Chicago's Avolio family - Naples connection?

[Villain]

I have few questions for our Chicago researchers regarding one alleged Outfit member who went by the name of Nicholas or Nick Avolio. I have him listed in my old Outfit charts as being one time driver for Paul Ricca, although in other infos he is generally labeled as driver for big time hoodlums.

He went missing in 1954, probably killed and buried in an unknown location but i never made any further and thorough research on this guy.

It is possible that Nick Avolio was born in 1901 and it is possible that his blood ties came from Naples Italy but im not sure (PolackTony?). Back in 1911, in Viterbo, one Vincenzo Avolio was labeled as Camorrista who was allegedly close to leaders of the Camorra in Naples.

Chicagos Nick Avolio had a son named Vincenzo James Avolio so im not sure if there was any relation to the Avolio guy back in Italy.

It seems Nick Avolio entered the US in 1922 (two years after Ricca) and at first landed in Boston and in 1923 he was arrested in New York under different names such as Nicola Avolio, Luigi Silvestri or Silvestra. In 1930 he was arrested in Detroit under the alias Nick DiVito. It seems Avolio had similar faith as some of his Napolitan predecessors like Joe Esposito who also visited both New York and Boston before landing in Chicago.

In 1943, Nick Avolio was called as a witness in the Hollywood extortion case but the government wasnt able to find him and allegedly appeared in Chicago after WWII. He was labeled as being chauffeur for the late Nitto before 1943 and later or after 1947 for Ricca.

Nick and his son James Avolio operated the Domino Club at 2347 Waukegan rd on the city's far North Side, and in 1952/53 its licence was revoked. Some sources say that Nick was killed because of complications with that same joint although for me personally it sounds unreasonable since this guy was obviously "big time".

So i would like to know if the Avolios had any connections to Naples and was there any connection to Rocky Potenza or maybe other Outfit guys? If the Avolios were related to that same Avolio from Italy, and Nick was Riccas trusted driver, then it is possible that Italys Vincenzo Avolio possibly knew Antonio DeLucia (Riccas alleged dad who was arrested back in 1907 in Naples) since both of them were alleged Camorristi....i know im jumping to conclusions but i just want to put this in the air.

[PolackTony]

Nick Avolio was kind of a mysterious guy. I'm pretty certain that he was born in Naples about 1903, though I'm not sure who his parents were, as I haven't found a birth record in Naples for a Nicolo Avolio (very likely he was born under a different name, I'm thinking). His wife was Jennie Bergantina/Bergandino (her obituary states Piccarelli as her maiden name, but no other document does), born 1908 in Worcester, MA. Looks like she gave birth to their son Vincent James 1923 in NYC (though Nick and Jennie don't seem to have been legally married until 1940 in Chicago). Several documents state Nick's place of birth as Naples, including his 1942 WW2 draft registration. Interestingly, both Nick and Vincent's WW2 registrations showed them and Jennie living in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, despite the fact that the 1940 census had them living on Washington Blvd in River Forest. Nick's SS death index entry in 1954 also had him living in NYC, however the Avolio family clearly remained in the Chicago area, where Jennie and Vincent later died. I wonder if the family actually maintained separate addresses in Brooklyn, or if the addresses shown in the WW2 registrations were just fake addresses used to take heat off of them.

I'm not able to substantiate any link between the Avolios and Rocky Potenza. If they were operating up in Waukegan then it would be a good bet, as well as potentially links to Lester Kruse.

[PolackTony]

Also, there were bunch of different Vincenzo Avolios in Naples.

[Villain]

Thanks bud. Maybe Nick went back to New York in 1943 when he fled Chicago and later returned in 1946/47 when the bosses got their early release?

Yes, Im also aware that there were many different Avolios in Naples, same as Antonio DeLucias, but still this one of those rare "coincidences" like for example one Avolio being labeled as Camorrista and another one being Riccas driver and having a brother with the same name as the first Camorrista...We know Ricca possibly came from a family that belonged to a Camorra clan and these connections around him just keep popping up...

[Villain]

Btw heres a pic of Nick Avolio...

[Antiliar]

Thanks bud. Maybe Nick went back to New York in 1943 when he fled Chicago and later returned in 1946/47 when the bosses got their early release?

Yes, Im also aware that there were many different Avolios in Naples, same as Antonio DeLucias, but still this one of those rare "coincidences" like for example one Avolio being labeled as Camorrista and another one being Riccas driver and having a brother with the same name as the first Camorrista...We know Ricca possibly came from a family that belonged to a Camorra clan and these connections around him just keep popping up...

I was wondering about Antonio and Salvatore De Lucia myself.

[PolackTony]

Thanks bud. Maybe Nick went back to New York in 1943 when he fled Chicago and later returned in 1946/47 when the bosses got their early release?

Yes, Im also aware that there were many different Avolios in Naples, same as Antonio DeLucias, but still this one of those rare "coincidences" like for example one Avolio being labeled as Camorrista and another one being Riccas driver and having a brother with the same name as the first Camorrista...We know Ricca possibly came from a family that belonged to a Camorra clan and these connections around him just keep popping up...

Of course. I'm of the personal opinion that, as with Antonio Delucia, we likely have some direct ties to the old Camorra in Naples here. Just will be hard to firmly establish the exact relationship of Avolio and Ricca to these named Camorra figures, though some connection seems very likely.

[Villain]

Thanks bud. Maybe Nick went back to New York in 1943 when he fled Chicago and later returned in 1946/47 when the bosses got their early release?

Yes, Im also aware that there were many different Avolios in Naples, same as Antonio DeLucias, but still this one of those rare "coincidences" like for example one Avolio being labeled as Camorrista and another one being Riccas driver and having a brother with the same name as the first Camorrista...We know Ricca possibly came from a family that belonged to a Camorra clan and these connections around him just keep popping up...

I was wondering about Antonio and Salvatore De Lucia myself.

As I already said, too much coincidences. The 1907 story regarding Antonio DeLucia bringing recruits in NY corresponds with the arrivals of some members in the Chicago area. For example some known Mainlanders arrived in Chicago in 1905 or 1906, while others arrived in 1908 or 1909. I dont believe that same DeLucia only had recruits in NY, obviously because we have evidences that even during those days these guys traveled around the country under different aliases and committed murder and other criminal activities. Guys like DiGiovanni or later Vanella did all kinds of things around the country before landing in Chicago.

[Villain]

Thanks bud. Maybe Nick went back to New York in 1943 when he fled Chicago and later returned in 1946/47 when the bosses got their early release?

Yes, Im also aware that there were many different Avolios in Naples, same as Antonio DeLucias, but still this one of those rare "coincidences" like for example one Avolio being labeled as Camorrista and another one being Riccas driver and having a brother with the same name as the first Camorrista...We know Ricca possibly came from a family that belonged to a Camorra clan and these connections around him just keep popping up...

Of course. I'm of the personal opinion that, as with Antonio Delucia, we likely have some direct ties to the old Camorra in Naples here. Just will be hard to firmly establish the exact relationship of Avolio and Ricca to these named Camorra figures, though some connection seems very likely.

I completely agree bud.