Some recent articles on the modern day Chicago Outfit...
http://www.ipsn.org/characters/new_outfit.htmhttp://www.laborers.org/ChicagoMag_Moblite_12_00.htmhttp://www.ipsn.org/living_the_high_life.htmOutfit-related cases over the past decade...
In April 2000, 7 people tied to the Outfit, including Anthony Dote, Carl Dote, and Donald Scalise, and were indicted in Chicago on charges of racketeering and gambling involving a sports betting operation that netted $2 million over 3 years.
In April 2000, 8 people, including former police detective William Handhart, were indicted in Chicago on charges of running a $10 million jewelry theft ring, which had ties to the Outfit, that included 8 separate thefts of jewelry, watches, etc. in Wisconsin , Michigan , Ohio , Minnesota , Texas , Arizona , and California.
In November 2000, an ex-official of LIUNA Local 5, long connected to the Outfit, was indicted in Chicago of embezzling $473,106 in union funds through increased salaries, bonuses, and vacations that benefited him, his wife, and former Secretary-Treasurer James DiForti, an Outfit associate.
In January 2001, 3 Chicago Outfit members, Frank Caruso Jr., Bruno Caruso, and Leo Caruso, all officials of LIUNA Locals 1001, 1006, and the Chicago Laborers District Council were removed from their positions. In May 2004, Local 1001 was put under federal trusteeship due to ongoing corruption and Outfit control.
In March 2001, Illinois state regulators denied a license to Emerald Casino Inc. to operate a gambling boat in Rosemont, citing the group's alleged Outfit connections. In July 2001, it was reported that Outfit associates involved with the casino had donated almost $150,000 to local public officials. In December 2002, the Illinois Gaming Board banned D&P Construction, owned by Outfit boss John "No Nose" DiFronzo, from hauling trash from the casino. In 2005, 2007, and 2009, the local media reported on DiFronzo's companies, D&P Construction and JKS Ventures, which had received contracts from local townships.
In June 2001, 10 people, including Outfit members Michael Spano and James Inendino, as well as the mayor of Cicero , were indicted in Chicago on charges of racketeering, bribery, official misconduct, wire fraud, bank fraud, mail fraud, interstate transportation of stolen property, tax evasion conspiracy, and money laundering involving the diversion of over $10 million from Cicero's insurance funds for personal benefit. Inendino would later be investiagated in April 2010 regarding his operations outside a local currency exchange.
In October 2001, the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin , Illinois was forced to pay a $3 million fine for giving a $300,000 air handling contract to the son of an Outfit figure. In April 2003, the casino was fined $7.2 million for giving out contracts to Outfit-connected companies.
In February 2002, 8 people tied to the Outfit, including William "Billy D" DiDomenico, were indicted in Chicago on charges of running a sports betting operation over a 10 year period.
In March 2002, Richard Caravetta, an official of LIUNA Local 2, resigned due his Outfit ties and various union violations.
In April 2002, 10 Outfit members and associates, including James "Jimmy" Cozzo, were indicted in Chicago for skimming over $3.2 million, allegedly for a casino in Caracao, from illegal bingo games carried out by using veteran's groups as fronts at the Grand Palace bingo hall.
In April 2002, an Outfit associate, Anthony Giannone, pled guilty in Chicago for conspiring to possess and distribute more than 100 kilos of marijuana.
In May 2002, 2 Outfit associates, Nick Boscarino and Ralph Aulenta, were indicted in Chicago on charges of tax fraud, insurance fraud, and money laundering involving the siphoning of over $460,000 from the Village of Rosemont through a mob-owned insurance company.
In May 2002, an official of IBT Union Local 714, tied to the Outfit, was expelled due to a plot to drive down wages and benefits for IBT Local 631 in Las Vegas . In October 2002, the report "The Teamsters: Perception and Reality" was released, resulting from the RISE investigation into ongoing Outfit influence and corruption in the Teamsters Union, which included investigations into IBT Locals 330, 714, 726, 727, 743, 781, 786, in Chicago.
In February 2003, 17 people involved with the Crazy Horse Too strip club in Nevada , tied to the Outfit, were indicted on charges of racketeering, corruption, extortion, robbery, and tax fraud.
In January 2004, 3 people, including Paul Karoluk, are indicted for running a multimillion dollar burglary ring tied to the Outfit.
In July 2004, after being banned in the 1990's from Laborers Union, Cicero/Melrose Park crew boss, John "Pudgy" Matassa Jr., was reported to be overseeing the Amalgamated Transit Workers Union Local 711.
In November 2004, the "Hired Truck Program" scandal broke, in which at least 28 people and 26 trucking and carting companies, including ones tied to the Outfit, and the city's Streets and Sanitation, Transportation, and Water Departments, were charged in a series of indictments with racketeering conspiracy, bribery, bid-rigging, theft, billing at union (IBT Local 726) wages while using non-union labor, and obstruction of justice in a scheme to obtain $40 million in city contracts.
In February 2005, it was reported that a tribal casino boat off the coast of Cancun Mexico had investors with Outfit ties.
In April 2005, 14 Outfit members and associates, including administration members James "Jimmy the Man" Marcello and Joseph "The Clown" Lombardo, and and South Side/26th Street member Frank "Brankie Breeze" Calabrese, were indicted on charges of racketeering, conspiracy, running sports betting and video poker operations, extorting a "street tax" from restaurant and 2 porn shops, tax evasion, and multiple murder counts. In January 2007, a U.S. Marshal, John Ambrose, was indicted in Chicago with illegally disclosing information about turncoat Nicholas Calabrese to Outfit members.
In February 2006, 9 people tied to the Outfit, including John "Tiger" Frisella, were indicted in Rockford for running a sports betting operation that netted $500,000.
In July 2008, Outfit associate, Anthony Calabrese, was convicted for running a burglary ring.
In March 2009, a civil RICO complaint was filed in Chicago against 7 Outfit members and associates, including boss John "No Nose" DiFronzo and Elmwood Park crew bosses, Peter "Greedy Petey" Fratto and Rudolph "Uncle Rudy" Fratto, that charged them with extortion, intimidation, loansharking, and murder conspiracy involving the ownership in a Melrose Park medical clinic and the shaking down of one of it's patients, Joseph Fosco, the son of a former mob-connected labor union boss.
In May 2009, 8 Outfit members and associates, including Grand Avenue crew street boss, Michael "The Large Guy" Sarno, and a Berwyn police officer, were indicted on charges of racketeering, conspiracy, engaging in nine jewelry robberies worth over $1.8 million, transportation and fencing of stolen cigarettes, arson in the form of employing the Outlaw Motorcycle Gang to detonate a pipe bomb at a rival video poker business, running video poker operations, obstruction of a criminal investigation, wire fraud, and tax evasion.
In September 2009, Elmwood Park crew street boss, Rudolph "Uncle Rudy" Fratto, was indicted on charges of tax evasion. In March 2010, Fratto and an associate were indicted in Chicago on charges of mail fraud in connection with a contract bid-rigging scheme to provide forklift trucks for local trade shows.
In December 2009, approximately 10-12 local bars and taverns in Chicago were raided involving an investigation into Outfit-connected video poker machines.
