THE BLACK HAND FORUM

Nice pics. Don’t believe I’ve seen that one of La Balestea before.

Yeah, Veteto was a rough dude. He pled guilty in 1985 in IL to extortion and assault charges for roughing a guy up while collecting on a juice loan. He was sentenced to three years probation and then skipped town and bounced around between Detroit and Alabama. In 1987, the FBI contacted him in AL and told him that he was going to be called to testify back in Cook County for a murder trial. At that point, Veteto then broke contact with LE and a warrant was issued for his arrest for violating his parole. As Snakes noted, he was later apprehended in Vermont for assaulting his mother and setting her on fire. All told, he wound up getting a sentence of ten years in the Feds but was released in 1995 from Federal custody, at which point I believe that he moved to KY where he died in 2014.

Steven Veteto was born in 1947, but I’m not sure where he was born. Despite the appearance, the surname is not Italian. Veteto/Vittitoe is actually a “hillbilly” surname from KY/TN of distant German origin. I’m pretty sure that he was not born in Chicago; he could have been born in KY. I can’t say for sure that he wasn’t originally from somewhere in Western NY state, though his mom at one point at least was living in Vermont. Over the years, Steven Veteto lived in IL, KY, LA, AL, OH, MI, and VT, but never seen anything tying him to NY state (there are some Vetetos from KY who migrated to Buffalo before WW2, however, though there are also people from Appalachia with this surname who wound up all over the country as part of the 20th century migration out of the rural South).

Snakes wrote: ↑Wed Nov 13, 2024 6:23 pm

NorthBuffalo wrote: ↑Wed Nov 13, 2024 4:18 pmAlso for you Chicago experts, I was also recently put on to an individual named 'Steven Veteto' who was a collector for Anthony Chiaramonte in the early 1990s. Has anyone heard of him?

Ignoffo's actual first name is Ronald, but is commonly misspelled as "Roland."

Veteto seems like quite a character. He assaulted an undercover FBI agent and then agreed to cooperate before skipping town. He also beat up his mother and tried to set her on fire(!) according to this court opinion: https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/u-s-v-veteto-888307723

He ended up serving a few years. I'm not sure if he is still alive, but he is only in his 70s, so it's very possible.

Yes you are right - he was named as 'Ronnie the Beast' to me. A former leader of the ChiWest gang.

Re: Veteto - yes what a character. A good source believes he was from Buffalo, which is why I raised it - that would be interesting if true as he was working for the Carlisi Crew who had obvious connections to Buffalo. I am not sure if accurate or not as I seem to fall for a lot BS often.

NorthBuffalo wrote: ↑Wed Nov 13, 2024 4:18 pmAlso for you Chicago experts, I was also recently put on to an individual named 'Steven Veteto' who was a collector for Anthony Chiaramonte in the early 1990s. Has anyone heard of him?

Ignoffo's actual first name is Ronald, but is commonly misspelled as "Roland."

Veteto seems like quite a character. He assaulted an undercover FBI agent and then agreed to cooperate before skipping town. He also beat up his mother and tried to set her on fire(!) according to this court opinion: https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/u-s-v-veteto-888307723

He ended up serving a few years. I'm not sure if he is still alive, but he is only in his 70s, so it's very possible.

A few rare photos of Outfit guys from the 1990s who are still alive.

Pietro "Mustache Pete" LaBalestra


Richard "Richie G" Gervasio



Roland "The Beast" Ignoffo


Also for you Chicago experts, I was also recently put on to an individual named 'Steven Veteto' who was a collector for Anthony Chiaramonte in the early 1990s. Has anyone heard of him?

^^^^
You’re very welcome, sir.

antimafia wrote: ↑Sat Nov 02, 2024 9:16 am Cross-posting (I just made a post in the BOOK LOUNGE)
_______________________________________________

Free ebook: Chicago’s Block Clubs: How Neighbors Shape the City

Digital version available free from the University of Chicago Press, which incidentally makes an ebook free every month.

Go to

https://press.uchicago.edu/books/freeEbook.html

and then scroll down a bit to enter your email address. Then check your inbox for the email; the message will provide instructions about how to download your complimentary copy in a variety of formats.

Details about the book:

https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo ... 04740.html

Thanks, antimafia

Patrickgold wrote: ↑Mon Nov 04, 2024 5:38 pm

Coloboy wrote: ↑Mon Nov 04, 2024 2:00 pm A few articles ago Scott B. posted a "west coast power rankings" list.

Rocco Lombardo was listed at #9, and described as being "stationed" there on behalf of his deceased brother.

I'm familiar with the crazy horse strip club deal from around 2007, but is there anything at all that points to him being active in the outfit in any way in the last decade?

Last I heard Rocco was retired and not living in Vegas. He was living in Arizona. I guess Arizona is still considered West Coast but he lists him as LV.

I also saw his article on top non Italian associates in the mafia and he listed Porky on there when he’s been dead for 2 years

Porkys so dangerous he still makes the top ten as a corpse.

Coloboy wrote: ↑Mon Nov 04, 2024 2:00 pm A few articles ago Scott B. posted a "west coast power rankings" list.

Rocco Lombardo was listed at #9, and described as being "stationed" there on behalf of his deceased brother.

I'm familiar with the crazy horse strip club deal from around 2007, but is there anything at all that points to him being active in the outfit in any way in the last decade?

Last I heard Rocco was retired and not living in Vegas. He was living in Arizona. I guess Arizona is still considered West Coast but he lists him as LV.

I also saw his article on top non Italian associates in the mafia and he listed Porky on there when he’s been dead for 2 years

A few articles ago Scott B. posted a "west coast power rankings" list.

Rocco Lombardo was listed at #9, and described as being "stationed" there on behalf of his deceased brother.

I'm familiar with the crazy horse strip club deal from around 2007, but is there anything at all that points to him being active in the outfit in any way in the last decade?

Cross-posting (I just made a post in the BOOK LOUNGE)
_______________________________________________

Free ebook: Chicago’s Block Clubs: How Neighbors Shape the City

Digital version available free from the University of Chicago Press, which incidentally makes an ebook free every month.

Go to

https://press.uchicago.edu/books/freeEbook.html

and then scroll down a bit to enter your email address. Then check your inbox for the email; the message will provide instructions about how to download your complimentary copy in a variety of formats.

Details about the book:

https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo ... 04740.html

Wait, you were told Bobby Ruscitti was posting *here*, or was one of the commenters on ANP?

For anyone wondering, Ruscitti was one of the guys pinched in the 1993 loansharking operation bust alongside Joe Lombardi, Mike Cataldo, Mike Sarno, Sal Cataudella, John Spizziri, and John Rainone.

The Don was Don Bellezzo. One of those guys who I believe also posted here was told me via Fosco: Bobby Ruscitti from Melrose Park who was affiliated with Lombardi's juice loan racket. Magnafichi was also posting in the comments regularly as Father Guido.

funkster wrote: ↑Fri Nov 01, 2024 6:40 am The Beatles of the outfit will always stuck in my mind. Was it ever confirmed that he posted here under the handle Chicago? For a moment I thought that asshole confederate was also him, but that may be wrong.

They always had such a weird way of talking, including fosco. My guess is that was more a product of being old dudes learning how to converse on a message board.

Yeah, that was definitely a part of it. I always found it hilarious how formal they were with their insults. “I kindly request that you cease your ramblings and shove it up your rear end.” Stuff like that .

In addition to Beatles of the outfit and strong made guys, Don was also obsessed with some framework that he would call “the extended …..crew”. As in , the Extended Elwood Park crew. In hindsight, it makes sense that he was being fed a lot of information from his uncle, who clearly had a huge affinity for Giancana. He would argue endlessly that giancana was the strongest gangster ever, that everyone was afraid of him., including Accardo. Which is pretty funny because just take a step back, one was exiled to Mexico and then shot in his basement. The other one quietly ran the outfit for near 50 years and died peacefully in his bed never have taken a major bust. Pretty evident who played their cards better

The Beatles of the outfit will always stuck in my mind. Was it ever confirmed that he posted here under the handle Chicago? For a moment I thought that asshole confederate was also him, but that may be wrong.

They always had such a weird way of talking, including fosco. My guess is that was more a product of being old dudes learning how to converse on a message board.

Snakes wrote: ↑Thu Oct 31, 2024 5:35 pm

funkster wrote: ↑Thu Oct 31, 2024 4:49 pm A great project would be to weed out the dogs shit from those threads. Maybe when Im old and retired. The format was soooo awful tooo half the time you couldn't follow who was responding to whom.

Remember when all of the comments wouldn't show and you had to keep expanding? The worst! Fosco was certainly one of the more accurate ones on there. It's been so long since I've read it, I can't remember any others. Of course The Don was full of shit. Black Angelo was also for the most part, but the Don made him look like Joe Valachi by comparison. They posted the most, if I remember correctly. I think Rick made a couple posts here and there but wasn't a regular.

Yea, there was always a competition between those guys to see who was more full of shit. Which one was always referencing "strong made guys"? I always found that term funny.