by PolackTony » Thu Jun 12, 2025 1:44 pm
PolackTony wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 7:17 pm
PolackTony wrote: ↑Sun Nov 14, 2021 11:28 pm
Frank Loverde was born 1904 in Chicago to Stefano Lo Verde and Domenica Maisano of Piana dei Greci (today Piana degli Albanesi; another Arbereshe town), Palermo province. His brother, George Loverde -- co-founder of Gino's East pizzeria -- was born in Piana dei Greci in 1907.
During the night of December 7th 1915, alleged "Black Handers" targeted the Little Sicily butcher shop of Stefano LoVerde on the 900 block of N Townsend. A bomb exploded in the basement of the shop and threw the family (including a young Butch LoVerde) from the beds in the apartment upstairs. Also thrown from their beds (the blast was reported to have woken the whole neighborhood up) were the LoVerdes' next door neighbors, the Sciortinos. Father Tommaso "Thomas" Sciortino, who was born in 1886 in Bagheria, owned a grocery store on the same block.
A few interesting points from Frank "Butch" LoVerde's FBI file.
LoVerde was convicted on counterfeiting charges in 1936 in KC, MO, where he was using the alias "Frank Russo" (he also used the alias Frank Rizzo ["clean out ya ears, JACKASS"] at times, as well as going by his mother's maiden name of Maisano). He wound up doing 3 years out of his 7 year sentence at Leavenworth before being paroled. In the 1960s, the FBI caught wind of this conviction, though I was unable to find any further info on who LoVerde's collaborators in KC may have been.
By the early 1960s, Frank Loverde was heavily involved in setting up and managing an array of legitimate businesses interests described by FBI sources as "fronts" for the outfit, allegedly operating under the direction of Phil Alderisio. While he was well-known as a mobbed-up figure, LoVerde had carefully cultivated the public image of a legit businessman, residing in well-appointed apartments in high rise buildings on State St and Michigan Ave, in the Near Northside Gold Coast and Streeterville neighborhoods, managed by his own property company. By this time, LoVerde was said to have controlled a number of lucrative companies for which he delegated the management and on-paper ownership of to associates, while LoVerde himself was frequently out of Chicago, wintering at second homes in Miami Beach, AZ, and SoCal. Given his patronage of AZ, it's unsurprising that an FBI CI source claimed that LoVerde and Alderisio were close friends of Detroit outfit member Pete Licavoli, also an AZ resident during this period. Given his patronage of Miami Beach, it's a safe bet that LoVerde would have also been chummy with Detroit member Joe Massei, as well as various affiliates of other LCN Families who frequented FL and AZ. Further, as I noted on another thread, LoVerde was alleged to have been attending meetings with Alderisio, Giancana, and Genovese member Gaetano "Tony Goebels" Ricci, which presumably focused on LoVerde and Alderisio's operation of mob-backed businesses.
Frank and George LoVerde were well-known figures in this period around the Rush St nightlife district, operating the popular 19 Club (located at 19 E Chestnut) and the nearby Gino's East Pizzeria. While FBI sources asserted that the LoVerde brothers were the real interests behind Gino's East (and also alleged to have been running a sportsbook out of a backroom in the restaurant) operation of the historic pizzeria was delegated to Fred Bartoli and Herman "Hymie" Jacobs. "President" of the Gino's East corporation, formed in the 1960s, was Joseph DeFranco, a Recorder of Deeds for Cook County and Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court. Apart from his patronage jobs with the County, DeFranco -- born in Chicago to parents from Altavilla Milicia -- was also the operator of the Club LaRue on Rush St, a well-known "strip joint" involved in prostitution.
Bartoli and Jacobs were also, respectively, the President and Vice-President of the Evanston Cab Co., alleged to have been controlled by Frank LoVerde (who appeared on paper only as a supervisor for the company). LoVerde was additionally said to have controlled the Red Top Taxi, Co., while LoVerde's cab companies were further alleged to have been used to transport and arrange for johns for the high end prostitution racket in the Rush St district. High ranking LCN member's were presumably also invested in these companies, as suggested by a 1960s IRS investigation of Giancana's tax history in relation to the Evanston Cab Co.
While the FBI listed Frank LoVerde as a Chicago LCN member on its 1968 and 1973 member lists, IMO, LoVerde's membership status remains inadequately confirmed, as in both cases the sole source for his membership was Lou Fratto (a source of dubious reliability on his own, as I have discussed several times in the past). LoVerde was a well-connected figure and well-known in underworld circles to have been affiliated with the mafia, so the fact that the Feds had no other sources, even by 1973, to confirm LoVerde's membership casts a real doubt on this for me.
In late 1967, an FBI CI source that we can safely presume was Lou Fratto (LoVerde's files were released under FOIA and thus have CI identification codes redacted) was cited for the claim that "there is no question that LOVERDE is definitely a member of the 'outfit'" (as is typically the case, we are left with the FBI's summary of what the source actually said; here, the only word directly attributed to Fratto was "outfit", and it's unclear if Fratto had actually meant that LoVerde was a made guy, specifically). So far as I can tell, this was the sole basis for the FBI subsequently listing LoVerde as made.
FBI sources in the early 60s had claimed that LoVerde was under the direction of Alderisio and was a "front" for managing business investments made by Alderisio and Giancana. If LoVerde was not, in fact, made, I believe that he was an associate under Alderisio during this time, who himself was a soldier reporting directly to Giancana.
Given that he was a Sicilian guy from the Near Northside, the easy assumption would be that LoVerde would have been affiliated with the Prio crew. In 1965, LoVerde was, in fact, arrested in a gambling raid on the Prio crew's social club, the Ramblers SAC (located at 501 N Clark St) along with Prio crew affiliates Ben Policheri, Carl Pio, Frank Orlando, Larry Buonaguidi, Johnny Liberti, and Nate Zuckerman.
Multiple FBI source, however, had stated over the years that LoVerde's operations were not connected to the Prio crew. in 1969, a CI claimed that LoVerde, who was "close to PHIL ALDERISIO", was "not associated with the ROSS PRIO group as he pays a tax to the Prio group to operate" in the Near Northside territory controlled by Prio. The FBI quoted an old 1947 memo, which claimed that at that time "NICK DE JOHN, [redacted] and LOVERDE were on 'bad paper' with the mob and that De JOHN left town at this time and left LOVERDE and [redacted] to settle the dispute". This old memo aligned with a claim made by a CI years later, in 1971, who stated that LoVerde "was formerly with NICK DE JOHN in Chicago [...] LOVERDE was formerly in the NICK DE JOHN group in Chicago before ROSS PRIO took over DE JOHN's area. Since PRIO has been a hoodlum leader, LOVERDE has not been active in his group [...] Informant understands that PHIL ALDERISIO has a piece of LOVERDE's ownership in Gino's East restaurant".
Several FBI sources, from the late 1940s to the 1960s, indentified LoVerde as a close associate of Chicago LCN member Dominic "Hunk" Galiano (shot to death in 1966 in front of a Near Northside club operated by LCN member Jasper Campisi). Galiano and LoVerde were reputed to have been partnered in the operation of multiple nightclubs and other businesses over the years. In 1962, a CI told the Feds that Galiano and LoVerde "are independent of JIMMIE ALLEGRETTI and ROSS PRIO. LOVERDI [sic] and GALIANO are directly connected with SAM GIANCANA". Again, we othewrise know LoVerde to have been closely connected to Alderisio, who we know was a soldier direct with Giancana, so this claim here merits consideration. As the FBI also noted, while LoVerde had past ties to KC, Galiano was himself "closely associated with the Kansas City group".
Frank LoVerde died in Riverside County, CA, in 2003, a month short of turning 100. LoVerde had ceased to be listed on the FBI's Chicago member lists after 1973, which goes to further suggest that he was likely not a made guy.
Based on this fragmentary body of intel, a good guess is that LoVerde was originally an associate with Nick De John's crew. After De John was forced to flee Chicago and subsequently murdered, LoVerde was probably with Galiano, who may have later reported directly to Giancana. At some point, prior to or following Galiano's murder, LoVerde was probably with Alderisio. By the time of Alderisio's later imprisonment and 1971 death, LoVerde was reported by CI sources to have been largely "retired" and inactive, unknown to publicly associate with other outfit figures.
[quote=PolackTony post_id=245234 time=1670033844 user_id=6658]
[quote=PolackTony post_id=212315 time=1636957736 user_id=6658]
Frank Loverde was born 1904 in Chicago to Stefano Lo Verde and Domenica Maisano of Piana dei Greci (today Piana degli Albanesi; another Arbereshe town), Palermo province. His brother, George Loverde -- co-founder of Gino's East pizzeria -- was born in Piana dei Greci in 1907.
[/quote]
During the night of December 7th 1915, alleged "Black Handers" targeted the Little Sicily butcher shop of Stefano LoVerde on the 900 block of N Townsend. A bomb exploded in the basement of the shop and threw the family (including a young Butch LoVerde) from the beds in the apartment upstairs. Also thrown from their beds (the blast was reported to have woken the whole neighborhood up) were the LoVerdes' next door neighbors, the Sciortinos. Father Tommaso "Thomas" Sciortino, who was born in 1886 in Bagheria, owned a grocery store on the same block.
[/quote]
A few interesting points from Frank "Butch" LoVerde's FBI file.
LoVerde was convicted on counterfeiting charges in 1936 in KC, MO, where he was using the alias "Frank Russo" (he also used the alias Frank Rizzo ["clean out ya ears, JACKASS"] at times, as well as going by his mother's maiden name of Maisano). He wound up doing 3 years out of his 7 year sentence at Leavenworth before being paroled. In the 1960s, the FBI caught wind of this conviction, though I was unable to find any further info on who LoVerde's collaborators in KC may have been.
By the early 1960s, Frank Loverde was heavily involved in setting up and managing an array of legitimate businesses interests described by FBI sources as "fronts" for the outfit, allegedly operating under the direction of Phil Alderisio. While he was well-known as a mobbed-up figure, LoVerde had carefully cultivated the public image of a legit businessman, residing in well-appointed apartments in high rise buildings on State St and Michigan Ave, in the Near Northside Gold Coast and Streeterville neighborhoods, managed by his own property company. By this time, LoVerde was said to have controlled a number of lucrative companies for which he delegated the management and on-paper ownership of to associates, while LoVerde himself was frequently out of Chicago, wintering at second homes in Miami Beach, AZ, and SoCal. Given his patronage of AZ, it's unsurprising that an FBI CI source claimed that LoVerde and Alderisio were close friends of Detroit outfit member Pete Licavoli, also an AZ resident during this period. Given his patronage of Miami Beach, it's a safe bet that LoVerde would have also been chummy with Detroit member Joe Massei, as well as various affiliates of other LCN Families who frequented FL and AZ. Further, as I noted on another thread, LoVerde was alleged to have been attending meetings with Alderisio, Giancana, and Genovese member Gaetano "Tony Goebels" Ricci, which presumably focused on LoVerde and Alderisio's operation of mob-backed businesses.
Frank and George LoVerde were well-known figures in this period around the Rush St nightlife district, operating the popular 19 Club (located at 19 E Chestnut) and the nearby Gino's East Pizzeria. While FBI sources asserted that the LoVerde brothers were the real interests behind Gino's East (and also alleged to have been running a sportsbook out of a backroom in the restaurant) operation of the historic pizzeria was delegated to Fred Bartoli and Herman "Hymie" Jacobs. "President" of the Gino's East corporation, formed in the 1960s, was Joseph DeFranco, a Recorder of Deeds for Cook County and Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court. Apart from his patronage jobs with the County, DeFranco -- born in Chicago to parents from Altavilla Milicia -- was also the operator of the Club LaRue on Rush St, a well-known "strip joint" involved in prostitution.
Bartoli and Jacobs were also, respectively, the President and Vice-President of the Evanston Cab Co., alleged to have been controlled by Frank LoVerde (who appeared on paper only as a supervisor for the company). LoVerde was additionally said to have controlled the Red Top Taxi, Co., while LoVerde's cab companies were further alleged to have been used to transport and arrange for johns for the high end prostitution racket in the Rush St district. High ranking LCN member's were presumably also invested in these companies, as suggested by a 1960s IRS investigation of Giancana's tax history in relation to the Evanston Cab Co.
While the FBI listed Frank LoVerde as a Chicago LCN member on its 1968 and 1973 member lists, IMO, LoVerde's membership status remains inadequately confirmed, as in both cases the sole source for his membership was Lou Fratto (a source of dubious reliability on his own, as I have discussed several times in the past). LoVerde was a well-connected figure and well-known in underworld circles to have been affiliated with the mafia, so the fact that the Feds had no other sources, even by 1973, to confirm LoVerde's membership casts a real doubt on this for me.
In late 1967, an FBI CI source that we can safely presume was Lou Fratto (LoVerde's files were released under FOIA and thus have CI identification codes redacted) was cited for the claim that "there is no question that LOVERDE is definitely a member of the 'outfit'" (as is typically the case, we are left with the FBI's summary of what the source actually said; here, the only word directly attributed to Fratto was "outfit", and it's unclear if Fratto had actually meant that LoVerde was a made guy, specifically). So far as I can tell, this was the sole basis for the FBI subsequently listing LoVerde as made.
FBI sources in the early 60s had claimed that LoVerde was under the direction of Alderisio and was a "front" for managing business investments made by Alderisio and Giancana. If LoVerde was not, in fact, made, I believe that he was an associate under Alderisio during this time, who himself was a soldier reporting directly to Giancana.
Given that he was a Sicilian guy from the Near Northside, the easy assumption would be that LoVerde would have been affiliated with the Prio crew. In 1965, LoVerde was, in fact, arrested in a gambling raid on the Prio crew's social club, the Ramblers SAC (located at 501 N Clark St) along with Prio crew affiliates Ben Policheri, Carl Pio, Frank Orlando, Larry Buonaguidi, Johnny Liberti, and Nate Zuckerman.
Multiple FBI source, however, had stated over the years that LoVerde's operations were not connected to the Prio crew. in 1969, a CI claimed that LoVerde, who was "close to PHIL ALDERISIO", was "not associated with the ROSS PRIO group as he pays a tax to the Prio group to operate" in the Near Northside territory controlled by Prio. The FBI quoted an old 1947 memo, which claimed that at that time "NICK DE JOHN, [redacted] and LOVERDE were on 'bad paper' with the mob and that De JOHN left town at this time and left LOVERDE and [redacted] to settle the dispute". This old memo aligned with a claim made by a CI years later, in 1971, who stated that LoVerde "was formerly with NICK DE JOHN in Chicago [...] LOVERDE was formerly in the NICK DE JOHN group in Chicago before ROSS PRIO took over DE JOHN's area. Since PRIO has been a hoodlum leader, LOVERDE has not been active in his group [...] Informant understands that PHIL ALDERISIO has a piece of LOVERDE's ownership in Gino's East restaurant".
Several FBI sources, from the late 1940s to the 1960s, indentified LoVerde as a close associate of Chicago LCN member Dominic "Hunk" Galiano (shot to death in 1966 in front of a Near Northside club operated by LCN member Jasper Campisi). Galiano and LoVerde were reputed to have been partnered in the operation of multiple nightclubs and other businesses over the years. In 1962, a CI told the Feds that Galiano and LoVerde "are independent of JIMMIE ALLEGRETTI and ROSS PRIO. LOVERDI [sic] and GALIANO are directly connected with SAM GIANCANA". Again, we othewrise know LoVerde to have been closely connected to Alderisio, who we know was a soldier direct with Giancana, so this claim here merits consideration. As the FBI also noted, while LoVerde had past ties to KC, Galiano was himself "closely associated with the Kansas City group".
Frank LoVerde died in Riverside County, CA, in 2003, a month short of turning 100. LoVerde had ceased to be listed on the FBI's Chicago member lists after 1973, which goes to further suggest that he was likely not a made guy.
Based on this fragmentary body of intel, a good guess is that LoVerde was originally an associate with Nick De John's crew. After De John was forced to flee Chicago and subsequently murdered, LoVerde was probably with Galiano, who may have later reported directly to Giancana. At some point, prior to or following Galiano's murder, LoVerde was probably with Alderisio. By the time of Alderisio's later imprisonment and 1971 death, LoVerde was reported by CI sources to have been largely "retired" and inactive, unknown to publicly associate with other outfit figures.