Frank Sinatra letter reveals anger at priest over son's kidnapping case

An unearthed six-page letter from Frank Sinatra shows the singer’s anger at a priest who asked him to forgive the men who kidnapped his son in 1963, a development that casts new light on a high-profile case and the lasting media scrutiny surrounding it.

Sinatra Jr., then 19, was abducted on December 8, 1963, from a dressing room at a Nevada hotel after a performance. The ordeal ended after the ransom, set at $240,000, was paid and the kidnappers—Barry Keenan and Clyde Amsler, with John Irwin later implicated—were apprehended. Public attention soon fixated on rumors that the entire event might have been a hoax rather than a genuine kidnapping. Those rumors were later undermined by a confession letter found in a safe deposit box, but the perception lingered, complicating Sinatra’s public stance in the wake of the crime. Bonhams Los Angeles, which is cataloging the letter, notes that it provides a distinctly intimate look at Sinatra the father amid a case defined by sensational headlines.

A six-page typed letter, dated July 28, 1964 and signed in black ink, was addressed to Father Roger Schmit, the chaplain at the prison where Keenan was held. In the letter, Sinatra states that it is presumptuous to ask forgiveness for Keenan and Amsler because such a request presumes the Sinatras harbor antagonism or seek punishment. He also argues that the guilt and potential punishment of the abductors are not for the Sinatras to determine, and he condemns what he calls a “hoax” claim that had unfairly tainted his son’s reputation.

“The determination of the guilt of Keenan and Amsler and the punishment to be imposed in the event of their guilt were matters with which we should not be concerned or take a position,” the letter reads, according to the text published by Bonhams. Sinatra adds that the hoax allegation has created a persistent cloud of suspicion that could affect his son’s life and career. He notes that he had remained silent on the conduct of the trial and the harm caused by the hoax claim, but the priest’s letter, written “in the name of God,” forced him to break that silence.

The auction house describes the letter as a rare opportunity to see Sinatra in a deeply personal moment, away from the stage and the scrutiny that followed the kidnapping. The vendor who owns the document acquired it from the chaplain at the time and later entrusted it to a relative who kept it while incarcerated. Bonhams Los Angeles values the letter at about £22,000 ($30,000) for the September 25 sale.

Claire Tole-Moir, Bonhams head of department for popular culture and science, emphasizes that the item offers an unguarded glimpse into Sinatra the father. She notes that after Sinatra Jr. was safely returned, rumors circulated that the younger Sinatra had staged the kidnapping to boost his career. The discovery of the confession letter in a safe deposit box helped overturn those claims, but the case remains one of the most infamous in American tabloid history.

The case unfolded in a dramatic sequence. Keenan and Amsler abducted Sinatra Jr. from a Las Vegas–area hotel, blindfolded him, and spirited him away in their car while his friend was restrained with tape. Police roadblocks briefly halted the suspects, and the kidnappers ultimately drove to a hideout in a Los Angeles suburb. The next day, Irwin called the ransom line, demanding $240,000. The cash was delivered in a staged drop between two school buses in Sepulveda, California. While Keenan and Amsler collected the money, Irwin released Sinatra Jr., who walked to a security guard and was found in Bel Air a short time later. Irwin later confessed to his role, and within hours the trio was in custody.

The saga resonated far beyond the crime itself. It fed ongoing tabloid speculation about hoaxes and forged fame, a narrative that persisted even after Sinatra Jr. rejoined his family. Frank Sinatra Sr. died in 1998, but the letter and related artifacts continue to illuminate the private tensions behind a public tragedy.

The letter’s sale on September 25 represents one of the more striking intersections of culture, celebrity, and history, offering collectors a direct line to a pivotal moment in mid‑20th‑century American entertainment and crime reporting.