The 1936 Chicago murder of John Benedetto

[cavita]

The story of John Benedetto is a mysterious one from his birth around 1903 in Donaldsonville, Louisiana through his life in Rockford, Illinois and his ultimate death in Chicago in 1936. His family history is lost to time, but he first appears on the police blotters in Rockford when he was arrested on July 23, 1929 for possession of a large alcohol still and nearly 50,000 gallons of mash at 1225 Cunningham Street. The still occupied two floors of a barn on the rear of the property.

Beginning in May 1930 federal agents were in Rockford attempting to mop up the city’s bootleggers and Benedetto was in their sights as well as over two dozen other Rockford men. On November 10, 1930 the feds caught up with Benedetto in Donaldsonville, Louisiana and brought him back to Rockford to face charges. Benedetto was eventually tried and convicted on liquor charges and was sentenced to a term at Leavenworth where he spent time with the Rockford “Italian colony” there- a group which included Rockford LCN boss Tony Musso, future Rockford underboss Gaspare Calo and future Rockford capo Lorenzo Buttice among others.

On December 24, 1931 Benedetto was released from Leavenworth and went about ingratiating himself further into the criminal element in Rockford. After the end of Prohibition, the Rockford Italian underworld had to find other means to make their illegal profits- gambling and prostitution were just two of them, but auto theft was another way. On February 3, 1934 Benedetto was arrested yet again- this time for his involvement in a far-reaching car theft and bandit ring that included Joe Gennusa, Alex Rotello, Vincent Tarara, Sam Parisi, Joe Vernarsky, Joe Sartino, Joe Sparacino, Tony Sparacino, Joe Leggio, Tony Donze, Julius Altenburn, Glen Althoff, Sergio Achilli, Nick Rotello, Jeaness Atkins, James Tripodi, Frank Tripodi, George Dosier, Arthur Lesse and Joe Calcione.

Benedetto himself was charged with receiving and concealing a stolen motor vehicle but apparently charges were either dismissed against him or he received probation and a fine as no mention of his disposition could be found.

Also, by this time Benedetto was making a name for himself as a sports promoter especially in the boxing and wrestling arenas. Additionally, he sponsored all kinds of events in Rockford including art and music programs as well, but he also plunged more into the gambling life. A June 20, 1936 arrest for Benedetto saw him being charged as the keeper of a gambling house at the Jolly Fifty Club at 1026 ½ South Main Street in Rockford. Twenty-one other men were charged as inmates of the gambling establishment and it was noted that the club had been a popular after hours joint and gambling den.

Among the people arrested in that raid was George Turner of Chicago. It was said that Turner and Byron had bankrolled the crap game at the Jolly Fifty Club. Charges were dismissed in this case when the complaining witness, who lost money at the gambling game, refused to appear in court to testify. For whatever reason, on June 28th Turner, his wife and Harry Byron were shot at by unidentified assailants while they were riding together in their car between Rockford and Belvidere.

In an interesting angle, Chicago police stated that George Turner was shot in that city in 1931 by four gunmen in what police describe was a “renewal of gambling warfare.” At that time Turner was said to be associated with Martin Guilfoyle on the Chicago northside. Guilfoyle was part of the gang that controlled alcohol distribution in the northern suburbs of Chicago that included Skokie, Niles and Morton Grove. Two days after the attempt on the lives of Turner and his companions, a hired hand on the Howard Dempsey farm, three miles east of Poplar Grove found a hidden cache of weapons and alerted authorities. It was found that one bullet was fired from the 30-30 rifle and two revolvers were loaded. The revolvers were a Colt army special 32-30 with high powered bullets and a Smith and Wesson .38 caliber special. Authorities were investigating the possibility the weapons were used in the Turner shooting, the recent killing of the son of the owner of the Butterfly Inn in Beloit or if they belonged to a gang of holdup men that were operating in the area. In addition to the three weapons, investigators found a set of license plates belonging to Mrs. Mary Pratt, tavern operator at 1110 ½ South Main Street in Rockford. Both Pratt and her husband claimed they did not know the plates were missing from the car. Additionally, a man’s coat was found near the guns with the tailor label missing as well as a pair of canvas gloves and another single glove. The Turner shooting took place about four miles from where the cache of weapons was found and “the carefully hidden weapons were found along a fence bordering a lonely gravel road about a quarter mile south of Dempsey’s farm home” as the Rockford Morning Star described.

For whatever reason, Benedetto was in Chicago on November 15, 1936 when he was found slumped behind the wheel of his car at 3450 N. Racine Avenue. He had been shot several times in the right side and back. At the time he had been in charge of raising $400 to pay a fine and tax imposed on Tony Catalano of Rockford for his failure to make payment on a federal fine of bootlegging from 1934.

One theory that was advanced in the murder was that Benedetto was involved in the robbery of $40,000 worth of jewelry from millionaire Chicago socialites Mr. and Mrs. John Cuneo. Authorities had brought in “Tough Tony” Capezio for questioning in this as well and it was thought that Capezio and Benedetto were part of a robbery gang that quarreled about the loot that ultimately led to the murder of Benedetto. This theory was discounted when it was proven that Benedetto was still in Rockford at the time of the Cuneo robbery as his nephew Tony Inzerillo stated he had talked to his uncle at that time on a Rockford street.

Though no one was ever arrested for the murder of John Benedetto, authorities were convinced that it was at the hand of Rockford hoodlums and that they perhaps drove to Chicago with Benedetto, murdered him there and secured a ride back to Rockford. Was this true or was Benedetto murdered in retaliation for the attempt on George Turner’s life?

No family was noted as next of kin for Benedetto other than the nephew, no obituary ever appeared in the Rockford newspapers but mention was made that he was engaged to be married to Carmela “Nellie” Caruana in February 1937.

[Antiliar]

Looks like he went as John D. Benedetto, and his parents were Antonino and Girolama Palermo DiBenedetto, originally from Salaparuta, Trapani, Sicily. The siblings were Nick DiBenedetto, Katie DiBenedeto Pizzolato, Josephine De Benedetoo Inzerilla, Jennie DiBenedetto Montalbano, Charles Benedetto, and Virginia DiBenedetto Randazzo. John was the youngest sibling. According to the 1920 census, both of his parents were in their 70s when he was 16, so they had him late in life.

In 1930 he was renting a room from James and Kate Toscano at 216 Pearl Street in Rockford.

I don't know if it's the same person, but there was a John Benedetto along with a Tessie Laurie who had a baby that died after 10 days in Chicago on February 10, 1936.

[cavita]

Looks like he went as John D. Benedetto, and his parents were Antonino and Girolama Palermo DiBenedetto, originally from Salaparuta, Trapani, Sicily. The siblings were Nick DiBenedetto, Katie DiBenedeto Pizzolato, Josephine De Benedetoo Inzerilla, Jennie DiBenedetto Montalbano, Charles Benedetto, and Virginia DiBenedetto Randazzo. John was the youngest sibling. According to the 1920 census, both of his parents were in their 70s when he was 16, so they had him late in life.

In 1930 he was renting a room from James and Kate Toscano at 216 Pearl Street in Rockford.

I don't know if it's the same person, but there was a John Benedetto along with a Tessie Laurie who had a baby that died after 10 days in Chicago on February 10, 1936.

Awesome legwork my friend! I had wondered long ago if his last name was DiBenedetto but nothing concrete. Thank you much for your input.

[Antiliar]

Awesome legwork my friend! I had wondered long ago if his last name was DiBenedetto but nothing concrete. Thank you much for your input.

Glad to help. Always enjoy your work. Have a question for you. You wrote that one of the sources of income for the Rockford Outfit was prostitution. I know that in general the Sicilian Mafia frowns on prostitution, so was the group involved in prostitution directly or just as a result of extortion?

[cavita]

Awesome legwork my friend! I had wondered long ago if his last name was DiBenedetto but nothing concrete. Thank you much for your input.

Glad to help. Always enjoy your work. Have a question for you. You wrote that one of the sources of income for the Rockford Outfit was prostitution. I know that in general the Sicilian Mafia frowns on prostitution, so was the group involved in prostitution directly or just as a result of extortion?

They were involved directly and indirectly. Early on, Rockford underboss Gaspare Calo and his brother-in-law consigliere Joe Zito were noted in 1940s police reports as two hoodlums that were active in "white slave traffic." Oddly, I was just researching some of this when I read your question. One of the early Rockford gangsters that was murdered was Nick Misuraca in 1933. I was researching his arrest in 1931 with Nick Pontos. They had a "Clearing house" or "girl mart" as it was described for underage girls at Pontos' restaurant at 302 E. State Street. These underage girls would entertain many men in a night.
In 1934 under the alias Joe Bruno, consigliere Joe Zito was arrested for operating a "disorderly house." Six male customers and two women were also arrested. The LaFranka brothers and Calcione brothers, all Rockford LCN associates took arrests for operating brothels in the 1940s and 1950s while Andrew Calcione was arrested with his wife in 1963 for operating a call girl ring. Rockford LCN members Phil Priola ran prostitution out of his Town and Country Motel in the 1960s and twins Joe and Pasquale Gucciardo, LCN associates were widely known as Rockford pimps that supplied girls to the motel. LCN member Phil Cannella had a brother Anthony that ran prostitutes out of his tavern with associate Nello Cellitti in the 1960s.
In a more sad incident in 1975 several underage girls from the Rocvale Children's Home were found to working at a brothel that was connected to the brother of Rockford LCN capo Charles VInce. Nick Vince as arrested along with Jimmy Capicotte, Frank Sparacino and Joe Inglima were all arrested for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. It was widely known that Nick was running this operation with the blessing of his brother Charles. Into the 1980s and 1990s with the strip bars in Rockford, a more hands off approach was taken but these clubs were given a "street tax" to continue to operate with Frank "Gumba" Saladino making the collections. I knew Frank to come into Ken's Hideaway, the Surf Lounge and Aldino's weekly supposedly to make these pickups.
When interviewed by the FBI, LCN members would state that the family did not deal in women and that it was frowned upon, but it was too big of a moneymaker to ignore.

[B.]

Would be good to know if DeBenedetto had ties to the mafiosi from Salaparuta in LA and Dallas. Those ones were all related. Joe Civello was one of those in Texas and you're the one who told me Civello was related by marriage to Rockford's Tony Musso. So that's at least two Salaparuta connections to Rockford.

His sister was married to a Pizzolato, makes me wonder if there is a connection to the Newark family Pizzolatos who joined the Lucchese. They were from Vita not far from Salaparuta. We know other Newark family figures had strong ties to Rockford and there are a lot of early ties between NJ and Illinois in general.

[Villain]

Another great read Cavita and thanks.

The Circus Café (Tony Capezio, Claudie Maddox and Willie Heeney) on the northwest was a home base for many gangsters from different territories that were in alliance with the Capone mob, including members of the Guilfoyle gang headed by Marty Guilfoyle. I also think that Guilfoyle was also connected to Danny Vallo who in turn was a leader of one the farm teams for the old Mafia and was also a precinct captain in the 19th ward for D'Andrea or Merlo but later joined the Capone Mob.