General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

[PolackTony]

Sorry if this was posted already - Rico "Ricky/Richie" Zuniga died from COVID in prison in November. He was part of the PK Crew and very close with Paul Koruluk and those guys (arrested multiple times with them). He was serving time for the murder of Carmen Sarlo and others along with Richard Bravieri. Richie and his brothers were all CNotes - one brother was shot and killed at an old gang hangout called TJ's on Western Avenue in the late 80s I believe.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/ch ... =197158685

Nice find, thanks for posting. Ricky married Paulie K's sister, I believe? I suspect that several of the Zunigas may have been C-Notes. Do you recall which brother was killed in the 80s? I'm not able to find anything in the papers on it. Also, do you remember exactly where TJs was located?

Here's a pic of Ricky Zuniga and Joey Bravieri at the time of the Sarlo/Gasic slayings. According to a witness who fled the scene, after shooting Joannie Gasic they turned on Sarlo: "No, you got to go, Carmie. You got to go, too." These guys were, of course, coked-up out of their skulls when this happened. The C-Notes fell into drugs super hard, and addiction did a lot of damage to the organization.

Zuniga and Joey Bravieri.PNG

These were definitely some rough guys and I remember that story vividly as I spent summers in that neighborhood. Gasic's family still lives there today. Reynald Zuniga was the brother who was killed:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct- ... story.html

Also - Maria Koruluk is Paul's wife - I am not sure if Paul also has a sister named Maria. I believe his wife's maiden name was Vargas - I saw reported she was related to Sam Cecola, but doubt that as she is half puerto rican.

Maria Vargas is either half Italian or her family is intermarried with Italians. I recall seeing some obituaries and other notices that showed the surnames, don't recall if Cecola was one of them.

Thanks for the link to Renaldo Zuñiga. Are we sure that he was Ricky's brother? I ask because Zuñiga is such a common surname. That TJs spot was a really shitty dive bar next to Rich's Deli on Iowa. That wasn't C-Notes territory (not that some of them necessarily couldn't have gone there of course), Dragons used to hang out there by the 90s (previously it was Chi-West, a largely Ukrainian gang). Incidentally a few years after this a friend of mine used to DJ in that bar. The place didn't card so I was able to go as a kid lol.

In case anyone's interested, there's some indication that in the 80s the Chi-West may have been connected to an apparent Ukrainian OC syndicate that LE referred to as the "Little Mafia". Although Chi-West declined precipitously as a street gang in the following years, they were still a fearsome presence in the area when I was a kid. They had to be tough as nails as they were continuously fighting the large PR gangs surrounding them for about 30 years, and were also increasingly involved in narcotics.

Jack "The Jew" Farmer was a Chi-West leader lamming it in Florida. He made it on to America's Most Wanted I believe.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sun-se ... y,amp.html

[Snakes]

Vincent Inserra, his boss, said it was from the Armory Lounge, although Life magazine says the convo took place in Miami. Will have to see if an FBI file gives the source.

There was a *similar* conversation in Miami, but it's a guy named Pete telling the story. The FBI couldn't identify this Pete. I think Pete was what they heard as "Feef."
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... 9&tab=page

Yeah, the second one was the one I was remembering.

[SolarSolano]

Great photo about the comission - from what I've seen, Giancana didn't make any decisions nationally without consulting Ricca/Accardo. I tend to wonder whether it was known that Giancana was acting for Ricca/Accardo among east coast bosses. He may have been the only guy on that list who was not his own boss essentially.

[Antiliar]

Great photo about the comission - from what I've seen, Giancana didn't make any decisions nationally without consulting Ricca/Accardo. I tend to wonder whether it was known that Giancana was acting for Ricca/Accardo among east coast bosses. He may have been the only guy on that list who was not his own boss essentially.

It was known. Here Tommy Eboli gives Ricca an extra dose of respect beyond what he gives Giancana. Vito Genovese was an original member of the class of 1931 when the Commission was formed as Lucky Luciano's underboss, and Ricca was an original boss. Eboli saw Giancana as comparable to Catena and Ricca to Genovese (I'm doing a little interpreting, but I think this is the context):
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... ND%20eboli

[PolackTony]

Great photo about the comission - from what I've seen, Giancana didn't make any decisions nationally without consulting Ricca/Accardo. I tend to wonder whether it was known that Giancana was acting for Ricca/Accardo among east coast bosses. He may have been the only guy on that list who was not his own boss essentially.

It was known. Here Tommy Eboli gives Ricca an extra dose of respect beyond what he gives Giancana. Vito Genovese was an original member of the class of 1931 when the Commission was formed as Lucky Luciano's underboss, and Ricca was an original boss. Eboli saw Giancana as comparable to Catena and Ricca to Genovese (I'm doing a little interpreting, but I think this is the context):
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... ND%20eboli

And there's that comment that Roselli allegedly told Frattiano, to the effect of "forget Sam, forget Joe B -- believe me, they all listen to Paul". I'm sure the commission members understood this as well.

[Antiliar]

Great photo about the comission - from what I've seen, Giancana didn't make any decisions nationally without consulting Ricca/Accardo. I tend to wonder whether it was known that Giancana was acting for Ricca/Accardo among east coast bosses. He may have been the only guy on that list who was not his own boss essentially.

It was known. Here Tommy Eboli gives Ricca an extra dose of respect beyond what he gives Giancana. Vito Genovese was an original member of the class of 1931 when the Commission was formed as Lucky Luciano's underboss, and Ricca was an original boss. Eboli saw Giancana as comparable to Catena and Ricca to Genovese (I'm doing a little interpreting, but I think this is the context):
https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... ND%20eboli

And there's that comment that Roselli allegedly told Frattiano, to the effect of "forget Sam, forget Joe B -- believe me, they all listen to Paul". I'm sure the commission members understood this as well.

Add to that Capone was his best man, Capone sent him to New York to represent him during the Castellammarese War per Gentile, Ricca helped Genovese kill Saverio Pollaccia in 1932, and both Gentile and Bill Bonanno said he was Chicago's Commission member until Accardo.

[Villain]

Ricca inherited the position as "boss of all Chicago", which is a label given to Capone by Bonanno i think, and also this again tells us a lot regarding Chicago's "families" and other ethnic syndicates being placed under one top admin. Ricca and Capone needed guys who were going to control these groups (four factions, north, west, south and the Heights/northwest Indiana) and also to answer to one chief executive who in turn was placed personally by Capone/Ricca himself (sometimes assisted by another boss, usually a former one).

[Antiliar]

Have you guys looked into how Phil Alderisio was related to Louis and Frank Fratto? Reports say they were cousins, but how were they cousins? I may have looked into this a long time ago, but don't have my findings available.

[PolackTony]

Have you guys looked into how Phil Alderisio was related to Louis and Frank Fratto? Reports say they were cousins, but how were they cousins? I may have looked into this a long time ago, but don't have my findings available.

From what I've seen I'm doubtful about their alleged relation, though I can't rule it out completely.

Alderisio's father was Domenico Alderisio of Stigliano, Matera, Basilicata. His wife Paulina Matarese was born in NY to a Gennaro Matarrese of Stigliano and Maria Antonia Fortunato. while the latter was born in Italy, I'm not sure exactly where, and there was a number of Fortunatos in Yonkers that she may have been related to. If so, she may have been frome Salerno, but that's pure speculation.

Lou Fratto I have as Luigi Tomasso Giuseppe Fratto, born in Chicago to Tommaso Fratto of Taverna, Catanzaro, Calabria and Bianca Faiella of Rome.

It's always possible, or course, that they were cousins by marriage. What I would tentatively posit as more likely is that they simply grew up together, maybe their families knew each other. In 1920 both families lived within a couple of blocks of Polk and Ogden. Alderisio was in between Lou and Frank Fratto in age.

[Coloboy]

Was reading some old articles on gangster report today, and had a thought I wanted to ask you guys about.

Family secrets 2005. This case involved high ranking members from the Cicero, 26 st, and grand Avenue crews.

Much has been discussed ad nauseam about whether John DiFronzo was providing information to the FBI. I think it is unlikely, but until we know more that is all up for debate.

What I am most interested in is that the indictment in that case didn’t involve anybody from the Elmwood Park crew. All of those high-ranking guys, the Difronzo brothers, Andriacchi, D’Amico, Mattasa, Fratto, Dote, all untouched.

Do we think this is coincidence? Am I missing someone from Elmwood Park that was part of that case?

[Frank]

Was reading some old articles on gangster report today, and had a thought I wanted to ask you guys about.

Family secrets 2005. This case involved high ranking members from the Cicero, 26 st, and grand Avenue crews.

Much has been discussed ad nauseam about whether John DiFronzo was providing information to the FBI. I think it is unlikely, but until we know more that is all up for debate.

What I am most interested in is that the indictment in that case didn’t involve anybody from the Elmwood Park crew. All of those high-ranking guys, the Difronzo brothers, Andriacchi, D’Amico, Mattasa, Fratto, Dote, all untouched.

Do we think this is coincidence? Am I missing someone from Elmwood Park that was part of that case?

Marco had been off the streets in prison for years at the time and I believe was still in prison when Secrets started. They busted Fratto in a couple of other cases.Was Dote in prison at the time??

[Coloboy]

Good call on Marco.

I suppose it could’ve just been where the chips fell in regards to that indictment

[PolackTony]

You're correct Colo that no EP guys were indicted in FS. And in terms of Cicero, the guys indicted were all part of the Cicero/MP (Carlisi/Marcello) crew, not the Ferriola/Infelise crew. Part of this is just who Nick Calabrese had access to, who he could inform on. A question that always remains is why DiFronzo was never charged for the Spilotros when Calabrese reported him there, but I don't think that this is necessarily evidence for the former being an informant, however.

[Frank]

Calabrese reported that Lou Marino was there and he was never charged either.

[Coloboy]

You're correct Colo that no EP guys were indicted in FS. And in terms of Cicero, the guys indicted were all part of the Cicero/MP (Carlisi/Marcello) crew, not the Ferriola/Infelise crew. Part of this is just who Nick Calabrese had access to, who he could inform on. A question that always remains is why DiFronzo was never charged for the Spilotros when Calabrese reported him there, but I don't think that this is necessarily evidence for the former being an informant, however.

Interesting point on Calabrese. I suppose his information was the crucial element in that case, and perhaps he wasn't well connected to what was going on in EP.

I can't remember what led to Lombardo's conviction? Was it also Calabrese information?

With regards to the no charge on Difronzo, it's a mystery. However, one think I do remember from the Chicago Tribune was that with Marcello they had both Calabrese's testimony that Marcello was at the Spilotro Murder as well as the testimony of Michelle Spilotro; who claimed she heard Marcello's voice on the phone when he called the Spilotro house to pick them up prior to the murder. So they had corroborating evidence on him. No such case with Difronzo. That's some crazy voice memory though