by PolackTony » Tue Nov 19, 2024 11:08 pm
NorthBuffalo wrote: ↑Tue Nov 19, 2024 7:15 pm
PolackTony wrote: ↑Tue Nov 19, 2024 4:03 pm
Thanks for the reminder on Rosemarie Lombardi. The 2021 Sun-Times article referenced above noted that her and her brother were listed as residing at their father's former residence in Bridgeview during the investigation into the tax breaks. When she ran for Addison mayor in 1997, it was noted that she worked for a major Loop law firm. Not sure which one, but good chance that she may have been the one with the pull to get favors from the Assessor's office.
Quite the character. As referenced in the Reader article above, she unsuccessfully attempted to sue the Addison PD for excessive force after they arrested her at her home on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court in 2000:
https://casetext.com/case/lombardi-v-range
Regarding Joe Lombardi being "deactivated". Recall also that when he was pinched for the 1993 juice loan case, this was an Infelise crew operation he was working with -- he was busted alongside Sarno, Cataudella, and Mike Castaldo. Whether he was chased by EP or just transferred, it would seem that by this time he was affiliated with Taylor St/Cicero, which of course makes sense given where he was from.
Castaldo was also EP - he became partners with Lombardi following the latter's blow up with Messino, who was Lombardi's original partner in the juice business. Per Fosco, Lombardi and Messino were 'separated' and Lombardi put with Mike Castaldo, who was a major earner under Cerone/DiFronzo. I think this was a 'joint operation' as opposed to just Cicero.
The way the juice business was explained to me was that in the 1990s all of the various crews like EP and Cicero would use each other's enforcers to collect and that changed completely after the 1990s indictments. These were separate juice operations involving guys like Cataudella and Sarno who were being farmed out as enforcers and collectors to other crews. I think if you read those indictments, Castaldo was largely the one in charge.
Yeah, you’re right that Fosco always placed Castaldo with EP. Like Messino and Lombardi, he was also from Taylor St and also Accerese. It would seem that Messino had formed his own little “crew” of paesani from Taylor St within the EP crew. I also agree that Castaldo was the big fish in the 1993 case. While I don’t know that it was ever confirmed by the FBI, I strongly suspect that Mike Castaldo was made by this point, and would then presumably have been the only made guy pinched in that case. Interesting that this was also the period when we know Sarno was meeting with Andriacchi.
Mike Castaldo had an early pinch, along with another guy from Taylor St, John Muscato, in the 1950s for assaulting wealthy River Forest businessman Frank Munao while collecting on a $20k juice loan, allegedly for Joe Amabile. By the early 1960s, FBI intel had him as “partnered” with Messino in the operation of Tammy’s, a tavern located at Belmont and Austin on the NW side. I would imagine that at some time before then, Messino had put him on record with the Cerone crew.
Tangential to this discussion, but the mother of Tancredi Tortora was also a Castaldo, so there’s a good chance that Mike Castaldo was related to Tortora. As a reminder, Tortora was a Taylor St gangster (likely affiliated with the old Camorra) in the 1920s from Acerra who was the buddy of Johnny Roselli and who, according to the story that Roselli allegedly told Sal Piscopo of the LA outfit, had collaborated with Roselli in the murder of Anibale Stilo in Boston in 1927. Tortora and Roselli then fled Boston for Chicago and subsequently were given safe harbor in LA. Tortora later turned himself in to authorities, allegedly, per Piscopo, on the orders of Vito Genovese (who was also a paesan’ from the same district of Caserta) and was afterwards deported back to Acerra, where the FBI in the 1960s unsuccessfully tried to interview him as to the true identity of Roselli. There is a long history to these Taylor St guys.
[quote=NorthBuffalo post_id=286593 time=1732068928 user_id=8087]
[quote=PolackTony post_id=286580 time=1732057434 user_id=6658]
Thanks for the reminder on Rosemarie Lombardi. The 2021 Sun-Times article referenced above noted that her and her brother were listed as residing at their father's former residence in Bridgeview during the investigation into the tax breaks. When she ran for Addison mayor in 1997, it was noted that she worked for a major Loop law firm. Not sure which one, but good chance that she may have been the one with the pull to get favors from the Assessor's office.
Quite the character. As referenced in the Reader article above, she unsuccessfully attempted to sue the Addison PD for excessive force after they arrested her at her home on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court in 2000:
https://casetext.com/case/lombardi-v-range
Regarding Joe Lombardi being "deactivated". Recall also that when he was pinched for the 1993 juice loan case, this was an Infelise crew operation he was working with -- he was busted alongside Sarno, Cataudella, and Mike Castaldo. Whether he was chased by EP or just transferred, it would seem that by this time he was affiliated with Taylor St/Cicero, which of course makes sense given where he was from.
[/quote]
Castaldo was also EP - he became partners with Lombardi following the latter's blow up with Messino, who was Lombardi's original partner in the juice business. Per Fosco, Lombardi and Messino were 'separated' and Lombardi put with Mike Castaldo, who was a major earner under Cerone/DiFronzo. I think this was a 'joint operation' as opposed to just Cicero.
The way the juice business was explained to me was that in the 1990s all of the various crews like EP and Cicero would use each other's enforcers to collect and that changed completely after the 1990s indictments. These were separate juice operations involving guys like Cataudella and Sarno who were being farmed out as enforcers and collectors to other crews. I think if you read those indictments, Castaldo was largely the one in charge.
[/quote]
Yeah, you’re right that Fosco always placed Castaldo with EP. Like Messino and Lombardi, he was also from Taylor St and also Accerese. It would seem that Messino had formed his own little “crew” of paesani from Taylor St within the EP crew. I also agree that Castaldo was the big fish in the 1993 case. While I don’t know that it was ever confirmed by the FBI, I strongly suspect that Mike Castaldo was made by this point, and would then presumably have been the only made guy pinched in that case. Interesting that this was also the period when we know Sarno was meeting with Andriacchi.
Mike Castaldo had an early pinch, along with another guy from Taylor St, John Muscato, in the 1950s for assaulting wealthy River Forest businessman Frank Munao while collecting on a $20k juice loan, allegedly for Joe Amabile. By the early 1960s, FBI intel had him as “partnered” with Messino in the operation of Tammy’s, a tavern located at Belmont and Austin on the NW side. I would imagine that at some time before then, Messino had put him on record with the Cerone crew.
Tangential to this discussion, but the mother of Tancredi Tortora was also a Castaldo, so there’s a good chance that Mike Castaldo was related to Tortora. As a reminder, Tortora was a Taylor St gangster (likely affiliated with the old Camorra) in the 1920s from Acerra who was the buddy of Johnny Roselli and who, according to the story that Roselli allegedly told Sal Piscopo of the LA outfit, had collaborated with Roselli in the murder of Anibale Stilo in Boston in 1927. Tortora and Roselli then fled Boston for Chicago and subsequently were given safe harbor in LA. Tortora later turned himself in to authorities, allegedly, per Piscopo, on the orders of Vito Genovese (who was also a paesan’ from the same district of Caserta) and was afterwards deported back to Acerra, where the FBI in the 1960s unsuccessfully tried to interview him as to the true identity of Roselli. There is a long history to these Taylor St guys.