Chicago Outfit

I work right by Mount Carmel cemetery and stopped out the other day. Would love to see more pics of Giancana....

Probably your best choice is to Google "Sam Giancana" and click on images. Most pictures of S. Giancana can be found on the images category of Google.

For articles about Giancana just hit the search button and click on the results.

Am I the only person who thinks Giancana looks kinda nerdy? He doesn't look intimidating at all.

That nerdyness probably worked in his favor. "haha look at that nerdy guy- BANG BANG..and your dead" At least thats what I think it would be like

I thought Sam's close ally, Dick Cain, had an intellectual image. Must have been the glasses.

Mooney was the furthest thing from that. Monumental presence. And fucked some of the hottest, most high profile actresses & models of that era. Definitely wasn't Michael Spilotro in the looks department, but Phyllis McGuire & Monroe were madly in love with the man. Polarizing guy for sure. Also a ruthless egomaniac with a true love for the life. Gangsters worshipped the guy.

He most definitely relished the spotlight. That was his demise in the end. Couldn't keep his yapper shut...

I actually just started reading "The Mafia Princess" by his daughter Antoinette. Quite curious what she has to say and how much of it seems factual.

He would've never taken a backseat to a couple of melvins (in his eyes) like aiuppa & cerone. Mooney's problem was his addiction to taking advantage ultra famous people & using them at his disposal. A dangerous game to play when you have as much to protect as he did. He had a different vision for the Outfit. An impossible vision.

I still often wonder who actually did him in. Everything I read points to a welcomed visitor that he was actually cooking for. He was cooking sausage and peppers and due to heart problems, couldn't eat that. There was no forced entry either. I find it odd that the FBI which normally staked out his place 24 hours a day was conveniently not doing that on the day he was killed.

I think it was Tony "The Ant" Spilotro.

I don't think the authorities spent much time investigating the crime either. They got rid of a menace which in the end made there jobs easier.

The most common theory I keep reading is that Dominic "Butch" Blasi was the person responsible for killing Sam Giancana. No one was ever charged. Blasi was one of Giancana's closet friends. If you read the FBI files, Giancana once offered to lend Blasi something like $120- 130,000 to purchase some land. Blasi turned him down because he said the IRS would be all over him about where he got the money. Who knows what eventually happened? Maybe they "worked something out." Two points here: 1. Giancana's willingness to help one of his men, and 2. Some of your best friends will "do you in."

Giancana had gallbladder surgery in Texas ( Dr. Michael DeBakey) and probably could not eat spicy foods. He most likely had heart problems as well. These guys didn't take good care of themselves.

The most common theory that I've heard is Butch Blasi did the "dirty deed." Who knows for sure?" I do find it interesting that the law enforcement detail that was assigned to provide protection was recalled shortly before Giancana was murdered. Very odd to say the least.

Congressmen Frank Church and John Tower promised a full investigation into the death of Sam Giancana, but it never happened. Local authorities had trouble deciding who would take charge of the investigation. Long story short, not much of an investigation period.

I'll see if i can find some old newspaper articles about Giancana's murder.

Here's one that may be of interest.


http://books.google.com/books?id=5ugCAAA...ana&f=false

Good point. In addition to a ban on spicy foods, Sam probably had doctor's orders for eliminating fatty meats, cheese, and smoking, also. Like many hedonistic mobsters, Sam probably ignored the doctor. So, I can imagine Giancana cooking up the late night snack for himself.

Absolutely. He checked himself out of the hospital in Houston w/o the doctor's approval. He was one tough cookie!

Here's another short summary of Giancana's murder. Not much in this that hasn't been reported numerous times.

I'll keep looking.

http://www.ganglandchicagohistory.com/2010/06/history-stub-35-years-ago-murder-of-sam.html

Here's a fairly good article from 1975.

Sorry, this article won't open. I'll keep trying

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19750621&id=3ztOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Le0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5271,1807055http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19750621&id=3ztOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Le0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5271,1807055

Has anyone read of any promotions with the ranks after Giancana was waxed? Just curious if guys like Spilotro or Blasi received an increased responsibility....

Thanks for these articles. If anyone wants to read this just paste it into your adress bar.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19750621&id=3ztOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Le0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5271,1807055

I have a book on Cain by his brother; I have just skimmed it. From what I've read he was a very interesting person but probably most of what is said about him is speculation and rumor, in terms of him gaming the CIA/JFK etc.

Anyway, he was very smart, he had an IQ of 120, which is very, very bright, but not the genius he liked to tell people he was.

Johnny - I've read several articles about Cain and his ability to play both sides of the fence. I was not aware that he was really smart. I would think that someone with his intelligence might want to think twice about doing "double duty" with The Outfit.

Most of the articles I read were related to Family Secrets. Another name that surfaced, and was supposedly very smart, was Donald Angelini. According to several FBI agents he was also a really nice guy. A couple of the agents said they hated to arrest him because he was so nice. If I remember correctly, he and another fellow named Cortina were gambling experts. Only read a little about the guys.

When I get bored I go back and read more about Family Secrets. I always learn something new.

Here's another one about Giancana.

You'll have to copy and paste.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19750621&id=3ztOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Le0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5271,1807055

That's the same one Gary.

His brother wrote this book called The Tangled Web. Someone gave it to me. I am not interested enough to read the whole thing. But, yeah, I do remember that bit about his IQ being tested at 120. That's well above average and probably enough to get one into MENSA or something like that but I guess he went around telling everyone he was a genius, and that is not nearly "genius."

Anyway, yeah, he wasn't smart enough not to end up getting blasted at Rose's Sandwich Shop.

I have read that the killers of Cain apparantly wore one black glove and one white glove. Any thoughts of why the did that? Any symbolism in that? Or is that a bullshit story?

Never heard that. It's one of those crimes where everyone from Aleman to Lombardo to Shweihs has been fingered. (Who knows, it could have been all of them.)

From what I remember 2 guys broke into Rose's Sandwich Shop on near Grand and made everyone in the place line up against the wall, pretending it was a robbery. They were wearing ski masks.

They blew Cain away and left.

I can't remember the theories as to exactly why. I'll probably get around to reading that book some day.

That shop is now another business; I often wonder if the owners know what happened there.

It was near the near Spilotro's dad's restaurant on Grand and Ogden.

He could have very well been cooking for himself. My wife had her gall bladder taken out and she can still eat anything she wants with no problems. It is just different for different people. I imagine as much sausage and peppers he eat over the years his body could take it.

Sorry about the double post. I'm playing around too much

Yeah, I know what you're saying. My wife had her gall bladder taken out a year ago and she has no problem eating anything. I based what I said on the large number of stories which related his cooking may have been for a friend since he had gall bladder surgery. No way to know for sure.

Here's an article about Richard Cain.

http://www.samreaves.com/bilek.php

More about the Giancana era. These kinds of things really caused an uproar in The Outfit hierarchy.

Scroll to the bottom of each page and click on additional pages.

http://www.dougiethompson.com/kennedy-mafia1.html

Great link, Gary. I've always been fascinated with organized crime and also Frank Sinatra back during the Rat Pack era. The Giancana-Sinatra relationship is very interesting.

Do you Chicago guys remember Larry Neumann? The link below is about two of his murder victims. Neumann was part of the "Hole in The Wall Gang." Just click on the "full story" and read about Neumann. Some good pictures are also included.

Neumann worked for Spilotro.

http://www.mchenrycounty1981.com

Need to remember the timing, he was still having some complications and I am sure the procedure was not nearly as perfected as it is nowadays...

Good read on Neuman...I wonder whether Tommy Amato was related to Joseph "Black Joe" Amato who ran McHenry County in the late 70s/early 80s.

I have no idea, ChiTown. I wasn't aware that "Black Joe" Amato ran McHenry County. These guys had so many connections. Unreal!

Here's another one on Sam Giancana. Most of these reflect the same message so view at your own discretion.

Copy and paste.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IGhQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RVgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6953,1105721&dq=sam+giancana&hl=en

And another one involving Santos Trafficante.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9-IzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YzgHAAAAIBAJ&pg=1185,301928&dq=sam+giancana&hl=en

According to the Family Secrets book by Jeff Coen, when Nick Calabrese spoke with the FBI he stated that he knew that Accardo was part of the Giancana hit, that LaPietra disposed of the gun and that his brother Frank and Ronnie Jarrett made the silencer for the gun

Goodness. Whoever would think Ronnie Jarrett would be instrumental in killing Sam Giancana.

Yes I have read about Frank and Ronnie making the silencer before...

That was needed considering Mooney's caretakers were upstairs in the same house

Going off topic a bit, but how illegitimate are EP's/J Difronzo's white collar dealings? I mean I get it they retreated....but both NY and Chicago have always had guys that were involved in white collar rackets that were separate from street level stuff. You always hear the talk of Neil Dellacroce being the throwback street tough with Castellano and his group being into more white collar stuff. Even guys like Tommy Lucchese were well known for their white collar rackets. Is DiFronzo completely legit?

My guess is that there are still some under the table dealings but for the most part he is walking the straight and narrow. Just my personal opinion and lack of headlines that would point otherwise...

I mean bid rigging and things of that nature has to still be going on I would think.

Johnny himself lost his lust for the street rackets after his son ODd. Pete D., Marco D., and other guys from that crew might dabble, but Johnny is on his last legs & his personal crew has been defunct for ages Now.

I guess that's what I'm wondering. There's a difference between street rackets (loan sharking/gambling etc..) and white collar rackets like bid rigging and embezzling. Think EP is out of the latter as well?

Not true at all, otherwise he and his brothers would have no reason to run from cameras when they show up at their companies...time and again, they run. Nor would they continue to associate with the ex-felons and known Outfit soldiers they continue to see.

DiFronzo isn't stupid. If he was legit, he wouldn't hang around his brother's companies all day like he does, nor have known Outfit associates and ex felons stopping by the premises. He also wouldn't have to stay so low-profile and modest...the guy has interests in car dealerships (major ones like Perillo, Mancari and Piemonte) along with everything from real estate to grocery stores to construction. He would be living in a mansion like his brother Pete or moving out of Chicago completely.

JKS and D&P are mob companies plain and simple...they continue to use their influence among politicians to get bids and use them. They employ the kids and relatives of made members and openly allow Outfit associates like Bobby Abbinanti, Tony Dote, Joe Belli and others to meet at their facilities.

And that's exactly what I meant. Think you said it perfectly. Think calling those guys completely out of the game is a little misleading. NY guys being involved in concrete bidding and things like the windows case is kind of the same thing. Just a different kind of racketeering.

But that is exactly what they want you to think...that they are out of the game. You just have to use a little common sense and look beneath the surface of things.

D&P and JKS get A LOT of contracts from tax payer funded projects...not just private. That is where the real crime lies because you know there is bid rigging happened and tax payers are the ones being fucked.

I've heard that Jonny and/or his brothers used to post on ANP under a moniker like "Wisconsin Reader" or something. They would taunt Fosco and he even called them on it one time. The moniker makes sense because I've seen the DiFronzo compounds near Williams Bay in Wisconsin where Pete used to spend a lot of weekends. Marco, Bobby A and Pudge Matassa also have homes there. So while there is no way to probably prove it, the moniker makes sense.

He also has the offshore casinos. Whether they are "legit" or not, I don't know, but I doubt his name is on the leases.

Where in the book does it say that? I'm re-reading it and I don't remember that. It mentions that he told the Feds what he heard had happened. I don't remember that they actually stated what happened. I'm on p.70 now, so maybe it's later.

Speaking of the book, anyone know who "flapjack" was/is that they refer to who owned a pancake house on the northside?

Joe Andriacchi

I thought funkster was referring to street rackets. Real gangster stuff. Sharking, extortion, etc. Johnny DiFronzo isn't involved in any of that anymore, hasn't really been since 1995ish. That's what I meant.

Yeah its interesting how the old guard turns sometimes. Makes me think of Castellano and guys like Tommy Gambino. Stayed off the street, but did corporate gangster shit.

There isn't too much out there on DiFronzo. The coolest thing I ever read about him was in Cooley's When Corruption Was King.

Cooley wears a wire and goes into his auto dealership and gets him on tape saying that he didn't have to pay back any of the bookies he owed; if I remember correctly because he was instrumental in helping them, in his capacity as a corrupt lawyer, with several other things.

Cooley says he did that so that people didn't think he flipped just because he was deeply in debt to the mob bookies.

Of course, people say that anyway.

Its unfortunate how little we know about any of the Chicago guys, current and in the past. With the exception of Accardo, Giancana, Spilotro, and Calabrese Sr. I guess. Would love to know more about the life of guys like Aiuppa, Solano, and LaPietra.

Nonos...always found that clip of DiFronzo leaving the federal building in the 80s interesting. Had that gangster swagger back then.

It is in the last chapter "end of an era" page 403

Tommy Gambino did gangster shit or was at least in control of it
As he was responsible for CT so had exposure to the book , shark
And extortion rackets .

I'm sure he had a loan shark book in the garment center , I don't
Know how he couldn't given how things worked there

Point taken. But he was much more known as a white collar guy rather than a heavy guy, wasn't he?

Or is I guess I should say as he hasn't kicked the bucket just yet.

Oh I agree , but like his father he probably had to give the ok to a lot of
Blue collar activities in CT and garment center.

My grandfather first cousins were the Pappadio's ( Andimo , Michael , Fred ) and Panica's ( Victor ) and from the little I heard the garment center was like a world of its own ( my grandfather was a teamsters truck driver ) , almost like the Fulton fish market . It was an area where law enforcement didn't matter , LCN enforced the area and the same with lending , banks weren't really the source of funding but rather LCN.

There is quite a bit known about Angelo LaPietra, from Mr. Cooley & from Calabrese, Jr. The LaPietra Bros. Bridgeport was imo the craziest time in the Outfit's history besides Taylor St. in the 40s-60s.

Guess I mean his entire career ans not just late 70s and 80s.

That is true about the outfit but family secrets and the casino skim case really did give a lot of info from mid 70s to late 90s but I hear what your saying , they were a very well run family .

What's even crazier IMO is how little we know about the Genovese , between Genovese and Chin nobody really knows for certain who the administration was and that family is fucking huge, soldiers in what 5 or 6 states . Even today nobody really knows who is really running things . In this day and age that is quite the accomplishment . They are just a very well run family

I know I keep bringing him up but a guy like Angelo Ponte who nobody even knows , not even some mob enthusiasts , who today is easily worth over $100M . Nobody knows if he is a soldier or associate for sure . I know the grand kids , was at the wedding last year and now word is that Angelo brother is the one who really ran things and I have never even heard of him . Even today they have their hands in a lot of unions , trucking , garbage and construction pots , huge unions like the carpenters union and huge construction projects like WTC , Shea , $100M + deals.

I've heard a few comparisons made between the Outfit and the Genovese, as far as their secrecy and how they tend to run things..

the heights in the 60s,70s, and 80s was pretty brutal

even paul ricca had trouble controlling them

I have the book "The Boys In Chicago Heights" and it appears to be well-researched and written (Matt Luzi). Contains a lot of information that I had never seen. Lots of interesting stories.

I believe you guys from Chicago would really like this book because you are familiar with all the geographic areas, i'am not. But it was a very informative book on the history of Chicago Heights.

Hey Funkster, you mentioned wanting to know more about Solano. A close friend of mine's wifes family married into the Solano family in the 80's. She told me some stories when she was younger and her family would come visit she was told to stay out of one room in the house which was Vince's office. In all the family photos Vince always had a mean look on his face. When she was older she was told to never talk about anything criminal in the house out of fear of the house being bugged. She never understood why since she was only 14 and had no knowledge of anything criminal. When Vince died in 1992 she didn't go to the funeral but her dad did and he noticed people across the street taking photos which turned out to be the feds.

That is a great book and I highly recommend it like Gary. One of the few instances you hear about important people who rarely get mentioned like Joseph "Pappa Joe" Tocco and an in-depth look at the infamous chop shop wars.

Not many people know this, but Vince Solano Jr. started as an attorney working for the IRS in the 70s. In the 1980s, he was assistant states attorney in DuPage County. The son was very influential in helping his father maintain such a low profile and even Ken Eto testified about the father forcing Rush Street nightclub owners to sign over deeds to his son.

These days he is a very successful real estate and golf course developer...he did Royal Fox in St. Charles and the Solano's and Cerones partnered to create the Outfit's country club of the 1970s/80s--Brookwood CC. After the course was raided on Super Bowl Sunday and a gambling ring was discovered, Cerone/Solano Jr. managed to somehow get DuPage County's forest preserve to buy back the land...making a tidy profit.

Solano then went on to create Black Sheep which caught a ton of flack and media coverage for only allowing men. Solano Jr. was quoted everywhere from Sports Illustrated to the Chicago Tribune.

Wow, didnt realize Solano jr was still involved.

I do not believe that he is "still" involved beyond some partnerships in various restaurants and real estate (supposedly Solano Jr. is a partner in several Wisconsin properties alongside DiFronzo). I think it just goes to show you how smart Solano was. His kid began working for literally "the enemy" during the time his Dad's star took off in the Outfit. He then used his father's connections to start a real estate company.

I meant involved at all. Thought he was completely legit...which he may be...but not completely if its like that.


Is the Old Neighborhood Italian American Neighborhood Club still an Outfit hangout?

Yeah if you look through the Ken Eto testimony he discusses in detail about Solano Sr. forcing Rush Street tavern owners to sign over leases to his son. And if Vince Solano Sr. was the sociopathic mobster we have all read about, one might think he would be using his son's connections at the IRS to take care of a few things.

The "ONIAC" still has some mob connections I'm sure...I haven't been down there for years, but I'm sure that Dominic "Captain D" DiFazio is still holding court down there. He is an associate who works at Connie's Pizza (testified at Family Secrets in regards to his payoffs to Calabrese) and probably still runs a large book. DiFazio is a major gambler. I know that in the "day," Aldo Piscitelli and his father Shorty LaMantia used the ONIAC all the time.

These day's ONIAC is dominated by the PR guru Dominic DiFrisco who was the mouthpiece for the Caruso family during the Leonard Clark trial and was quoted 100 times in media coverage around Family Secrets complaining about negative Italian stereotypes. Dominic is a legit guy who expects people to ignore his associations apparently. So in other words, I'm not sure I would consider ONIAC an "Outfit hangout" but I would consider it to have deep Outfit connections.

Any other known hangouts other than, say, HSAC?

Drive around Bridgeport and Elmwood and see

As far as Outfit hangouts & activity within city limits are concerned, the Patch is nothing when stacked up against the Bridgeport area. The Patch is just well known because of proximity to yuppie neighborhoods & Richard's. Bridgeport/Armour Square still have actual street action. The Chinatown casinos & general nature of that neighborhood have kept it in tact. Lots of "members only" signs & shady stuff happening throughout that area at all times. Taylor Street is a billboard.

Outside city limits, as Nicky mentioned, Elmwood park is ripe with social clubs. That's the Mecca & the real "little Italy" of Chicago. Melrose, Berwyn, Westchester, Addison, Lombard, Bloomingdale, oak park all have Outfit hangouts & gathering clubs.

They're everywhere in Bridgeport lol. Are there any left on Taylor St Huron?

Interesting. I admit I rarely venture into those parts...though my parents are very close to EP. I'll have to take a tour in my car one of these days ha.

Of course there is.

For years Vince Solano jr. had his law firm right in downtown Lisle were the Solano family lived for years. My friends wife was told if she ever needed any help with anything in Chicago she was told to call Vince jr. and he will take care of it.
As far as hangouts. I live in the Grand and Ogden neighborhood and have worked in that neighborhood for 8 years. There used to be a social club a the corner of Grand and may st and you would see a lot of old timers from the Grand Ave crew outside. La Scarola and Richards is a hangout for Albert Vena and Bobby Dominic. Some of the Rush St. restaraunts have a lot of outfit money involved. I believe the Cozzos still have the big place at grand and ogden.

The Grand & May Social Club was the "Boomerang Social Club." I played on their softball team years ago. Dominic Calarco was the President. He was also the one who hid Joey Lombardo in 2007 around Family Secrets. The club was for "members" after 4pm but during the day, it was used by the GAC and everyone from Vena to Spina to Cozzo to Andriacchi would come there to meet.

http://men-cooking.takeashare.com/


This was Christy & Vena's Bar a few years ago that got written up in Chicago Magazine and quoted Christy:
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/April-2008/Drink-Local/

Now the bar operates as Aberdeen Tap and Christy still holds court here: http://www.theaberdeentap.com/

This is Cozzo's pool hall about a block away from Aberdeen:
http://www.sportunion.us/company-city-pool-hall-food-spirits-in-chicago-il-22316

Phil had his welcome home party at this pool hall over the summer when he was released from prison.

They also own a piece of the Burger Baron:
http://www.burgerbaron.net/

i live the neighborhood too. Apparently we are neighbors. Chitown, Aberdeen in particular is a really nice bar.

Any specific spots of note in Bridgeport or EP?

Why did the May club close down...is it cause of of the Lombardo thing?

I think most of the places in the old neighborhoods are long-gone. Bobby Abinanti owned "The Loon" in River Grove. Now it's called "My Way" or something like that. I wonder whether he still owns it, but that was where DiFronzo and his brothers were all caught meeting by Chuck Goudie.

One of the local OTB parlors that is frequented by Outfit members like Jimmy Inendino and others is "Lucky Magees" in Niles.

Bobby Abbinanti apparently likes this place too:
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=93125&terms=Abbinanti

I tend to see more Outfit faces at suburban spots like the Grotto, Spavone's, Pal Joey's, Danny's/Cuzzins in Des Plaines. It is not like the 60s or 70s where there are "neighborhoods" where guys live and walk down the street to hang out. These guys now spread out everywhere.

I think Calarco was really the last guy to really work hard to keep that place going...I think attrition was the general factor and the fact that near the end, all the members lived in the suburbs.

I believe Cuzzins is now closed.

When it was the My Way Abbinanti owned it. That closed and now it's called the River Cafe. Don't know who owns it.

Interesting that the person who uploaded the video out front of ONIAC called himself Phillip Gurgone.

Here's when John Kass tried to infiltrate the Old Neighborhood Club. Must have been a slow new day. Only of marginal interest.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-...i-tapes-cannoli

The other social clubs in Bridgeport are the ones of interest, not the ONIAC. The smaller ones.

Yeah those are the ones I'm curious about. Any you can name?

I remember the old peek-a-boo lounge when Spina owned it. Does he still have ownership in the Aberdeen tap? I really like Aberdeen Tap, food is really good and it's dog friendly. I didn't know they had a piece of Burger Baron. I only eat there when im in a hurry. I work over at Coalfire Pizza which is at the corner of ogden and grand. I've been to the pool hall that the Cozzo's own. A guy i used to work with played against one of the Cozzo's in pool and said he was a loud mouth asshole.
The Grand/May social club shut down a few years ago. I used to pass it all the time on my way to Bari for a Italian sub, best in the city.
Bobby Abbinanti used to own the my way lounge but it only last a few years before shutting down.

Vinnie's Sub Shop has way, waaaaay better subs than Bari. Bari is obviously better for groceries though.

I'm going to have to give Vinnie's another try. I thought there sandwich was a little sweeter then Bari's. Both places are really good. The chocolate shop across from Bari used to be rose's sandwich shop were Dick Cain was clipped.
Oggi's has really good food at Grand and Noble.
My friend is the owner and head chef of Piccolo Songo at Grand and Halsted. He is a relative of Ross Prio.

Yeah piccolo sogno is in the old Como Inn space.

You definitely have to try Vinnies again. Softer bread, shaved meats (not misshapen like Bari), everything's fresher, and some of the best soup in the city. Barb & Joe are the best.

Oggi is good. So is Mart Anthony's. So is Salerno's. Little Italy North is still a great area. Just have my doubts as to whether or not it'll even be there in twenty years. Pretty sad how the city gas let that area go to shit several times over, while Taylor St gets the royal treatment. Bunch of buffoons running this town.

I've been wanting to try Mort Anthonys. I've heard it's really good. I've been working in the Grand and Ogden area since 1993 and living there for the last 2 years. I've always been a big fan of that neighborhood. It has been changing over the last few years. Look at how division st. has changed in the last 20 years. It used to be boarded up store fronts and now it has fancy restaraunts and bars up and down the street. They are in the process of doing the same on Chicago Ave.
I love the Chili at vinne's. D'mato's has really good pizza bread.
Sorry for getting off topic with the food references.
I know Bella Nolte has mob ownership along with Salernos.
It's been well documented about Richards being mob owned and a hangout. It's kinda funny because when you go into Richards they have Goodfellas and Casino posters on the wall along with a New York mob chart. Not the kind of things you would expect to see in a mob hangout. The drinks are cheap and you do have a lot of characters drinking in there. My girlfriend and I will go there sometimes if we are waiting for a table at Piccolo Songo. I still need to try LaScarola which was a favorites of Lombardo.

Bari's switched it's bread, at least that is what I heard. They used to get the bread from D'Amato's but they got in a fight or something so now they get their bread from somewhere else, or make it themselves, and D'Amatao's now sells it's own subs.

Vinnies get their bread from damatos delivered fresh periodically throughout the day.

Eh, that might be why it's so good. I thought the Bari's subs were better with the D'Amato's bread.

Nice that Piccolo opened there.

Maybe with a few new businesses like that it could hold on to its Italian heritage a bit, even with most the Italians gone, residentially speaking.

When/if they run out, she closes. Phil C is in there all the time. One of their clubhouses is behind the "law offices" on the northeast corner of grand & Racine. Always forget about that one. Literally across the street from the Cozzo fortress. That is their triangle right there.

It's been awhile since I had a Bari sub and I saw that d'amato's is selling there own subs and i wondered if that would be in conflict with Bari since Bari used there bread. Oh well, it's still a good sub.
The Cozzo Compound always stands out over there. They have a in-ground pool which is rare for Chicago.
The Spina's own a lot of property along Grand and Hubbard St.
My buddy who I work for used to work with Tom and Ron Covello. They were part of Lombardo's crew and did some time back in the 80's.
Even with all the yuppies moving into the west loop and Division/Chicago ave along Ashland I think Grand and Ogden will still have a strong Italian presence. There seems to be more bars opening in the neighborhood.
The building that used to be II Jacks is some sports bar called "output" or something like that. I've been in there a few times and it seems like a shady place. I know Jackie Cerone jr. used to own the place before but I'm not sure if he has a piece of the place now.

OThe Cerones have nothing to do with Output. The place is a front though. Total dump & They like it that way.

Coalfire is good Napoletano style pizza.

I have some serious doubts about that neighborhood though. I just see it becoming like division: bunch of generic yuppie sports bars & overpriced Mexican food, etc. Places like Clutch (which isn't bad, but you catch my drift). Im talking 30 years from now though.

Also, anyone know anything about the Stefani family & the Outfit? Always found it curious that they have offices located in the Patch.

Didn't realize there was a social club across from the Cozzo compound. It's theirs I assume? Who are the Stefanis?

Phil Stefani is the restaurateur who is partners with Andriacchi, Alex Dana, Marty Gutilla and others in a few different Rush Street hotspots like Tavern on Rush. Stefani is merely an associate or "hanger on" who looks like a giant walrus and likes to talk tough. He is mostly legit and has been very successful.

Alex Dana is the Rosebud guy.

Stefani is one of the Tavern guys.

Sure Stefani and Dana are affiliated?

I've never heard that before.

stefanigroup & rosebud restaurants have always been connected, whether or not they'd like to admit to it.

Phil Stefani always seemed to me like a nice, soft spoken guy. His wife & kids are extremely friendly as well. Excellent business man for sure.

So youre saying Phil is partnered with Joey The Builder? Because it's pretty well known that Al Dana is just a puppet, and the Andriacchi family are (allegedly) the real owners of Rosebud group. Do They own Stefanis as well? I always knew Dana was a wannabe lackey, but always figured Phil was a real deal entrepreneur who just got help from wise guys when he was starting out.

Clutch closed down last week and the owners of Aberdeen Tap are taking it over. I was talking to my boss at work and before he opened Coalfire at the spot it is in now they were going to buy the building that the Aberdeen Tap is in. Chris Spina owns the building and he had my boss over to his house and he said Spina's house is huge. Especially in the Grand and Ogden area which typically doesn't have big houses. He said Spina wanted $800,000 for the building. My boss passed on it but he stills see Chris Spina around the neighborhood a lot.
I've heard stories about Stefani especially since he owns places along Rush St. which has long been mob territory.
I always thought something shady is going on at "Output". Spina and Cozzo own a ton of property in the old neighborhood.

Aberdeen is taking over Clutch? Hmm interesting. Didn't realize Spina still lived in the area. Figured he did his business here...and lived in the burbs.

From what my boss told me the owners of Aberdeen tap are going to put another restaraunt in Clutch's location but the Aberdeen Tap will still remain open.
My boss went to Spina's house and he said it was somewhere near Grand and Carpenter st or maybe it was Green St. He said it was the biggest house in the entire neighborhood. Seems like a lot of the guys from the Grand Ave crew like Lombardo, Cozzo and Spina all stayed in the neighborhood.

Yeah Spina's house is absolutely massive, and right in the middle of the action.

I believe at one point DiPiazza's real estate development company owned the Tavern on Rush building as well. Bear Down....

^^^ Kass wrote an article about how the realty company and the other owners had conspired to throw Stefani out.

It's all in the article, who was behind the realty company. Some loosely connected goombahs, apparently.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-...-mr-real-estate


I believe Tominello is still alive, isn't he?

Guys - they just featured Coalfire on "Check, Please!" on channel 11. Looks like a pretty good pizzeria. I guess they get their salsicce from Bari and other meats from Publican.


BTW - Love the segment on White Fence Farm... lots of childhood memories there.

http://checkplease.wttw.com/blog/week-s-episode-macku-coalfire-white-fence-farm

Heh white fence farm. Wow. Going way back.

Coalfire is excellent & Publican Quality Meats is as well.

You'se guys are all wrong. Volare is The best Italian in The City next to Gaetano's in Forest Park.

I live a block from Coalfire and have yet to check it out. Gonna have to soon. I'll ask for you Geek lol.

Really cool footage from back in the day from Chuck Goudie. Especially interesting is Goudie talking about Gattuso, Campise, and Spilotro being "marked men on the street". Little did he know...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct7CmtKPR8w

Very prophetic by Chuck Goudie.

Thanks for sharing.

Yep, Coalfire was on check please on friday. We were super busy on saturday and had a hour wait for a table. We get our meats from Bari and Publican. My favorite is the Pepperoni and Sausage pizza. The Pep and Sausage are spicey but not to hot.
The general manager told me the other day that Kurt Calabrese came in last month when I was off that day. Our oven cooks at 850 degrees and it takes only 3 minutes for a pizza to cook. Sorry for getting off topic.

Does Kurt still run La Luce for his brother or did they sell it?

I tend to go for the more exotic stuff at Coalfire.

Isn't there another pizza place that opened recently where that Mexican place was right next to the carwash?

I actually think its still that Mexican joint. Surprised its still open though, it doesn't seem to do much business.

South side has the best pizza!

Yeah Vito & Nick's is absolutely delish. Dont buy the Vito & Nick's II frozen pies though. Not the real thing.

Love Vito and Nicks!

The Little Jimmy footage is mint btw.

Who was smoking the cigars with Little Jimmy in the video?

From everything I've read, Marcello appears to be a really tough, hardcore individual. I would like to know more about his tenure in The Outfit but information on the Internet is limited. Family Secrets stuff and a little more is all I've found.

Any chance he might "cooperate" in order to get his life sentence reduced? And if he did cooperate, does he have enough info to leverage the Feds ? Like I said, he seems to be very hardcore and my questions are purely speculative.

Which minute in the vid are you referring to?

Love how he refers to Goudie by his first name...lol like they're old pals.

He would NEVER flip

I honestly couldn't see him flipping either.

And the cigar part of the video is 22 minutes in

Not sure but I've seen the pic before; if you look hard enough you might find it. I think it was on the FBIs Family Secrets evidence site.

Awesome video by the way.

The footage of him strutting out the court house in the pink sport coat & shades is just classic.

All Cicero guys are hardcore individuals. He's a lot like his higher ups when he was on the rise. Carlisi, Ferriola, & Infelise: cold emotionless bosses. That's Little Jimmy's culture. He was a go getter from day one, and was a prolific earner almost immediately. He was organizing & funding huge job at a very early age, especially in the 70s & 80s, when seniority began to become priority #1 in the Outfit.

I honestly think he'd rather die than flip. He's like the anti John DiFronzo. He's currently locked up at Florence with Vinny Gorgeous.

Yeah, the footage of him walking down the street reflects a certain amount of confidence. He definitely had "the walk."

I don't believe he or Lombardo will "roll," but I believe both have lots of information that would be welcomed by the feds. Marcello just leaves the impression of being a tough gangster. Short in stature but "tough as nails."
Just my thoughts based on limited reading.

Was not aware he was in Florence.

Thanks for the update.

You never know what kinds of deals people are making.

But for them to walk him he'd have to put away a LOT of important people. That means not only knowing things, but being able to prove them. Lot easier said than done.

Wonder if he has any input on things even locked up. Seems like the type who would still be able to influence things even on the inside.

He did in his previous stint but it's probably different when they know you're gone for good.

The mexican place is still next to the car wash on the corner of Grand and Ogden. It seems to change ownership every 2 years. Vito and Nicks is really good pizza. Speaking of Calabrese I think Bella Luna Cafe has the best pizza in the city. It's owned by Danny Alberga and Frank Calabrese jr. used to be part owner with the money he stole from his old man. Frank Sr. strong armed himself into part ownership until Danny paid him all the money back. Really good thin crust. Candlelight on western ave has really good pizza along with Calo on Clark at Foster.
I was by the old Hungry Hound in Bridgeport the other day. It's a mexican place now but they used to have craps and dice games in the back room in the 70's run by LaPietra's men. It's just off 26th st. under the Dan Ryan.
Frank Caruso still has the 24 hour maxwell st. stand on 31st near Comiskey Park. I love the smell of the place. All the grilled onions, you can smell it 4 blocks away.

Is Marcello going to try to appeal again?

I doubt it. I'm no lawyer but from what I understand with a murder conviction you basically have a couple of limited shots at an appeal. After that you can keep sending stuff to the courts indefinitely but they will likely not pay attention to it.

He's not stupid; I'm sure he realizes they're never going to let him out.

Wasn't there some controversy with someone identifying his voice?

Ha.. apparently not. Michael Spilotro's daughter had identified him from a "voice line up" years ago, testifying he had called the house a couple times the day they disappeared and that she remembered the voice as "Jim" and that he used to call all the time.

It was the only coroborating evidence that Marcello was at the Spilotro thing to support Calabrese's testimony, but apparently it was enough for the jury.

I'm sure some people thought it was pretty weak for a murder conviction.

I thought quite a bit of the evidence in that trial was weak. Lombardo's conviction for example? The print I get, but the nail was Seifert's wife saying she was sure it was him even with the mask on? Seems like weak sauce.

I agree. Have you ever been on a jury? It's not nearly as cut and dried as people think. It really comes down to a judgement call.

I was on a jury for a corrupt cop and we voted to convict and the judge came back afterward and said that basically we had made the wrong decision, probably, legally, but that it was still a good decision, more or less, as the guy was indeed corrupt. But the evidence was not what it really should have been. But, in aggregate, it was pretty clear the guy was corrupt.

John Binder put it this way, "...in this case the jury believed Nick Calabrese."

And that is pretty much what it boils down to, I suppose.

is it like the original maxwells or is it another bullshit imitation?

Kind of impossible to tell. I wondered whether the old man was Alphonse Tornabene, but he is too skinny. It could honestly be family. I've seen Jimmy's son before and one of them honestly could be him. I don't think Jimmy would have Outfit guys over to his house (most of them are ex-cons and he was on parole) but guys he did see I'm sure included Little Tony Zizzo, Sammy Cautadella, Sarno, Mickey and others.

Finally getting around to watching the ANP "show" and they're talking about the same thing. Said Lombardo got worked over the worst in it. Also discussing Marcello's appeals. I could be wrong, but I think he's still actively appealing his sentence. My guess is his chances of overturning are slim to none though.

As those videos of him meeting with his brother, he obviously was. I would assume he still has say over the rackets that Mickey and him run, but with a life sentence, he was knocked out of any leadership role in Cicero.

jonnynonos - I mistakenly stated in an earlier post that the govt had "a mountain of evidence" against Lombardo. They did not. All I found was a fingerprint. I think I saw the Justice Dept's display, which is probably posted on this board, and concluded there was a lot of evidence. Having a lot of physical evidence and attaching that evidence to a specific individual can prove to be very challenging.

Also, I listened (online) to the oral arguments relative to the appeal of these guys before the 7th Court Of Appeals. The govt's presentation was not very strong (imo). I wonder if the prosecution felt the decision would probably be 2 to 1 with Posner and Sykes upholding the District Court's decision and judge Wood voting to overturn the conviction of Marcello and Calabrese citing double jeopardy as the reason? Of course that's exactly what happened.

I emailed Jeff Coen about the possibility of an appeal and he indicated it was not likely.
Who knows?

Have we been able to guesstimate on when the last making ceremony was and how many inducted? I know Fosco said that Magnafichi told him that two or three have been conducted since '88.

Yeah I think Fosco said Mags told him there was a south side making ceremony some years back and that was it.

It's in the comment thread when he was going through all that nonsense about Mags trying to kill him, I think.

Fosco said in one of his threads that Magnafichi was made sometime after D'Amico went away which was in 1995. There was also a making cermony at the Como Inn around 1988-1989.
I highly doubt Marcello will win his appeal. Nick Calabrese actually tried to protect Marcello from the Spilotro murder because he was helping Nick's family while he was in jail. I don't think Nick had any reason to lie. Also Ferriola and Marcello were caught on the phone with a wire tap a day or two before the Spilotro murder arranging a meeting. The feds witnessed the meeting at the McDonalds across from the Oak Brook Mall one day before the Spilotro murders.
The evidence against Marcello was stronger then the evidence against Lombardo. I agree that the evidence against Lombardo was really weak but even if he wasen't at the Seifert murder he must have had a hand on planning it.
I think Caruso's Maxwell Street stand is pretty authentic and not one of those cheap imitations. I've passed it a bunch of times and it smells great, good greasy food.
Michael Talarico used to or maybe still does own a Italian joint a few blocks away. Can't remember the name of the place.
James Marcellos son James Jr. works down at the stock exchange. He worked with a friend of mine during the Family Secrets Trial and the day his mistress testified James Jr. apparently had a melt down at work and had to be sent home. I guess it was the first time his family found out about the mistress.
My dad has worked down at the exchange since the 70's and a lot of outfit guys kids worked down there. Aiuppa had a relative down there, Marcellos and the Borsellino's. Lots of bookmaking goes on down there.

A friend of mine worked at the CBOT and told me that Ralph Madia's brother was his boss.

Right on Lumbo they just had Nick's testimony and the fingerprint.

That's part of what I'm saying, though.

Cops and lawyers will tell you people watch too much CSI. They expect there to be absolutely conclusive physical evidence.

That is almost never the case.

IMO yeah it's just one fingerprint, but in context of things, it's pretty damning.

Also wonder if they're still doing the Joey O/NY style ceremonies or if they've gone back to the way they used to do it i.e. just assuming the top level guys are considered "made".

I'm curious to know when the last making ceremony was for the outfit.
I remember reading on the threads on Fosco's website someone posted about Bobby Abbinanti and a few other guys from that crew being made recently. I wouldn't be suprised since he did about 4-6 years in jail and kept his mouth shut. All the guys in D'Amico's crew did there time and kept there mouth shut.
I never made it out to Bobby Abbinanti's restaraunt when it was opened. I heard the food was pretty good. It was only open for a few years.
Does anyone know if Danny's Deli is still open in Melrose Park? I ate there once and the food was decent. It's owned by Carl Dote. I think he has a few places around the chicago area.
Just out of curiosity, what other restaraunts are owned in Chicago or the burbs by outfit members or associates? We've already talked about a lot of the places along Grand and Odgen. I'm sure Rush Street has a lot of mob money in those joints. I think a place called the Back Room in Jilly's is owned by Michael Spilotro's widow.

The Back Room is owned by DeStefano's nephew and managed and maybe partially owned by Michael Spilotro's widow.

I would say most of the well known Chicago spots owned by Outfit guys have been identified within the last few pages of this thread.

Talarico used to own Punchinello's on 31st, but he no longer does

Punchinello's, that was the place I couldn't think of the name of that Talarico owned.
I read somewhere that DeMarco's out in the burbs(I believe that' the name) is secretly owned by Marco D'Amico.
Here is a short interesting and kinda funny story.
A friend of mine opened a French Restaraunt on the corner of Grand and May Street a few years back. I was never a fan of the food there but my when my friend was dealing with the previous owner who had a restaraunt there he told him when he was opening his place a few old Italian guys from the Social Club across the street came in asking for the owner. The guy said he was, the Italian guys asked him what kind of food he planned to serve. The owner said Traditional American Food like sandwiches. The Italian guys asked if he planned on serving Italian food. The guy said no and the men said he better not because they run a good portion of the Italian places on Grand Ave and he would have problems if he served Italian food.

You talking about the Black Sheep or whatever was there before it are you?

Didn't Talarico rat?

He testified that he paid Frank Calabrese street tax on his book.

Also, another thing worth noting on Family Secrets convictions:

The other lawyers all blamed Frank Calabrese's testimony for sinking everyone else. Apparently he came off so miserably and there was so much evidence against him that they all felt it greatly diminshed their chances at an acquittal.

Lombardo for instance had offered to surrender as long as he was guaranteed a separate trial; of course the feds told him to pound dirt.

Who knows if Marcello and Lombardo would have been convicted if they had all had separate trials. It probably would have greatly increased the odds of acquittal though.

Funkster, yep Black Sheep was the place I was talking about. Didn't last very long.

Sam DeStefano II or Mario's son is probably still an Outfit connected thief. He went down with William Handhardt and if he is out of prison now, I would assume he is still hanging out on Rush Street.

He beefed on Frank Calabrese, even though his brother was his legal counsel. The popular theory is that Talarico and Frank Jr. were given OK's by higher-ups because the father was essentially shelved and the powers-that-be were looking to take over his rackets. Probably won't ever know the full story.

I am curious about Marcello's background and rise to power and also his relationship with Cicero guys like DeLaurentis and Inendino over the years.

What's left of Rush Street is essentially under EP isn't it?

Is Marcello's son involved?

I've heard one of Marcellos sons is involved with the outfit. I believe his name is Rocky Marcello. His one son who works at the exchange is legitimate as far as I know. My friend who used to work with him said he was a really nice guy. I think the family has a lot of money from there dad. When James was indicted the family said they would put up vacation homes in Wisconsin, Florida and other states too.
After Destafano was indicted with Handhardt he gave a interview for the Tribune and he talked about how he owns or works at the Back Room. He mentions about how Spilotro's widow was approached by some mobsters about selling and Destafano claims he confronted the men and said "You are the same guys who killed her husband" and the men walked out. Who knows how true the story is.
I'm not sure if the Rush St. area was incorporated into Elmwood Park. It would make sense. Seems like the outfit are combining crews and consolidating.

I believe Rocky Marcello is the youngest son...his oldest is James Jr. and he has another son named Sam.

That's correct, sam is Jimmy's other son.
Getting back to Johnnynono's question if Lombardo and Marcello recieved seperate trials would they have gotten off. I highly doubt it with the both of them. They had more evidence to convict Marcello with. Lombardo on the other hand they didn't have a lot to go on for a conviction. I think the only chance Lombardo would have had to get a trial with a partial jury would have been if they held it in another state where potential jurors don't know the history of Lombardo. Even the average citizen in Chicago knows the name Joey the Clown. Even if Lombardo was found not guilty the government would have kept coming after him until they would get a conviction on other charges or crimes he commited.
The reason the government went after these guys even in there old age is to send a message to the younger generation of mobsters that if you commit a crime at the age of 22 they will still go after you even if you are in your 70's. I bet Lombardo never thought in a million years that in the year 2005 he would be indicted for the Seifert murder.

Is it Rocky that's running with Cicero?

Speaking of Outfit connected spots..is Guide's Sports bar on Archer still around?

Guide's Sports Bar is still there on Archer. Never been down that way.
Al Tornebene's pizza place is still open in Stickney too. The pizza looks really good there.
Salerno's on Grand is supposed to have some outfit backing but I thought it was odd that they were selling a Sam Giancana/JFK book at the to-go/carryout section of the place.

Anyone by chance see the National Geographic movie "Killing Kennedy"? Barely touched the subject of any mafia ties within the CIA...

I really don't know about Salerno's. They have pictures of the long time owner's family up all over and as far as I know they are just nice family people. However I have met some people from the neighborhood who know *everyone* at the bar there. This guy's wife started telling stories about Lumbo, they were good friends with his family, and the man starts doing the big throat/international slash sign for stop it.

I think he was half joking... but half not.

I can't remember who told me about Salerno's connections. I'll be by that area in a hour since I have to work tonight in the neighborhood. Never been to the bar in there. I love going to local bars in the old neighborhoods in Chicago. They are few and far between now that bigger companies are buying them out and replacing them with new sports bars that charge $15 for a burger.
Marie's Pizza and Liqours on Lawrence has a great old bar in the pizzeria section of the place.
Seems like everyone has or knows a Lombardo story on Grand Ave. He used to work aka hangout at the machine shop on Racine just north of Grand before he was indicted in Family Secrets. It was next door to the Cozzo compound.

I get that feeling as well nonos. Was drinking at a local place and people started talking about "local" guys and guys like Cecola (another connection I forgot owner of the admiral who is an associate) and I brought up some neighborhood names. One of the guys Immediatey said who do you know? Lol said I don't know anyone I'm simply a watcher. It made me think it's probably not the best idea to bring certain names up.

Speaking of Sam Cecola, his house is just unreal:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/03/sam-cecola-barrington-home_n_3541819.html

Cecola has been around a long time. Close associates of Billy Galioto, [....] and the late hustler Frank Panno. I believe he is actually cousins with Lumbo perhaps. He may even be made himself given how much money he is raking in.

Cecola owns the admiral strip joint on Lawrence?

Yes it's in the article.

Isn't cecola with Cicero though & not grand?

I always thought he was with Cicero. I remember him getting arrested in Houston a while back.

I've seen him on GAC lists, but I really wouldn't know. When I first saw that article in July I almost shit at how gorgeous that house was. Huron, he owns a strip club in Vegas too and was in the black book for a few years. I believe it was overturned though.


Anyone know Pascentes deal? I've seen him listed and I know he had a job working at VIPs....but I've also seen him yapping on YouTube for interviews about the Outfit so I would guess he's not too in the know.

The old owner of the admiral (his name escapes me right now) was murdered in 1985/1986. They found his body around Ashland and Webster st. He told his daughter he had to go meet someone and they found him in the trunk of his car. The feds raided the admiral and his address/meeting book was missing.
Found the link to the article, here it is.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1985-...ent-crimes-unit

Wow no idea Freddie Pascente was on YouTube, but boom there he is lol. The guy still lives in Melrose Park. Very strange.

Yeah the whole thing is weird. Talks about Spilotro and JB in them. I went to the author's website and its very vague what the purpose of the interviews were. Research for his crime fiction novel apparently?

How about Anthony Pellicano? I know he was mentioned in FS as being a collector for Lombardo.

Anybody have photos of the Outfit to share? Im new to Gangster BB.

Matt Luzi's great uncle was Frank LaPorte and I believe Matt live in the Chicago Heights for a little while

They are actually cool videos...good story about Chuckie Nicoletti. My relatives had always told me that despite the stories about him, he had a "sweetness" to him especially towards neighborhood kids.

Pellicano also grew up in the Grand Ave neighborhood. Sounds like he worked for Lombardo's crew early on, then did his own thing but I'm sure always stayed in touch.

I believe Anthony Pellicano is in jail or he may have gotten out recently. He was arrested for wire tapping celebrities phones and doing some other shadey dealings in hollywood. His name came up several times in the Family Secrets Trial.
Alva Rodgers testified that Pellicano ordered him to burn down a house for him. It turned out that Pellicano didn't have permission from the Outfit for the arson and Lombardo Yelled at Alva Rodgers for not getting the proper authorization.

Yeah he was involved in that Hollywood wiretap stuff, but I think he's out now.

I know that this has been debated endlessly, but I've seen people argue that power wasn't concentrated on Aiuppa in the 70s and early 80s and from everything I read it just doesn't seem that way. I don't think Cerone could say shit to him. Also think Accardo had a lot of sway, but I don't think he could straight up tell him what to do.

You're absolutely correct. Cicero was #1. Joey O overthrew Taylor St. Not saying that Elmwood didn't help & support him, but they also answered to him.

You get a lot of Elmwood Park/northside groupies posting on these online forums, for whatever reason. Hence the downplaying of Cicero's dominance. Combine that with the Roemer/Accardo butt buddy relationship nonsense, and that's how myths begin.

Cicero & Chinatown were always considered the rougher crews & always had more numbers. Just like Taylor St always had a heavier crew than Grand Ave.

Not to shit on Joe Batters or anything, his longevity was staggering. But the truth's the truth.

It seems to me that the Cicero crew and Grand Ave had some of the roughest guys in the outfit. Although the 26th st crew had Calabrese brothers and Ronnie Jarret who did a lot of rough stuff as far as killings go.
The evidence against Aiuppa in the Strawman case was pretty weak. Pretty much the same as they got Lombardo on in Family Secrets. The same with Cerone. All they had on Aiuppa was a wire tap of a mobster using Aiuppa's nickname and a handfull of informants with 2nd hand information.
I think the reason Aiuppa and Cerone lasted so long was they would kill anyone who they suspected of being a informant. DiFronzo definitly pulled back on the violent end of things compared to Aiuppa.

Seems like the scene in Casino is a perfect reflection of JO. "When the old man says maybe it's like a paper bull...not only should you get out...you should run"

@huronsocial

i find it hard to believe joey aiuppa ever gave accardo an order

not to mention accardo's crew is still standing or still somewhat around


@geek

the chicago heights crew was the most violent

they ain't around anymore because they killed each other

I didn't say accardo personally took orders from Joey O. They were equals. But Aiuppa's crew/family was superior to Elmwood Park. That really isn't debatable.

Who from accardo's crew is still active? The Elmwood park crew has been finished for years, while Aiuppa's Cicero descendants still run street rackets/actual Outfit affairs.

DiFronzi is still the boss avoiding to everyone.

And another way of looking at is is like all the smart ones have gradually fallen away, while the blue collar guys still keep tinkering on.

I think that's pretty evident from the Outfits history, actually.

Its interesting though considering Difronzo's history.

Difronzo isn't the boss of anything. No one in Cicero/Chinatown considers Johnny DiFronzo to be the boss of anything outside of the legitimate businesses his family owns. His guys can't even be considered Outfit gangsters anymore. Running legit businesses doesn't constitute Outfit activity, regardless of whether or not you think it's "smarter". The Cicero crime family is just that: A CRIME FAMILY. They aren't interested in becoming white collar types because they're....ya know....GANGSTERS.

Someone like DiFronzo wouldn't have even been in the running for boss 50 years ago.

OK, you say he isn't the boss. Nearly every other source says he is. I'll go with the CW on this one. As always, feel free to name your sources.

Regarding "smarter," there has been a general atrophy not only in the Outfit's scams since the glory days, but also sophistication.

Yes, I do think the "active" guys left are basically just remnants of something that at one time was impressive.

Go to the Family Secrets FBI file and read all of Marcello's transcripts. Look at the available evidence--the receipts, the locations of the old taverns that he had his machines in (most are gone now). It paints a picture of a few broken down old guys running around picking up a few hundred dollars there and a few hundred dollars here.

What exactly is he the boss of? The Elmwood Park crew was deactivated years ago. That was his crew.

@huronsocial


i thought the northside were deactivated in street crime rackets

That's What I typed

i'd find it hard to believe that they're not into whitecollar crimes

there are a lot of white collar scams that they could commit

I'm not saying they aren't. But that isn't La Cosa Nostra/Chicago Outfit stuff, it's something different entirely. That's what I'm saying. What Elmwood Park is doing isn't Outfit/gangster stuff.

A lot of these older guys are pulling back from there illegal activity. I think when DiFronzo went to prison briefly in 1994 but got out on appeal that scared him a little. DiFronzo has made enough money off of his legal businesses he doesn't need the headache of dealing with juiceloans and shaking down bookmakers. That's not to say people in the Elmwood park crew aren't doing there schemes but DiFronzo has removed himself from petty crimes. Guys like Marco D'Amico and Robert Abbinanti are still involved with bookmaking as are the Dote brothers.
Cicero is definitly the more aggresive crew on the streets.

Well, even if DiFronzo isn't the "boss" anymore, it's because he voluntarily stepped down. At least according to sources like the Chicago Crime Commission, he was the boss.

So who do you think is the "boss" now? Who is the boss of the south side crew?

CW is the succession is: Aiuppa, Feriola, Carlisi DiFronzo.

Not saying it's right, that's just what I understood.

Who was the guy they called "flapjack" in the Marcello recordings? Anyone know?

I just dont buy that the top crew would've shifted from Cicero to Elmwood park, as the feds are implying that it did post Carlisi's death/Infelice going away. Keep in mind, these are the same people that were under the impression that Joey Lombardo was the top guy for a few years. They really couldn't decide who was the top guy between Marcello & DiFronzo. They went back & forth on it for years. I think if you'll look at the situation rationally & sensibly, you'll find that it's just common sense that Marcello became #1 after Infelise (who was on course to be #1, and was, for a very brief period of time) got locked up. It's the only thing that makes sense.

As of right now, I believe the Outfit is run by a three headed panel consisting of Solly DeLaurentis, Frank Caruso, and Jimmy Inendino. Again, breaking things down based on seniority/time spent standing on their heads, it's the only thing that makes sense. I don't consider Elmwood Park to even be a functioning crew anymore.

I agree with most you said. But there is no way in hell that there is nothing going on in Elmwood. It's the highest concentrated area of Italians in all of Illinois.

elmwood park has a crooked mayor or town president or whatever

i'm sure elmwood park is still doing dirt just white collar crime

plus when difronzo dies i'm sure they're gonna try to get something going

That makes a lot of sense and you could very well be right.

Great theory/ explanation!

I asked the same question earlier.

I believe it's referring the Joseph "The Builder" Andriacchi

Him or JD .

It's a pancake house in Elmwood Park

Must be Andriacchi then cause they specifically mention that the flapjack guy, Pagliacci, and this guy (points to nose), all had DNA swabs taken. Coen mentions they call him flapjack cause he owns a pancake house.


Side note, just found out a friend/client of a family member of mine testified in FS. Crazy.

>

You eat there with ya mudda when youse was little?

Ha... no. Someone told me in a PM.

"Mudder" is how We would pronounce it here in Chicago

I said the Elmwood Park Crew is no longer active. Of course there is still OC in Elmwood Park.

actually it makes perfect sense

auippa, carlisi, infelice, spano, marcello, etc. all got incarcerated

why keep installing bosses from cicero when they were getting hammered federally

You ever here the queen song MUDDER OOOOOOO

We're not going to know for sure, either way. But I do think it's pretty apparent that: 1) Elmwood Park is virtually shut down 2) Cicero is likely the only real remaining active crew

And it that's the case, which I believe it is, I highly doubt that the south siders, even if DiFronzo is nominally still "the boss" ie a professor emeritus, would be asking his permission on almost anything at all, and, two I doubt he would even want to know.

You step back because you don't want to go to jail.

I heard that flapjack was Joseph "The Builder" Andriacchi.
One of Solly D's kids died over the summer in a motorcycle accident. I read the obituary online and there is a website set up for a foundation for him. I believe his kids same was Solly jr.
I just heard that Donald Scalise died a few weeks ago. He was part of Marco D'Amico's crew and was convicted when they shook down a greek restaraunt owner in the early 80's and convicted of bookmaking in early 2000.

Was just coming on here to post this.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/chicagotribune/obituary.aspx?pid=167707626

Are you including Chinatown/26th in that?

Yes.

Solly Jr. actually died a few years ago, not this last summer. Solly D was already out of prison at the time. Coincidentally, Solly's ex-wife Donna is one of the first who posted condolences under Sponge's obit.

I have acquaintances that were very saddened by Sponge's death. He was actually yet another made Outfit member who was with the CPD back in the 1970s and 1980s. Sponge was essentially the protege of Tony Dote and worked closely with Elmwood Park crew members like Mags, Rudy Fratto, Patty Mazza, Frankie Adamo and Gary Gagliano. I believe he did a bit around 2002 or so for bookmaking but was out by 2004 or so.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2000-...-police-officer

Dat's right, my friend! Me, my brudder and my udder brudder went out tooda burbs an' fixed my mudder's gutters while waitin' for Da Bears' game ta resume on Sunday! Of course we hadda stop in Berwyn at Big Guy's Sausage Stand for a Polish and a couple a beef saingwiches!

Haha that about sums it up.

Welcome to Chicago.

Seriously, the food is pretty darn good at that place.

http://www.bigguyssausage.com/

Sorry, if anyone cares I made a mistake, the pancake house is actually in River Forest.

Big Guy's is absolutely amazing, agreed 100%. The pot roast sandwich & butter & garlic fries are out of this world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kXX0xxuF3A


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLjmnXJ8cJE

Anyone question Calabrese's testimony about the Spilotro murders? I thought the defense raised some real doubts about his story.

The only part of Calabrese's testimony about the Spilotro murder that I thought was odd was the fact that everyone had gloves on when the brothers entered the basement. One of the lawyers had a good point about that, by the time Michael and Tony saw the men wearing gloves there was no way they were getting out of the basement alive.
I saw the house that they were murdered in. Joe Fosco on one of his early columns in the thread section gave info on how to find the house.
When the story first broke about how the murders were solved and it listed who was there I was kind of suprised that so many top guys were there but it would make sense if Michael thought he was getting made that Carlisi, Ferriola and DiFronzo was there.
There was a big fuss at the trial when Calabrese first mentioned that he saw Rocky Infelise was there but the feds had him under survelliance at the time and he was not there. Calabrese later said he thought he saw him there. He also said there were 3 other guys there that he didn't know. I wonder who they were. Someone stated that one of the three guys was Little Anthony Zizzo.

^ And what's odd about Fosco saying where the house was is that the Feds were never able to find it.

I saw in another column he wrote, though, that he said he knew at least three non-made members of the Outfit who'd known exactly what happens with the Spilotros way before Calabrese testified.

In general, though, prosecutors go to great lengths to try to get witnesses not to lie about anything, because if they get caught the entire thing blows up.

I still don't buy that all those top guys would take the risk of being at such a high profile murder scene no matter what the story to set them up was. Why not say the promotion/making ceremony was coming and let them assume the big shots were downstairs in the basement waiting for them? Michael supposedly had a gun on him...when he walked in on them with gloves he still didn't have time to pull it out of his waistband? How do you "think" you see Rocky Infelise out of the corner of your eye? How could you not know who was there even after so many years a situation like that would be tattooed to your brain. There just seems to be a lot of questions. I just wonder if he was actually there.

I never heard Michael had a gun on him. Where did you see that?

Anyway, they knew they were potentially dunzo. Michael put all his jewelry in a bag and told his wife if he wasn't back by 9, there was trouble.

I imagine they were resigned to the fact that if their number was up, it was up.

It is interesting that they chose to beat them to death rather than just shoot them. I can only imagine it was because Aiuppa and Cerone were enraged they were basically going away for the rest of their lives and blamed Tony for bringing down so much heat. At least that is the way it has been explained to me before. Makes sense.

It came out in the trial that Nick removed a gun off of Michael after Michael was strangled and he gave the gun to DiFronzo.
I believe that Nick was at the murder scene. Fosco said that the feds at one point did search the basement of the house in Bensonville but didn't find anything incriminating. The feds took Nick around Bensonville to see if he could point out the house but Nick couldn't remember. Nick didn't drive to the house on the day of the murders and it happened over 20 years ago so it's believable that he couldn't remember the exact location.
Aiuppa and Cerone didn't tolerate any high profiling in the Outfit. They ordered a lot of brutal murders.

Interesting about the gun.

Well, I guess a situation like that in real life rarely plays out like it is in the movies. There was probably a few guys on Michael before he realized what was happening, and I'm sure they all had guns too. My point is that it is probably much more shocking and far easier to become psychologically resigned in a situation like that in real life than, you know, a Charles Bronson movie.

And interesting about the feds knowing about the house. I remember reading Nick couldn't find it so I thought that meant that they didn't know where it is, but it would make sense that they just took Nick out to see if he could find it himself while already knowing where it was.

Bunch of animals, beating people like that!

I think the feds were hoping that Nick could point the house out because it would stregthen there case.
The murder of the Spilotro brothers was a really brutal crime scene. I have copies of the photos of the brothers in the half dug grave with the cops digging the bodies out and a few photos of them in the mourge. There faces were so black and blue they looked like extra's from a zombie film.
I think it happened so fast that Michael didn't have time to react. They both knew that it was a 50/50 chance of them coming out alive.

Right, I'm sure that's what it was, they wanted Nick to be able to find the house himself to be able to strengthen the case.

I'm sure Aiuppa and Cerone were absolutely enraged. Plus Tony had gotten off scott free himself.

That is a bad spot to be in, when the bosses are going to prison for life, you are free, and they blame you for them going away.

In that light, hard to imagine it going down any other way.

"When it looked like they could get twenty-five years to life in prison just for skimming a casino, sick or no fuckin' sick you knew people were going to get clipped."

Ha... that pretty much says it all.

Tony's case was severed from the Strawman case and was to be tried at a later date when he was healthy. Everyone in Strawman was convicted. Tony would have been too. Although Tony was only 48 when he would have gone to jail for Strawman he probably would have gotten out the same time the rest of the guys did which was in the mid 90's.
There was no way Aiuppa was going to even take a chance with Tony being found not guilty. He wanted Tony dead no matter what.

Oscar Goodman would disagree with you, but I am sure you are right!

He said he was confident they would beat the case.

From 2007, a description of the Spilotro murders. Old news for most folks.

http://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/8-14-2007/Details-of-Spilotro-murders-revealed-in-mob-trial/

Great article. The wikipedia on this under "Anthony Spilotro" appears to be a f**kin' mess.

Geek, where did you find pics of the bodies? I've never seen them. A guy I went to college with married a Spilotro. Not sure yet which one she descended from.

I still don't buy some of the top guys were there, though it seems the Outfit differed from NY in that capos participated in knock downs much more frequently. The house was supposedly Ebolis wasn't it?

According to Joe Fosco the house were the murders took place was a relative of Lee Magnafichi's. Some guy who worked for the liqour union. In one book it stated that the murders took place at Louie Eboli's house but he lived in Oak Brook.
I will try to scan the photos of the bodies. They were in the book "Pay, Quit or Die". Im not sure why the photos are so hard to find since there are tons of mob murder photos online but the Spilotro ones are hard to come by.

Where was the house at? I believe Channel 7 some years ago went to a house in Bensenville and interviewed the owner. Is it a different house than that one?

The house that channel 7 went too was the wrong house. The house is really close to Irving Park Road and Route 83. I believe it's on Bryn Mayr. The houses on the street are pretty far from eachother and each house sits on a lot of property.

Chicago Outfit boss Jimmy 'The Man' Marcello wants life sentence tossed

https://abc7chicago.com/jimmy-marcello-chicago-mob-outfit-boss/6265172/