Whats up fellas?! As I previously promised, Im back with another free article and from this point on, Ill post only free articles so that everyone will be able to read it. Screw all paywalls and shit like that. I know that most of you already saw many documentaries or read books regarding Accardo but this is different. So open up your beer cans or wine bottles, light up your cigars or splifs, and enjoy the article 'cuz its a long one. Cheers


INTRO

Tony Accardo’s criminal history shows to us the real nature of some criminals, and his criminal actions also suggest that more sophisticated crimes avoid arrest and provide more benefits. So Accardo’s main goal was to escape criminal prosecution, while the illegal money was “raining from the sky”. Accardo was convicted for minor crimes but during his criminal career, no one was able to provide sufficient evidence so they can place him in jail, not even the U.S. government.

Age had little importance as a means of social control in Accardo’s criminal career and in fact, Accardo's violent nature and onset was the direct result of rebellion against the social institutions and like any other powerful criminal, he was looking for a more extravagant life and to live next to the high-society, which previously denied his access. That’s why Accardo always kept the so-called “street” mentality which in fact was the main reason for his constant companionship with other individuals with the same criminal mindset, while on the other hand he often avoided contact with police officials and government representatives, thus making him a true “Cosa Nostra” leader in the eyes of his peers for a very long time period.

Accardo’s prospects within Chicago’s underworld provided him with the luxuries he always desired and it was his criminal associations that provided him with the ability to attain his goals and to advance his criminal career. His membership in the American-Italian Mafia and also ability to make money, landed him his long-time desired role to live the same way as the high-society. Accardo’s criminal associations within the underworld grew to the point that members of the criminal brotherhood shielded him with their own lives and freedom. Although despite the great amount of prosperity that Accardo attained with the help of his association, he always viewed others as potential enemies, something which provided nothing but death for his peers.

But like any other career, whether its legitimate or illegal, it had its own ups and downs and when Accardo learned new forms of crime and made the necessary associations with other criminals to execute them, down the road many people again lost their lives. This is a story regarding one of the world’s most infamous and “bloodthirsty” criminal bosses who in turn was present on the criminal scene for almost a century and the U.S. government was simply powerless against him.




BORN IN THE U.S.A.

Anthony Frank Accardo was born on Chicago’s Northwest Side, on April 28, 1906 and was the son of a Sicilian immigrant and alleged shoemaker. Accardo was the second of six children of Francesco Accardo and Maria Tilotta Accardo. One year before his birth, the Accardos had emigrated from Castelvetrano, in the Province of Trapani, Sicily, Italy to America. Accardo was allegedly baptized at the Holy Name Cathedral as Antonio Leonardo Accardo, less than seven blocks away from his home which was located at 1353 West Grand Avenue, on the city’s Northwest side.


Grand Avenue 1920’s

At the age of five Accardo enrolled in school at the James Otis Elementary School and when he reached the age of 14, he became disenchanted with the education system. Story goes that his father Francesco wasn’t impressed with his son’s progress and so like many others of that era, he filed a delayed birth-record stating that his son had allegedly been born in 1904. The additional two years allowed Accardo to drop out of school and began working various jobs such as a delivery boy, grocery clerk and truck driver. So, if Francesco or Frank had connections to falsify his son’s birth date after arriving in the U.S., I wonder if he already had other connections.

Not much is known regarding the beginning of Accardo’s criminal career, although some researchers say that he had several minor brushes with the law at the age of 17 or in 1922 when he was arrested for a motor vehicle violation, and the following year in 1923 when he was charged because of an incident at a pool hall where organized crime figures were known to hang out. According to court records, Accardo said that he was still living with his parents and that he was employed as a truck driver at the time.

During those days the city’s Northwest Side was mainly ruled by the Sicilian Mafia, especially the West Grand Avenue area where Accardo grew up. Besides the Italian criminal brotherhood, there were also many local non-Italian gangs that were either independent or were in alliance with the Mafia. Even today many researchers still don’t have a straight answer regarding the individual who probably introduced Accardo to the criminal life, but I personally believe that it was his father Frank, again a situation which will be explained later during the story.


Young Tony Accardo


THE LIFE

Some sources say that it was Accardo’s brutal nature which caught the eye of some the gangsters and Mafiosi from around the Northwest Side. During the mid 1920’s a bloody conflict erupted within Chicago’s underworld and one of the largest warring groups was headed by John Torrio and Al Capone from the South Side. In October 1926, North Side gang leader Hymie Weiss was riddled with bullets by two hitmen and some of the bullets even hit the cornerstone of the Holy Name Cathedral directly across the street. According to the cops, Vincenzo Gibaldi aka Jack McGurn was allegedly behind one of the tommy guns while the other shooter remained unknown. Some sources say that another Capone loyalist Sam "Golf Bag" Hunt was allegedly supporting McGurn from a nearby building, where police later found his signature which was a golf bag with a shotgun inside. As for the second gunman who was in the same car with McGurn, some speculate that it was young Tony Accardo. Later in life Hunt would become a close associate of Accardo.


Sam Hunt (first from the left) and Tony Accardo (second from left)

Sources say that one of Accardo’s main associates and also personal friend became Tony Capezio, allegedly because Capezio was connected to many young criminals and used them for various crimes. Capezio was closely connected to two of Capone’s personal hitmen John Moore aka Claude Maddox and William Heeney. By being a strapping, five-nine, 200 pound gangster, young Accardo enjoyed the company of killers such as McGurn, Hunt, Capezio, Maddox and Heeney, with their headquarters the Circus Cafe which was located at 1857 W North Avenue. Besides showing his loyalty as a killer for the organization, Accardo was also involved in the bootlegging racket by overseeing beer trucks for Capone and also working as a part time truck driver himself, especially if the shipment crossed through areas controlled by rival gangs. As associate of the Mob, Accardo was also obliged to give percentage to his boss from his illegal earnings. Young Accardo also lurked the streets of the Grand and Milwaukee neighborhood, and controlled many burglary and car theft operations and story goes that Capezio’s all-time favorite crime was burglary and so together with Accardo they shared the same passion for crime. During this period Prohibition was still in full effect and so Capezio, Maddox and Accardo were known for stealing liquor from small time bootleggers and later resold it on the streets or in bars and other joints.


Tony Capezio


Claude Maddox

But in 1928 everything changed when Accardo’s boss Al Capone became a made member of the American Mafia and was instantly elevated to the position of “capo” or a captain of a crew which included other made men and also had the privilege to make other members, on his own. Many of Accardo’s Italian mentors became made members of the Mafia and also many non-Italian associates like Hunt and Maddox also received their own districts and operations, obviously under Capone’s jurisdiction.

I personally don’t know for sure on who was made member or capo which Accardo reported to, although many researchers believe that it was either McGurn or Capezio but I think differently. It seems that Capone’s ally and also member of the old Sicilian Mafia who in turn betrayed his old associates, Lawrence Mangano, was allegedly the main guy who controlled rackets around the Northwest Side. So, it is possible that Mangano had close connections to both Capezio and Accardo and acted as some type of mentor.


Lawrence Mangano

During this period Capone was still in conflict with rival members from the Mafia brotherhood and also other rival gangs, and so his life was in constant danger. So, when Capone began looking for new and trusted bodyguards, it is possible that Accardo’s name popped up. At the time, Capone himself was accommodated at The Hawthorne Hotel at 4823 22nd Street and believe it or not, his main protection were members of the so-called Circus Cafe gang. Capone was at the top floor while Willie Heeney was on the floor right below him and next door to Heeney was Claude Maddox Every room, window, and door in the hotel was completely dedicated to the safety of Capone, with double locks, latches, and buzzer systems. Tony Accardo was allegedly always seated in the lobby of the hotel with a Tommy gun in his lap which was covered with his coat. The information regarding Accardo being Capone’s personal bodyguard is completely false, meaning he was probably the “first line” of defense.

In 1929 Accardo’s associates and mentors Tony Capezio and Claude Maddox were implicated in the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, which was executed on the orders of Al Capone. The involvement of Accardo’s associates in the massacre gave birth to the legend or myth that Accardo himself was also allegedly involved in the murder plot, something which is completely not true. Although it seems that by now Accardo became a known name within Chicago’s underworld, including law enforcement. That same year or in August 1929, someone bombed the shop of one Francesco “Frank” Accardo which was located on the Northwest Side. Because of that, I rightfully speculate that the bombing of the shop of Frank Accardo had something to do with the conflict which still lasted at the time, and it is possible that Frank was either the prime target or someone made a mistake at the time by bombing the wrong shop and it was possibly a case of mistaken identity, although during those days the old Chicago Mafia was known for killing relatives of their rivals.

The reason behind the bombing of the shop was possibly form just two months before when three high level members of the Sicilian Mafia were killed on Capone’s orders and sources say that before being shot to death, all three victims were almost beaten to death. Legend goes that Accardo was allegedly one of the hitmen who almost beat to death all three victims, a situation which allegedly gave him the nickname “Joe Batters”. If you look at the autopsy report and pictures from all three victims, you might notice that the corpses didn’t have some specific traumas from a blunt object or numerous hematomas. Again, this means that this situation also might be included in all of the previously mentioned myths regarding Accardo, although I’m one hundred percent sure that he received his infamous nickname from some similar situation, if not the same one.


Accardo in 1930


MADE MAN

In February 1930, Accardo was arrested together with Jack McGurn on concealed gun charges and while being on the scene, McGurn allegedly told the cops do not get excited because his gun was in his left pocket. McGurn and Accardo were arrested while riding in a taxicab minutes after the murder of government prosecutor Julius Rosen. In October 1930 Accardo spent three nights in jail and later his alleged boss Lawrence Mangano swaggered into the police station and paid Accardo’s bond on vagrancy charges. Both Mangano and Accardo left the police station while being accompanied by several bodyguards and Mangano allegedly told the press “We public enemies must stick together, lets celebrate with spaghetti dinner.” The next month Accardo was released on all charges.

Mike Heitler was an old-time racketeer who was involved in both gambling and prostitution since the beginning of the 20th century and his main area was the Northwest Side, including the Elmwood Park area. Mangano was also in business relationship with Heitler but in 1931 that same relationship completely changed. Sources say that Mangano allegedly began extorting Heitler who in turn wrote letters to the press regarding who was who in the Italian underworld, if something happened to him. In April 1931, Heitler was murdered and later his body was burned and sources say that the last guy who the late Heitler saw before his slaying was Mangano and that Accardo was also allegedly involved in the slaying. In May 1931, Accardo was arrested together with Mangano and two other Chicago hoodlums during a meeting at the Club Floridian located at 674 West Madison Street. That same month Accardo’s brother Martin Accardo and another crew member John Mattheis were arrested regarding the extortion of one Glenview saloonkeeper Richard Seifert and also for forcing him to buy only Capone’s liquor.


Young Martin Accardo

I personally believe that after the murders of “high level targets” such as Weiss, Rosen and Heitler, it is quite possible that Tony Accardo finally received his “button” and became a made member of Chicago’s Italian Mafia, and was also made by none other than Al Capone himself. After Capone’s imprisonment in 1932, the next boss for the Chicago Outfit was Capone’s number two guy Paul Ricca who in turn came from the West Side, especially from the Taylor Street area, something which was very important regarding the future of Accardo’s criminal career.

It is quite possible that Accardo’s mentor Lawrence Mangano was elevated to the position as capo for one of the largest West Side crews, with additional interests around the Near North Side and also the large South Side. So I personally believe that both Accardo and Capezio were absorbed in the Mangano crew which also included Mangano’s brother Philip, Louis Clementi, Rocco Fanelli, James Belcastro, James Adducci, William O’Donnell, Louis Romano, John Barry, Joseph Mondo aka Mundo, John Borcia and Frank Laino, followed by younger associates of both Accardo and Capezio such as John and Frank DeBiase, John Matteis, Capezio’s brother James, Accardo’s brother Martin, William and George Aloisio, Sam, Phil and James Mesi, and the Cerone clan which included the brothers Frank and James, followed by their cousins Jack and Anthony.


John Borcia


John DeBiase


Willie Aloisio


CHICAGO OUTFIT CAPO

In 1932, Accardo reached the number 7 spot on the crime commission’s Public Enemy list and one of the main problems was the imprisonment of his boss Al Capone and both the media coverage and law attention which came with it. In November 1932, Accardo was arrested together with his old pal Sam Hunt, Rocco aka Robert DeGrazio and Daniel Covico in a barbershop located at 954 W Harrison Street, and that same day one of Mangano’s places was also raided by the cops which was located 528 South Halsted Street. In April 1933, Accardo was arrested again with Sam Hunt, followed by Nick Kramer, Mike Spranze, Edward Guida and Louis Romano regrading one kidnapping case. The following month, Accardo was again arrested at 1511 Taylor Street, and was charged with disorderly conduct but this time the rising gangster had enough from the government and complained to the judge that he was constantly “pushed around” by government agents. Accardo admitted that he didn’t have any legitimate job at the time and that he was a gambler, and allegedly lied to the investigators regarding his home address. When the judge asked Accardo on why he gave them a wrong address, Accardo replayed “If I gave the police my right address, they would be all over my place all the time.” So the judge imposed a fine and as usual, Accardo was later released allegedly with the help of one mob associate and state representative from the 21st district Robert Petroni.

This made a positive change in Accardo’s private life because in 1934, Accardo met one Polish girl known as Clarice Pordzany and so they fell in love. Later they married and received two daughters, although there are some rumors that Accardo allegedly always wanted a boy and so he adopted two sons, Joseph Frank and Anthony Ross.

Another change occurred but this time within the Outfit’s structure when in 1935, Ricca’s alleged underboss Frank Rio died of natural causes and his position was allegedly inherited by Louis Campagna, another of Accardo’s longtime associates from the West Side. So it is possible that Campagna’s personal crew was inherited by Frank Nitto, while the huge Mangano group was divided on two crews with Mangano keeping his position as capo for one portion of the group, while Accardo was elevated to the capo position and became a leader for the “younger” generation. Mangano kept his interests around the Near North Side and also around the West Side, including some of his interests on the south, while Accardo took the Elmwood Park area but shared the Grand Avenue area together with Mangano. It is possible that the dividing of the crews and Accardo receiving his own crew, aside the one controlled by Mangano, had another purpose.


Paul Ricca and Louis Campagna

Accardo receiving the position as capo for the newly created Elmwood Park crew wasn’t just because of his close relationship with both the Outfit’s boss and underboss, but I believe that since Mangano previously belonged to the rival Mafia faction, it is possible that both Ricca and Campagna didn’t trust him and that’s why they created a new crew which previously was a part of Mangano’s large group, and placed a trusted member who in turn was none other than Tony Accardo. Later the suspicions of both Ricca and Campagna against Mangano will come true.


Outfit capo Tony Accardo

Accardo also made his way up with the help of his illegal operations. During the mid 1930’s the Outfit was entering many new criminal ventures obviously because the end of Prohibition, and some sources say that Accardo became big in both the gambling and union racketeering businesses. His mentor, Tony Capezio, probably didn’t have the brains to bring such income to the table mainly because the guy still lived for the adrenaline rush which he mainly received it through bank robberies and murder, but Accardo was obviously different which was one of the main reasons for his new position.

In 1939, Chicago newspapers dubbed Accardo "The Big Tuna", after a fishing expedition to Wedgeport, Nova Scotia, Canada where Accardo caught a giant 400 pound tuna and was famously photographed with his catch. Decades later Accardo had a walking cane with a tuna made out of wood at the top.


Accardo with his big catch


DEFENDING THE THRONE

In 1943, the whole Outfit leadership was imprisoned in the infamous Hollywood extortion case, including Accardo’s “protectors” Ricca and Campagna. Sources say that Mangano was secretly making a plan together with remnants from the old Sicilian faction which by now controlled the whole North Side and acted as Capone loyalists since 1931. The plan was to take over the Outfit’s throne and everything with it, but their plan was disrupted when the imprisoned Ricca appointed Charles Fischetti, Tony Accardo and Jake Guzik as “keepers of the throne”. Same as Ricca, Fischetti was also probably original member of Capone’s first crew and with the help of Accardo as his number two guy, they managed to eliminate every rebel from the North Side crew, including Lawrence Mangano. This means that from 1944 until 1946 Fischetti was the Outfit’s acting boss, while Accardo was probably his acting underboss and they ruled the Outfit with an “iron fist” and also managed to hunt down more than six Mafiosi in a three-year period and silenced their ambitions forever.


Outfit acting boss Charles Fischetti


Outfit acting underboss Tony Accardo

While in jail, the bosses were constantly visited by some of their messengers such as Accardo and Murray Humphreys who in turn used other names and aliases and posed as lawyers, so they can enter the prison. Both Accardo and Humphreys often used the alias of one of their lawyers and alleged made member of the Outfit, Joseph Bulger Imburgio and transferred messages between Ricca and the guys on the outside such as Fischetti and Guzik. In addition, Imburgio was also the supreme president of the Italo-American union at the time, previously known as the Unione Siciliani.

In December 1946, representatives of the American Mafia held a meeting in Havana, Cuba; and members of the Chicago “delegation” were allegedly Fischetti, Accardo and Sam Giancana, although other sources named only Accardo.


BOSS OF THE OUTFIT

On August 13th, 1947 Ricca, Campagna and some of the other fellas were set free after just 3 years and 4 months of their ten years sentences. This became a very strange situation since they were handed sentences without the possibility of parole. The whole corruption scandal obviously caused an uproar among the U.S. citizens, media and some federal authorities. According to some reports, major players in making the parole come true were Chicago’s bosses Tony Accardo and Jake Guzik.


Jake Guzik

Because of his loyalty towards the Outfit and its bosses, and also because of defending the organization from any potential rivals, that same year Accardo received the position as the day-to-day boss or chief executive for the Chicago’s criminal brotherhood. Because of the huge government “heat” and the national investigations regarding the early releases, both Ricca and Campagna took a step back from the daily affairs but they still had the last word on all important decisions by overseeing the whole organization from the “shadows”, including Accardo’s every move.

Accardo’s underboss or number two guy became Sam Giancana who in turn belonged to Campagna’s and Ricca’s personal Taylor Street crew. Previously both Accardo and Giancana had their “ventures” with the law like in 1945 when both were arrested for disorderly conduct and questioned regarding the murder of one of Guzik’s lieutenants who in turn was probably killed by the opposition at the time. So, this means that Accardo trusted Giancana and both set their sights on spreading their gambling rackets.


Sam Giancana

RACKETS EXPERT

Before, during and after Prohibition, gambling was always one of the top three rackets for the Chicago mob, including for the whole mob in general. During his reign as boss, Accardo controlled multiple rackets including extortion, union racketeering, cigarette smuggling, vending machines, prostitution, car theft, narcotics but above all, his favorite one was gambling.

Back in the 1930’s, two Capone associates James Ragen and Moe Annenberg started a nationwide racing wire service in Chicago and St Louis. This wire service was very important for the bookmakers to do their business because each bookie had to have fast, up to the minute information on the horse races running across the country. So during the 1940’s the number one racing service out west was Ragen's Continental Press, which serviced thousands of bookies between Chicago and Los Angeles, and Ragen always gave the Outfit their share.

But story goes that Accardo allegedly wanted the buy off Ragen and to take control over the whole wire service but Ragen refused and also began talking to the cops and the FBI. He told investigators that the Mob warned him either to turn over his racing wire service or get hit in the head. In June 1946, three hitmen, Lenny Patrick, William Block and Dave Yaras fired two blasts at Ragen thus hitting his upper right arm and shoulder. Ragen was still alive but was in critical condition and remained like that until August 14, when he died under mysterious conditions. By the end of the day, Accardo got it all.

The vending machine business was also booming at the time and some of those same machines were filled with Accardo’s cigarettes which he previously smuggled into the country without paying any taxes, or were simply stolen from trucks or hijacking.

Sometime during the early 1950’s, Accardo allegedly met with the capo or boss of the Outfit’s South Side group, Bruno Roti Sr., and allegedly devised a plan to infiltrate some of their own members within the political First Ward. The Chicago mob was always in close relationship with the local political organizations but this time, they had made members within the city’s wards, such as John D’Arco, Pat Marcy, Ned Bakes and Roti’s son Fred. With the help of these guys, besides controlling the leading First Ward, the Outfit also controlled every racket and extorted every legal business from around the Loop area.


South Side boss Bruno Roti Sr.


YOUR BOSS IS THE BOSS

The old areas of Broadway, Diversey and Belmont were mainly operated by South Side leaders Rocco Fischetti and Murray Humphreys. Edward Murphy belonged to the crew which was controlled by Lenny Patrick and Dave Yaras. So, Murphy decided to muscle in on some of the joints controlled by Humphreys and Fischetti, and obviously a conflict occurred between these two factions and the gambling balance of power has been upset and so was the boss, Tony Accardo.


Edward Murphy


Lenny Patrick

A sitdown was arranged between Murray Humphreys, his brother Jack Humphreys and Lenny Patrick. The result of that same sitdown wasn’t very good because in March 1950, Murphy had been shot three times in the back of the head and his body was found by a farmer hanging over a wire fence on a deserted roadside near Hartsdale, Indiana. Later there was another sitdown, but this time between Fischetti and Patrick, and it was chaired by Accardo. After that, the conflict was squashed.


Murray Humphreys


Jack Humphreys


THE FALL

During the early 1950’s Accardo attended meetings in Miami together with Murray Humphreys, Jake Guzik and Gus Alex. Accardo and Guzik were also allegedly holding conferences in Reno and Las Vegas with other bosses from around the country, and sources say that Accardo was making a lot of money both for the organization and himself.

In 1950 Accardo sold his old house at 1431 Ashland Av in River Forest for 80,000 dollars (or around one million dollars in today’s cash) and later bought a huge mansion again in River Forest at the price of 125,000 dollars (or around 1,500,000 dollars in today’s money), with six bedrooms and six bathrooms which was located on Franklin Avenue, and also contained two bowling lanes, an indoor swimming pool, and a pipe organ. Some of the high level members allegedly started badmouthing Accardo regarding this same situation, obviously because he attracted too much attention. When Accardo began receiving pressure from the IRS about his high and lavish lifestyle, he sold the huge mansion and bought a ranch home on the 1400 block of North Ashland Avenue in River Forest and installed a vault.


Accardo's lavish River Forest home

In 1951, many of Accardo’s associates, including one Joe Siciliano, who in turn controlled the multi-million dollar racket through their firms, were arrested and the whole operation was destroyed and was also disclosed to the public around the nation. Then in March 1952, Accardo was also wanted for questioning by the special Cook County grand jury regarding the several beatings of a “mystery witness” whose identity has been kept secret by the state's attorney and also regarding the murder of Accardo’s associate Joel Miller. The whole situation was a product of the infamous “horse meat” scandal in which the Mob sold horse meat instead of beef, and generated millions of dollars.


Joe Siciliano

During the investigations Accardo refused to answer any of the questions and also denied every allegation, and was later released. But still there was a problem because during the questioning, the Outfit’s top administration was also mentioned, including Ricca and Campagna. By now, both Ricca and Campagna were still “haunted” by investigators regarding their early releases that occurred 5 years earlier, especially Ricca who was also investigated for being an illegal alien. Ricca wanted to keep everything quiet and this means that Accardo failed to protect the top leaders of the Outfit and also failed to protect two of their most profitable rackets.

In addition, this was the beginning of the conflict between Ricca and Accardo, a situation which ended with six or seven victims, including the murders of high level members such as Charlie Gioe, Frank Maritote and Paul Labriola. Sources say that during that period several “peace” delegations arrived from New York to Chicago, and one of those delegations allegedly included former Outfit boss John Torrio who in turn succeeded in bringing back the close relationship between Ricca and Accardo.

*Note- the whole Ricca vs Accardo conflict will be explained in details in another article.


Accardo vs. Ricca


DEAL BUT DON’T GET CAUGHT

On March 16 and 17, 1954 FBN agents arrested eleven narcotics dealers, including Joseph Iacullo, Frank Coduto and Tony Pape, and quickly took them into custody. The guys had a huge problem because they brought an undercover agent into their crew and that kind of a mistake in the eyes of the bosses was punishable by death. But their biggest problem was that in a matter of months before the arrests, Iacullo was seen going in and out of Accardo’s home for more than 20 times. So naturally the boss was scared from the bad publicity given by the narcotics trade and Accardo was ready to eliminate anyone at anytime if things went out of control.


So Accardo quickly disconnected himself from the operation by giving a thumbs down. Immediately, “somebody” posted bonds for some of the guys and they were released and on that same year of 1954, Tony Pape and Frank Coduto were eliminated on orders from the Outfit’s top hierarchy.


Tony Pape


4TH OF JULY

Accardo’s 4th of July party in 1954 wasn’t so glamorous, possibly because of the problems that he had at the time but his next party in 1955, was something that even the FBI was amazed on how every mobster from in and around the Chicago area arrived at the scene, obviously because of the peace agreement between the two bosses. Accardo hosted the party at his home by being dressed in blue Bermuda shorts, and over 300 Mob associates, friends and relatives were present at the gathering. Besides the blue shorts, Accardo also wore a blue sports shirt, long blue socks and black moccasins. Some of the guests included Paul Ricca, Sam Giancana, Claude Maddox, Jake Guzik, Ross Prio, Joey DiVarco, Joey Glimco, Rocco Fischetti, James DeGeorge, Frank LaPorte and many others.

About 150 cars, some from out of state, lined both sides of Franklin Av, while two cars, loaded with guards, cruised constantly around the block. In the center of the yard was an electrically operated silver; champagne fountain, from which the guests filled their glasses under the bubbling spout.


Accardo 1950’s


TAKING A STEP BACK

In 1956, there was a meeting between Ricca, Accardo, Giancana, Murray Humphreys and Frank Ferraro and it was decided for Accardo to relinquish his position as boss and gave it to Giancana with Ferraro as his new underboss. With Giancana as chief executive, Ricca elevated Accardo next to him and in fact, Accardo took Campagna’s position who in turn died the previous year.


Giancana’s underboss Frank Ferraro a.k.a. Sortino

It was also up to Accardo to explain to Giancana the national Mafia commission and who were its members and also on who were their allies. Sometimes either Ricca or Accardo accompanied Giancana on some commission meetings, although only Giancana had the right to vote, obviously because he was the official representative for the Chicago family at the time.

From this point on Accardo was constantly seen in Ricca’s company or in the company of other mobsters such as his personal Elmwood Park capo Jack Cerone, followed by mobsters from other groups like Frank Ferraro, Murray Humphreys, Sam Battaglia, Gus Alex or Nick Palermo. They had more than few meeting spots around the Chicago area, although their favorite one was Celano’s Tailor Shop at 620 North Michigan Av.

In 1959 Accardo’s fellow top boss Paul Ricca was imprisoned and next on the government’s list was also Accardo. In 1960, the IRS probed into Accardo’s bank accounts and indicted him for tax evasion. Accardo portrayed himself as legitimate beer salesman and the Outfit even managed to find witnesses who allegedly bought beer from Accardo who in turn allegedly paid his taxes. Still, the government sentenced Accardo to six years in prison and fined him $15,000, but in the end the conviction was overturned after another trial mainly because of prejudicial media coverage that aired during the first trial.


BACK IN ACTION

Even though Accardo managed to beat the government, still he had to take a low profile, an action which was very hard for a mobster on Accardo’s level. In 1962, Ricca again received an early release from prison and by 1963, he mainly helped Giancana with the conflicts that occurred in New York at the time but also affected the national commission on which Chicago had its own seat. On the other hand, Accardo’s job was to advise Giancana regarding their rackets and also regarding their own organization.

Giancana was probably the flashiest boss in the whole U.S. mob at the time and only cared about the Outfit’s income by bringing millions of dollars for the whole organization, meaning Giancana didn’t care much regarding the problems within the criminal brotherhood. The thing was that Giancana constantly travelled around the country and also around the world, but above all he attracted too much attention from the government with his lavish lifestyle. So Accardo had a tough job in keeping Giancana in his place and that’s why the former boss usually solved the internal problems with Ricca’s help and also with the help of Giancana’s underboss Frank Ferraro, Murray Humphreys or Gus Alex.

In 1965, Ricca and Accardo allegedly forced Giancana to step down as boss of the Outfit and again it was up to Accardo in grooming the next boss or Giancana’s successor, Sam Battaglia. According to FBI reports, before Battaglia became the new boss of the Outfit, he and Accardo were seen fishing together multiple times. After Battaglia’s imprisonment in 1967, sources say that both Ricca and Accardo took complete control over the Outfit’s operations and internal structure, and also placed Accardo’s most trusted capo Jack Cerone as the Outfit’s acting boss.


Sam Battaglia


Jack Cerone

In 1969 Cerone was also indicted by the feds and the following year he was sent to prison, and again it was up to Ricca and Accardo to decide on who was going to lead the organization on daily basis during the following decade. FBI surveillance shows us that in 1971, Ricca and Accardo had more than few meetings with legendary Outfit capo Ross Prio and some sources from that same time period speculate that Prio was either the new acting boss for the organization or the most trusted individual who simply transferred all final decisions previously made by Ricca and Accardo, to the rest of the organization. But during the same time, it seems that Ricca and Accardo also had meetings with leaders from the Cicero-Melrose Park and the Grand Avenue crews, such as Joseph Aiuppa and Charles Nicoletti. In September that same year, one time underboss Phil Alderisio died of a heart attack in prison and except for Ricca, almost the whole Chicago Outfit appeared at the funeral but when Accardo and the terminally ill Fiore Buccieri appeared at the chapel, the whole Mafia brotherhood stood up as a sign of respect.

In 1972, both Paul Ricca and Ross Prio died of natural causes, and some news reporters say that during Ricca’s funeral, Accardo was allegedly seen for the first time to cry in front of other people. Accardo obviously knew that this situation left him alone at the top of the organization and it was up to him to maintain Chicago’s Mafia tradition.


Ricca’s successor Tony Accardo


THE NEW “BOSS OF BOSSES”

After the death of Paul Ricca or the former top boss, according to informants and the FBI there are two versions on what really went down. As I previously stated, before Ricca’s death, there were meetings with two leading capos Aiuppa and Nicoletti and so the first version is that Accardo inherited Ricca’s position as the Outfit’s new top boss and placed Aiuppa as the new acting boss with Gus Alex as their advisor and “connection guy”, while Nicoletti allegedly received the underboss position. The other version is that Accardo allegedly relinquished Ricca’s position once and for all, and that he became the new boss of the Outfit and that both Auippa and Alex allegedly acted as his advisors regarding important decisions, while Nicoletti was the one between the top administration and the rest of the capos and his job was to transfer every order, especially murder contracts. Accardo also ordered that at least one of the two top bosses, Alex and Aiuppa, should be always in the Chicago area and if one of them ever needed to leave Chicago, he informed the other boss about the longevity and location of the trip. Accardo even issued an order to the other capos and district bosses that every important decision first must be cleared through either Alex or Aiuppa.

Whatever was the truth, still every single source agreed that by the end of the day Accardo had the last word and that Aiuppa and Alex had to consult him regarding every decision, whether it was regarding some scheme, murder or structural problem. Accardo or “Joe” as his was called by his peers, became the new top boss of the Chicago Mafia and held the whole organization by its throat. Accardo helped the Outfit to continue make millions of dollars while at the same time pushing the organization away from crimes that had previously gotten him into trouble.


NO MORE DRUG DEALING

The 1970’s was a tough period for the Chicago Outfit mainly because they lost many of their prime bosses and they also lost most of their lucrative operations. On the top of that, the 1970’s was an era of narcotics and rock’n’roll music and so some of the older capos saw the future of dope dealing and wanted to take over the racket in the Chicago area, before some of the other ethnic criminal groups. Charles Nicoletti was one of those same high level Mafia members who saw the future in narcotics but the problem was that both Accardo and Alex allegedly said “no”. Sources say that Aiuppa was first open minded regarding the dope trade, but later he was convinced by Accardo and Alex to join them in banning the narcotics trade.

This allegedly made some of the members quite disappointed, especially their underboss Nicoletti who in turn allegedly saw Alex as the main problem regarding the final decision. In fact, the whole situation created some type of “cold war” between Alex and Nicoletti with Accardo in the middle. On one hand Nicoletti complained that Alex wasn’t paying much attention regarding corruption on the North Side, and also complained that Alex was constantly out of town, while on the other hand when Accardo called Alex and told him to spend more time in the Chicago area, Alex complained that Nicoletti and his associates were responsible for many unsanctioned murders.

Old man Accardo was still a strong individual and handled those delicate situations like the original Mafia boss that he was and as I already stated, his word was the last, meaning the problems between Alex and Nicoletti came second after Accardo’s policy decision such as “no more drug dealing”.


Outfit “consigliere” Gus Alex


Outfit capo and underboss Chuck Nicoletti


RAINING BLOOD

The 1970’s was probably the second bloodiest era after Prohibition in the Outfit’s history, by reaching the number of over one hundred individuals being killed on Accardo’s orders. Made members, associates, politicians, cops and even civilians and women were killed in Chicago and all around the country for different reasons, such as unsanctioned murders, dealing narcotics, refusing to pay street tax, holding cash, informing for the government and many other situations. Few of Accardo’s most infamous decisions was the killing of former Outfit boss Sam Giancana in 1975, followed by the 1976 murder of John Roselli and also the murder of Charles Nicoletti in 1977.


Giancana’s murder scene

Many researchers believe that the infamous “chop shop” wars were only because of the control of the car theft racket and also the chop shops in which the stolen cars were taken apart, but instead large portion of the murders were sanctioned because the victims were involved in the narcotics trade. Capos like Jimmy Catuara were killed with the blink of an eye, a sign that old man Accardo wasn’t fooling around.


I’M STILL THE BOSS

In 1976, Accardo chaired a meeting which included most of the Outfits capos and also candidates who were about to receive those same positions. In fact, there’s one famous picture from that same meeting which was held at the Sicily Restaurant on 2743 N. Harlem Ave. Accardo is seated in the front of the picture, followed by Aiuppa, Cerone, Joe DiVarco, Dominick DiBella, Vincent Solano, Joe Amato, James Torello, Al Pilotto and Joey Lombardo. Except for Accardo, Aiuppa and Cerone who represented the Outfit’s top administration, all of the rest of the guys were capos or district bosses from different areas. There were allegedly many agendas on that same meeting, but the main agenda was the sendoff of the dying North Side representative Dom DiBella.

That same year Outfit capo Joey DiVarco, who by now served under the new North Side representative Vincent Solano, told one associate named Richard Arrigo that he was going to be sponsored by DiVarco himself and that Accardo was going to preside over the whole ceremony. This means that even though Aiuppa, Cerone and Alex controlled the organization on daily basis, during the late 1970’s Accardo was still the family’s “Godfather” who inducted new members.

In June 1977, Accardo got out of hospital allegedly because he had some heart problems, and immediately took a plane and went to Bimini on the Bahamas. Accardo was accompanied by Jack Cerone and two other bodyguards, and without his knowledge, he was also followed by the FBI. Once there, Accardo had a meeting with the top members of both the Genovese and Detroit families such as Anthony Provenzano and Tony Giacalone. The meeting occurred two years after the disappearance of the infamous labor leader Jimmy Hoffa and according reliable sources at the time, one of the agendas was allegedly the union racketeering business in which Accardo grew bigger by the day.


Old man Tony Accardo

On January 5, 1978, Accardo’s "modest" 18 room ranch house at 1407 N. Ashland Avenue was burglarized and the people who did it were in fact Outfit associates. Story goes that when Accardo received the bad news, at first he remained calm and told his wife to pack their stuff, took the first plane from Palm Springs to Chicago and quickly arrived at the scene. When the old crime boss saw that everything was gone, he allegedly went crazy and wanted the blood of whoever was responsible for it. Seven or eight people who were connected to the burglary were brutally killed, including Accardo’s long time caretaker and friend Mike Volpe. All of Chicago’s underworld was taught a lesson, which meant that the Outfit under Accardo was still in full effect and was still deadly as ever.

During the early 1980’s, longtime Outfit associate and union leader Angelo Fosco was the president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America and became the fifth highest paid union president in the whole nation. He was the son of legendary union boss and Outfit associate Peter Fosco, who died back in 1975 and was immediately succeeded by his blood protégé. Same as his late father, Angelo Fosco also directly operated under the auspices of Tony Accardo and together they extorted millions of dollars from the unions. In 1981, through manipulation of a union insurance fund, the two bosses managed to scheme more than two million dollars, a kind of theft which was easily compared by the investigators to "purse snatching". Another Outfit member involved in scheme was Alfred Pilotto, a local union president and representative for the whole Chicago Heights Mob. They had an insurance company to obtain the business of the laborers’ union but all of the major decisions were cleared through Accardo and also Tampa crime boss Santo Trafficante, who was also involved in the scheme.

Later the government realized about the operation and charged the racketeers for stealing 2 million dollars through the use of kickbacks and fake commissions. Outfit boss Tony Accardo and 10 other men, including Fosco and Pilotto, have been on trial for seven weeks in the U.S. District Court in Chicago. The prosecutors started using names such as “purse snatcher” in reference of Accardo, but the name-calling was not new to the old man because the longtime boss of the Chicago crime syndicate has been called many names since he landed a job as bodyguard for Al Capone back in the 1920s. So instead, seemingly amused by the purse snatcher reference, Accardo slapped the back of his attorney, Carl Walsh, and smiled. As expected, in June, 1982, Accardo and Fosco were acquitted of all charges, as for Pilotto, he was convicted and sentenced to jail. This was a pure sign that Accardo was still the prime boss and his advancing age did nothing to lessen his interest of being at the top of Chicago’s organized crime.


Angelo Fosco


Outfit capo Al Pilotto

SENIOR ADVISOR

After being almost imprisoned by the government for the second time, 76 year-old Accardo began to feel the pressure, especially because of his old age. Sources say that in 1983 Joey Aiuppa presided over induction ceremonies of new members, which means that Accardo decided to stay in the “shadows” but it was too late. The government wasn’t going anywhere and investigators wanted to see the old man in jail. In June 1984, Accardo was called to testify before a senate committee in Washington and probably for the first time during his life the old man answered at least few questions. Accardo said that he knew Al Capone only as a long-lost “friend” and the only illegal thing he ever did was that he gambled, and he also denied that he was business associate of both Aiuppa and Cerone, and also denied that he was involved in organized crime by making statements such as “I’ve never been a boss” or “I have no knowledge regarding a crime family in Chicago.”


Accardo at the hearings

In 1985, both Joey Aiuppa and Jack Cerone were indicted regarding the Las Vegas casinos scheme but before going to jail, they ordered the murder of their Las Vegas representative Tony Spilotro. Some sources say that before his death, Spilotro allegedly visited Accardo somewhere outside of Chicago and also allegedly asked for help from the old man, while others speculate that Spilotro might’ve been called upon by Accardo himself regarding the problems which Spilotro’s crew caused in Vegas. Either way, in June 1986 Spilotro’s dead body was found in an Indiana cornfield.

According to some government investigators by the late 1980’s Accardo was allegedly retired and from time to time he also allegedly acted as senior advisor for some of the bosses, although some FBI surveillance showed that Accardo also had meetings with the new leading administration which was formed by Aiuppa’s protégé Sam Carlisi as the new boss of the Outfit, followed by Accardo’s protégé and capo for the Elmwood Park crew since 1971, John DiFronzo, who in turn became Carlisi’s underboss. With DiFronzo as the Outfit’s number two guy, Accardo obviously still kept his power within the top administration. In fact, there are few surveillance photos from one meeting and you are able to see DiFronzo opening doors for both Carlisi and Accardo.


John DiFronzo and Tony Accardo


THE END OF AN ERA

The 1980’s was a very troubled decade for the Chicago Outfit and besides the arrests of many members and associates, or the deaths and the imprisonment of many of their bosses, capos and crew bosses, they also lost their main protection and “license” to kill with the imprisonment of many if their corrupt judges, cops and politicians. On top of that many informants started popping up by wearing wires for the FBI, such as William Jahoda and longtime crew boss Lenny Patrick.

Lots of members and bosses fell in the hands of the FBI and so old man Accardo probably saw the writing on the wall and by 1990 or 1991 he was out of the business, but we must not forget that once a made man, always a made man. Besides his serious health issues and alleged retirement, still until his last day, old man Accardo always denied having any role in the Chicago mob and often said “I have no control over anybody.”

Tony Accardo died on May 27, 1992 at the age of 86 from heart and lung disease at the St. Mary of Nazareth hospital center. His funeral was very low-key sendoff which mostly attended by members of his own family, except for two individuals such as former Outfit lieutenant Joe Amato and also Accardo’s long time friend Rocco aka Robert DeGrazio who were arrested together back in 1933. Accardo was buried in a crypt in the mausoleum at Queen of Heaven Cemetery, in Hillside, Illinois.



Accardo’s death also marked the death of the old “Capone” organization and in fact, he died at the same time when the Outfit was being crushed by the government which means he again managed to elude the law one last time.

Cheers

Wow! I can't wait to read this. Thank you so much for this TP. You're an ace!!!

You're always welcome bud and thanks. I hope you'll like the article and dont forget to give me your final opinion

This was sensational. Didn’t know a tenth of this. Thanks TD. Love the photos too. Great job!!!

Some of your best work. Awesome write up, bud!

Thanks a lot @Jimmy! Im glad you liked the article since Im trying to do my best. Thanks again bud for your constant support.



Thank you too @Big_Tuna! Means a lot coming from you. Cheers

About halfway done with the read. Nothing but props for you TD. I recall many moons ago, you were thinking about publishing some of your work. What are you wanting for? I'm not the kind of person to pay a membership in the internet to read articles. But I'll buy a good book any day of the week.

very good work toodoped. always like to read about accardo and the outfit. accardos position post ricca has always been intriguing to me and the outfit leadership in general. 50+ years later and the debate continues as to whom took over what role they had etc. a perfect example of a well run crime family that all these moons later and still the admin is not cut and dried. seemed to be the case from 1972 and on as to who was street boss, boss, underboss, consigliere or who held multiple roles at same time. one thing is for sure the outfit did not and likely still does not operate like a typical mafia family.

accardo was by far the longest serving leader of the outfit and one of the longest serving bosses ever in american crime.

Thanks again bud and yeah, believe it or not I finished the book and right now Im still looking for the best way on how to publish it. I also made one translated book with my birth language. Ill be happy to announce when the book is going to be published and so thanks for your support. And again, I agree regarding that paywall bullshit.



Thanks and nicely said @VitoCahill, meaning I couldnt have said it better myself. Yes, the Outfit was and possibly still is the most unique crime family of them all, and you're also right about Accardo. Even today some people still believe that he was possible informant only because he managed to elude the law, but they still dont have any type of evidence regarding that claim and so until then, Accardo was probably the smartest Mafia boss at the time.

...in addition, besides Tony Capezio, Jack Cerone, John Borcia, Martin Accardo, Joe Siciliano, John DeBiase and Willie Aloisio being mentioned in the article, here are few other members and associates from Accardo's crew while he was a capo for the Outfit, such as George Aloisio, Sam Mesi, James Mesi, James Micelli, Skippy Cerone, Tony Cerone, Jimmy Cerone, Joe Gagliano, Willie Messino, Joe Vasselli, Louis Vasselli, Frank Severino, Walter Guida...there were also other crew members such as DeBiase's brother Frank, Phil Mesi and John Maniatis/Maneatis but I dont have any pics of them...


George Aloisio (Wllie's brother)


Sam Mesi


James Mesi


James Micelli


Skippy Cerone


Anthony Cerone


James Cerone


Joe Gagliano


Willie Messino


Walter Guida


Frank Severino


Joseph Vasselli


Louis Vasselli

Very well done! That was a fantastic read. I've always wanted to know more about Accardo's years as capo and who was in his crew. That's usually not written about much, so it was awesome seeing it here.

Great job Toodoped!

Respect TD !

I believe Capone inducted Accardo into the Outfit sometime in 1926. I don't know if he was a Cicero guy like Capone.

Thanks a lot @ChiCubs and also thanks for your support. And yeah, I already said that this article on Accardo is going to be a "little bit" different


Thank you too @H! It means a lot.

I think the year of 1926 is too early for Accardo be inducted mainly because Capone was allegedly made sometime around 1928 after the murders of D'Aqila, Yale, Lombardo and Esposito. So I personally believe that Accardo wasnt among the first ten guys which were made by Capone BUT he surely belong to the Capone crew by that time. He acted as first line of defence, while guys like Rio, Ricca, Campagna, Maddox, D'Andrea and Heeney were always close to Capone as personal bodyguards. In fact it was Rio who jumped over Capone when the Northsiders tried to kill him. I think Ricca was also wounded during the attack. Lots of guys were made in 1931 or right before Capone went to jail, such as Battaglia, and so I suspect that Accardo was also made that same year. Also dont forget that Accardo possibly came up under Mafiosi from the Northwest Side such as Capezio and Mangano.

Thanks TD. Maybe he was just a hang around in 1926, but like you said not much is known regarding the beginning of Accardo’s criminal career and also on the formal induction ceremonies Capone was made in 1928?

Yeah, Capone was previously an associate of the Masseria clan and paid certain sum of money. Around that same year (1928) he was called upon by Masseria who in turn allegedly explained all of the rules to Capone and told him to eliminate both Lombardo, Yale and Aiello (possibly Esposito too). Late Masseria inducted Capone into Cosa Nostra, and was instantly bumped to the capo position. The Chicago family was later allegedly first officially recognized by Maranzano (the last boss of bosses) and after that by the "new" commission.

Mangano/Accardo associate Joe Mundo/Mondo killed in 1944 on Fischetti's and Accardo's orders during the second conflict....