Chicago Outfit Places of Origin

[PolackTony]

Robert "Bobby the Boxer" Salerno was born in 1955 in Chicago to Richard Nicholas (born Riccardo Nicola) Abbinanti and Concetta Helen DelGiudice. Richard was born in 1924 in Chicago to Oronzo "Otto" Abbinante of Carbonara di Bari and Catherine Lange (born in Chicago, ancestry most likely from Potenza province, Basilicata). It should be noted that Chicago had both Abbinantis from Altavilla Milicia, but also Abbinantes (original spelling) who were Baresi, such as these. Richard's parents separated when he was young and he was raised by his mother at 1837 W Huron, near Wolcott, in the Grand Ave Patch (decades later, I lived as a kid across the street from their address). In 1954, Richard married Concetta, who was born in 1923 in Chicago to Francesco DelGiudice and Angelina Raimondo of Senerchia, Avellino. The Del Giudices lived in the Taylor St Patch. Vito Marzullo, and the parents of Mike Spranze and the Mazzone brothers (Ernie and Fred) were from Senerchia (the Mazzones' mother was also a DelGiudice), which had a significant paesani settlement around Taylor St; Marzullo was the President of the Societa Sant'Antonio di Senerachia. Duilio Del Giudice of Senerchia (his mother was a Mazzone) was also the father of Eugene "Gino" Del Giudice, father of and alleged collector for Vince "Uncle Mick" DelGiudice of the Paloian, Urlacher, et al., gambling operation network fame. Those DelGiudices also lived by Taylor St before decamping for the Southwest Side.

Prior to remarrying Richard Abbinanti, Concetta DelGiudice had been married to William Fratto, brother of Frank and Lou Fratto. Bobby Abbinanti's older half-sister Carolyn Fratto married Guy D'Amico, Marco D'Amico's brother. Before Bobby Abbinanti's link to the Outfit was made public in the 1990s, he was well-known for decades as a boxer and boxing trainer. Abbinanti (shockingly) also worked for years as a truck driver for Streets and San and was a member of Teamsters Local 726. Bob Cooley has alleged that Rod Blagojevich was a bookie in the 80s and paid street tax to the Outfit via Abbinanti. Both Abbinanti and Blagojevich trained as kids under famed boxing coach Pat La Cassa. Further, observers have alleged that when Blagojevich was governor he hired Local 726 chief Dan Stefanski (also connected to Nick "The Stick" LoCoco) to a position with IDOT to shield him from prosecution on union corruption charges. Cooley, who placed bets with and claims to have represented Abbinanti in the 1980s, has stated that Abbinanti introduced him to Stefanski, who was described as a close friend of Abbinanti who also worked for his bookmaking operation. After losing his SaS position and Teamsters status following his 1995 conviction with D'Amico on racketeering charges, Abbinanti owned a window company since his 2001 release from prison. I believe that this company is still operating as "Windy City Windows & More" based in suburban Hickory Hills. Presumably, the Outfit has a long history of terrorising customers into buying their windows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJy9EFf-tiM.

[PolackTony]

Michael Carioscia was born in 1933 in Chicago to Anthony Carioscia and Susie Del Fiacco. Anthony was born in Chicago to Michele Carioscio of Pomarico, Matera, Basilicata, and Filomena Marzano of Ricigliano, Salerno, Campania, and grew up on Racine near Taylor in the Taylor St Patch. Susie (probably Assunta originally) was born in Collarmele, L'Aquila, Abruzzo, and settled in the Taylor St Patch with her family. Mike Carioscia grew up on the 500 block of S Lyle St, near Harrison; the family subsequently moved to Lyle and Taylor. In later years, Mike Carioscia worked as a cook at his family's restaurant, Mama Sue's, on Taylor and Loomis (see Mugshots; worth noting that Marco D'Amico grew up there as well and in 1940 lived in the building across the street from the restaurant's location). Mike Carioscia's aunt Anna Carioscia (elder sister of Mike's father Anthony) married Antonio Agostino "Tony" D'Arco, older brother of John D'Arco, Sr.

In 1951, then 18-year-old Mike Carioscia was convicted of raping a neighborhood teenage girl with an older man named Michael Parille (with whom Carioscia had also been pinched for truck hijackings in 1950) and two other men. Also in 1951, Carioscia was acquitted with Leonard Esposito, Rocco Fabrizio, and Samuel Carcione for the kidnapping, rape, and robbery of a 21-year-old woman. In 1960, Carioscia was pinched with Ben and Armando Pennacchio in a Federal narcotics agent sting of their heroin distribution operation, which, according to Federal investigators, was supplied by connections in NYC who brought it from Europe and distributed it to the Midwest, where Carioscia and the Pennaccios were, in turn, supplying black customers. In 1962, the Tribune stated that investigators were questioning Carioscia regarding Nick Guido's connections to Outfit-controlled narcotics operations. In 1971, Mike and his brother Frank Carioscia were among the 18 arrested in Chicago as part of a multi-state series of busts of a heroin distribution operation that netted a total of 55 suspects in Chicago, NYC, Detroit, Philly, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Hartford. Along with the Carioscias, Chicago arrestees included Louis Guido, disgraced Outfit-connected CPD cop Chris Cardi, Carlo Fiorito, Fred Coduto, Joseph Coduto (also a former cop; these Codutos I believe were related to the Frank Coduto who was murdered in Chicago in 1954 and was also heavily involved in narcotics distribution), and Virgil Cimmino (among other things, the father of Frank Calabrese's 2nd wife. In spite of his well-known criminal history, Cimmino was still working for Streets and San in the 90s. Shocking, I know), among others. Apart from the arrests, police recovered dozens of illegal guns, $1 million in heroin, and $80k in cash.

Following this incident, Carioscia seems to have stayed out of legal and press hot water, working at the family restaurant. Mike Carioscia died in 2019. He was claimed as a possible Outfit member for years. I believe that Tony Carioscia, who is still a trustee for Teamsters Local 703, is a nephew. I suspect that some other younger Carioscias have been involved in street gang and drug activity.

[PolackTony]

Harry Peralt Aleman was born in 1939 in Chicago to Louis Alemán and Mary Virginia Baratta. Louis was born in 1914 in Ft Worth, Texas, to Heraclio "Harry" Alemán and Amalia Peralta (some records state Amalia Murillo). Heraclio was from Zacatecas, Mexico, while Amalia may have been from the state of Jalisco (not certain); they married in 1912 in El Paso. By 1916, the Alemáns were living in Kansas City, and sometime before 1920 moved to Chicago, where they settled on Halsted near Roosevelt on the Near Westside, where a growing number of Tejano/Mexican families were beginning to concentrate along the border between the Taylor St Patch and the old Jewish Maxwell St Ghetto. Mary Baratta was born in 1918 in Chicago to Giuseppe Alberto Baratta of Marano Principato, Cosenza, Calabria (the Bastones, Rocco Pranno, the Covellis, the Granatas, Ben Ponzio, Bobby Salerno, and Albie Vena all have ancestry from a cluster of comuni in this part of Cosenza province) and Matilda Genovese (corrupted as "Genis" or "Janis" in various records), who was born in Chicago to parents from the Arbereshe comune of Falconara Albanese, Cosenza province. Louis and Mary married in Porter County, IN in 1938. In 1940, baby Harry (I still picture him as a baby in his crib with sunglasses and a fine Italian shirt on) and Mary lived with her parents, on Paulina near Polk in the Taylor St Patch. In 1950, they were living with Louis in what was already a mixed Italian/Mexican section near Laflin and Roosevelt. In 1998, the Tribune reported that Louis Alemán was a "Mexican Godfather", involved in narcotics trafficking. It also reported that he was a native of Durango, Mexico, which was not the case. These two claims could be related, as I believe it was possible that Louis Aleman worked with the infamous Herrera drug trafficking organization, which was based out of Durango and in the 1970s-80s ran a major narcotics pipeline between Mexico, Texas, and Chicago (what LE referred to as the "Heroin Highway"; among a number of operatives in Chicago, Maniac Latin Disciples member Hugo "Juice" Herrera was said to have been a relative of the Herreras who gave the MLDs a decisive advantage over rivals like the Latin Kings in cornering the drug distribution market on the NW side). In the summer of 1959, a melee erupted on the lakefront (some things in Chicago are just tradition), when a mob of bathers on the beach near Adler Planetarium attacked a lifeguard and a cop, which ended with a gun being discharged. A number of Italian and Mexican guys from Taylor St who were present were struck by bullet fragments in the chaos; among those named were Louis Alemán (then living at 917 S Bishop, near Taylor) and our old friend Mike Carioscia. As noted in a previous post, Carioscia was involved with narcotics for years, so it's possible that this incident points to him having a connection to Louis Alemán. The group also points to the social closeness of Italians and Mexican on Taylor st, as by this point a sizeable number of Mexicans had been coexisting alongside Italians there for a number of years. Several of Louis Alemán's siblings married Italians as well (and from what I can tell, some of the Carioscias married Mexicans).

It has been widely reported that Harry Aleman was the nephew of Joe Ferriola. This is true, though the relation was by marriage. Joe Ferriola's first wife was Gloria Baratta, younger sister of Mary Baratta Alemán. Older sister Viola Baratta, in turn, married Sam Cesario.

[Antiliar]

Great stuff. Thanks, Tony.

[PolackTony]

Great stuff. Thanks, Tony.

Thanks, man. If Louis Alemán and Mike Carioscia were cliqued up, could suggest that the Outfit has had a longer history of connections to Mexican drug trafficking organizations than people have realized. Speculative, but we can start to see the outlines of those potential connections here, I think.

[PolackTony]

John Anthony "Tony Borse" Borsellino was born Antonio Borsellino in 1930 in Chicago to Luigi Borsellino and Marianna Cascino of Ravanusa, Agrigento. Luigi Borsellino entered the US in 1920 at NYC, bound for Buffalo where his brother-in-law Calogero Volpi was living. By the time that he filed his Declaration of Intention in 1924, Luigi and Marianna were living in Chicago at 819 S Leavitt (near Polk) in the western section of the Taylor St Patch, where Luigi worked as a grocer (this address was around the corner from where Joe Esposito lived, on the 800 block of S Oakley). Luigi was preceded in Chicago by his possible brother Calogero "Carl" (born 1893; like Luigi, his father was an Onofrio Borsellino), cousin Calogero "Charles" (born 1886), and cousin Antonino "Tony" Borsellino (born 1894), who also lived by Taylor St (the elder Calogero and Antonino may have been brothers, as they both had a father named Vito Borsellino, though they seem to have had different mothers); already living in Chicago by the time they filed their WW1 draft registrations, both Calogero Borsellinos also lived at 819 S Leavitt. Later in the 1920s, the Borsellinos operated a grocery store at 2255 W Campbell Park Dr (at Leavitt). One of the witnesses for Luigi's 1927 naturalization was his brother-in-law Calogero Volpe, who had also moved from Buffalo to the Taylor St Patch (the latter's wife was Carolina; given that their son was named Onofrio, I'm guessing that she was Luigi's sister. Volpe may have been from Castrofilippo, Agrigento. In 1930, the Volpes lived two doors down from the Carioscias). Antonino's 1927 naturalization was witnessed by a Costantino Vitello of Grotte, Agrigento, who lived at Oak and Larabbee in Little Sicily; these relationships point to a potential broader Agrigentino social network that may have been either distinct from or parallel to the better known Chicago network centering on the Sambuca/Ribera/Burgio area. Interestingly, Vito Marzullo, who lived on the next block up Leavitt from the Borsellinos, was a witness to both the elder and younger Calogeros' naturalizations (1921 and 1938, respectively).

In March of 1928, Antonino, "Carl" (most likely the younger Calogero, as the elder one seemed to go by "Charles"), and Luigi Borsellino were arrested on suspicion of killing Diamond Joe Esposito (see Mugshots). According to witnesses, Antonino's blue sedan matched the vehicle used by the Esposito shooter. Further, police found two shotguns dumped across the street from the Borsellino grocery and equipment for manufacturing shotgun ammunition in their home. The Borsellinos were further charged with possession of explosives. The Rockford Morning Star reported that Calogero was Luigi's cousin, but as they both had a father named Onofrio Borsellino, my take is that they were actually brothers (yet another Calogero Borsellino who died in Chicago in 1918 may have been an uncle or cousin as well). The Borsellinos refused to talk, and the cases against them were purely circumstantial; Assistant State's Attorney Byrne stated that he did not believe that they were actually involved in the Esposito murder, so it appears that the charges were dropped.

In March of 1930, two cousins named Antonino Borsellino were found strangled to death in Brecksville, suburban Cleveland (see Mugshots). One of them was ~36 years old, indicating that he was the same the Antonino Borsellino who had been living in Chicago (born 1894; died in Cleveland and buried in Mt Carmel Cemetary in suburban Chicago per burial records; Cleveland death record had him as living in Brecksville at the time of his death. The other Antonino Borsellino was buried at the same grave in Mt Carmel, records state he was born in 1897, though I don't have any prior records for him in Chicago). Police believed that the two may have been murdered by rival bootleggers in Akron, as they were reportedly last seen alive stating that they were headed to meet "friends" in Akron, and then dumped in the Cleveland area. The Rockford Daily Register-Gazette attributed the killings to "Chicago gangland warfare". Several days later, Borsellino associate Paul D'Antonia was found tied up and shot to death in Cleveland (I was unable to verify any records for this guy, so I'm not certain where he was from or what his real name was). Cleveland police recovered a card for Carlo Borsellino, of 2255 W Campbell Park, Chicago, on his person (they also revealed that a letter to Carlo Borsellino was found on one of the Antonino Borsellinos). Given the relative proximity of Licata to Ravanusa, unsurprising that the Borsellinos had ties to Cleveland. Back in Chicago, Luigi Borsellino was convicted in May of 1930 for operating a still on Ogden Ave, near his home. In lieu of a prison sentence, he opted to forfeit his US citizenship.

Luigi Borsellino died in Chicago in 1961, while the elder Calogero died in 1970 and the younger Calogero in 1986. so far as I'm aware, Tony Borse's first appearance in the papers came in 1960, at 29 years old (under the name John Borsellino), when he was pinched for receiving stolen merchandise with his brother-in-law, CPD cop Anthony Belmonte (family from Castrolibero, same area of Cosenza province that many other Outfit-connected figures went back to). The two had married sisters Filomena "Tootsie" and Christine "Tina" Bovino (parents from Balvano, Potenza province).

[PolackTony]

Robert Rocco "Bobby" Dominic was born in 1951 in Chicago to Rocco Dominic and Caroline Romeo. Rocco Dominic was born in 1929 in Chicago to Rocco D'Amico (from whence the surname "Dominic" was derived) and JAnna Calabrese. Rocco D'Amico was born in 1904 in France to parents from Castellone del Volturno, today in the comune of Castel San Vicenzo, Isernia, Molise. In 1906, the D'Amicos immigrated to the US and settled initially on E 106th St in the Trumbull Park area of Chicago's heavily industrial SE Side, near Lake Calumet. By 1920, the family was living on Edgemont Ave in the Taylor St Patch. Anna Calabrese was born in 1906 in Chicago to Giuseppe Calabrese and Carmella Albano of Bracigliano, Salerno province. As noted previously there were Albanos from Bracigliano connected to the Outfit, and Joe Amabile, Solly DeLaurentis, and Mike Sarno have ancestry from Bracigliano (there are also several Genovese members with ancestry from Bracigliano and surrounding comuni such as Quindice, Avellino). The Calabrese family lived in the Taylor St Patch as well, and in 1924 Anna married Rocco D'Amico. Caroline Romeo was born in 1928 in Chicago to Matteo Romeo, of Serino, Avellino province (like Bracigliano/Quindice, an apparent hotbed of Camorra activity), and Josephine Pope (Papa), born in Chicago to parents from Avellino province (most likely from Vito Marzullo's hometown of Senerchia; the Papas lived in the Western part of the Taylor St Patch near Marzullo where a colony from Senerchia was concentrated, and at one point lived on the same block of Ogden Avenue where Luigi Borsellino, whose family was personally connected to Marzullo, later operated a still).

Rocco Dominic and Caroline Romeo married in Chicago in 1949. In 1950, a year before Bobby was born, they lived at Polk and Kedzie in the Homan Square neighborhood west of the Taylor St Patch. Bobby later attended Providence-St Mel HS in East Garfield Park. So far as I know, Bobby Dominic first appeared in the papers in 1989, when it came out that he had trolled the CPD Vice Unit by using the names of two of their detectives on licenses for some of his porn shops ("they should be able to take a joke", was his alleged statement). The Trib stated that his arrest record went back to 1971. Since 2005, his sister Susan Dominic has been the on-paper owner of the infamous Richard's Bar, and it has been claimed that Bobby Dominic (whether de jure or de facto) owns the entire building that houses Richard's and La Scarola, both well-known as former hangouts for reputed Grand Ave capo Albie Vena. The building also housed a seedy single-room occupancy hotel, which has been alleged to have been a house of prostitution controlled by Bobby Dominic.

For the record, Bobby Dominic is completely unrelated to colorful longtime Cicero Town President Larry Dominick (his dad was Greek anyway). Larry Dominick is a dyed-in-the-wool Cicero politician, with longstanding allegations of corruption and nepotism (he stacked the Cicero town government with relatives and in-laws, of course) and it would not surprise me at all if he has strong Outfit ties. Among the more entertaining Larry Dominick stories include the time that he had the Cicero police arrest a guy who was sent to serve him a subpoena for a lawsuit related to floridly corrupt former IL House Speaker Mike Madigan ("Larry Dominick can't be served", the cop allegedly told the would-be server when he arrested him) and the time in 2014 that a 76-year-old woman was charged with plotting to put a contract on the heads of Larry Dominick and Cicero town attorney Michael Del Galdo, which led to her son interrupting her hearing to accuse the town of Cicero of targeting his mother for "political" purposes (which may be true, as the woman who ratted this lady out used to work at the Cicero Town animal shelter, which was, of course, run by Larry Dominick's mother).

[PolackTony]

Chris "Dick" Cardi was born Christ Cardi in 1932 in Chicago to Frank Joseph Cardi and Nunziata "Nancy" Messino. Frank was born in 1908 in Florence Township, Burlington County, NJ, on the Delaware River near Trenton. His parents were Antonio Cardi and Orsola Romano. Orsola seems to have been from Acquasante Terme, Ascoli Piceno, Marche, but I'm not certain where Antonio was from. A 1911 passport application states that he was from "Paggara", which could be Pescara, Abruzzo, where the Cardi surname is present, though the surname is also present in Ascoli Piceno, where his wife was from. Both areas also had large communities in the Chicago area, and it's thus unsurprising that Frank wound up living in Chicago. Another possible lead is that there were a number of Cardis in Chicago from Acerra, Napoli, who settled in the Taylor St Patch (one of them was also married to an Esposito from Acerra). The latter could be relevant, as Frank's wife Nancy was born in 1909 in Chicago Crescenzo Messino (who went by "Christ") of Acerra and Bridget Serpico, born in Chicago to parents from Marigliano, Napoli. Nancy was the older sister of Willie Messino and the Messinos lived on Polk near Ashland. Worth noting also that Bridget Serpico's sister Julia married a Sylvester Buccieri; while his family was from Cosenza province, I didn't see a direct link to the more famous Buccieris (not a super common name even where it's concentrated in Cosenza, so it's a good possibility that they were cousins of some sort). In 1938, Frank Cardi was convicted of raping a 9-year-old girl in Portland, OR, where he was on shore leave as a sailor. Thus, he appeared as a prisoner in OR in the 1940 and 1950 censuses. He outlived his son Chris, however, and died in Chicago in 1979 (buried back in Burlington County, NJ).

From my records, Chris Cardi first appeared in the Chicago papers in 1963, when he was busted as a juice enforcer for the Gagliano crew along with Gagliano, Messino, Albert Sarno, Johnny DiFronzo, and Joey Lombardo (an apparent case of mistaken identity with the other Joe Lombardi). This case is well-known, as it brought considerable heat down on the Outfit's significant juice loan operations; all of the defendants were later acquitted, however. At the time, Cardi was already described as a former CPD office, but I'm not sure when he left the force and if he was removed for misconduct (one would imagine that you'd really have to be up to some wild shit to be fired from the CPD in those days, lol). Later in the 60s, the Tribune claimed that Cardi was a rising star in the "Gagliano gang", along with Sarno, and the two were sentenced to 6-months in prison in 1969 for contempt of court after they refused to testify after being given immunity from self-incrimination during the 1966 IL Crime Commission hearings on juice racketeering. Per investigators cited by the Tribune, in the late 60s, Cardi made a major push into narcotics financed by a $100,000 juice loan from unnamed "syndicate lenders". Of course, Cardi was busted in a major multi-state sweep of a narcotics distribution ring (operating in Chicago, NYC, Detroit, Philly, NOLA, and Baltimore) in 1971, along with Louis Guido (18 individuals in Chicago were arrested, including the Carioscia brothers and fellow former CPD officer Joe Coduto, as discussed above). Cardi was convicted later that year and sentenced to 10 years. Apparently, Cardi got pinched after attempting to sell a pound of heroin to an undercover agent. In 1975, when Hell's Henchman OMC members Oreste Belvedere and Robert Bailey were arrested for murdering a guy in Melrose Park, the Tribune noted that Bailey was another one of the guys arrested in the 1971 Guido/Cardi bust, which makes me wonder if the ring was supplying these guys, or if they were hired as muscle (in an earlier narcotics bust, Mike Carioscia and the Pennacchio brothers were apparently supplying black distributors). 3 weeks after he was paroled, Chris Cardi was murdered July, 1975, at his wife Renee's beef stand in Melrose Park, by two ski-masked gunmen who lit Cardi up with a .45 in front of his wife and kids. It was later alleged that Aleman was the shooter, and the hit certainly matches Harry's MO (a teenage employee of the beef stand was also shot but survived). At the time of his murder, investigators told the Tribune that they believed that the hit on Cardi was issued by "top mobsters" over concerns that he was going to tell authorities about "the juice loan and narcotics rackets". I personally don't buy that Cardi was killed due to "deal or die"; other guys busted in connection to this and other narcotics operations weren't killed, so I think there's more to the story. Perhaps they really did think Cardi was going to flip, or, alternatively, he was personally blamed for the ring getting busted. As stated, the Chicago operation was apparently part of a much larger multi-state network, so there may have been a lot at stake, and brought negative public attention down on the Outfit during a time of turmoil within the organization. Another factor may have been that -- assuming that Cardi was indeed being financed via juice capital from the Outfit -- he hadn't paid his investors back. I'm inclined to think several of these factors may have added up to him getting his card pulled.

As noted above, Albert Sarno was an enforcer with Cardi in the Gagliano crew. Like Cardi, Sarno was also a former cop. I've wondered if Albert Sarno was related to Mike Sarno, but it turns out that he wasn't. Sarno's father was Vincenzo "James" Sarno, who was born in Chicago to Alberto Carlo Sarnacchiaro, of Napoli, and Rosa Scelzo, of Castellammare di Stabia, Napoli (Mike Sarno's surname goes back to Bracigliano, Salerno). These Sarnos lived in Gagliano/Cerone-controlled Humboldt Park. Prior to the above-mentioned juice loan bust, Albert Sarno (at 28, already mentioned as a former CPD) was acquitted on federal charges of possessing a large shipment of whisky stolen from Melrose Park. His father James and brother James Jr had also been charged with intimidating federal witness Fred Scelzo, a liquor store owner that they allegedly used to fence the stolen whisky (Scelzo himself was apparently a relative of the Sarnos). Although Albert Sarno was described as a rising underworld star in the 1960s (one Trib article even claimed that Willie Messino had been demoted to Sarno's driver), after his 1969 contempt conviction he seems to have fallen off the map and died in 2012 in Lake County.

[Antiliar]

Ricci, Gaetano (1893-1981). Genovese Family liason to Chicago. Gaetano Ricci was born in Vieste, Foggia, Puglia, Italy, and arrived in New York on the S.S. Trojan Prince on January 7, 1899, with his father Girolamo Ricci, older brother Adolfo, and sisters Luisa and Pasqualina. Their destination was Brooklyn. Another daughter, Concetta, was born in America. Vieste is known as the town sacked by the Saracens in the 1500s, capturing over 7,000 inhabitants and enslaving them.

In 1911, according to his Declaration of Intention, he was 6’1,” 180 pounds, had a dark complection, worked as an upholsterer, and lived at 222 Tillary Street in Brooklyn, near Navy Street and Park Avenue and a 3-minute walk from the café used by the Navy Street gang at 133 Navy Street a few years later.

Ricci claimed he was born in January 1, 1893. Gaetano married Florentina (Florence) Uccelini in Brooklyn on June 30, 1915. His World War I draft card shows that he worked as an upholsterer for C. F. Roman at Prince and Johnson streets. He was naturalized in 1944. In November 1952 the attorney general announced that he would file suit to strip Ricci of his citizenship for being an undesirable. The effort to deport him was unsuccessful.

Girolamo Ricci died on January 20, 1909 and Gaetano’s mother Giovanna “Jennie” Tartaglia died on July 6, 1928, two days after she was shot while she was sitting in front of her home on July 4, 1928. 17-year-old Antonio De Vivo allegedly fired his gun in the air celebrating Independence Day and Patrolman Frederick Schwerdtfeger chased him. Schwerdtfeger said that De Vivo fired three times and he fired twice. De Vivo said that Officer Schwerdtfeger killed Mrs. Jennie Ricci and he never had a gun.

In the 1920 census Gaetano used the name Anthony Ricci and lived with his wife, two daughters, and mother at 222 Tillary Street. He was employed as a dock worker. The 1925 New York state census shows him living with his mother at 224 Tillary; Florence Ricci and her children lived with her parents at 154 Fourth Avenue. In 1930 he lived alone at 224 Tillary and worked as a real estate salesman; his wife and children moved in with their mother at 212 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn. The 1940 census was taken while he was a guest at the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs, Garland County, Arkansas. It indicates that he was divorced. His World War II draft card shows him living at 100 Adelphi Street and working at Nathan Outfitters at 1135 Broadway in Brooklyn. In 1950, he and his new, younger, wife Cleo were living at unit 6B in an apartment at 125 Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn. According to Florence Ricci’s census record, they were separated.

Ricci’s arrest record went back to 1918 and included charges for felonious assault, grand larceny, vagrancy and disorderly conduct, but all charges were dismissed. An informant claimed that he and Joe Profaci had been members of the Navy Street Gang. While Profaci certainly was not in the Navy Street Gang, it is possible that Ricci had been. Reportedly he was arrested with Louis Campagna in Chicago in 1928.

The New York Daily News reported on June 1, 1931, that Tony Gobel had been in New York for a month, representing Al Capone’s interests. Then on June 5 it reported that Goebel [sic] had just gotten off the train yesterday (June 4) from Chicago. NYC Police Commissioner Edward Mulrooney said he never heard of Goebel, but observed that the price of beer had suddenly dropped from $16 to $12 after they started buying beer from Goebel.

In January 1934 and informant said that Vito Genovese, Mike Miranda, Johnny Torrio, Ed “Buck” Parisis, Tony Bender (Anthony Strollo), and Tony “the Shiek” Carrillo were Ricci’s contacts in New York. He was also associated with Johnny “Bathbeach” Oddo, Tony “the Chief” Bonasera (both members of the Profaci Family) and Genovese member Gus Frasca.

In 1950 government agencies believed that Tony Ricci was the “president of the Unione Siciliano” and Frank Costello’s superior, only answerable to the international president of the Unione, Lucky Luciano. Ricci was also said to be the head of the Grand Council, which included Vincent Mangano, Steve Magaddino, Joe Bonanno, etc. Another source said that Ricci carried out the orders of Joe Profaci and Vincent Mangano, and relayed instructions from Lucky Luciano. Later, as more information became available, they determined that he was the “plenipotentiary” or liason from the Genovese Family to Chicago.

An informant told the FBI in 1954 that Ricci, known as Tony Gobel, headed the Division Avenue Gang. The day-to-day boss of the gang was Constable Charles Augusta, AKA Augusta Bloom and Gussie Bloom. Ricci was the top lieutenant to Joe Adonis and was known as the disciplinarian who arranged for beatings and killings. Ricci was linked to Johnny Torrio before Al Capone.

The May 23, 1955 edition of the Chicago Tribune reported that Torrio and Ricci were sent to Chicago to mediate and patch up differences between Paul Ricca and Accardo. When Louis “Little New York” Campagna died on a boat while fishing on May 30, 1955, Ricci was on the boat with him, along with Ricca, Peter Julian Arnstein, and Joe Fischetti. Ricci also attended Campagna’s funeral.

In 1957, Robert F. Kennedy, counsel for Senator John McClellan’s committee, said that Anthony Ricci, formerly of Sanitary Haulage Corporation of Brooklyn, was a missing witness. Kennedy was investigating “shakedown rackets against New York City restaurants.” Harvey L. Strelzin, former chairman of the New York City assessors board and a former assistant state attorney general, admitted that he had gone into business with Ricci in 1950 in the rubbish disposal business. Last year, long after Ricci left the firm, he suddenly showed up on its payroll.

A converstion between Murray Humphreys and an unknown person in 1960 discussed how Carl Fiorito was trying to muscle in “some joints” in Miami and was taking orders from Ricci.

A conversation between Jack Cerone and Dave Yaras was recorded in February 1962 while they were in Miami on a mission to assassinate union boss Frankie “the X” Esposito, and captured a brief discussion about Ricci. Cerone complained that Tony Gobels was turning the Brooks Restaurant into an Italian restaurant and putting FNU Riccio in charge. Cerone said he was mad at Gobels. Riccio may have been Joseph Riccio, who ran Riccio’s Restaurant in the late 1950s and was accused of using his relatives to front for him. The most recent Riccio corporation – as of early January 1960 – was Mariajo, Inc. His sister Josephine Riccio was the president and Tony Ricci was the vice president.

In November 1962 Ricci and his associate Julius Kaplan were forced out of the Casa Maria Restaurant and Dore’s Lounge in Dade County after Frank Dioguardi discovered that $8,600 was missing. In September 1963 his landlord said he hadn’t paid his rent and hadn’t been seen for several months.
An FBI report from 1964 states that Ricci had been living in Miami for some time with his then ex-wife Laverne Alexander. He often spent his time at the Golden Nugget Motel in Miami Beach, where he played cards and associated with hoodlums such as Steve Maruca. He was reported to be a shylock. An FBI memo from 1964 indicates that Ricci was a former partner of Carl Longobucco, who knew Santo Trafficante Jr.

The November 5, 1968 issue of the Chicago Tribune reported on an alleged summit meeting at a northwest suburban restaurant that included Anthony Ricci, Anthony Pinelli, Tony Accardo, Paul Ricca, Jack Cerone, and Phil Alderisio.

A teletype from April 1, 1969, reported seeing Ricci in the company of Tony Accardo visiting the Thunderbird Motel and the Rascal House Restaurant. Jack Cerone was also there in Miami, getting seen for an anal rash. Days later the Miami Herald reported that Meyer Lansky, Accardo and Ricci met in the clubhouse of the Diplomat Hotel, along with Donald Angelini. The Miami Herald in November 1969 noted that Ricci lived at 1332 Van Buren Street in Hollywood, Florida, just a couple blocks away from the home of Vincent “Jimmy Blue Eyes” Alo, who was the alleged successor to Joe Adonis and Meyer Lansky’s closest friend.

The Miami Herald reported that when Meyer Lansky was acquitted of drug charges in 1970, Ricci was in the courtroom and gave Lansky a “mazel tov” to congradulate him. By 1971 the 79-year-old Ricci was said to be retired. In 1974 he was called to appear before a Florida investigation into gambling.

Ricci died in Hollywood, Florida, on March 19, 1981.

[Antiliar]

Additional info:

- Anthony Ricci and John Chimento were both charged with second-degree assault, and their case was heard in King's County Court, per the Brooklyn Times Union on Sep 25, 1915. This may or may not be the same person as Gaetano Ricci.

- An Anthony Ricci was the First Vice President of the Guider Boulevard Civic Organization, evidently a pro-Democratic Party organization, as reported in the Brooklyn Times Union on Jan 7, 1931.On Feb 19, 1931, the Times Union reported that Anthony Ricci was on the Board of Governors and chairman of the Entertainment Committee of the Anthony M. Coppola Democratic Association of the Fourth Assembly District. On October 22, 1930, Anthony Ricci was on the reception committee of the Anthony M. Coppola Democratic Association. Coppola was a former deputy sheriff later attached to the county court. Again, it is uncertain if this was the same person, but Ed Reid in The Grim Reapers noted that Ricci "made his headquarters at 5 Court Square, Brooklyn, in a restaurant beneath the local Democratic Party headquarters."

- A police dragnet on October 26, 1950, resulted in the arrest of Anthony "Big Tony Goebbels" Ricci, who they claimed was the head of the Mafia. Samuel "Red" Levine was also arrested. Joseph Bernava, who was considered a "big fish" and was "mixed up in the narcotics racket" and did time for the $1,200,000 theft of Treasury notes from two Wall Street banks, was also arrested.

- A 1962 FBI report said that according to a CI, Ricci and Frank Dioguardi forced Howard Brooks, Frank Jacobson and his wife Sylvia Jacobson out of a restuarant at Dore's Lounge, a known hoodlum hangout. Joe Riccio was operating the restaurant for Ricci and Dioguardi.

- At that time he sometimes lived with Grace Patricia Cariota in Miami. The estranged ex-husband of Cariota caught Ricci in front of her house and physically beat him up for breaking up their home. He warned Ricci that he would beat him up every time he sees him and if he did not leave Miami he would kill him. The Miami Herald reported in February 1963 that Grace Patricia Cariota was federally charged with forging two checks valued at $23,494. In 1960, she and her then-husband James W. Cariota were charged with giving a ride to Big Mike Spinella, who illegally entered the country after being deported in 1952.

[PolackTony]

This is all fantastic info on Ricci, thanks for posting. Worth noting here that it seems that both Ricci and Sylvester Agoglia had important connections to the Democratic Party system in Brooklyn.

[B.]

Amazing work on Ricci. Interesting about the possible Navy Street connection.

[Antiliar]

This is all fantastic info on Ricci, thanks for posting. Worth noting here that it seems that both Ricci and Sylvester Agoglia had important connections to the Democratic Party system in Brooklyn.

Vincent Mangano also had a big Democratic Party organization in Brooklyn. Maybe in the future I'll pinpoint their locations and see if there were any others of significance and if they were connected.

BTW, I updated a few things in the follow-up.

[PolackTony]

This is all fantastic info on Ricci, thanks for posting. Worth noting here that it seems that both Ricci and Sylvester Agoglia had important connections to the Democratic Party system in Brooklyn.

Vincent Mangano also had a big Democratic Party organization in Brooklyn. Maybe in the future I'll pinpoint their locations and see if there were any others of significance and if they were connected.

BTW, I updated a few things in the follow-up.

I wonder if Ricci's influence over Democratic politics in BK was such that some observers thought for this reason he was over Mangano and saw him as the head of the mafia.

[Antiliar]

Gaetano "Anthony" Ricci was convicted of 3rd degree assault on July 30, 1915, according to his file. This may be the same case with Chimento.

The idea that Ricci was over Mangano came from the confusion of several sources. Mangano was on the Grand Council, and this info came from Nick Gentile in 1940. Ricci was known to be connected to people of different brugads, esp. Genovese, Chicago, Profaci and Lucchese crime families, so he was thought to be important. Somehow this was transformed into him being over the Grand Council (which was really the Commission). They also had Accardo succeeding Charles Fischetti as the Chicago head. They just didn't have a good understanding until Scarpa and Valachi changed it.