by PolackTony » Sun Jun 15, 2025 4:17 pm
Longtime Elmwood Park crew associate and DiFronzo lackey Eugene "Lefty" Cacciatore is best known for operating Gene's Deli, located at Harlem Ave and Palmer on the border between Elmwood Park and the City of Chicago, a frequent hangout for affiliates of the Elmwood Park crew. In his younger days, however, Lefty Cacciatore was a prolific criminal from the Grand Ave neighborhood before later moving out to the burbs.
Eugene Cacciatore was born in 1930 in Chicago to Giuseppe Cacciatore, a native of Lercara Friddi, and Lena Leto.
Lena was born in 1907 in Des Moines, IA. Her mother was Giovanna Annaloro, who was born in Corleone. Lena's birth father was Vincenzo Quartarolo, a native of the Arbereshe town of San Basile, in the province of Cosenza, Calabria (the Des Moines Italian community was heavily Calabrese). Lena's parents separated soon after her birth, however, and mother Giovanna remarried Francesco Leto, a produce dealer from Santo Stefano Quisquina, Agrigento, in Des Mooines in 1908.
In the early 1920s, the Letos relocated from IA to Chicago, where Francesco Leto worked for years in the South Water St Produce Market. They settled at Erie and Ashland in the Grand Ave neighborhood. In 1924, Lena married Giuseppe Cacciatore. Giuseppe had arrived at NYC in 1920 from Lercara Friddi, bound for Chicago, where he told authorities that his "uncle", Salvatore DiGregorio, lived. This was presumably a relative of the Nicola DiGregorio, a Grand Ave shoe shop owner, who later witnessed Giuseppe Cacciatore's 1930 naturalization; a fellow native of Lercara, Nicola was probably also an in-law of Lena Leto, as his wife was also from Des Moines, and her mother was also an Annaloro. The Cacciatores lived at Erie and Wolcott for years, around the corner from the home where the DiFronzo lived after arriving in Chicago from Bari, so we can presume that Eugene Cacciatore had known the DiFronzos his entire life. In later years, the Cacciatores also lived at Erie and Damen, and Race and Damen.
As previously discussed by JD on LCNBios, Genovese member Frank "Cheech" Cacciatore's father, Salvatore Cacciatore, was also a native of Lercara Friddi (best known in US mob history as the hometown of Charlie Lucky). While Giuseppe Cacciatore's father was also named Salvatore, I could confirm no relation between the two families. A relation is possible, however, as the surname Cacciatore is not terribly common in Lercara. The Chicago Cacciatores seem to have also have had a number of close relatives who settled in Jersey City.
By his late teens, Lefty Cacciatore was already making the local papers for his criminal hijinks, catching a pinch on drunk driving charges in 1948 after leading CPD on a high speed police chase. In the following years, he was arrested several dozen times and was alleged to have been a close associate of notorious burglars and stick up men such as Johnny DiFronzo, Paul "Peanuts" Panczko, Steven "Steve The Greek" Tomaras, and Joe D'Argento. The following year, Cacciatore, Guy Mendolia, and Russell Dolce, where apprehended after an intense police chase in Oak Park, where OPPD opened fire on the vehicle of the three armed men -- suspected in the hijacking of an armored car -- and eventually cornered them after a train almost hit the squad car during pursuit. It was probably at this time that Cacciatore was severely beaten by the Oak Park PD, as an account many years later claimed that his eye was permanently damaged in an assault in his youth by the Oak Park PD following an arrest. Later that year, Cacciatore and fellow Grand Ave hoodlum August "Augie" LaCapra (his cousin, Dolores Formento, was married to hoodlum Russell Dolce, noted above) were arrested with Johnny DiFronzo at Hamlin and Chicago Ave in Humboldt Park -- DiFronzo was found in possession of an automatic weapon believed to have been used in the murder of a NW Side tavern owner. In 1950, Cacciatore was arrested when police intervened at the scene of a clothing store burglary in progress near 75th and Cottage Grove on the Southside -- Cacciatore's accomplices escaped the scene after opening fire on CPD, and Cacciatore subsequently refused to name them when authorities attempted to compel him to testify at a grand jury.
In 1952, Cacciatore was one of 19 men rounded up in a CPD "dragnet" investigating mob-directed political violence on the Westside following the assassination of 31st Ward Republican committeeman Charles Gross (at this time, the 31st Ward was Humboldt Park). Others arrested in the same sweep included noted hoodlums Johnny DiFronzo, Leo Guardino, Mario Lupo, Albert Tomasello, Edward Rava, Steve Tomaras, Al Matroci, Nick Catalano, and Michael Malmenato. By this time, the papers reported that Cacciatore had already racked up at least 20 prior arrests on various charges. In 1953, Cacciatore was arrested and questioned along with Steve Tomaras, Frank Guardino, and Eddie Panczko in relation to an incident in which a group of assailants had opened fire on the old Racine Ave police station on the Westside, allegedly in retaliation for CPD crackdowns on the serious problem of burglary and armed robbery rings operating in the area. In 1956, Cacciatore was charged along with Al Matroci for the burglary of P.H. Kroll Jewelers on the Westside; the two were later acquitted on these charges in a 1958 jury trial.
FBI files recorded that Cacciatore was arrested several times in the early 1960s on armed robbery, burglary, hijacking, and cartage theft charges. In late 1967, Cacciatore was arrested along with James "Jimmy Legs" D'Antonio on Federal charges of armed robbery and interfering in interstate commerce for a 1964 hijacking of a large container of furs from a truck at O'Hare airport. Cacciatore's Melrose Park apartment was searched by the FBI, where they recovered an automatic weapon and contact info for a number of mob-connected figures (the DiFronzos, the Spilotros, Joe and Bruno Andriacchi, Joe and Nucci Lombardo, Cheech Furio, Willie Tenuta, and Jack Cerone, among others). Per a memorandum in the FBI file of Richard Scalzitti Cain, Federal CW Mike LaJoy had informed the Feds that Cacciatore, along with Joe D'Argento, Peanuts Panczko, Frank DeLegge Jr, and Thomas "Tom Cheese" Fornarelli, had participated in the fur truck heist, while a truck registered to Jimmy D'Antonio was used in the commission of the robbery. LaJoy further asserted that Cacciatore had participated in several other truck hijackings with the same crew in this period. Although the papers reported that Cacciatore was indicted as part of the large mob-connected hijacking and bank robbery ring targeted by the Feds in December of 1967 -- with LaJoy's court testimony leading to the conviction and imprisonment of Chicago captain Willie Daddano, among other co-conspirators -- later reporting is unclear as to whether Cacciatore was ever actually charged or convicted in this case.
Either way, following this case, Cacciatore seems to have maintained a low profile, subsequently opening Gene's Deli. In his later years, Cacciatore served as close companion and driver for John DiFronzo. With DiFronzo's star rising in the Chicago outfit in the 1970s, one can imagine that Cacciatore's fortunes as an associate of DiFronzo rose commensurately, also motivating the move away from blue collar crimes like hijacking and burglary to the acquisition of legitimate businesses and real estate. Cacciatore operated gene's deli until his death in 2000, at 70 years old. The deli was run by his widow, Jackie Cacciatore, for several years after, until the deli wad closed and the building housing it demolished to make way for a condo development.
Longtime Elmwood Park crew associate and DiFronzo lackey Eugene "Lefty" Cacciatore is best known for operating Gene's Deli, located at Harlem Ave and Palmer on the border between Elmwood Park and the City of Chicago, a frequent hangout for affiliates of the Elmwood Park crew. In his younger days, however, Lefty Cacciatore was a prolific criminal from the Grand Ave neighborhood before later moving out to the burbs.
Eugene Cacciatore was born in 1930 in Chicago to Giuseppe Cacciatore, a native of Lercara Friddi, and Lena Leto.
Lena was born in 1907 in Des Moines, IA. Her mother was Giovanna Annaloro, who was born in Corleone. Lena's birth father was Vincenzo Quartarolo, a native of the Arbereshe town of San Basile, in the province of Cosenza, Calabria (the Des Moines Italian community was heavily Calabrese). Lena's parents separated soon after her birth, however, and mother Giovanna remarried Francesco Leto, a produce dealer from Santo Stefano Quisquina, Agrigento, in Des Mooines in 1908.
In the early 1920s, the Letos relocated from IA to Chicago, where Francesco Leto worked for years in the South Water St Produce Market. They settled at Erie and Ashland in the Grand Ave neighborhood. In 1924, Lena married Giuseppe Cacciatore. Giuseppe had arrived at NYC in 1920 from Lercara Friddi, bound for Chicago, where he told authorities that his "uncle", Salvatore DiGregorio, lived. This was presumably a relative of the Nicola DiGregorio, a Grand Ave shoe shop owner, who later witnessed Giuseppe Cacciatore's 1930 naturalization; a fellow native of Lercara, Nicola was probably also an in-law of Lena Leto, as his wife was also from Des Moines, and her mother was also an Annaloro. The Cacciatores lived at Erie and Wolcott for years, around the corner from the home where the DiFronzo lived after arriving in Chicago from Bari, so we can presume that Eugene Cacciatore had known the DiFronzos his entire life. In later years, the Cacciatores also lived at Erie and Damen, and Race and Damen.
As previously discussed by JD on LCNBios, Genovese member Frank "Cheech" Cacciatore's father, Salvatore Cacciatore, was also a native of Lercara Friddi (best known in US mob history as the hometown of Charlie Lucky). While Giuseppe Cacciatore's father was also named Salvatore, I could confirm no relation between the two families. A relation is possible, however, as the surname Cacciatore is not terribly common in Lercara. The Chicago Cacciatores seem to have also have had a number of close relatives who settled in Jersey City.
By his late teens, Lefty Cacciatore was already making the local papers for his criminal hijinks, catching a pinch on drunk driving charges in 1948 after leading CPD on a high speed police chase. In the following years, he was arrested several dozen times and was alleged to have been a close associate of notorious burglars and stick up men such as Johnny DiFronzo, Paul "Peanuts" Panczko, Steven "Steve The Greek" Tomaras, and Joe D'Argento. The following year, Cacciatore, Guy Mendolia, and Russell Dolce, where apprehended after an intense police chase in Oak Park, where OPPD opened fire on the vehicle of the three armed men -- suspected in the hijacking of an armored car -- and eventually cornered them after a train almost hit the squad car during pursuit. It was probably at this time that Cacciatore was severely beaten by the Oak Park PD, as an account many years later claimed that his eye was permanently damaged in an assault in his youth by the Oak Park PD following an arrest. Later that year, Cacciatore and fellow Grand Ave hoodlum August "Augie" LaCapra (his cousin, Dolores Formento, was married to hoodlum Russell Dolce, noted above) were arrested with Johnny DiFronzo at Hamlin and Chicago Ave in Humboldt Park -- DiFronzo was found in possession of an automatic weapon believed to have been used in the murder of a NW Side tavern owner. In 1950, Cacciatore was arrested when police intervened at the scene of a clothing store burglary in progress near 75th and Cottage Grove on the Southside -- Cacciatore's accomplices escaped the scene after opening fire on CPD, and Cacciatore subsequently refused to name them when authorities attempted to compel him to testify at a grand jury.
In 1952, Cacciatore was one of 19 men rounded up in a CPD "dragnet" investigating mob-directed political violence on the Westside following the assassination of 31st Ward Republican committeeman Charles Gross (at this time, the 31st Ward was Humboldt Park). Others arrested in the same sweep included noted hoodlums Johnny DiFronzo, Leo Guardino, Mario Lupo, Albert Tomasello, Edward Rava, Steve Tomaras, Al Matroci, Nick Catalano, and Michael Malmenato. By this time, the papers reported that Cacciatore had already racked up at least 20 prior arrests on various charges. In 1953, Cacciatore was arrested and questioned along with Steve Tomaras, Frank Guardino, and Eddie Panczko in relation to an incident in which a group of assailants had opened fire on the old Racine Ave police station on the Westside, allegedly in retaliation for CPD crackdowns on the serious problem of burglary and armed robbery rings operating in the area. In 1956, Cacciatore was charged along with Al Matroci for the burglary of P.H. Kroll Jewelers on the Westside; the two were later acquitted on these charges in a 1958 jury trial.
FBI files recorded that Cacciatore was arrested several times in the early 1960s on armed robbery, burglary, hijacking, and cartage theft charges. In late 1967, Cacciatore was arrested along with James "Jimmy Legs" D'Antonio on Federal charges of armed robbery and interfering in interstate commerce for a 1964 hijacking of a large container of furs from a truck at O'Hare airport. Cacciatore's Melrose Park apartment was searched by the FBI, where they recovered an automatic weapon and contact info for a number of mob-connected figures (the DiFronzos, the Spilotros, Joe and Bruno Andriacchi, Joe and Nucci Lombardo, Cheech Furio, Willie Tenuta, and Jack Cerone, among others). Per a memorandum in the FBI file of Richard Scalzitti Cain, Federal CW Mike LaJoy had informed the Feds that Cacciatore, along with Joe D'Argento, Peanuts Panczko, Frank DeLegge Jr, and Thomas "Tom Cheese" Fornarelli, had participated in the fur truck heist, while a truck registered to Jimmy D'Antonio was used in the commission of the robbery. LaJoy further asserted that Cacciatore had participated in several other truck hijackings with the same crew in this period. Although the papers reported that Cacciatore was indicted as part of the large mob-connected hijacking and bank robbery ring targeted by the Feds in December of 1967 -- with LaJoy's court testimony leading to the conviction and imprisonment of Chicago captain Willie Daddano, among other co-conspirators -- later reporting is unclear as to whether Cacciatore was ever actually charged or convicted in this case.
Either way, following this case, Cacciatore seems to have maintained a low profile, subsequently opening Gene's Deli. In his later years, Cacciatore served as close companion and driver for John DiFronzo. With DiFronzo's star rising in the Chicago outfit in the 1970s, one can imagine that Cacciatore's fortunes as an associate of DiFronzo rose commensurately, also motivating the move away from blue collar crimes like hijacking and burglary to the acquisition of legitimate businesses and real estate. Cacciatore operated gene's deli until his death in 2000, at 70 years old. The deli was run by his widow, Jackie Cacciatore, for several years after, until the deli wad closed and the building housing it demolished to make way for a condo development.