Early 1970s Chicago member informant

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Villain
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant

Post by Villain »

PolackTony wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 9:41 am
Villain wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 5:03 am
The second thing is that there was also one Frank Battaglia (possibly born in 1906) who was also allegedly connected to the Battaglia clan and was killed in 1932 allegedly on Nitto's orders. During the late 1910's and early 1920's there was one Louis Battaglia who was a precinct captain in the 19th Ward for Tony D'Andrea.
I'm not 100% certain but I think that the Frank Battaglia who was killed in 1932 was actually from Bari. The Louis Battaglia that you mention I'm not sure about. If he was precinct captain for D'Andrea then maybe this indicates as well that he was a "man of honor".
Thanks again. Even back then i was suspicious regarding Frank being related to the Battaglia clan and maybe i made a mistake.

In 1921 Louis Battaglia barely survived a bomb blast together with Pete Fosco, Pete Granata and one Victor Tortoriello. Most of us know who Fosco and Granata were, but besides Louis I also wonder if that Tortoriello fella was related to Mugsy Tortoriello?
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant

Post by Antiliar »

Villain wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 4:27 am
Ok, so Ricca arrived in 1920 and took a job at the theatre....the Bella Napoli opened in 1921....Ricca allegedly started in 1923 and was the day manager.

Ricca being the day manager at the Bella Napoli corresponds with the info regarding his previous job in New York in the restaurant business for the Calabreses (he possibly started as a waiter).

When he landed in Chicago, he started at the Dante theatre as the guy who showed ppl to their seats, which was another low profile job that confirms the theory regarding Ricca keeping a low profile in the US after the bloody mess he created back in Italy.

So my point is...it is possible that Riccas beginnings in the US were legit and at first he stayed away from trouble. But his fearsome and bloody reputation probably preceded him around the Italian community, especially when he landed in Chicago. He had more than a year to meet all the "right" people like Esposito and Volpe who in turn started his criminal career in the states.
The problem with Ricca's chronology is that in November 1923 - about six months after it was raided by federal Prohibition agents - the Bella Napoli was padlocked for a year. Joe Esposito ended up selling it to William Coscioni. Coscioni, born in Aversa in 1877, previously managed the Capri Inn - which was owned by Mafia boss Anthony D'Andrea. Ricca did say he also worked for Coscioni.
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant

Post by Ed »

Great thread. As soon as one of these FBI's files get posted, I, like many of you, look for the informants giving up the organization's history and membership. I'm still digging into this guy, but just a couple of observations/comments.

Document dated 10/7/71.

Just my interpretation, but I don't necessarily think the individual "shot down in gangland fashion" in 1931 was a relative of the informant. In the other document dated 8/31/71, he gives a date of 1930 for the killing (assuming it refers to the same event/person). He remarks that the individual was as "powerful in the outfit as the Genna brothers." That sounds more like Tony Lombardo or someone like that.

The two fellows who got into the "juice racket" are Sam and Mario DeStefano. Not sure how they figure into the two preceding sentences since the DeStefano brothers weren't born in Sicily. Why bring up their names? Sometimes the flow of these documents is very choppy and the narrative is all over the place.

Sam De Stefano is the individual Vito Tascione indicated might get hit for "complaining" about the outfit. The informant stated Sam & Mario were both Mafia members, but another brother "Jimmy" was "legit" and had nothing to do with them.
The informant went on to say that the only action on the Westside was "parley cards and occasional gambling." An unnamed individual told the informant that to get a juice loan, "they got to know you."

The informant's ignorance of current activities in the loan/juice rackets suggests he's not involved in any of these rackets; otherwise, he would already know these things.

The informant indicated he and his wife attended wake/funeral for Phil Alderisio because they were "expected to appear." The reluctance implied in that statement suggests maybe the informant had gone "legit" himself and didn't like to be publicly associated with gangsters. Or he was retired and found these social gatherings to be an annoyance?

I don't know if someone mentioned this in the prior posts, but I have to figure the female in the mystery couple at the wake for Alderisio was supposed to Sam Giancana dressed in drag. Interesting that the informant states that Giancana (likely) pushed Alderisio up the organization, but he faced resistance from the "top people."

The informant also wondered if Johnny Varelli, who was going to prison, could serve his time without "blowing his lid."

Document dated 8/31/71

I find the detailed reference to Bugs Moran odd. Why talk about him? Seems random unless the informant or his family had a connection to Moran or his old operation? Also, how would he know things like how Moran behaved in Leavenworth, that he died of cancer, etc.? The stuff about his son? Antiliar pointed out the inconsistencies in those statements, but why would the informant even know the false information? Was he in prison with him?

Informant indicated he became a close friend to Sam Giancana in the late 1940s. That suggests that they didn't grow in the same neighborhood or an age difference.

He indicated that Giancana's departure from Chicago was his "biggest personal loss." That's quite a statement. It appears the informant screwed up, maybe sometime in the early 1950s, and Giancana "saved his life.” (This statement also suggests Joe Battaglia isn't the informant since his brother could have spoken up for him and protected him, not Giancana.) The informant would appear to be someone who benefitted greatly from being close to Giancana, at least in the past.

Everybody at the wakes/funerals recognize the informant's wife, so that suggests a long marriage.

The informant indicated reluctance to attend Sam Battaglia's wife/son's wake. He said his wife understood that "they had to go" to the wake because "[the informant] was one of them." This statement probably means Joe Battaglia isn't the informant. Unless he was fighting with his brother, why wouldn't he go to his nephew's or sister-in-law's funeral? Informant also says he talked to Joe Battaglia and calls him a "nothing" like Rocco Salvatore.

Also, here’s a partial listing of attendees at Alderisio’s wake. Our boy is likely here. Unfortunately, many names are redacted, and page 2 is missing.

https://archive.org/details/paul-ricca- ... 9/mode/1up (page 120)


Document dated 11/18/71

Informant disparages Chris Cardi and implies he hates drug dealing and excessive violence. Suggests informant is not part of the enforcement arm of the outfit.

The informant was friendly with Sam Cesario and was with him a week before his murder. He attended Cesario’s funeral even though Sam got “crossways” with the organization, and virtually no other Outfit members attended. Why would the informant go to the funeral if it was an unpopular thing to do? The informant did not want to attend former boss Alderisio’s wake, yet he participated in the wake of a sanctioned murder victim? Was he related to the victim?

Document dated 1/25/72
(Likely from the same informant since SA Frank Ford handles him, the period is the same, and he uses the exact phrase “elder statesmen.”)

Informant and his wife attended Joseph Gagliano’s wake. There is a list of attendees in either the Ricca or Frabotta file. Can't find the link at the moment. Look for duplicates who attended Alderisio’s wake.

According to the informant, he is very friendly with Joseph Red Altieri.


As Snakes indicated, I think we can probably connect him to a few more documents but I’m putting them aside for now because I haven’t really studied them. I think together, we can probably identify this guy.
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant

Post by B. »

Very good stuff, guys. Nice to see Ed bringing the big guns into the game.

I'm def not convinced the informant had Trapanese heritage or was directly affiliated with the Gennas, only that it's a decent lead based on the references to the Gennas recruiting from Sicily and his own relatives coming from Sicily to work for (and join) the local Chicago mafia. None of these people were operating in a vacuum, so it's very possible his relatives were from another part of Sicily and worked with the Gennas in Chicago, or that the informant just used the Gennas as an example he was familiar with. It's unlikely the informant knew the lay of the land in Sicily (few did) and it's impressive enough that a 1970s Chicago informant would recall those early ties to Sicily.

Battaglia's father being a "civilian" would match this informant, who says his father steered clear of the mafia. Was Joe Battaglia's father still alive in the 1970s? In the report, he says his father was alive and able to travel and invest in real estate as of the early 1970s. The Battaglia father's DOD would be a big indicator as far as Joe Battaglia being the informant.

Glad we know who the "active" members are that he referred to, though the way he brought them up seems a little strange in context. Ed makes a good point about the "narrative" of these reports sometimes going all over the place, with the redactions sometimes making it seem the info is connected or part of the same line of thought when it isn't.

Like Ed, I got the impression too that the informant was semi-active or even inactive when it came to crime and direct mafia affairs. His connections to the organization seem primarily social which brings him various gossip, and when he brings up his father he gives an indication that he himself might not be living in the Chicago area consistently, as he says touching base with his "family" (meaning personal) in the area will give him more info on what the outfit is up to in Chicago.
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant

Post by Snakes »

Ed wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 2:02 pm Also, here’s a partial listing of attendees at Alderisio’s wake. Our boy is likely here. Unfortunately, many names are redacted, and page 2 is missing.

https://archive.org/details/paul-ricca- ... 9/mode/1up (page 120)
Some of the redacted names at Alderisio's wake are:

Joe Arnold
Sam DeStefano
Sam Farrugia
Irvin Weiner

Some other possibilities based on where they lie in the alphabet (although many of the "bigger" names listed here are frequently named in FBI files, so if it was them they should be unredacted. Likewise, a lot of the names listed below were small time compared to some of the other names listed so they could probably be excluded. I simply wanted to be all inclusive with the list of names I have for this time period so I included everyone):

Frank or Sam Lisciandrella
Joseph Lombardo
Frank Loverde
Sam Luzi
Sam Maccaluso
Anthony Maenza
John Manzella
Anthony Mastro
John Matassa, Sr.
Phil Mesi
William McGuire
Frank Mulea
Romeo Nappi
Chuck Nicoletti
Dominic Nuccio
Anthony Orlando
Frank Orlando
Anthony Ortenzi
Anthony Padavonia
Nick Palermo
Anthony Panzica
Sam Pardee
Lenny Patrick
Ralph Pierce
Al Pilotto
Ben Policheri
Rocco Potenzo
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant

Post by Antiliar »

Villain wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 11:21 am
PolackTony wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 9:41 am
Villain wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 5:03 am
The second thing is that there was also one Frank Battaglia (possibly born in 1906) who was also allegedly connected to the Battaglia clan and was killed in 1932 allegedly on Nitto's orders. During the late 1910's and early 1920's there was one Louis Battaglia who was a precinct captain in the 19th Ward for Tony D'Andrea.
I'm not 100% certain but I think that the Frank Battaglia who was killed in 1932 was actually from Bari. The Louis Battaglia that you mention I'm not sure about. If he was precinct captain for D'Andrea then maybe this indicates as well that he was a "man of honor".
Thanks again. Even back then i was suspicious regarding Frank being related to the Battaglia clan and maybe i made a mistake.

In 1921 Louis Battaglia barely survived a bomb blast together with Pete Fosco, Pete Granata and one Victor Tortoriello. Most of us know who Fosco and Granata were, but besides Louis I also wonder if that Tortoriello fella was related to Mugsy Tortoriello?
Mugsy Tortoriello WAS the son of Victor Tortoriello, but was he the same one who was injured in the bomb blast? I'm not certain. He lived at 708 S. Ashland at the time of the bombing, and there was a matching 1920 census, so it appears to be the same guy. There was a Vito Tortoriello who died in 1928 and was married to Maria and the father of Anthony, Frank and James, and Mrs. Rose Altieri, Mrs. Joseph Serritella, and Mrs. Joseph Franco. (In looking at the obituaries I notice connections between the Tortoriellos, Serritellas, and Pacellis.) There was a Victor A. Tortoriello who died in 1960 and was married to Emma and previously to Mary. He was the father of James and Louise Viti.

Louis Battaglia died in 1953 and was married to Mary Dugo. His siblings were Philip, Joseph, and Rose Rubino. On his World War I draft card it says he was born on August 29, 1887, but on his Word War II draft card it says August 29, 1877 (1877 is a closer match to other records). He came from Termini Imerese. Would need his death certificate to trace other relatives.

Salvatore (Sam) Battaglia Sr., the father of Teetz and Joe, died in 1962.
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant

Post by Ed »

B. wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 2:34 pm
Battaglia's father being a "civilian" would match this informant, who says his father steered clear of the mafia. Was Joe Battaglia's father still alive in the 1970s? In the report, he says his father was alive and able to travel and invest in real estate as of the early 1970s. The Battaglia father's DOD would be a big indicator as far as Joe Battaglia being the informant.

Glad we know who the "active" members are that he referred to, though the way he brought them up seems a little strange in context. Ed makes a good point about the "narrative" of these reports sometimes going all over the place, with the redactions sometimes making it seem the info is connected or part of the same line of thought when it isn't.

Like Ed, I got the impression too that the informant was semi-active or even inactive when it came to crime and direct mafia affairs. His connections to the organization seem primarily social which brings him various gossip, and when he brings up his father he gives an indication that he himself might not be living in the Chicago area consistently, as he says touching base with his "family" (meaning personal) in the area will give him more info on what the outfit is up to in Chicago.
I think you're referring to a different informant. I know his FBI handler was Ford but the guy who supplied the Intel above sounds like he's imprisoned and dependant upon his family for updates on the Outfit. Also, he doesn't know Alderisio well. Our guy did. I think the guy you're referring might be Paul Panczko...just a guess.

Also, in the document dated Nov 12, 1971, he says he last saw Tony Spilotro in Las Vegas a few years ago. Our informant talked to Spilotro at Alderisio's wake in October and remarked he dressed like a sissy. So two different guys.

As for Joe Battaglia, I don't think he's our guy.
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant

Post by Ed »

Snakes wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 2:39 pm
Ed wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 2:02 pm Also, here’s a partial listing of attendees at Alderisio’s wake. Our boy is likely here. Unfortunately, many names are redacted, and page 2 is missing.

https://archive.org/details/paul-ricca- ... 9/mode/1up (page 120)
Some of the redacted names at Alderisio's wake are:

Joe Arnold
Sam DeStefano
Sam Farrugia
Irvin Weiner

Some other possibilities based on where they lie in the alphabet (although many of the "bigger" names listed here are frequently named in FBI files, so if it was them they should be unredacted. Likewise, a lot of the names listed below were small time compared to some of the other names listed so they could probably be excluded. I simply wanted to be all inclusive with the list of names I have for this time period so I included everyone):

Frank or Sam Lisciandrella
Joseph Lombardo
Frank Loverde
Sam Luzi
Sam Maccaluso
Anthony Maenza
John Manzella
Anthony Mastro
John Matassa, Sr.
Phil Mesi
William McGuire
Frank Mulea
Romeo Nappi
Chuck Nicoletti
Dominic Nuccio
Anthony Orlando
Frank Orlando
Anthony Ortenzi
Anthony Padavonia
Nick Palermo
Anthony Panzica
Sam Pardee
Lenny Patrick
Ralph Pierce
Al Pilotto
Ben Policheri
Rocco Potenzo

Thanks Snake. I'm looking at Italian individuals born between 1900-1920. If he was involved in bootlegging he's probably closer to 1900 than 1920. Mind you, he could be referring to the near period after prohibition ended too. My guess is he's a soldier, probably associated with "respectable" rackets like construction or labour racketeering. Probably not associated with the rough stuff. And happily married to the same woman. Also, his connection to Sam Cesario is intriguing. Still can't figure out why he'd go to his wake unless there was more to it.
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant

Post by B. »

Ed wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 3:29 pm I think you're referring to a different informant. I know his FBI handler was Ford but the guy who supplied the Intel above sounds like he's imprisoned and dependant upon his family for updates on the Outfit. Also, he doesn't know Alderisio well. Our guy did. I think the guy you're referring might be Paul Panczko...just a guess.

Also, in the document dated Nov 12, 1971, he says he last saw Tony Spilotro in Las Vegas a few years ago. Our informant talked to Spilotro at Alderisio's wake in October and remarked he dressed like a sissy. So two different guys.

As for Joe Battaglia, I don't think he's our guy.
You're right, the report was in with the reports from this informant, so I confused who it was from.

That opens up more possibilities with this informant's father, meaning one of the older relatives he referred to could be a father. There is definitely a possessive "his" used in reference to the redacted names implying the informant's relationship to them, i.e. "his father and uncle", "his brothers/cousins/etc."
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant

Post by B. »

Chicago figures from Trapani province:

Castelvetrano:
Anthony Accardo
Vito Bascone
Anthony Campo
Sam Giancana
Pietro Montalbano
John Scalise
Note: Montalbano was an early Chicago mafioso, which could tell us this element goes back deeper in Chicago history. Scalise from Castelvetrano was aligned with the Gennas in the 1920s, whose Sicilian hometown is nearby Marsala.

Marsala:
Lorenzo Alagna
Albert Anselmi
Giovanni Blandini
Angelo Genna
Antonio Genna
Michele Genna
Vincenzo "Jim" Genna
Note: I believe all of the above Marsalesi died by the 1920s except for Jim Genna, who was shot in 1931 and died naturally later that year..

Castellammare Del Golfo:
Antonio Domingo
Sebastiano "Buster" Domingo
Joseph Montana Jr.
Note: the Domingos were involved in gangland warfare from Benton Harbor, Michigan during the 1920s. Buster went to NYC and was known as "Buster from Chicago", indicating the Domingos may have been seen as Chicago figures.

Alcamo:
Santo Virusso

Partanna:
Vincenzo Benevento

--

Feel free to correct or add to the above list. Figures from the last three towns seem highly unlikely and if the informant did have relatives from Trapani, I'd guess they would be connected to the Marsala/Castelvetrano element.
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant

Post by avvocato »

This is a fascinating thread to keep up with.
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant

Post by B. »

Sam Cesario's father is from Cosenza, so he probably isn't a paternal blood relative of the informant given the implied Sicilian heritage, but I agree there is something to him attending the funeral. Could point to close friendship or a relation of some kind (if not to the informant, to someone close to the informant).
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant

Post by PolackTony »

Antiliar wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 3:19 pm
Villain wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 11:21 am
PolackTony wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 9:41 am
Villain wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 5:03 am
The second thing is that there was also one Frank Battaglia (possibly born in 1906) who was also allegedly connected to the Battaglia clan and was killed in 1932 allegedly on Nitto's orders. During the late 1910's and early 1920's there was one Louis Battaglia who was a precinct captain in the 19th Ward for Tony D'Andrea.
I'm not 100% certain but I think that the Frank Battaglia who was killed in 1932 was actually from Bari. The Louis Battaglia that you mention I'm not sure about. If he was precinct captain for D'Andrea then maybe this indicates as well that he was a "man of honor".
Thanks again. Even back then i was suspicious regarding Frank being related to the Battaglia clan and maybe i made a mistake.

In 1921 Louis Battaglia barely survived a bomb blast together with Pete Fosco, Pete Granata and one Victor Tortoriello. Most of us know who Fosco and Granata were, but besides Louis I also wonder if that Tortoriello fella was related to Mugsy Tortoriello?
Mugsy Tortoriello WAS the son of Victor Tortoriello, but was he the same one who was injured in the bomb blast? I'm not certain. He lived at 708 S. Ashland at the time of the bombing, and there was a matching 1920 census, so it appears to be the same guy. There was a Vito Tortoriello who died in 1928 and was married to Maria and the father of Anthony, Frank and James, and Mrs. Rose Altieri, Mrs. Joseph Serritella, and Mrs. Joseph Franco. (In looking at the obituaries I notice connections between the Tortoriellos, Serritellas, and Pacellis.) There was a Victor A. Tortoriello who died in 1960 and was married to Emma and previously to Mary. He was the father of James and Louise Viti.
I believe that Victor Tortoriello was Vito Tortoriello. The Tortoriellos, Serritellas, and Pacellis were all from Ricigliano, Salerno (and of course Dan Serritella's mother was Angela Pacelli). There was a whole bunch of "Richies" who settled in Chicago and a number of them were connected guys from Taylor or MP etc.
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant

Post by B. »

What about Joe Costello? I know little about him, if he was even alive in 1971, but he does have some similarities with the informant.

He was a low-key second-generation Sicilian member who had direct access to Giancana. We have that NARA file transcript of Costello consulting with Giancana about an issue, where Costello appears to make a couple references to his "caporegime" (which shows he saw things in more traditional terms, ala the informant using "Mafia" and "Mafia member") and the conversation shows that Joe Costello is himself a member. The fact that Costello would seek Giancana's advice directly could show a close relationship, as implied by the informant about Giancana's departure being a big loss to him personally.

Costello's father and uncle were important figures in the 1920s. They came from Caccamo, which produced a number of members from that period, so the Caccamesi could have recruited compaesani from Sicily.

The name Costello is primarily an Irish name and Frank Costello adopted it from his original Italian name, making me wonder what the Chicago Costellos' original name was. Either way, it fits with the informant's info about a relative changing his name and it not being recognizable in Sicily.
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant

Post by Ed »

B. wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 5:57 pm Sam Cesario's father is from Cosenza, so he probably isn't a paternal blood relative of the informant given the implied Sicilian heritage, but I agree there is something to him attending the funeral. Could point to close friendship or a relation of some kind (if not to the informant, to someone close to the informant).
I tried to track down Cesario's daughter's name but with no luck. I think Cesario's ex-wife's name was Viola or Gina Baratta. Maybe the daughter married into the informant's family or something. I'm just spitballing.

Wonder who sponsored Cesario into the Outfit? Maybe there's something there.
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