On January 22, 1955, Claude Maddox was again the host of another huge lavish gangster party but this time it was the wedding of his daughter Patricia. It was a Franklyn Park social event and among those present at the reception were Paul Ricca, Tony and his brother John Accardo, Sam Giancana, Joseph Aiuppa, Robert Ansoni, Mike Spranse, Lenny Patrick, and numerous others. Also most of the cars that brought the guests to the reception bore license plates issued to many known union officials from Chicago and around the country. But the good times were slowly fading away because the same year two of his best friends and also high profile members of the Chicago Outfit passed away. On May 30, 1955, Louis Campagna died of a heart attack on his yacht off the coast of Florida. Later his body was returned to Chicago, and there was a wake in a funeral parlor on South Harlem Avenue. The wake was attended by every member of the Outfit including the top bosses (Ricca, Accardo, Giancana), Jack Cerone, Willie Alosio, Ralph Pierce, Frank LaPorte, John Lardino, Tony Accardo, Murray Humphreys, Joey Glimco and Claude Maddox. Maddox drove a car to the wake with 1955 license plates 745-748, issued to John Lardino, 10 North Wells Street, Chicago, which was the address of local 593.



Louis Campagna

More than a month later, on July 7, 1955 Tony Capezio died also from a massive heart attack on the golf course at White Pines country club in Du Page County near Bensenville. He collapsed at the fourth hole and his golf buddy placed him on the electric cart and took him to the clubhouse. The Bensenville firemen were called and they worked on him for 45 minutes with an inhalator before Dr. Paul Hasbrouck pronounced him dead. Capezio was 53 years old. On July 11, less than three hundred people attended his funeral and most of the mobsters shun the funeral, not because of any dislike towards Capezio but simply because they didn't want to be seen by police or federal agents who mingled around the area. But Claude Maddox, who was Capezio’s long time friend and cohort, did show up. Maddox again showed his true gangster loyalty.



Tony Capezio

Slowly the good times for 53 year old Claude Maddox were comming to an end. By now most of his old associates were gone and now his freedom was also jeopardised. Back in October, 1954 the government investigated Maddox’ the Taylor & Company organization and found out that it was a front for manufacturing and distributing gambling devices in violation of the federal laws. Maddox, Joey Aiuppa and Robert Ansoni were all arrested and taken to the FBI building for further questioning. Maddox was released on a $1,000 bond but outside the federal building he was again arrested by Peter McGuire, chief investigator for the Illinois attorney general, who arraigned a trial. The feds had evidences that Maddox was making illegal profit from the company and was not listed in the documents as an owner which was required by law. Maddox was again freed on a $500 bond but was set for a hearing on October 25 1954. The government’s informant was a salesman for the Taylor Company named Walter Clinnin who vanished from the face of the earth in 1956. But the problem for Maddox was that the agents already had the records to prove the illegal operations. The trail was set for January, 1956 where Maddox, Aiuppa, Ansoni and two other partners R. J. Johnson and Harry Milner were convicted, based on an indictment that the defendants had shipped gambling equipment in interstate commerce from Chicago to Pennsylvania in violation of the Johnson Act. Following their convictions, Federal Judge William J. Campbell sentenced each defendant to serve 1 year and 1 day in Federal prison and to pay a fine of $1,000 and costs. The case was appealed, but they were upheld on appeal, and the men went to prison. This was the first time after 30 years Maddox again set foot in jail.


John Moore aka Claude Maddox

In 1957, Claude Maddox was released from prison after serving 10 months. He continued to reside in his home at 3536 S. Harlem Avenue, Riverside and kept a very low profile. He was out of the rackets and mostly hung out with his family and grandkids and enjoyed his “hard earned” money. With Maddox’ blessing, Joey Aiuppa became the prime boss in the Cicero area and continued to run most of the rackets, or what’s left of them. Aiuppa’s real success was his close connections, thanks to Claude Maddox, with the Outfit’s big shot Tony Accardo. By now most of the old Capone “Mustache Petes” were dead or in jail and the new Outfit force, called Sam Giancana, was taking over the rackets and was also taking the organization on a higher level. Giancana ordered Aiuppa to share his profits in Cicero with one of his underlings Willie “Potatoes” Daddano. According to the gangster code, when a “big shot” dies such as Maddox, his operations aren’t taken over by his number one man, but the operations are divided among other big shots.



Maddox' residence

On June 21, 1958 Maddox’ wife was watching television in the living room while preparing a meal for her husband who was taking a nap in their bedroom. When she walked to the bedroom to wake him up, Alice realised that her husband was dead. She notified the Riverside police, who sent an inhalator squad and a police surgeon. They found out that Maddox died from a heart attack and had been dead for about three hours. The services for Claude Maddox were held at the chapel at 4000 St. Charles rd., Bellwood. Maddox was gangster to the core and was very much respected in the underworld. He was so much respected that at his funeral, five of his gangster friends chased George Quinn, a Chicago Tribune photographer, for two blocks before cornering and slugging him and in the end took his photo plates. Besides the publicity, out of respect the funeral was visited by many Chicago Outfit high profile figures including Paul Ricca, Tony Accardo, Sam Giancana, Joey Aiuppa and Gus Alex. Besides his wife Alice, 58 year old Maddox was survived by his two sons Bob and Terry and his daughter Patricia.


John Moore aka Claude Maddox' tomb

Maddox died just in time to avoid answering a subpoena from the Rackets Committee of the United States Senate. In other words he double crossed the government. Few weeks after his death, during the Mcclellan hearings, the director of the Chicago Crime Commission Virgil Peterson was asked by Democratic Senator Frank Church and Senator Carl T. Curtis about Maddox’ death:

Senator Church: Did he die of natural causes?

Mr. Peterson: Yes, sir, natural causes and, in fact, I think his wife was watching television and he was asleep in the bed and died a very peaceful death.

Senator Curtis: Is that a natural cause for a hoodlum to die, or an unnatural death?

Mr. Peterson: In view of his background, I would say it could be considered an unnatural death.

Senator Curtis: Maybe "unusual" is a better term.

Johnny Moore a.k.a. Claude Maddox wasn’t Italian but lived and died like a true Mafia Godfather. He killed many people and wasn’t afraid of the law. He was arrested and questioned about murders more often than most people go to the grocery stores. He was considered as a public enemy through all of his life time and in the end he died peacefully in his bed as a multi-millionaire.


This article is completed from various infos that can be found on the internet.