Julianna Farrait's: Facts about the Life of Frank Lucas' Wife

Julianna Farrait went from relative anonymity to being in the spotlight after encountering the man who would become her husband, Frank Lucas, on an airplane. Soon after, her life became riddled with ups and downs.

The world likely wouldn't have known much about Julianna Farrait without her relationship with the late American drug lord Frank Lucas. When they met, she was a simple woman with limited English proficiency, but their connection was undeniable.

Julianna Farrait went from living a modest life away from the limelight to basking in luxury with her husband. However, the privileges of marrying a drug lord sometimes had adverse outcomes. She even spent time in prison at one point and another.

In 2007, her life with Frank was dramatized in the biographical film, "American Gangster." Denzel Washington portrayed Lucas alongside Lymari Nadal Torres, who played Julianna, though with a different name. Other stars included Josh Brolin, Russell Crowe, RZA, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Who Is Julianna Farrait?

There is very little information about Julianna before she met her husband, but she was born in Puerto Rico around 1941 and lived a relatively anonymous life. She was a beautiful country girl with simple tastes.

Her husband revealed that there was nothing fabulous about her as she wore basic, boring clothes and did not have excellent quality. As they came from different worlds, he had to fix her up to look the part of his wife.

Julianna Farrait Met Frank Lucas on the Plane

Julianna and Frank met when they boarded the same plane. They were both in the first class section of the plane headed for New York. He had noticed her when she walked down the aisle to take her seat, and he said she smiled at him.

He noticed that she was cute and always had a smile whenever he turned to admire her. Her husband took that as a hint to start a conversation as the seat belt sign went off, and he was glad he did as the attraction was mutual.

The former homecoming queen revealed that her husband was a self-assured man with a confident and calm demeanor at their first meeting, and it shocked her, but she found it attractive.

Though they initially had issues communicating as she knew little English, he got her New York address, and they parted ways. They lost contact for months until their paths crossed again at a club.

Julianna Farrait was always attracted to danger and loved expensive things.

Frank noted that Julianna was different from any woman he had ever met, describing her as green, naïve, and innocent. They started dating, and within a year, Frank and Julianna married in 1967 at a justice of the peace in San Juan, Puerto Rico, surrounded by her family and friends.

After their wedding, she was excited to find a home for them to rent, not knowing he could buy the entire building. After they settled in, he brought his son Yogi to live with them.

Julianna and Yogi bonded almost immediately; she taught him to speak enough Spanish after they took a trip to see her family, and she became an excellent stepmother to him. However, she stayed out of her husband's business.

Frank and his wife had seven children, three biological and four step-children. They are Francine Lucas-Sinclair, Frank "Yogi" Lucas Jr., Ray Lucas, Betty Lucas, Candace Lucas, Ruby Lucas, and Tony Walters.

The Luxurious Life of Julianna Farrait

Julianna's husband's business flourished so much that he claimed he made $1 million daily. In addition, he had over $50 million accumulated in Cayman Islands banks and hundreds of millions in stockpiled drugs.

He also owned office buildings, a cattle ranch, and apartments throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. With his growing power and wealth, he gave his wife expensive gifts.

Frank also spared no expense regarding his looks and wanted to always be the most expensively dressed in the room. In 1970, after attending a Muhammad Ali fight in Atlanta, he was angry that he was not the most expensively dressed.

If people making less money than him could buy expensive things, he wanted to outspend them. The next fight in New York on March 8, 1971, gave him the perfect opportunity to shine.

He opted for a maxi-length chinchilla coat, which cost $100,000, and paired it with a custom $25,000 hat. The gray coat's fur was thick and fluffy with black streaks. Frank had one of the best seats when he arrived at the fight arena, while the United States vice president, Spiro Agnew, was forced to sit on the balcony.

His outfit and seating position made the detectives in the audience notice him again, even though they already knew who he was. The show-stopping coat brought more attention to Julianna's husband.

His daughter, Francine, had more than she needed as a child. She could boast a $10,000 FAO Schwarz train set, a Fendi fur coat, excess toys, and dozens of cuddly toys where her father hid his money.

Julianna Farrait Went to Prison Twice in Ten Years

On January 28, 1975, the NYPD/DEA strike force carried out a surprise raid in Frank's Teaneck, New Jersey house, and in Julianna's panic, she reportedly screamed:

"Take it all, take it all."

While screaming, she threw several suitcases with over half a million dollars belonging to her husband out of the window. They considered her actions a crime, for which she earned a six-month jail sentence.

They also arrested her husband. After she was released, there were reports that he was cooperating with the authorities in prison. These reports, which he denied, put their family in danger.

The authorities had to protect Frank's family by putting Julianna, Francine, and his son from another relationship in the federal witness protection program for a year in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Francine got a new last name — Walters, and they lived in poverty with only crackers in their cupboard on some days. Three years later, after her brother left for college, they moved and started living with her maternal grandparents in Puerto Rico.

Frank was released two years after their move to Puerto Rico, and they all returned to New Jersey to stay with his parents. A few weeks later, because he could not get a job, he returned to his former dealings, and Julianna was helping him.

When Julianna went to make a deal at the Stardust Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas, the FBI arrested her. She was to serve a four-and-a-half-year sentence while her husband would serve seven years.

Julianna Farrait Broke the Law Again in 2010

In 2010, Julianna was caught breaking the law again in her seventies. The police had arrested her for trying to sell cocaine at a hotel in Puerto Rico. The court charged her with conspiracy to violate narcotics law as there was a recorded conversation where she allegedly told an informant she had drugs to sell.

She once revealed that she was always attracted to danger, missed taking trips, and missed owning expensive things. She believed that money was essential and could buy happiness. Julianna was sentenced to five years, and the judge ignored her pleas to serve a lenient sentence so she could care for her ill husband.

Julianna Farrait's Husband Died in 2019

Frank Lucas died at 88 on May 30, 2019. His nephew Aldwan Lassiter confirmed his death, revealing in a phone interview that he died of natural causes. Although reports stated that Julianna died before her husband and one of his sons, some pictures proved it was not the case.

The pictures showed her saying goodbye to her late husband at his funeral. His four daughters, two sons, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, two sisters, and three brothers were among some of his survivors.