THE BLACK HAND FORUM

7 page file from '67. Page 6 has brief info on the Colorado groups. Just guessing this info is from Bompensiero.

File also has some info on LA and Jimmy Frattiano's upcoming trial, plus some NY scuttlebutt.

[url]http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=92397#relPageId=1&tab=page[/url]

I'll take some pictures for everyone next time I am close by. Its located in north Denver and I live in south Denver... that chart is on the wall in the bathroom at restaurant.

I just moved to Denver about 6 months ago and I've eaten at gaetanos 3 times and the place is great. Pictures of mob guys all over. Smaldone family Sony own it anymore but new owners have it looking really good. Food is great too!

[quote="Giacomo_Vacari"]Gaetano's goes all the way to back to Clyde Smaldone. There was three crew for Colorado, Denver, Pueblo, and Trinidad. Canon City had a pair of brothers made, and some associates. Up till Colletti, the power was always in Pueblo, then the power went to the Smaldones in Denver. Trinidad was the smallest crew, but had Rosario moving around the country from the 1930s till his death in the early 1960s meeting with other mafia families. Denver crew did split into two crews who were fighting each other not long after Colletti died. Denver went thought Kansas City, Pueblo and Trinidad went through Bonanno. That chart is good but it includes independent operators as well. All three crews operated independent of each other to where it was more like three families operating in Colorado.[/quote]


Excellent information.

Gaetano's goes all the way to back to Clyde Smaldone. There was three crew for Colorado, Denver, Pueblo, and Trinidad. Canon City had a pair of brothers made, and some associates. Up till Colletti, the power was always in Pueblo, then the power went to the Smaldones in Denver. Trinidad was the smallest crew, but had Rosario moving around the country from the 1930s till his death in the early 1960s meeting with other mafia families. Denver crew did split into two crews who were fighting each other not long after Colletti died. Denver went thought Kansas City, Pueblo and Trinidad went through Bonanno. That chart is good but it includes independent operators as well. All three crews operated independent of each other to where it was more like three families operating in Colorado.

[quote="Five Felonies"]pogo, that chart is on the wall and maybe other parts of gaetano's, a restaurant in denver that has some sort of a mob past. if the line on the bottom is correct, perhaps it did come from the denver police intelligence bureau.

[img]http://denver.thedrinknation.com/uploads/images/2013-04-09-gaetanos-int-2.jpg[/img][/quote]

I never would have thought the organization was this large

Good find on that chart picture. 8-)


Pogo

pogo, that chart is on the wall and maybe other parts of gaetano's, a restaurant in denver that has some sort of a mob past. if the line on the bottom is correct, perhaps it did come from the denver police intelligence bureau.

[img]http://denver.thedrinknation.com/uploads/images/2013-04-09-gaetanos-int-2.jpg[/img]

Black Jim Colletti is one I've wondered about, as there was also Colletti in the Bonanno family and as you mentioned Joe Bonanno was connected to the one in Colorado. There are also the Ribera/NJ Collettis but I doubt they're connected.

[quote="B."]Sounds like early on the Colorado group was well-connected nationally but they became less and less connected as time went on. How formal was their structure? i.e. did they have a boss/underboss/consigliere, capos, and all of that through most of their existence?[/quote]


Here is a LE chart (I forgot if it was from the Feds or not) chart from the 1960s on them. As you can see they looked and operated more like a gambling syndicate headed by the Smaldone famaily than a traditonal cosa nostra family though they did use the ranks of Boss, UnderBoss and Consiglieri. Not sure about Capo.

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Leaders:
Clyde “Flip Flop” Smaldone
Eugene “Checkers” Smaldone
Joe Salardino
Gerald Losasso
Tony Smaldone
Ralph Smaldone


Family Members:
Fiore Smaldone
Louis Capra
Michael "Roxie" Villano
Allen "A.D." Miller
Joseph Cefalu


Lieutenants:
Clarence “Chauncey” Smaldone
Paul “Fat Paulie” Villano
Eugene “Young Gene” Smaldone Jr.
Frank Mazza
Michael "M.T." Tomeo


Other Members:
Phil Baccarella
Robert Barnholtz
Richard Blaylock
James Cavaleri
George Curcio
Anthony De Luzio
Victor Falbo
George "Whitey" Gorski
Albert "Squatash" Guarasci
Louis Holt
Mike Losasso
Pete Mazone
Joseph Martinez
William Pace
George 'Tony" Pauldino
Charles Perito
Anthony Quarantino
Americus “Mertz" Quintana
Edward Quintana
Jospeh Quintana
Michael Quintana
Robert Quintana
Joseph "Chub" Rasu
John "Porky" Routa
John Russamanno
George Saladino (Las Vegas)
Robert "Sands' Shanks
Sam Shanks
Frank Shutto
Jim Spinelli
Paul Villano


Dice and Card Cheat Mob:
Ralph Acierno
Jess Bridwell
Louis "Cal" Brindisi
Joseph Briola
Dade Carey
Anthony Colosacco
Louis Gaudio
Cleo "Pete" Jones
Joseph "Little Joe" Miley
Roy “Sonny" O'Neal
Micahel Pauldino
Harry Selix
Michael "Undertaker" Tate
Phil "Fat Phil" Tolvo
Don Shore
Robert "The Pig" Woolverton


Bookmakers and Layoff Bettors:
Sante "Sandy" Alonzi
Harold Bellm
William Bruzzichesi
THomas "Tommy Blue" Gottone
Joseph “Duke Sams" Hardy
Don Harvey
Anthony "Miami Tony" Hayek
Dave Jacobsen
William Kohankie
William Lutsk
Gerald Middleton
Guy "Mickey" McNultey
James Picolli
Phil Pinelli
Felimon "Phil" Ramos
Don Ryan
Eddie Sigman
Sherwood Turner
Joe Wedgie
David Wells


Southern Colorado Faction:
Joe Bonanno (Likely added due to his business interests with Coletti)
James "Black Jim" Coletti
Robert Dionisio
Charles Blanda
Tom "Whiskers" Incerto
Joe "Scotty" Spinuzzi
Anthony "Turk" Spinuzzi
Frank "Bull" DeMarco
Joe "Blackie" Bacino
Gus Salardino
Carl Cascio
Tal Micehliza
Tony Bacino
Sam "Rope" Buck
Carl Buck
John Pricco
Nick Riggio
Nick Bisulco
Chris Blondi
Dave "Buck" Bucambusco
Bennie Bacino
Sam Brocato
John Cha


Female Steerers:
Joyce Brinkhoff
Loyola Evans
Nora Stearns
Judith Good
Hilda Schram
Nadine Sutton
Coleen Tomeo
Luella Wilson


Independent Operators:
Ova Elijah "Charlie" Stephens
Nolan “Tex" Wilson

Thanks for the recommendation. I've been wanting to read more about families in some of the less typical spots and Colorado is one of the ones that is hardest for me to wrap my brain around.

Sounds like early on the Colorado group was well-connected nationally but they became less and less connected as time went on. How formal was their structure? i.e. did they have a boss/underboss/consigliere, capos, and all of that through most of their existence?

[quote="Hailbritain"]There is a good book on the smaldones , I've got it . It's a decent read[/quote]

It's actually an incredible read if you enjoy the more obscure crime figures:


http://www.amazon.com/Smaldone-Untold-Story-American-Family/dp/1555917062

There is a good book on the smaldones , I've got it . It's a decent read

i don't remember this being posted, nothing really too detailed but it's not like there has been much of anything related to this crew out there so it's worth a watch imo. there was also a nice looking chart posted towards the end...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbJtXMa0ZAQ