General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

[NorthBuffalo]

Snakes - Looks like I'm off here. Did it come out in the trial that Petitt was in contact with Mandell? As it relates to Grand and Harlem I think they are at one point referencing Fred Pacente, who was affiliated with Crazy Horse in Vegas among others in Miami and Chicago.



13 MICHAEL: That Grand and Harlem has been brought up to me
14 on numerous occasions by What’s Up Buddy.
15
16 MANDELL: Well, who’s What’s Up Buddy?
17
18 MICHAEL: You know who I’m talking about.
19
20 MANDELL: What’s Up Buddy? Handsome?
21
22 MICHAEL: (Inaudible). No. Your old—
23
24 MANDELL: Not Robert Redford?
25
26 MICHAEL: No, your old old friend Freddie.
27
28 MANDELL: Oh really?
29
30 MICHAEL: Really.
31
32 MANDELL: The guy that had the big business, that couldn’t
33 handle it. That, that guy?
34
35 (Simultaneous conversation).
36
37 MICHAEL: Yeah went down—
38
39 MANDELL: Who had the business?
40
41 MICHAEL: Yeah, it went down the toilet. Yeah.
42
43 MANDELL: And he—It was, uh, it was handed to him on a
44 silver platter and he couldn’t even handle it,
45 right? That guy?
46
47 MICHAEL: For free. For free. For free.

I haven't seen anything concerning who "Freddie" is

Where did it come out that Mandell was in touch with Larry Pettit? Was that in a court transcript? I'm just guessing Pacente is 'Freddie' given they are talking about major strip clubs in that regard and they are both former cops and from the same neighborhood.

In court -- Mandell asked Petitt "Is that club spoken for?"

Snakes do you know who Robert Redford is then? From what I gathered, that was Panozzo - a good source told me Vena was called 'tall / handsome guy' bc he's short and ugly. Perhaps they were switched.

Regarding Pacente, he had a club in Miami that went belly up and that was essentially the last of his mob career - I have his book. I would assume that is what Mandell is talking about and given Mandell and Pacente were around Hanhart in the CPD and the Outfit, I can imagine they knew each other well.

[PolackTony]

If anyone who’s reading and isn’t from Chicago wants to know how people in Chicago really were/are like.

Whenever I run into Chicagoans who are like this now in 2024, they always live out in the suburbs, and never within the city limits.

There are still some people like this in the city limits but mainly out on the far NW and SW sides. I’m gonna guess you haven’t made it out to Dunning, Norwood Park, or Mt Greenwood (the Irish version) too much. You’re not gonna see many types like this today in gentrified Lake View, Wicker Park, etc etc.

[Ivan]

If anyone who’s reading and isn’t from Chicago wants to know how people in Chicago really were/are like.

Whenever I run into Chicagoans who are like this now in 2024, they always live out in the suburbs, and never within the city limits.

There are still some people like this in the city limits but mainly out on the far NW and SW sides. I’m gonna guess you haven’t made it out to Dunning, Norwood Park, or Mt Greenwood (the Irish version) too much. You’re not gonna see many types like this today in gentrified Lake View, Wicker Park, etc etc.

Yeah most of my time was in Logan Square, the Loop/Downtown, and Old Town. The latter was yuppie central, and everyone I met had moved there from somewhere else outside the city. Lot of people from like Ohio, Michigan, etc.

I met people like in the video in Las Vegas a lot (either moved there or were tourists) and when I talked to them they were always from or living in the suburbs.

There are still people like this in Bridgeport, right?

Edit: Wow, I just looked up Mt. Greenwood -- it's still super Irish it looks like. It's not that common for Irish hoods to still exist in America at that level of "purity" lol.

[NickyEyes1]

If anyone who’s reading and isn’t from Chicago wants to know how people in Chicago really were/are like.

Whenever I run into Chicagoans who are like this now in 2024, they always live out in the suburbs, and never within the city limits.

There are still some people like this in the city limits but mainly out on the far NW and SW sides. I’m gonna guess you haven’t made it out to Dunning, Norwood Park, or Mt Greenwood (the Irish version) too much. You’re not gonna see many types like this today in gentrified Lake View, Wicker Park, etc etc.

Yeah most of my time was in Logan Square, the Loop/Downtown, and Old Town. The latter was yuppie central, and everyone I met had moved there from somewhere else outside the city. Lot of people from like Ohio, Michigan, etc.

I met people like in the video in Las Vegas a lot (either moved there or were tourists) and when I talked to them they were always from or living in the suburbs.

There are still people like this in Bridgeport, right?

Edit: Wow, I just looked up Mt. Greenwood -- it's still super Irish it looks like. It's not that common for Irish hoods to still exist in America at that level of "purity" lol.

That's like walking around in SOHO and expecting to hear New York accents lol.

Definitely still in Bridgeport. I would also include Canaryville/Beverly/Hegewisch/Midway/and pockets of Grand Ave.

Mt Greenwood is a great neighborhood, extremely Irish-American as well as off the boat Irish too.

[Ivan]

That's like walking around in SOHO and expecting to hear New York accents lol.

Definitely still in Bridgeport. I would also include Canaryville/Beverly/Hegewisch/Midway/and pockets of Grand Ave.

Mt Greenwood is a great neighborhood, extremely Irish-American as well as off the boat Irish too.

I gotta go back to Chicago again and really explore it some time. These places sound awesome.

[NorthBuffalo]

Here is a good thread for the Chicago guys.

One of my former laborer buddies told me that Harry Aleman who hung around with this guy Peter Assenato in prison who was a former CNote. Assenato allegedly killed a young woman in the Grand Avenue neighborhood in the 1980s. What people don't know outside of the neighborhood is that this young woman was the niece of Albert Vena.

I did some digging and surfaced this indictment - fascinating as it involves multiple Former CNotes and extensive interviews with Albert Vena who was directing the defense witnesses behind the scenes. Two other guys mentioned with unique connections:

Anthony Delulio mentioned - in touch with Vena the entire time and also a former C-Note is the same individual connected to the murder of Fat Herbie Blitzstein in Vegas - Delulio was fencing Blitzstein's checks and valuables after the murder and was found to have conspired with the killers.

James Losasso - the main defense witness was indicted with Sam Taglia over drugs and was alleged to be a well-known drug addict. Also former C-Note according to my source.

This indictment is quite fascinating as it shows how Vena was running that neighborhood in the early 1990s - and he led the cops right to this murderer who goes on to hang with Aleman in prison.

https://casetext.com/case/people-v-assenato-1

[NorthBuffalo]

I will add that at the time of Assenato's arrest, he was living with the wife of a man who had weeks earlier been murdered in his condo in Lombard (Michael Casaccio).
https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/11/ ... apartment/

[Patrickgold]

Here is a good thread for the Chicago guys.

One of my former laborer buddies told me that Harry Aleman who hung around with this guy Peter Assenato in prison who was a former CNote. Assenato allegedly killed a young woman in the Grand Avenue neighborhood in the 1980s. What people don't know outside of the neighborhood is that this young woman was the niece of Albert Vena.

I did some digging and surfaced this indictment - fascinating as it involves multiple Former CNotes and extensive interviews with Albert Vena who was directing the defense witnesses behind the scenes. Two other guys mentioned with unique connections:

Anthony Delulio mentioned - in touch with Vena the entire time and also a former C-Note is the same individual connected to the murder of Fat Herbie Blitzstein in Vegas - Delulio was fencing Blitzstein's checks and valuables after the murder and was found to have conspired with the killers.

James Losasso - the main defense witness was indicted with Sam Taglia over drugs and was alleged to be a well-known drug addict. Also former C-Note according to my source.

This indictment is quite fascinating as it shows how Vena was running that neighborhood in the early 1990s - and he led the cops right to this murderer who goes on to hang with Aleman in prison.

https://casetext.com/case/people-v-assenato-1

I have actually mentioned this case in the past. Vena is on record telling the defense witness to go to the police about the murder which is surprising and not surprising. Surprising because he could have taken Peter Assenato out if he wanted to. Not surprising because Peter Assenato killed his family member. Assenato was a drug dealer and cowboy. Not really part of the Outfit but definitely hung with them. He use to go down to Rush street with a lot of them. He grew up on Taylor street so he knew all of the guys like Aleman, Jimmy I and ect. His family owned Little Joe’s bar on Taylor street for years until they sold it a couple of years ago. Little Joe’s is basically college bar now because it is so close to UIC. 1041 W Taylor St is the address. It’s also literally a block from Al’s Beef and Mario’s. They actually lived in the apartments above the bar. Did not know he was a C-Note. Curious where you got that info from. Peter’s brother Joe is a really good guy and he was the person who ran the bar. When Peter got out of prison about 4 or 5 years ago after serving 30 years in prison, his brother Joe put him to work in the bar as a manager. He started dating a bar tender there who I knew who use work at Stan Wozniak’s place “The Joynt”. Anyway they got in a domestic and he pulled a gun out on her and was arrested and violated his parole and sent back. Some guys must like prison. He is back on the street from what i have been told.

Bottom line about Peter Assenato was that he was a drug dealer that killed his ex girlfriend and possibly some other people too. He was crazy.

[funkster]

That's like walking around in SOHO and expecting to hear New York accents lol.

Definitely still in Bridgeport. I would also include Canaryville/Beverly/Hegewisch/Midway/and pockets of Grand Ave.

Mt Greenwood is a great neighborhood, extremely Irish-American as well as off the boat Irish too.

I gotta go back to Chicago again and really explore it some time. These places sound awesome.

I’m from the northwest burbs originally so I’ve spent very little time on the south side, but as others have pointed out neighborhoods on the NW like Dunning, montclare, Norwood park, Edison park, galewood, Jefferson park etc are completely different animals than the places you’ve been. They are much more family neighborhood and where you’ll find that traditional Chicago vibe. I am looking to at some point move back to that area from the grand/ogden area because I have a two year old.

[NorthBuffalo]

https://casetext.com/case/early-v-shepherd-1

Posted this in another thread but thought I’d put it here too. Tony calabrese who stood on his head for multiple murders even on his deathbed when offered a way out was actually cooperating in prison. This I can’t understand. Again the facts are here we just gotta find them!

Correct me if I’m wrong (I read it on my iPhone and might have missed something) but from I read in the link you posted, it states that Calabrese was working in the dental clinic in Terre Haute and he gave a statement on what he saw. I’m not sure if that is really considered cooperating with law enforcement. It was basically sticking up for the Dr., who he was working for. I would not consider this cooperating but I can see where some people would consider that. I posted a link a while back about a murder of a female by Peter Assenato, a Taylor street drug dealer who’s family owned Little Joe’s bar on Taylor steeet. In the court document, Albert Vena tells a witness to go to the police about the murder. Obviously Vena was not cooperating but it wasn’t beyond him to tell someone to go to law enforcement about the matter. Link posted below. Some hard core mafiosos might consider something like this cooperating. I guess it’s how you look at it.

https://casetext.com/case/people-v-assenato-1

Before we get into this 'I was first' game I want to be clear - What I am focused on is the way all of the defense witnesses reached out to Vena previously and it shows how well entrenched he was as boss at a time when many thought Cozzo or Lombardo was running that neighborhood and whether that was bc Vena was indeed the boss or bc this was a niece of his or bc these were all former CNotes. I am also introducing for the first time the relationship between Vena and Anthony Delulio who was part of the Herbie Blitzstein plot. I'm not sure anyone knew Delulio was from Chicago. Same with connection to murder of Michael Casaccio and Assenato shacking up with his wife and being arrested with her a mere weeks after the murder.

[PolackTony]

The woman that Assenato was convicted of killing was Debbie Napolitano Duchetta, who was murdered in 1987 at age 25. Her parents were Vito Napolitano, who was from an immigrant family from Bari, and Mary Siciliano. Duchetta seems to have been a married name.

Here’s her obit from ‘87:



Her paternal grandmother, Maria Bozzi, who died in 2003:



I’d be interested to know exactly how she is alleged to have been a relative of Albie Vena. For my part, I’ve seen no evidence of any intermarriages between anyone on either side of her family and any of the Venas. The opinion from Assenato’s 1991 appeal case stated that Vena was her “friend”, but didn’t state that they were related in any way.

EDIT: Debbie Napolitano’s mother was Mary Mastrandrea, not Siciliano (though the Napolitanos are also related to some Sicilianos). The Mastrandreas are also from Bari and I haven’t seen any marriages between them and the Venas.

[Patrickgold]

https://casetext.com/case/early-v-shepherd-1

Posted this in another thread but thought I’d put it here too. Tony calabrese who stood on his head for multiple murders even on his deathbed when offered a way out was actually cooperating in prison. This I can’t understand. Again the facts are here we just gotta find them!

Correct me if I’m wrong (I read it on my iPhone and might have missed something) but from I read in the link you posted, it states that Calabrese was working in the dental clinic in Terre Haute and he gave a statement on what he saw. I’m not sure if that is really considered cooperating with law enforcement. It was basically sticking up for the Dr., who he was working for. I would not consider this cooperating but I can see where some people would consider that. I posted a link a while back about a murder of a female by Peter Assenato, a Taylor street drug dealer who’s family owned Little Joe’s bar on Taylor steeet. In the court document, Albert Vena tells a witness to go to the police about the murder. Obviously Vena was not cooperating but it wasn’t beyond him to tell someone to go to law enforcement about the matter. Link posted below. Some hard core mafiosos might consider something like this cooperating. I guess it’s how you look at it.

https://casetext.com/case/people-v-assenato-1

Before we get into this 'I was first' game I want to be clear - What I am focused on is the way all of the defense witnesses reached out to Vena previously and it shows how well entrenched he was as boss at a time when many thought Cozzo or Lombardo was running that neighborhood and whether that was bc Vena was indeed the boss or bc this was a niece of his or bc these were all former CNotes. I am also introducing for the first time the relationship between Vena and Anthony Delulio who was part of the Herbie Blitzstein plot. I'm not sure anyone knew Delulio was from Chicago. Same with connection to murder of Michael Casaccio and Assenato shacking up with his wife and being arrested with her a mere weeks after the murder.

I don’t think anyone is playing “I was first” game. It was just an observation that it was not a new revelation and some of it has been discussed before. No big deal.

Tony, good catch. I never actually heard she was a relative of Vena. Just a friend from the neighborhood.

[PolackTony]

https://casetext.com/case/early-v-shepherd-1

Posted this in another thread but thought I’d put it here too. Tony calabrese who stood on his head for multiple murders even on his deathbed when offered a way out was actually cooperating in prison. This I can’t understand. Again the facts are here we just gotta find them!

Correct me if I’m wrong (I read it on my iPhone and might have missed something) but from I read in the link you posted, it states that Calabrese was working in the dental clinic in Terre Haute and he gave a statement on what he saw. I’m not sure if that is really considered cooperating with law enforcement. It was basically sticking up for the Dr., who he was working for. I would not consider this cooperating but I can see where some people would consider that. I posted a link a while back about a murder of a female by Peter Assenato, a Taylor street drug dealer who’s family owned Little Joe’s bar on Taylor steeet. In the court document, Albert Vena tells a witness to go to the police about the murder. Obviously Vena was not cooperating but it wasn’t beyond him to tell someone to go to law enforcement about the matter. Link posted below. Some hard core mafiosos might consider something like this cooperating. I guess it’s how you look at it.

https://casetext.com/case/people-v-assenato-1

Before we get into this 'I was first' game I want to be clear - What I am focused on is the way all of the defense witnesses reached out to Vena previously and it shows how well entrenched he was as boss at a time when many thought Cozzo or Lombardo was running that neighborhood and whether that was bc Vena was indeed the boss or bc this was a niece of his or bc these were all former CNotes. I am also introducing for the first time the relationship between Vena and Anthony Delulio who was part of the Herbie Blitzstein plot. I'm not sure anyone knew Delulio was from Chicago. Same with connection to murder of Michael Casaccio and Assenato shacking up with his wife and being arrested with her a mere weeks after the murder.

I don’t think anyone is playing “I was first” game. It was just an observation that it was not a new revelation and some of it has been discussed before. No big deal.

Tony, good catch. I never actually heard she was a relative of Vena. Just a friend from the neighborhood.

One correction to the above. Debbie Napolitano’s mother’s maiden name was Mastandrea, although the Napolitanos are also related to some Sicilianos. The Mastandreas are another immigrant family from Bari. Haven’t seen any relations between the Mastandreas and the Venas either.

[Snakes]

Since there has been a lot of discussion on it, this is my basic understanding of the Steve Mandell case:

-The hidden owner of Polekatz -- Steve Reynolds -- dies. His widow (and "on-paper" owner of Polekatz) contacted George Michael to assist in a real estate matter against Anthony Quaranta and Dmitri Stavropoulos, both Outfit associates and "consultants" at Polekatz who were attempting to muscle in and assume ownership of the club.

-Michael was told by Reynolds's widow that Polekatz netted 6 million dollars a year and that he'd receive financial benefit from his help in resolving the ownership matter.

-Michael had dinner at La Scarola with Albert Vena, Robert Panozzo, and Michael Swiatek, where he was introduced to Steven Mandell/Manning, who was going to assist him in the problem with Polekatz. I'm unsure of Michael's Outfit connections at this point, but perhaps it was related to real estate.

-Mandell spoke to Larry Petitt (Elmwood Park) to determine if Stavropoulos (EP associate) had permission from anyone to run the club or was kicking up to anyone, which he apparently wasn't.

-Mandell and Michael spoke about whether Stav and Quaranta had permission to muscle in on Polekatz and if perhaps Michael Sarno (imprisoned Outfit boss) had given it. This didn't seem to matter to Mandell as he had already made up his mind about what he wanted to do.

-Mandell went to Vena (and had possibly already asked Petitt) for permission to kill Stavropoulos but was denied, even after revealing to Vena the cash the club could generate if they were involved. It seems pretty obvious at this point that Mandell was aiming to kill Stavropoulos and/or Quaranta and scare off the widow so he could assume some type of ownership himself.

-Mandell decided that instead of killing Stavropolous (who, as an Outfit associate, would understand that he needed to back down or face harm), he would kill Quaranta, whose Outfit connections were weaker therefore sending a message to Stav. He plotted with Gary Engel (who later committed suicide in prison) to kill Quaranta and also kill a marijuana dealer by the name of Steven Campbell.

-Meanwhile, Michael had been cooperating with the FBI the entire time (perhaps as a legitimate way of removing Quaranta and Stav for the financial benefit it would grant him for assisting Reynolds's widow), which allowed the FBI to capture numerous conversations between Michael and Mandell, eventually leading to the latter's arrest and conviction for conspiracy to murder. Aside from Engel, none of the other names connected to the case were charged.

[NorthBuffalo]

Snakes you always have great and informative posts - thank you. I believe Steven Campbell owned a considerable amount of real estate - was he really a marijuana dealer too? I assume anyone Mandell was going after was involved at some capacity with illegal operations.