by cavita » Sat Jan 09, 2021 7:02 pm
Andrew J. Calcione was born June 8, 1915 in Rockford, Illinois to Salvatore Calcione and Caterina Massari. Early on Andrew was a problem and took his first official arrest at the age of 13 when he, Frank Savistski, 14 and Alfred Savitski, 12, were found in a stolen Model T Ford on October 22, 1929 in Ashton, Illinois. The vehicle had been stolen from Jack Sugar or Rockford two days before. On May 24, 1930 Calcione was reported missing by his family- apparently, he and Gerald Madonia, 10, and Sam Samilo, 12, decided to run away. The boys returned home a few days later not divulging where they had been.
The following October he and 14-year-old Steven Zdeb were arrested on burglary and larceny charges when police saw them carrying a sack on the Nelson Street Bridge. Inside the sack was 39 pigeons belonging to Tony Lungo.
Calcione stayed relatively quiet, meaning he didn’t get caught by authorities, until April 21, 1935 when he was arrested for operating a disorderly house at 3525 Kishwaukee Street. Six men and two women were arrested in this raid and a disorderly house was a polite description that a brothel was in operation. Later FBI files stated that Rockford LCN underboss Gaspare Calo and consigliere Joe Zito were involved in “white slave traffic” at the time on behalf of the family and that Zito was “the main spring and kingpin” in this activity so it seems that at this early stage of his life, Calcione was involved at least on the fringes of the Rockford LCN family. The Rockford LCN was not above making money off the flesh trade and Calcione would ply this trade in the years to come.
Just a few months later on August 18th, Calcione was held for investigation with Pete Miranda, 18, Joe Frisella, 19 and Dominic Giglio, 17. They had been riding in a car that Erick Gustafson, 32, was driving while intoxicated. While being booked at the police station one of the men dropped a blackjack, but police were unable to determine who had possession of it. Just three weeks later Calcione was arrested yet again with Santo Buttacavoli, 22, on charges of stealing a radio and other items from an automobile.
Yet again on September 5, 1936 he was arrested along with Sam Miranda, 22, in connection with an investigation regarding recent thefts of automobile equipment from garages and supply stores. This charge must have been proven as it showed on October 7th, he had his probation revoked due to larceny charges and he was sentenced to 90 days in jail.
Calcione kept clean for almost a year until September 27, 1937 when he was arrested along with Zola Harris, 17, on charges of receiving stolen property and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Harris was staying at the home of Alice Dowd and had taken a diamond ring and opal ring belonging to Dowd and turned them over to Calcione. Two months later Harris was given probation and Calcione was sentenced to 1-10 years in Pontiac Prison. Three and a half years later Calcione was granted parole in this case in May 1941.
Calcione stayed off the police radar until November 7, 1946 when he was arrested along with Freda May Compton at Winnebago and West State Streets. Both had been observed fighting and were booked in the jail but paid a fine and were released. Compton would find herself indicted the following January with future Rockford LCN member Frank Correnti for theft of jewelry.
Taking a bit of a break, Calcione married a woman by the name of Betty on October 31, 1948 and it didn’t take long for both of them to get into trouble. On June 11, 1949 both he and Betty were arrested for operating a house of prostitution at the Double C Ranch near U.S. 51 and the Camp Grant cutoff road south of Rockford. Authorities arrested 18 male customers and the investigation revealed that prostitutes were being brought up from Peoria, Illinois to work at the ranch. Miss Sue Allen, alias Betty Rogers allegedly was the madam of the ranch and she hailed from Chicago. Authorities hinted at syndicate control of the operation as there were guards stationed around the property when the raid occurred.
While having hearings on his prostitution charges, Calcione was arrested yet again with Freda May Compton on July 3, 1949. This time the two were charged with being disorderly in a downtown Rockford hotel.
As if his problems weren’t bad enough, Calcione was arrested once again on charges of operating a house of prostitution on August 23, 1949 at the Double C Ranch. Arrested with him this time were four women- Betty White, alias Betty Hollowell, 38, Peoria, Lee Mason, 28, Chicago, Joan Meyers, 23, Dekalb, Anna Carter, 24, Springfield, and two men- Robert Hague of Newcastle, Pennsylvania and James Blake of Rockford. The ranch was never closed as was evidenced by yet another raid on March 4, 1951. Seven men and three women were charged including Calcione along with his wife Betty and three Chicago residents- Judy Zimmerman, 24, Velma Farrell, 21, and Frank Piconere. Authorities stated the operation was one of a chain of similar houses of prostitution operating in the area.
When authorities reached the front door they heard Calcione shout a warning to the other occupants. As investigators entered inside the ranch they found the place deserted. Finally, after quite a bit of time searching, one of the investigators moved a five-foot mirror which secreted a trap door leading to a secret room on the second floor where all the occupants were found.
Perhaps getting tired of it all or to distance herself from the charges, on May 1951 Calcione’s wife Betty filed for divorce charging he struck her about the head and face on January 28, 1950, June 6, 1950 and April 14, 1951. As it ended up, Calcione was sentenced to a 90-day term at the Vandalia penal farm on June 18, 1951.
Calcione ended up divorcing from Betty and over the next few years married and divorced no less than three women between 1953 and 1959. On May 25, 1962 the 46-year-old Calcione married 20 year old Jill Dyreson in Belvidere, Illinois. On April 24, 1963 Calcione and his new bride were subpoenaed to appear in Federal Court in Chicago for questioning in a call girl ring run by 36-year-old madam Pat Atkins of Chicago. The multi-state operation was said to have generated $750,000 annually and nine other Chicago women were also required to testify. Atkins herself was sentenced to one year in a women’s penitentiary in West Virginia on these charges but she continued her madam ways in Chicago up through at least 1966.
Sadly, on February 8, 1967 Calcione’s wife Jill was found dead in the Calcione garage at 1550 North Meridian Road. The ignition to her car was on and the gas tank was empty and authorities stated they found a suicide note but no explanation was given as to why she killed herself.
During the 1950s and 1960s the Rockford LCN utilized Calcione in the prostitution trade most assumedly through LCN member Phil Priola. Priola had lived in Chicago from the early 1940s until 1954 when he returned to Rockford and was made a member there. Priola’s father was an old-time member of the Chicago Outfit and it seemed that Phil had retained many of his contacts in the Windy City after returning to Rockford. Priola used two brothers, twins named Pasquale and Joe Gucciardo for supplying women for the various brothels in the area. The Gucciardos were regarded by Rockford authorities as known pimps and their women came all over from Milwaukee, Indiana and all over Illinois. Priola himself used these women at his Town and Country Motel and others were worked out of the various mob-controlled taverns, some which were fronted by Calcione’s brothers Anthony and Joe. Joe operated the Town Lounge at 602 West State Street and Anthony operated the Playroom Lounge at 206 North Church Street, both businesses which were secretly controlled by consigliere Joe Zito.
On May 5, 1971 Calcione made the newspapers yet again when he was arrested on grand theft charges. Police found a Pontiac GTO in his garage that was stolen from Chicago the previous June. Other car parts from different vehicles were also recovered from the garage on the property of Motor City Used Cars that Calcione was operating at 4518 West State Street. Two months later Calcione pleaded guilty on these charges and was sentenced to three years’ probation.
Calcione stayed out of the news until embarrassingly he was arrested on September 5, 1979 on charges of being an unlicensed bartender while working at the Spa Tap, 601 West State Street, which was owned by his brother Sam. After a few years of dating, the 75-year-old Calcione married 41-year-old Rebecca Gear in November 1990. This was the longest marriage he was involved in as he was still with her when he passed away at the age of 92 on November 7, 2007 in Rockford.
Andrew J. Calcione was born June 8, 1915 in Rockford, Illinois to Salvatore Calcione and Caterina Massari. Early on Andrew was a problem and took his first official arrest at the age of 13 when he, Frank Savistski, 14 and Alfred Savitski, 12, were found in a stolen Model T Ford on October 22, 1929 in Ashton, Illinois. The vehicle had been stolen from Jack Sugar or Rockford two days before. On May 24, 1930 Calcione was reported missing by his family- apparently, he and Gerald Madonia, 10, and Sam Samilo, 12, decided to run away. The boys returned home a few days later not divulging where they had been.
The following October he and 14-year-old Steven Zdeb were arrested on burglary and larceny charges when police saw them carrying a sack on the Nelson Street Bridge. Inside the sack was 39 pigeons belonging to Tony Lungo.
Calcione stayed relatively quiet, meaning he didn’t get caught by authorities, until April 21, 1935 when he was arrested for operating a disorderly house at 3525 Kishwaukee Street. Six men and two women were arrested in this raid and a disorderly house was a polite description that a brothel was in operation. Later FBI files stated that Rockford LCN underboss Gaspare Calo and consigliere Joe Zito were involved in “white slave traffic” at the time on behalf of the family and that Zito was “the main spring and kingpin” in this activity so it seems that at this early stage of his life, Calcione was involved at least on the fringes of the Rockford LCN family. The Rockford LCN was not above making money off the flesh trade and Calcione would ply this trade in the years to come.
Just a few months later on August 18th, Calcione was held for investigation with Pete Miranda, 18, Joe Frisella, 19 and Dominic Giglio, 17. They had been riding in a car that Erick Gustafson, 32, was driving while intoxicated. While being booked at the police station one of the men dropped a blackjack, but police were unable to determine who had possession of it. Just three weeks later Calcione was arrested yet again with Santo Buttacavoli, 22, on charges of stealing a radio and other items from an automobile.
Yet again on September 5, 1936 he was arrested along with Sam Miranda, 22, in connection with an investigation regarding recent thefts of automobile equipment from garages and supply stores. This charge must have been proven as it showed on October 7th, he had his probation revoked due to larceny charges and he was sentenced to 90 days in jail.
Calcione kept clean for almost a year until September 27, 1937 when he was arrested along with Zola Harris, 17, on charges of receiving stolen property and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Harris was staying at the home of Alice Dowd and had taken a diamond ring and opal ring belonging to Dowd and turned them over to Calcione. Two months later Harris was given probation and Calcione was sentenced to 1-10 years in Pontiac Prison. Three and a half years later Calcione was granted parole in this case in May 1941.
Calcione stayed off the police radar until November 7, 1946 when he was arrested along with Freda May Compton at Winnebago and West State Streets. Both had been observed fighting and were booked in the jail but paid a fine and were released. Compton would find herself indicted the following January with future Rockford LCN member Frank Correnti for theft of jewelry.
Taking a bit of a break, Calcione married a woman by the name of Betty on October 31, 1948 and it didn’t take long for both of them to get into trouble. On June 11, 1949 both he and Betty were arrested for operating a house of prostitution at the Double C Ranch near U.S. 51 and the Camp Grant cutoff road south of Rockford. Authorities arrested 18 male customers and the investigation revealed that prostitutes were being brought up from Peoria, Illinois to work at the ranch. Miss Sue Allen, alias Betty Rogers allegedly was the madam of the ranch and she hailed from Chicago. Authorities hinted at syndicate control of the operation as there were guards stationed around the property when the raid occurred.
While having hearings on his prostitution charges, Calcione was arrested yet again with Freda May Compton on July 3, 1949. This time the two were charged with being disorderly in a downtown Rockford hotel.
As if his problems weren’t bad enough, Calcione was arrested once again on charges of operating a house of prostitution on August 23, 1949 at the Double C Ranch. Arrested with him this time were four women- Betty White, alias Betty Hollowell, 38, Peoria, Lee Mason, 28, Chicago, Joan Meyers, 23, Dekalb, Anna Carter, 24, Springfield, and two men- Robert Hague of Newcastle, Pennsylvania and James Blake of Rockford. The ranch was never closed as was evidenced by yet another raid on March 4, 1951. Seven men and three women were charged including Calcione along with his wife Betty and three Chicago residents- Judy Zimmerman, 24, Velma Farrell, 21, and Frank Piconere. Authorities stated the operation was one of a chain of similar houses of prostitution operating in the area.
When authorities reached the front door they heard Calcione shout a warning to the other occupants. As investigators entered inside the ranch they found the place deserted. Finally, after quite a bit of time searching, one of the investigators moved a five-foot mirror which secreted a trap door leading to a secret room on the second floor where all the occupants were found.
Perhaps getting tired of it all or to distance herself from the charges, on May 1951 Calcione’s wife Betty filed for divorce charging he struck her about the head and face on January 28, 1950, June 6, 1950 and April 14, 1951. As it ended up, Calcione was sentenced to a 90-day term at the Vandalia penal farm on June 18, 1951.
Calcione ended up divorcing from Betty and over the next few years married and divorced no less than three women between 1953 and 1959. On May 25, 1962 the 46-year-old Calcione married 20 year old Jill Dyreson in Belvidere, Illinois. On April 24, 1963 Calcione and his new bride were subpoenaed to appear in Federal Court in Chicago for questioning in a call girl ring run by 36-year-old madam Pat Atkins of Chicago. The multi-state operation was said to have generated $750,000 annually and nine other Chicago women were also required to testify. Atkins herself was sentenced to one year in a women’s penitentiary in West Virginia on these charges but she continued her madam ways in Chicago up through at least 1966.
Sadly, on February 8, 1967 Calcione’s wife Jill was found dead in the Calcione garage at 1550 North Meridian Road. The ignition to her car was on and the gas tank was empty and authorities stated they found a suicide note but no explanation was given as to why she killed herself.
During the 1950s and 1960s the Rockford LCN utilized Calcione in the prostitution trade most assumedly through LCN member Phil Priola. Priola had lived in Chicago from the early 1940s until 1954 when he returned to Rockford and was made a member there. Priola’s father was an old-time member of the Chicago Outfit and it seemed that Phil had retained many of his contacts in the Windy City after returning to Rockford. Priola used two brothers, twins named Pasquale and Joe Gucciardo for supplying women for the various brothels in the area. The Gucciardos were regarded by Rockford authorities as known pimps and their women came all over from Milwaukee, Indiana and all over Illinois. Priola himself used these women at his Town and Country Motel and others were worked out of the various mob-controlled taverns, some which were fronted by Calcione’s brothers Anthony and Joe. Joe operated the Town Lounge at 602 West State Street and Anthony operated the Playroom Lounge at 206 North Church Street, both businesses which were secretly controlled by consigliere Joe Zito.
On May 5, 1971 Calcione made the newspapers yet again when he was arrested on grand theft charges. Police found a Pontiac GTO in his garage that was stolen from Chicago the previous June. Other car parts from different vehicles were also recovered from the garage on the property of Motor City Used Cars that Calcione was operating at 4518 West State Street. Two months later Calcione pleaded guilty on these charges and was sentenced to three years’ probation.
Calcione stayed out of the news until embarrassingly he was arrested on September 5, 1979 on charges of being an unlicensed bartender while working at the Spa Tap, 601 West State Street, which was owned by his brother Sam. After a few years of dating, the 75-year-old Calcione married 41-year-old Rebecca Gear in November 1990. This was the longest marriage he was involved in as he was still with her when he passed away at the age of 92 on November 7, 2007 in Rockford.