The Balistrieri Tapes

“The Balistrieri Tapes” was a twelve-part series originally published in the Milwaukee Sentinel beginning October 31, 1988. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is republishing select excerpts from the series.

Frank Balistrieri died in 1993 and his son Joseph Balistrieri died in 2010. His son John Balistrieri was released from prison in 1989, after the publication of this series. In 2014, the Wisconsin Supreme Court denied John Balistrieri’s request to reinstate his law license despite the recommendation of a court-appointed referee who said his conduct had been exemplary since his release.

https://eu.jsonline.com/story/news/...ntinel-investigative-series/71145060007/

Part 6: "Top mobster Bonanno visited Balistrieri to discuss problems"
https://eu.jsonline.com/story/news/...strieri-to-discuss-problems/71245735007/

Those articles are fascinating. Thank you for sharing.

That's great. You rarely see such hindsight of the life of a Mob boss.

I believe their original surname was Balistreri.

Related article.

My cousin was killed by a car bomb in 1978. A mob boss was the top suspect. Now, I’m looking for answers.

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/...978-car-bombing-mob-mystery/72275289007/

Francesco had a long run as boss from 1961 to 1993.

So i read the whole thing and it was very interesting, especially the part about Vegas and the beef between Balistrieri and Nick Civella (former boss of KC).

Part 7 is about how Joe Pistone/Donnie Brasco brought the Bonnano family into a partnership with Milwaukee in a vending machine business ran by another undercover cop. Knowing the story from Pistone's book, it's great to have the Milwaukee version of it.

Thank you for sharing that Hollander.

Decades-Old Milwaukee Mafia Trials: John Franke's Victory Over Frank Balistrieri
The Milwaukee Mafia Trials of the 1980s, featuring John Franke vs. Frank Balistrieri, led to a major crackdown on organized crime, changing the city's legal landscape.

https://bnnbreaking.com/courts-law/...n-frankes-victory-over-frank-balistrieri

Frank did like a nice car bomb, he was even rumored to be involved in the Lefty Rosenthal blast.

Unsolved murders and attempted murders linked to Milwaukee crime boss Frank Balistrieri
24 PHOTOS

https://eu.jsonline.com/picture-gal...-mob-boss-frank-balistrieri/71818393007/

Who would look at Balistrieri and say this guy is a mob boss ???

Looked like a funeral director

Some called him “Frankie Bal,” “Mr. Big,” or “Mr. B.” He was also known as "Fancy Pants" due to his hand-tailored, custom-made suits. That nickname was especially popular among people who didn't like him.