by cavita » Tue Jan 09, 2024 8:44 am
On January 17, 1938 federal agents raided an alcohol still near Garden Prairie, Illinois on the Nels Park Farm. Arrested were Sam Giancana, Joe Gizzo, Guido Gentile alias John Greco, 37, Sam May, 35, Michael Falco, 29, Louis Coconate, 41, James Miceli, 32, and Tony Giacalone, all of Chicago and Richard Cramer and Elmer Hanson both of Milwaukee, Maxwell Wilcox of Hampshire, Illinois, and Ed Simons of Belvidere, Illinois. Angelus Giannicopulos, alias Frank Brown of Beloit, Wisconsin. Operation of the still started Thanksgiving Day 1937 and ended with the raid on January 17, 1938. All sentenced to three years- with Giacalone serving another year for involvement in operation of a still at Neland, Illinois and Giannicopulos serving another two year term for operation of another still in McHenry, Illinois. In the book “Double Cross” which focused on Sam Giancana, the author stated that Giancana sent Gentile to find suitable farm land with a cooperative farmer so a still could be set up. Gentile supposedly settled on Garden Prairie and the author noted that much money was made and the profits were split with the Chicago guys.
We all know the path Giancana took, but does anyone have more info on this and what happened to the others involved? It’s interesting to note that Giannicopulos told Chief Deputy Ernest Smith, “You probably will never see the rest of these guys, but I’ll be back around these parts again some day.”
On January 17, 1938 federal agents raided an alcohol still near Garden Prairie, Illinois on the Nels Park Farm. Arrested were Sam Giancana, Joe Gizzo, Guido Gentile alias John Greco, 37, Sam May, 35, Michael Falco, 29, Louis Coconate, 41, James Miceli, 32, and Tony Giacalone, all of Chicago and Richard Cramer and Elmer Hanson both of Milwaukee, Maxwell Wilcox of Hampshire, Illinois, and Ed Simons of Belvidere, Illinois. Angelus Giannicopulos, alias Frank Brown of Beloit, Wisconsin. Operation of the still started Thanksgiving Day 1937 and ended with the raid on January 17, 1938. All sentenced to three years- with Giacalone serving another year for involvement in operation of a still at Neland, Illinois and Giannicopulos serving another two year term for operation of another still in McHenry, Illinois. In the book “Double Cross” which focused on Sam Giancana, the author stated that Giancana sent Gentile to find suitable farm land with a cooperative farmer so a still could be set up. Gentile supposedly settled on Garden Prairie and the author noted that much money was made and the profits were split with the Chicago guys.
We all know the path Giancana took, but does anyone have more info on this and what happened to the others involved? It’s interesting to note that Giannicopulos told Chief Deputy Ernest Smith, “You probably will never see the rest of these guys, but I’ll be back around these parts again some day.”