General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

[PolackTony]

Was Outfit informer Louis Bombacino an inducted member? Louis Fratto and Bill Roemer state he was, but is that generally accepted by researchers? Was his surname originally spelled "Bombacigno"? Also, what was the relationship between him and the other "Louis Bombacino" active later on? thanks

I don't think he was. The idea of a "sponsor" was different back then. More like someone who vouched for your acceptance into Outfit circles.

That’s an interesting point Snakes. I think that perhaps there was a looser use of “sponsor” for Outfit associates that possibly correlated with the concept of being “on record” with a made guy, and then of course the more formal sponsorship of one’s “godfather” as an inducted LCN member. The picture I sometimes get is that at least way back in the day the Outfit may have had two levels of “membership” — ie. as an “Outfit guy” who was an associate of a made guy’s crew, and then as a full “made guy” who was fully part of the family. While entirely speculative, given some of the potential strands of the Outfit going back to the old Southern Italian Camorra groups, I wonder if this was an echo of the two-tier membership (an “upper” vs a “lower” society, with two levels of initiation) systems of the “Piccioterie” in Calabria and Campania. This all may have also been in its deeper origins at least partly a derivation of the three degrees of Freemasonry. Just something I’ve been thinking about for some time.

[PolackTony]

Was Outfit informer Louis Bombacino an inducted member? Louis Fratto and Bill Roemer state he was, but is that generally accepted by researchers? Was his surname originally spelled "Bombacigno"? Also, what was the relationship between him and the other "Louis Bombacino" active later on? thanks

Good catch on the surname. With the usual caveat (all mistakes are my own), my info is that the father of Louis Bombacino (aka Joe Nardi) was a Luigi Bombacigno of Valenzano, Bari (though his mother may have been Calabresa).

Bombacino’s first wife may have been a Nardella, possibly the source of his pseudonym.

[Snakes]

Was Outfit informer Louis Bombacino an inducted member? Louis Fratto and Bill Roemer state he was, but is that generally accepted by researchers? Was his surname originally spelled "Bombacigno"? Also, what was the relationship between him and the other "Louis Bombacino" active later on? thanks

I don't think he was. The idea of a "sponsor" was different back then. More like someone who vouched for your acceptance into Outfit circles.

That’s an interesting point Snakes. I think that perhaps there was a looser use of “sponsor” for Outfit associates that possibly correlated with the concept of being “on record” with a made guy, and then of course the more formal sponsorship of one’s “godfather” as an inducted LCN member. The picture I sometimes get is that at least way back in the day the Outfit may have had two levels of “membership” — ie. as an “Outfit guy” who was an associate of a made guy’s crew, and then as a full “made guy” who was fully part of the family. While entirely speculative, given some of the potential strands of the Outfit going back to the old Southern Italian Camorra groups, I wonder if this was an echo of the two-tier membership (an “upper” vs a “lower” society, with two levels of initiation) systems of the “Piccioterie” in Calabria and Campania. This all may have also been in its deeper origins at least partly a derivation of the three degrees of Freemasonry. Just something I’ve been thinking about for some time.

The informants providing information may not have differentiated between LCN members and Outfit members. Obviously, the FBI could cherry pick the Italians out of the intel (and at that point, I'm not sure they knew enough to question the names provided) but the mislabeling was definitely something that lasted until the 1980s from the records I've seen.

[Ed]

Was Outfit informer Louis Bombacino an inducted member? Louis Fratto and Bill Roemer state he was, but is that generally accepted by researchers? Was his surname originally spelled "Bombacigno"? Also, what was the relationship between him and the other "Louis Bombacino" active later on? thanks

Good catch on the surname. With the usual caveat (all mistakes are my own), my info is that the father of Louis Bombacino (aka Joe Nardi) was a Luigi Bombacigno of Valenzano, Bari (though his mother may have been Calabresa).

Bombacino’s first wife may have been a Nardella, possibly the source of his pseudonym.

Thanks. From what I can tell, other women besides Nardella associated with him include "Connie Mistretta" and "Darlene Herdter." He was survived by a woman named Helen at the time of his murder.

I believe he was outlived by both parents. Days before Bombacino flipped, an individual who I believe was his brother died, which could have played a part in his decision.

[Ed]

Was Outfit informer Louis Bombacino an inducted member? Louis Fratto and Bill Roemer state he was, but is that generally accepted by researchers? Was his surname originally spelled "Bombacigno"? Also, what was the relationship between him and the other "Louis Bombacino" active later on? thanks

I don't think he was. The idea of a "sponsor" was different back then. More like someone who vouched for your acceptance into Outfit circles.

That’s an interesting point Snakes. I think that perhaps there was a looser use of “sponsor” for Outfit associates that possibly correlated with the concept of being “on record” with a made guy, and then of course the more formal sponsorship of one’s “godfather” as an inducted LCN member. The picture I sometimes get is that at least way back in the day the Outfit may have had two levels of “membership” — ie. as an “Outfit guy” who was an associate of a made guy’s crew, and then as a full “made guy” who was fully part of the family. While entirely speculative, given some of the potential strands of the Outfit going back to the old Southern Italian Camorra groups, I wonder if this was an echo of the two-tier membership (an “upper” vs a “lower” society, with two levels of initiation) systems of the “Piccioterie” in Calabria and Campania. This all may have also been in its deeper origins at least partly a derivation of the three degrees of Freemasonry. Just something I’ve been thinking about for some time.

The informants providing information may not have differentiated between LCN members and Outfit members. Obviously, the FBI could cherry pick the Italians out of the intel (and at that point, I'm not sure they knew enough to question the names provided) but the mislabeling was definitely something that lasted until the 1980s from the records I've seen.

I hear what you're saying and I agree. However, I find it interesting that Roemer readily accepted that Bombacino was "made" and identified him that way years later. I'm wondering how much the FBI was happy to refer to Bombacino as "made," even if they suspected he really wasn't, to bolster their case against Cerone and the others.

[Villain]

If Bombacino was present during a meeting between the boss (Cerone) and the Outfits top boss (Ricca), than that might tell us something...

[Snakes]

The quote below summarizes Bombacino's introduction into Outfit activities. I remember reading that Aurelli was his "sponsor" but this strikes me as odd since Aurelli may not have been made himself* and certainly not in a position to pick and choose who would be inducted. It's more likely that Aurelli was simply his "in" to the Outfit (as covered below). The legal passage linked to after the quote gives a pretty comprehensive look at Bombacino's brief Outfit career and -- at least to me -- doesn't seem to give any indication that he had been formally inducted into the Outfit. Maybe in Bombacino's mind, the below event qualified him as an Outfit "member", but intel in this area was still in the nascent stages so I'd imagine the FBI didn't press him for details and just ran with it, although the case really doesn't focus on the idea of Bombacino being a fully-inducted LCN member who cooperated. Nicholas Calabrese was later promoted by the federal government as the "first LCN member" to testify in Chicago so it appears in hindsight that they did not also qualify Bombacino as such.

*I know he appears on lists but again, the veracity of these pre-1980s lists and identifications is always up in the air.

Prior to the disposition of the robbery charge in September of 1965 (when he was placed on probation for a period of five years) but subsequent to his agreement to become an informer, Bombacino contacted Angelo Kokas, an old friend, on June 25, 1965, and, pursuant to their conversation on that date, returned to the MGM Lounge in Chicago at about midnight on the following day. When he arrived, Kokas, Frank Aureli (a defendant as to whom a mistrial and severance were ordered because of his sudden illness during the trial), defendant Ferriola, "Turk" Turello and John Varlas were seated together at a table in the restaurant portion of the Lounge. Bombacino went to the table and shook hands with Aureli, who inquired as to whether Bombacino was "going to give up getting [himself] in trouble all the time, back and forth, in and out of jails." Bombacino replied that was the reason he wanted to see Aureli, that he wanted to go to work for him. Aureli then looked at Ferriola, who nodded and told Bombacino: "You go to work for Frank [Aureli], but be careful. There are a lot of G heat on the street."2

https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/ap ... 74/174907/

[SolarSolano]

"Louie" Bombacino who worked for the Calabrese crew and loved high speed chases is a bridgeport guy - no idea if he's related to the infamous Louis Bombacino was killed. I think the Outfit is one of the few families to find and kill and informant in witness protection - no?

[Villain]

I think the Outfit is one of the few families to find and kill and informant in witness protection - no?

Thats right and dont forget the guy who testified in Battaglias trial (LaKey?)and also Bioff....

[Snakes]

I think the Outfit is one of the few families to find and kill and informant in witness protection - no?

Thats right and dont forget the guy who testified in Battaglias trial and also Bioff....

Good call on Bioff, he got blown up too.

[Villain]

I think the Outfit is one of the few families to find and kill and informant in witness protection - no?

Thats right and dont forget the guy who testified in Battaglias trial and also Bioff....

Good call on Bioff, he got blown up too.

Thanks and to tell you the truth, i think there were also some other guys/informers being eliminated even before Bioff but i have to make a more thorough research...

[SolarSolano]

I think the Outfit is one of the few families to find and kill and informant in witness protection - no?

Thats right and dont forget the guy who testified in Battaglias trial and also Bioff....

Good call on Bioff, he got blown up too.

Thanks and to tell you the truth, i think there were also some other guys/informers being eliminated even before Bioff but i have to make a more thorough research...

The Outfit had a real bad crew in Phoenix. They also blew up a journalist in the 1970s if I am not mistaken - I would assume Pappa Joe Tocco's crew was there in the mix. Also the only crew to essentially openly war with an east coast family.

I posed a previous question that I had read somewhere Joe turned jailhouse snitch in his later years when Albert was in power.

https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19770401. ... N--------1

[Villain]

I think the Outfit is one of the few families to find and kill and informant in witness protection - no?

Thats right and dont forget the guy who testified in Battaglias trial and also Bioff....

Good call on Bioff, he got blown up too.

Thanks and to tell you the truth, i think there were also some other guys/informers being eliminated even before Bioff but i have to make a more thorough research...

The Outfit had a real bad crew in Phoenix. They also blew up a journalist in the 1970s if I am not mistaken - I would assume Pappa Joe Tocco's crew was there in the mix. Also the only crew to essentially openly war with an east coast family.

I posed a previous question that I had read somewhere Joe turned jailhouse snitch in his later years when Albert was in power.

https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19770401. ... N--------1

Thats right....they killed Leonard Hoffman (mysterious plane crash)....Ed Lazar who in turn was allegedly executed by Nick D’Andrea and Robert Hardin.....Don Bolles was a reporter killed in Phoenix....according to Roy Romano, the guys who planted the bomb in the Bolles contract were John Adamson, Rocco D'Ambrosio and Frank Mossuto on the orders of Joe Tocco. AZ used be a "sacred" territory for the Outfit....check out Armand D'Andrea....

When Romano stepped onto the public stage in the fall of 1983, in return for immunity from prosecution, he turned state's evidence against Tocco and gave detailed testimony about his own criminal activities as a member of the Tocco crew. The 64 year old Tocco started serving a state prison term for racketeering in Arizona. He pleaded guilty to controlling an illegal enterprise and filing false tax returns and to witness tampering, obstruction of a criminal investigation, extortion, prostitution, fraud, robbery and conspiracy to commit burglary and theft. In exchange for reduced sentence for crimes that could have cost him 60 years, Tocco provided the government with some useful information about the Bombacino murder and implicated Tony Amadio who at the time was serving a term for burglary in California.

[Villain]

Ive mentioned this a couple of times but here it goes again...when the boss of Joliet, Will County and the Outfits crew in AZ, Francis Curry died in 1970, his coin operations were inherited by his son but the Joliet and Will County areas fell under the jurisdiction of Armand D'Andrea. On top of that, he also controlled one of the Outfit's crews in AZ and owned huge real estate property in that same state. My point is that during that time D'Andrea might've been one of LaPorte's/Pilotto's capos or at least a crew boss, mainly because he had few made guys under his rule....

[SolarSolano]

Ive mentioned this a couple of times but here it goes again...when the boss of Joliet, Will County and the Outfits crew in AZ, Francis Curry died in 1970, his coin operations were inherited by his son but the Joliet and Will County areas fell under the jurisdiction of Armand D'Andrea. On top of that, he also controlled one of the Outfit's crews in AZ and owned huge real estate property in that same state. My point is that during that time D'Andrea might've been one of LaPorte's/Pilotto's capos or at least a crew boss, mainly because he had few made guys under his rule....

Was Armand the older brother of Chicago HEights soldier Nick D'Andrea whose murder was part of Family Secrets? I believe Mario D'Andrea another brother was killed by drug police. Interesting to see Chicago Heights guys dominating Tuscon - Phoenix - I can't think of another Outfit crew that had an out of state operation running with so many former Chicago guys there beyond Spilotro's Vegas/Grand Ave splinter crew.