frank Lucas boasted of making $1 million a day selling drugs. Although it has been refuted as an exaggeration, Frank Lucas was unarguably Harlem’s top drug lord. Often regarded as the true American Gangster, Lucas was known to cut out middlemen and buy directly from the source in Southeast Asia. While Italian mobsters stay sequestered in their homes and offices, Frank Lucas participated in selling his heroin on the streets. As a philanthropist, Frank Lucas was loved by the people of Harlem. This gives a backdrop to Julianna Farrait’s life as Frank Lucas’ only wife.
As much as she kept away from the public, Julianna Farrait enjoyed the finest things in life. Frank Lucas had introduced her to a life of luxury, and she relished every aspect of it. Since Frank Lucas loved to show off his wealth, Farrait was a direct beneficiary of his gifts. Lucas reportedly bought Farrait an antique cream Mercedes with an interior designer with pure leather when she gave birth to their daughter, Francine Lucas. Over time, Julianna Farrait also learned to reciprocate with expensive gift items since they were unable to spend as much more as they were making. As a doting wife, Farrait also knew how to massage Frank Lucas’ ego.
One of Julianna Farrait’s gifts to her husband, Frank Lucas, put him in the crosshairs of every law enforcement officer. After Frank Lucas was visibly upset by being out-dressed by other drug lords in Muhammad Ali’s Atlanta 1970 fight, Farrait found a way to appease her husband. Julianna Farrait purchased a $125,000 chinchilla coat and a matching $40,000 hat for Frank Lucas. Although law enforcement officers knew about Lucas, wearing such an expensive gift in public greatly offended them. Not only was Lucas wearing over $200,000 in clothing and jewelry, but he also had better ringside seats (Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier 1971 match) than Vice President Spiro T. Agnew and singer-actor Frank Sinatra. In his memoir, Frank Lucas admitted, “I left that fight a marked man.”
Julianna Farrait Served Years In Prison
Julianna Farrait and Frank Lucas were rightly referred to as the black Bonnie and Clyde. Lucas’ “Blue Magic” heroin had the highest purity and was sold relatively cheaper than his competition. However, living life on the fast lane often ends in a crash. Four years after the Mohammed Ali and Joe Frazier fight, law enforcement finally arrested Frank Lucas and Julianna Farrait. On January 28, 1975, officers raided their home to arrest Lucas and Farrait. In the ensuing panic, Farrait reportedly threw suitcases filled with money out the window, screaming, “Take it all, take it all.”
Although officers declared finding $584,683 at their home, Lucas argued severally that the declared amount was what he’d conveniently lose in Las Vegas in half an hour, playing baccarat. Frank Lucas claimed he had about $11 million temporarily hidden in his attic at the time of his arrest. Although Frank Lucas got a jail sentence of 70 years, Julianna Farrait served only six months. Julianna Farrait and the children were forced into the Witness Protection Program when Lucas began naming names – indicating several law enforcement officers. Lucas’ sentence was reduced, and he was released in 1981.
With all of their properties and money seized, Julianna Farrait became instrumental in reviving the family’s drug trade. Helping Lucas sell drugs, Farrait had taken their daughter to Las Vegas before the FBI arrested her. Julianna Farrait was sentenced to about 4.5 years in prison. Their daughter, Francine Lucas, had to go live with Farrait’s family in Puerto Rico. Frank was sentenced to another seven years for the crime. After Frank Lucas was released from prison, Farrait, who moved back to Puerto Rico, reconciled with her husband and returned to the United States. In 2010, she was caught trying to sell drugs in Puerto Rico and was sentenced in February 2012 to 5 years in prison. The couple lived together in New Jersey until Frank Lucas’ death on May 30, 2019, at the age of 88.
Julianna Farrait was Portrayed in a Ridley Scott’s Movie
Director Ridley Scott directed Steven Zaillian’s screenplay for American Gangster, which is loosely based on Frank Lucas’ life. In an attempt to raise legal money, Frank Lucas had sold his life story to be adapted into a film. Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington played Frank Lucas, with Puerto Rican actress Lymari Nadal portraying Julianna Farrait. However, although Frank Lucas’ name was used in the film, Farrait’s name was changed to Eva. The 2007 biographical crime film was the closest anyone had to knowing more about Julianna Farrait. Produced on a $100 million budget, American Gangster (2007) grossed $266.5 million at the Box Office. Since her husband’s death, Julianna Farrait continues to live quietly away from the public eye and is not granting interviews. Although Julianna Farrait wasn’t part of the Mafia, here are 5 top TV shows showcasing the lives of the Mafia and drug lords.
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