by Villain » Wed Nov 11, 2020 11:36 pm
Something about the Outfit and the Playboy enterprises....
During the early 1960's Arnold Morton was the manager of The Playboy Club at 182 East Walton Street in Chicago, and in reality Morton was a frontman for the Outfit. The joint handled a big prostitution ring that was operated by the Outfit. The place also had special Playboy marked cars, Playboy coats and also Playboy towels which were handed out in the restrooms. The place was constantly visited by high profile crime figures such as Gus Alex, Eddie Vogel, Sam Giancana and Ross Prio.
For example, during their visits of the Playboy Club, once Alex and his old friend and business associate Eddie Vogel met their new ladies. Alex’s new girlfriend was a hot blond German known as Suzanne Fueger, who was one of Playboy’s bunnies and Vogel also had a girlfriend from the same place, known as Peggy Strak. In fact, Vogel often gave Peggy to Alex for his own entertainment.
The club became suspicious in the eyes of the law for the first time when the club’s administration discounted the services of the Star Disposal Service, which was a legitimate company, and took the services of the West Town Suburban Scavenger Service, which was an Outfit controlled company. But the government wasn’t able to obtain sufficient evidences of the Outfit's involvement in the club because they always used other legitimate people as fronts. According to some informants Ross Prio also had close connections with Hugh Hefner, the owner of the world famous Playboy magazine.
For example, Prio owned one-fourth of the shares and 80% of the stock was owned by Hugh Hefner and the Playboy magazine. In February 1961, Prio also had purchased the franchise for the Playboy Club that was located in Miami, but later the franchise was purchased back by Hefner because of a racial incident that occurred in the club. Prio and the Outfit wanted the club to operate as a segregated joint but Hefner opposed any segregation and that’s why he purchased it back from Prio for $697,000 which was much higher than the price that was previously bought.
In 1963 Outfit associate Augie Circella, owner of the Follies Burlesque Theater, wanted to join the Playboy association and to invest in a new club on Chicago’s North Side that would be called the Playgirl Club, but he needed permission from the boss of that area which was Ross Prio. So Circella contacted his friend Gus Alex, who contacted Pat Marcy, the Outfit’s force in the First Ward, who in turn contacted Prio and asked him to do Circella a favor. So Circella won the approval of Prio but the deal was to take Prio as one of his partners in the club. Circella invested $40,000 in the joint and placed a former policeman who acted as front in the operation. Few years later Prio also considerably invested in another multi-million dollar Playboy Club which was located at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
Something about the Outfit and the Playboy enterprises....
During the early 1960's Arnold Morton was the manager of The Playboy Club at 182 East Walton Street in Chicago, and in reality Morton was a frontman for the Outfit. The joint handled a big prostitution ring that was operated by the Outfit. The place also had special Playboy marked cars, Playboy coats and also Playboy towels which were handed out in the restrooms. The place was constantly visited by high profile crime figures such as Gus Alex, Eddie Vogel, Sam Giancana and Ross Prio.
For example, during their visits of the Playboy Club, once Alex and his old friend and business associate Eddie Vogel met their new ladies. Alex’s new girlfriend was a hot blond German known as Suzanne Fueger, who was one of Playboy’s bunnies and Vogel also had a girlfriend from the same place, known as Peggy Strak. In fact, Vogel often gave Peggy to Alex for his own entertainment.
The club became suspicious in the eyes of the law for the first time when the club’s administration discounted the services of the Star Disposal Service, which was a legitimate company, and took the services of the West Town Suburban Scavenger Service, which was an Outfit controlled company. But the government wasn’t able to obtain sufficient evidences of the Outfit's involvement in the club because they always used other legitimate people as fronts. According to some informants Ross Prio also had close connections with Hugh Hefner, the owner of the world famous Playboy magazine.
For example, Prio owned one-fourth of the shares and 80% of the stock was owned by Hugh Hefner and the Playboy magazine. In February 1961, Prio also had purchased the franchise for the Playboy Club that was located in Miami, but later the franchise was purchased back by Hefner because of a racial incident that occurred in the club. Prio and the Outfit wanted the club to operate as a segregated joint but Hefner opposed any segregation and that’s why he purchased it back from Prio for $697,000 which was much higher than the price that was previously bought.
In 1963 Outfit associate Augie Circella, owner of the Follies Burlesque Theater, wanted to join the Playboy association and to invest in a new club on Chicago’s North Side that would be called the Playgirl Club, but he needed permission from the boss of that area which was Ross Prio. So Circella contacted his friend Gus Alex, who contacted Pat Marcy, the Outfit’s force in the First Ward, who in turn contacted Prio and asked him to do Circella a favor. So Circella won the approval of Prio but the deal was to take Prio as one of his partners in the club. Circella invested $40,000 in the joint and placed a former policeman who acted as front in the operation. Few years later Prio also considerably invested in another multi-million dollar Playboy Club which was located at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.