General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

[Villain]

Thanks a lot Polack for the great info on Russo and the pic of Jim Vinci.

I think theres no question that Russo was member or at least associated to the old Mafia, although i dont have a clue if he continued in Chicago or fled the city or maybe even changed his name since he was allegedly quite wealthy, while the Vincis were at first obviously with Aiello against Capone/Generos and later their younger brother Joe Vinci joined the Outfit, according to his connections to Alex and Orlando

He kept his name and continued to live in the North Shore suburbs. His wife was in the papers in later years because she was active in Italian charitable/service organizations, so Nunzio wasn't keeping a low profile. This is why I think some arrangement was reached where (assuming he was a man of honor or at least associate) he retired or was shelved. I guess since he survived four hit attempts at some point they were like fuck it, it's not meant to be lol.

lol thanks and i agree

[PolackTony]

I would also like to ask regarding few names, or if all of these guys were Sicilians or not...all of the following names are from the 1920s-1930s era and i also think that all belonged to the old Mafia and some later joined the Capone mob...

[...]

Fred and Joseph Petitti (Grand Av)

Another interesting case. Brothers Angelo and Giuseppe Petitti were born in Faeto, Foggia, along the mountainous border between Puglia and Campania, to Sebastiano Petitti and Antonia Bennedetto. The family emigrated to Chicago, where little brother Fred Pettiti was born around 1898. The family lived near Polk street in the Taylor St Patch.

The papers identified Angelo and Fred as "Black Hand Extortionists" and members of the "so-called Mafia gang". In 1928 Angelo was described as the head of a "Sicilian extortion ring" in a case involving the kidnapping of Billy Ranieri, the young son of alleged extortion target Alexander Frank Ranieri of the North West Side, along with accomplice Andrew Cappellano and Andrew's teenage son Tony. In an interesting twist, the prime witness in the case, "Ole Skully" (Olimpio Scalzitti) of Scontrone L'Aquila, Abruzzo, was shot to death on Taylor after a group of men attack him and his friends with baseball bats. Fred Pettiti and Angelo's father in law Tommaso Tirritilli were suspects in this killing but were never charged. Ole Scalzitti was of course the maternal grandfather of the infamous Richard Cain. Another layer is that Angelo Pettiti's in laws were also from Scontrone, L'Aquila, as were the Ranieris. Tommaso Tirritilli was shot to death in 1929, and Attilio Scalzitti, a cousin of Ole, was targeted in a foiled assassination attempt in 1931. These events may have just been a simple case of family vendette. Another reading, however, is that the issue may have never been extortion to begin with but rather a running battle on Taylor St in the larger war between the anti-Capone and Caponite factions of the Chicago Mafia. This inference is strengthened by later information that Giancana favored Cain because he had long standing ties to Cain's mother Lydia Scalzitti. Further, the Pettitis were linked to former Diamond Joe Esposito bodyguard Tony Boscerano, another suspect in the Scalzitti killing (other suspects included Frank Mastroianni and Pasquale Capitosto).

Angelo was convicted for the kidnapping and apparently executed in 1944. Fred Pettiti was shot to death at a Taylor St pool hall in 1933. The Tribune linked Fred's killing to the recent slayings of Fat Tony Jerfita, Joe Provenzano, and John Liberto, as all four victims were linked to an beer brewing operation on the border of Chicago and Elmwood Park (at the time of his death Fred was living on the NW Side near Irving Park and Menard). Fred's links to the Jerfita group further suggest that the Pettitis were affiliated with the anti-Caponite faction of the Mafia. A few months after Fred was killed, Joseph Pettiti was shot and killed at a card game near Polk and Western.

Angelo Pettiti Jr was later a member of the Buccieri crew. In Chicago money talks, and the Outfit has always made for uneasy bedfellows. Ironically, in the 60s Richard Cain would be convicted of perjury for lying to a grand jury about his recovery of drugs stolen from a pharmacy robbery commited by Angelo Jr (and accomplices).

And just to square things away, latter day Outfit associates Larry and Joseph Petitt are the sons of Joseph Pettiti and Rosina Guarnieri (also from Foggia).

Angelo Pettiti Sr and Andrew Cappellano on trial for the Billy Ranieri kidnapping in 1928:


Fred Pettiti:


Olimpio Scalzitti and his grandson Richard Cain:

[PolackTony]

Just to be clear on the above, the surname is spelled "Petitti". It looks like autocorrect screwed me again.

[PolackTony]

Andrew Cappellano and Angelo Petitti in Statesville Penitentiary 1940:


It seems that Cappellano was released shortly after this and was living in Chicago on West Ohio St. He was born Andrea Cappellano in Cianciana, Agrigento and died in 1957.

[PolackTony]

Vincenzo "Jimmy" Vinci with his bride Josephine Morici, who's family were from Termini Imerese. This is a further clue that the Calabrian Vinci family potentially had ties to the Sicilian family in Chicago.

Jimmy Vinci's wife Josie Morici was the daughter of Salvatore Morici of Termini Imerese. I wonder of course if Salvatore was related to old time Chicago Mafia rappresentante Joseph Morici. I note that my info suggests that Salvatore had both a brother and father named Giuseppe. There was a Giuseppe Morici who died in Chicago in 1925, born in 1855 in Termini with a father also named Giuseppe (my understanding is that traditionally in Sicily fathers didn't give their sons their names, so this is a clue). He was a wholesale fruit merchant, an occupation befitting and old style Mafia boss, and was probably the same Joseph Morici (born 1855) living on the Near North Side on the 200 block of North Union St in 1900 (when Morici was supposedly the boss of the Chicago family) along with his father Joseph.

Anyone know if boss Joseph Morici was from Termini as well?

[Antiliar]

Tom Hunt wrote that Joseph Morici was from Castelbuono.

[PolackTony]

I would also like to ask regarding few names, or if all of these guys were Sicilians or not...all of the following names are from the 1920s-1930s era and i also think that all belonged to the old Mafia and some later joined the Capone mob...

Sam and Charles Tornabene (Cicero and Harvey Ill)

Cuono, John and Sam Nuzzo (Taylor St and Melrose Park)

Joseph and William Dote (Rush St and Grand)

Anthony Jerfita (Elmwood Park and Grand)

Louis Schiavone (Local 110)

Ernest and Fred Mazzone (Taylor St/Melrose Park)

I couldn't really find any info for a Joseph Dote. Willie Dote yes, he was in the papers several times from the 30s-50s for running sports books around the Loop. His parents were from Montefalcone di Val Fortore, Benevento near the border with Puglia and close to Faeto, where the Petittis were from.

Salvatore Tornabene was born in Lascari, Palermo. Him and his cousin Charles were identified as bootleggers in the south suburbs in the area of Harvey and Homewood. Sam was killed in 1935 in the town of East Hazel, and was described as being affiliated with the "Capone ring" at the time. Charles appeared in the papers later in 1935 after being busted running two illegal stills in Harvey, along with a "Rosoro" (Rosario I assume) Davi. By the 1940s Charles had moved up to the West Side, living in the Chicago Ave Italian section of Humboldt Park near Monticello and Augusta. He seems to go quiet after his 1935 arrest, perhaps retired from the game.

Cuono Nuzzo was born in Acerra, Napoli, and died in Chicago in 1937. He lived and worked on the West Side. In 1930 Cuono was arrested as part of a group involved in Bomba making at a farm near Melrose Park owned by Tony Callendo, apparently loyalists to Melrose Park boss Joe Montana (also from Acerra, as well as his deceased boss Joe Esposito). Also arrested were Cuono's young son John Nuzzo as well as a Sam Nuzzo (unclear what the exact relation was). A question would be if these Nuzzo's had any relation to the Sam Nuzzo Sr and Jr arrested for running gambling in NW Indiana in 1990 under Snooks Morgano.

Ernie Mazzone was born 1920 in Chicago to Giuseppe Mazzone and Virginia Del Giudice. His parents were from Senerchia, Avellino (the same small comune that Vito Marzullo and his in-laws were from), and as a kid the family lived near Taylor St near Harrison and Marshfield. There was a Fred Mazzone who ran a bar called the Shack Bar on the 600 block of N Clark St on the Near North Side. In the 50s he was arrested for dealing narcotics, and he seems to have also been a fence for stolen goods. Most likely he was a cousin of Ernie. I have Fred born in Chicago in 1908, and his father Matteo Mazzone was also from Senerchia. To make things more complicated, Fred had an older brother also named Ernest Mazzone, born in 1896. They also grew up by Taylor, on Jefferson near Polk.

Luigi Salvatore Schiavone was probably born around 1895 in New York to parents from Laurenzana, Potenza (Joe Spadavecchio's father was also from Laurenzana). As a kid his family lived on Taylor near Desplaines (I note also that there were some Scalzittis on this block). He was killed in 1939 on the South West side near 85th and Karlov. At the time of his death he was described as Capone ally targeted in a labor dispute.

Fat Tony Jerfita was born Antonino Giuffrida in 1900 in Caccamo, Palermo to Nicolo Giuffrida and Maria Pusateri (the Guzaldos were also from Caccamo, as were the Costello/Castellis and Guzzinos of the Heights). He was killed in 1932, and the Tribune attributed his killing to an alcohol cooking operation in competition with the "syndicate". Jerfita ran a brewery in Elmwood Park, and his partners included Fred Petitti, John and Joe Provenzano, John Liberto, and John Pantaleo. Petitti, Liberto, and Joe Provenzano were also all killed. The Provenzano brothers were from Rende, Cosenza, and I believe another brother Frank Provenzano was connected as he was arrested with a hijacked shipment of whiskey in 1934. John Pantaleo was probably Giacomo "John Jacob" Pantaleo, born 1878 in Burgio, Agrigento. His wife was Maria Bacino, also of Burgio. Not confirmed but it's entirely possible that her family had some connection to Phil Bacino of the Heights, as Burgio and Ribera are very close. Another link to the Petittis is that at the time of his death Jerfita was living at Altgeld and Sayre in the North West Side, not from from the Ranieri family from the Angelo Petitti kidnapping.

[PolackTony]

Likely members of Joe Montana's crew in Melrose Park, arrested for making explosives at the property of Tony Callendo:



Fat Tony Jerfita (Antonino Giuffrida) and his bride Anna:


Joseph Provenzano:


John Pantaleo questioned by police following Provenzano's murder:

[PolackTony]

Tom Hunt wrote that Joseph Morici was from Castelbuono.

Thanks for the info. I note that Hunt has Morici as from "the Castelbuono-Termini area". Not sure what to make of that as they're about 50km apart. He also notes that at the time of the Salvatore Digiovanni hit, Morici was working as a commission merchant, the same occupation listed for the Joseph Morici living at Unión st in 1900 that I referenced above.

While not confirmed, it is possible that Jimmy Vincis wife could've been a niece or some other relative of Morici. If so, this goes to further suggest that the Mafia in Chicago had close ties to mainland Southerners early on.

[SolarSolano]

Good read on a 2005 Outfit scam:
http://waswaaganhaps.blogspot.com/2006/ ... dness.html

You really gotta wonder how many other casinos owned by indian tribes across the midwest these guys have a piece of. Mark Monatana is a fairly well-known real estate executive in Chicago - I believe there is a Dominic Montana who is associated with Sarno/Caruso.

[Coloboy]

Solanos post above got me thinking...I am very interested to hear everyone’s opinion on the current 26th St crew.

General consensus is it is possible that we have two outfit groups or crews left....26th/Cicero and Grand/Elmwood. Of course it’s still possible there are 4 separate groups as well.

We have had active arrests and indictments involving Cicero, grand, and EP guys in the last 5 years. Nothing from 26th.

The guys names I hear are the Carusos, and Nick Ferriolla. Last time I heard Toots Caruso’s name connected to anything “active” was the Sarno/Saflrski video poker deal in 09/10 ish.

These guys still going? Folded into Cicero? Many also thought the Delegudice bookmaking bust this year was 26th st related.

[Villain]

I would also like to ask regarding few names, or if all of these guys were Sicilians or not...all of the following names are from the 1920s-1930s era and i also think that all belonged to the old Mafia and some later joined the Capone mob...

[...]

Fred and Joseph Petitti (Grand Av)

Another interesting case. Brothers Angelo and Giuseppe Petitti were born in Faeto, Foggia, along the mountainous border between Puglia and Campania, to Sebastiano Petitti and Antonia Bennedetto. The family emigrated to Chicago, where little brother Fred Pettiti was born around 1898. The family lived near Polk street in the Taylor St Patch.

The papers identified Angelo and Fred as "Black Hand Extortionists" and members of the "so-called Mafia gang". In 1928 Angelo was described as the head of a "Sicilian extortion ring" in a case involving the kidnapping of Billy Ranieri, the young son of alleged extortion target Alexander Frank Ranieri of the North West Side, along with accomplice Andrew Cappellano and Andrew's teenage son Tony. In an interesting twist, the prime witness in the case, "Ole Skully" (Olimpio Scalzitti) of Scontrone L'Aquila, Abruzzo, was shot to death on Taylor after a group of men attack him and his friends with baseball bats. Fred Pettiti and Angelo's father in law Tommaso Tirritilli were suspects in this killing but were never charged. Ole Scalzitti was of course the maternal grandfather of the infamous Richard Cain. Another layer is that Angelo Pettiti's in laws were also from Scontrone, L'Aquila, as were the Ranieris. Tommaso Tirritilli was shot to death in 1929, and Attilio Scalzitti, a cousin of Ole, was targeted in a foiled assassination attempt in 1931. These events may have just been a simple case of family vendette. Another reading, however, is that the issue may have never been extortion to begin with but rather a running battle on Taylor St in the larger war between the anti-Capone and Caponite factions of the Chicago Mafia. This inference is strengthened by later information that Giancana favored Cain because he had long standing ties to Cain's mother Lydia Scalzitti. Further, the Pettitis were linked to former Diamond Joe Esposito bodyguard Tony Boscerano, another suspect in the Scalzitti killing (other suspects included Frank Mastroianni and Pasquale Capitosto).

Angelo was convicted for the kidnapping and apparently executed in 1944. Fred Pettiti was shot to death at a Taylor St pool hall in 1933. The Tribune linked Fred's killing to the recent slayings of Fat Tony Jerfita, Joe Provenzano, and John Liberto, as all four victims were linked to an beer brewing operation on the border of Chicago and Elmwood Park (at the time of his death Fred was living on the NW Side near Irving Park and Menard). Fred's links to the Jerfita group further suggest that the Pettitis were affiliated with the anti-Caponite faction of the Mafia. A few months after Fred was killed, Joseph Pettiti was shot and killed at a card game near Polk and Western.

Angelo Pettiti Jr was later a member of the Buccieri crew. In Chicago money talks, and the Outfit has always made for uneasy bedfellows. Ironically, in the 60s Richard Cain would be convicted of perjury for lying to a grand jury about his recovery of drugs stolen from a pharmacy robbery commited by Angelo Jr (and accomplices).

And just to square things away, latter day Outfit associates Larry and Joseph Petitt are the sons of Joseph Pettiti and Rosina Guarnieri (also from Foggia).

Angelo Pettiti Sr and Andrew Cappellano on trial for the Billy Ranieri kidnapping in 1928:


Fred Pettiti:


Olimpio Scalzitti and his grandson Richard Cain:

Damn man, you're the best. Thanks a lot for this info and to tell you the truth, I always thought that the Petittis were Sicilians. It is possible that Esposito wasnt the only made mainlander by the old Mafia in Chicago ate the time...

Also,back in the days I managed to connect many old time Mafiosi with the help of the Ranieri kidnapping case.

Good info on Jerfita and Ive never seen a photo of him so thanks again.

[SolarSolano]

Solanos post above got me thinking...I am very interested to hear everyone’s opinion on the current 26th St crew.

General consensus is it is possible that we have two outfit groups or crews left....26th/Cicero and Grand/Elmwood. Of course it’s still possible there are 4 separate groups as well.

We have had active arrests and indictments involving Cicero, grand, and EP guys in the last 5 years. Nothing from 26th.

The guys names I hear are the Carusos, and Nick Ferriolla. Last time I heard Toots Caruso’s name connected to anything “active” was the Sarno/Saflrski video poker deal in 09/10 ish.

These guys still going? Folded into Cicero? Many also thought the Delegudice bookmaking bust this year was 26th st related.

Toots and his brother work for Cicero now - that is my view. He's been close Inendino for a long time - they both lived in Darien I believe.

[PolackTony]

I would also like to ask regarding few names, or if all of these guys were Sicilians or not...all of the following names are from the 1920s-1930s era and i also think that all belonged to the old Mafia and some later joined the Capone mob...

Sam and Charles Tornabene (Cicero and Harvey Ill)

Cuono, John and Sam Nuzzo (Taylor St and Melrose Park)

Joseph and William Dote (Rush St and Grand)

Anthony Jerfita (Elmwood Park and Grand)

Louis Schiavone (Local 110)

Ernest and Fred Mazzone (Taylor St/Melrose Park)

I couldn't really find any info for a Joseph Dote. Willie Dote yes, he was in the papers several times from the 30s-50s for running sports books around the Loop. His parents were from Montefalcone di Val Fortore, Benevento near the border with Puglia and close to Faeto, where the Petittis were from.

Salvatore Tornabene was born in Lascari, Palermo. Him and his cousin Charles were identified as bootleggers in the south suburbs in the area of Harvey and Homewood. Sam was killed in 1935 in the town of East Hazel, and was described as being affiliated with the "Capone ring" at the time. Charles appeared in the papers later in 1935 after being busted running two illegal stills in Harvey, along with a "Rosoro" (Rosario I assume) Davi. By the 1940s Charles had moved up to the West Side, living in the Chicago Ave Italian section of Humboldt Park near Monticello and Augusta. He seems to go quiet after his 1935 arrest, perhaps retired from the game.

Cuono Nuzzo was born in Acerra, Napoli, and died in Chicago in 1937. He lived and worked on the West Side. In 1930 Cuono was arrested as part of a group involved in Bomba making at a farm near Melrose Park owned by Tony Callendo, apparently loyalists to Melrose Park boss Joe Montana (also from Acerra, as well as his deceased boss Joe Esposito). Also arrested were Cuono's young son John Nuzzo as well as a Sam Nuzzo (unclear what the exact relation was). A question would be if these Nuzzo's had any relation to the Sam Nuzzo Sr and Jr arrested for running gambling in NW Indiana in 1990 under Snooks Morgano.

Ernie Mazzone was born 1920 in Chicago to Giuseppe Mazzone and Virginia Del Giudice. His parents were from Senerchia, Avellino (the same small comune that Vito Marzullo and his in-laws were from), and as a kid the family lived near Taylor St near Harrison and Marshfield. There was a Fred Mazzone who ran a bar called the Shack Bar on the 600 block of N Clark St on the Near North Side. In the 50s he was arrested for dealing narcotics, and he seems to have also been a fence for stolen goods. Most likely he was a cousin of Ernie. I have Fred born in Chicago in 1908, and his father Matteo Mazzone was also from Senerchia. To make things more complicated, Fred had an older brother also named Ernest Mazzone, born in 1896. They also grew up by Taylor, on Jefferson near Polk.

Luigi Salvatore Schiavone was probably born around 1895 in New York to parents from Laurenzana, Potenza (Joe Spadavecchio's father was also from Laurenzana). As a kid his family lived on Taylor near Desplaines (I note also that there were some Scalzittis on this block). He was killed in 1939 on the South West side near 85th and Karlov. At the time of his death he was described as Capone ally targeted in a labor dispute.

Fat Tony Jerfita was born Antonino Giuffrida in 1900 in Caccamo, Palermo to Nicolo Giuffrida and Maria Pusateri (the Guzaldos were also from Caccamo, as were the Costello/Castellis and Guzzinos of the Heights). He was killed in 1932, and the Tribune attributed his killing to an alcohol cooking operation in competition with the "syndicate". Jerfita ran a brewery in Elmwood Park, and his partners included Fred Petitti, John and Joe Provenzano, John Liberto, and John Pantaleo. Petitti, Liberto, and Joe Provenzano were also all killed. The Provenzano brothers were from Rende, Cosenza, and I believe another brother Frank Provenzano was connected as he was arrested with a hijacked shipment of whiskey in 1934. John Pantaleo was probably Giacomo "John Jacob" Pantaleo, born 1878 in Burgio, Agrigento. His wife was Maria Bacino, also of Burgio. Not confirmed but it's entirely possible that her family had some connection to Phil Bacino of the Heights, as Burgio and Ribera are very close. Another link to the Petittis is that at the time of his death Jerfita was living at Altgeld and Sayre in the North West Side, not from from the Ranieri family from the Angelo Petitti kidnapping.

There was conflicting information in some of the family trees for the Giuseppe Provenzano killed in December 1932. After re-review of further sources I think it's much more likely the Provenzanos were Sicilian. Joe's father was probably Vincenzo Provenzano (some sources say born in Partinico, Palermo and others say Corleone), while his mother was probably Paola Paparcuri of Corleone.

[Villain]

Mazzones alias was "West Side" Frankie Pope