General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

[PolackTony]

Accardo was clearly fluent being the son of immigrants and running with the sicilian gangs - but I've always wondered how often he spoke Italian to Giancana and these other guys. You see a lot of English/Italian used in the NYC wiretaps not as much with Chicago - even with Ricca/Accardo/Giancana they are speaking English - all three guys clearly spoke the language and I'm sure Ricca spoke it better than English.

I know Angelo LaPietra and Steve Annoreno and Buccieri's loanshark gang frequently spoke Italian from the transcripts I've seen - just not as many of the Outfit bosses.

According to Fred Pascente, Ricca had a strong Italian accent, as to be expected.

I remember reading something claiming that Giancana couldn’t understand when Italian was spoken at a Commission meeting (IIRC), but I rather doubt that, given that his parents were both from Sicily and he grew up when he did on Taylor St. And even if he couldn’t speak “Italian” per se, I’d assume that he could communicate in Sicilianu. Also, the wiretap where Joe Costello brought his complaint to Giancana regarding Joe Fusco has an unnamed individual speaking in “Italian” during the meeting, so presumably Giancana could understand him just fine. Not like he stopped the guy at any point like “Hey, knock it off with that greaseball shit” lol. I’ve wondered if this unnamed guy might’ve been Catuara (given that the issue involved the Heights), as Catuara was from Sicily. Red Wemette has told me that Catuara spoke in a thick accent and used “broken English”.

Old mafia inc doc had Giancana’s old gf on there and she said Giancana would speak Sicilian with his guys. According to her he told her, “You don’t wanna know what we’re talking about.”

You mean the Crime, Inc doc with Judith Exner?

[SB1825]

Accardo was clearly fluent being the son of immigrants and running with the sicilian gangs - but I've always wondered how often he spoke Italian to Giancana and these other guys. You see a lot of English/Italian used in the NYC wiretaps not as much with Chicago - even with Ricca/Accardo/Giancana they are speaking English - all three guys clearly spoke the language and I'm sure Ricca spoke it better than English.

I know Angelo LaPietra and Steve Annoreno and Buccieri's loanshark gang frequently spoke Italian from the transcripts I've seen - just not as many of the Outfit bosses.

According to Fred Pascente, Ricca had a strong Italian accent, as to be expected.

I remember reading something claiming that Giancana couldn’t understand when Italian was spoken at a Commission meeting (IIRC), but I rather doubt that, given that his parents were both from Sicily and he grew up when he did on Taylor St. And even if he couldn’t speak “Italian” per se, I’d assume that he could communicate in Sicilianu. Also, the wiretap where Joe Costello brought his complaint to Giancana regarding Joe Fusco has an unnamed individual speaking in “Italian” during the meeting, so presumably Giancana could understand him just fine. Not like he stopped the guy at any point like “Hey, knock it off with that greaseball shit” lol. I’ve wondered if this unnamed guy might’ve been Catuara (given that the issue involved the Heights), as Catuara was from Sicily. Red Wemette has told me that Catuara spoke in a thick accent and used “broken English”.

Old mafia inc doc had Giancana’s old gf on there and she said Giancana would speak Sicilian with his guys. According to her he told her, “You don’t wanna know what we’re talking about.”

You mean the Crime, Inc doc with Judith Exner?

Yeah episode 2

[Frank]

Language is like if you dont use it you lose it.

[Frank]

Im sure Mancuso shelved him for more than a few reasons but Im sure when Cammarano tried to become official boss broke the camels back.

[Ozgoz]

What accent does Accardo have in those newly released senate hearings? Is that a Chicago accent? He sounds very Italian, for someone born in America.

He just sounds like old people that I remember from my childhood in Chicago. He doesn’t sound particularly Italian to me, at least no more so than other second generation Chicago Italians of his era. If you are picking up that from hearing him, keep in mind that even though he was born in America he received little formal education and was raised in a very strongly Italian environment.

Thanks Tony.

[Villain]

Small glimpse of Chicagos interests in Kentucky during the old days....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wC61zM4yIKM

[PolackTony]

Small glimpse of Chicagos interests in Kentucky during the old days....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wC61zM4yIKM

Interesting topic. Frank Schweihs had personal connections in KY, that’s where he was living when he went on the lam for FS, so I wonder if he was part of any of this. Very minor, but when I was a kid I knew some C-Notes from Grand Ave who used to travel to KY a lot — probably for drug stuff, but given that there had been a number of “hillbillies” in this (historically) majority Italian organization, there were plenty of ways for personal ties to develop between Chicago and KY. Many Appalachians migrated to Chicago (as well as Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh) back in the day. In Chicago at least, some of them worked for the mob. Incidentally, hillbilly kids were some of the craziest gangbangers one could ever meet in Chicago lol. Even the Puerto Rican gangs always had a few hillbillies within their ranks, and these guys were wild. The Uptown neighborhood, which used to be called “Hillbilly Hollywood”, was a really rough and gang ridden neighborhood for many years.

With the WV stuff involving Cleveland and Lansky, I have to imagine that Pittsburgh was part of it as well, or at least receiving their cut as this was part of their territory, of course.

I wonder which families were involved in the AL and GA coal rackets?

[Villain]

Small glimpse of Chicagos interests in Kentucky during the old days....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wC61zM4yIKM

Interesting topic. Frank Schweihs had personal connections in KY, that’s where he was living when he went on the lam for FS, so I wonder if he was part of any of this. Very minor, but when I was a kid I knew some C-Notes from Grand Ave who used to travel to KY a lot — probably for drug stuff, but given that there had been a number of “hillbillies” in this (historically) majority Italian organization, there were plenty of ways for personal ties to develop between Chicago and KY. Many Appalachians migrated to Chicago (as well as Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh) back in the day. In Chicago at least, some of them worked for the mob. Incidentally, hillbilly kids were some of the craziest gangbangers one could ever meet in Chicago lol. Even the Puerto Rican gangs always had a few hillbillies within their ranks, and these guys were wild. The Uptown neighborhood, which used to be called “Hillbilly Hollywood”, was a really rough and gang ridden neighborhood for many years.

With the WV stuff involving Cleveland and Lansky, I have to imagine that Pittsburgh was part of it as well, or at least receiving their cut as this was part of their territory, of course.

Thanks for the additional info bud. Back in the days the FBN labelled Kentucky as being overseen by Chicago.

[Patrickgold]

Small glimpse of Chicagos interests in Kentucky during the old days....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wC61zM4yIKM

Interesting topic. Frank Schweihs had personal connections in KY, that’s where he was living when he went on the lam for FS, so I wonder if he was part of any of this. Very minor, but when I was a kid I knew some C-Notes from Grand Ave who used to travel to KY a lot — probably for drug stuff, but given that there had been a number of “hillbillies” in this (historically) majority Italian organization, there were plenty of ways for personal ties to develop between Chicago and KY. Many Appalachians migrated to Chicago (as well as Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh) back in the day. In Chicago at least, some of them worked for the mob. Incidentally, hillbilly kids were some of the craziest gangbangers one could ever meet in Chicago lol. Even the Puerto Rican gangs always had a few hillbillies within their ranks, and these guys were wild. The Uptown neighborhood, which used to be called “Hillbilly Hollywood”, was a really rough and gang ridden neighborhood for many years.

With the WV stuff involving Cleveland and Lansky, I have to imagine that Pittsburgh was part of it as well, or at least receiving their cut as this was part of their territory, of course.

I wonder which families were involved in the AL and GA coal rackets?

Hillbilly Hollywood? It was called Hillbilly Heaven in my neighborhood. Gaylords had a lot of hillbillys in their gang, especially the Uptown Gaylords. Uptown rebels and Thorndale Jaggoffs were also in uptown and recruited heavily from the Appalachian migrants. Chuckie Russell was a hillbilly from West Virginia

[PolackTony]

Small glimpse of Chicagos interests in Kentucky during the old days....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wC61zM4yIKM

Interesting topic. Frank Schweihs had personal connections in KY, that’s where he was living when he went on the lam for FS, so I wonder if he was part of any of this. Very minor, but when I was a kid I knew some C-Notes from Grand Ave who used to travel to KY a lot — probably for drug stuff, but given that there had been a number of “hillbillies” in this (historically) majority Italian organization, there were plenty of ways for personal ties to develop between Chicago and KY. Many Appalachians migrated to Chicago (as well as Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh) back in the day. In Chicago at least, some of them worked for the mob. Incidentally, hillbilly kids were some of the craziest gangbangers one could ever meet in Chicago lol. Even the Puerto Rican gangs always had a few hillbillies within their ranks, and these guys were wild. The Uptown neighborhood, which used to be called “Hillbilly Hollywood”, was a really rough and gang ridden neighborhood for many years.

With the WV stuff involving Cleveland and Lansky, I have to imagine that Pittsburgh was part of it as well, or at least receiving their cut as this was part of their territory, of course.

I wonder which families were involved in the AL and GA coal rackets?

Hillbilly Hollywood? It was called Hillbilly Heaven in my neighborhood. Gaylords had a lot of hillbillys in their gang, especially the Uptown Gaylords. Uptown rebels and Thorndale Jaggoffs were also in uptown and recruited heavily from the Appalachian migrants. Chuckie Russell was a hillbilly from West Virginia

Yes, I’ve heard Uptown referred to as both Hillbilly Hollywood and Hillbilly Heaven. While the GLs started as an Italian club, you’re absolutely correct that the Uptown GL section (Sunnyside and Magnolia) was mostly if not all Appalachian. There were hillbilly kids in most of the majority white gangs — GLs, SCR, TJO, PBC, Jousters, C-Notes etc — at least on the Northside. I remember as a kid in the 80s and going to Uptown and seeing huge confederate flags on the stoops in front of those rundown apartment buildings and tons of crazy white gangbangers everywhere lol. Coming from Humboldt Park/West Town I had no idea as a kid that there were neighborhoods that bad on the Northside. I also knew of hillbilly members in PR gangs like the MLDs and LKs who were seriously nuts.

Thanks for the info on Chuckie Russell, I wasn’t sure if he was Irish or what. I’d imagine that he may have been a C-Note himself, as they always had a few important hillbilly dudes within their organization who were accepted as brothers by the Italians. Was his wife Italian though? I recall hearing before that he was related by marriage somehow to Albie Vena but I’ve never been able to substantiate that.

[Patrickgold]

Small glimpse of Chicagos interests in Kentucky during the old days....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wC61zM4yIKM

Interesting topic. Frank Schweihs had personal connections in KY, that’s where he was living when he went on the lam for FS, so I wonder if he was part of any of this. Very minor, but when I was a kid I knew some C-Notes from Grand Ave who used to travel to KY a lot — probably for drug stuff, but given that there had been a number of “hillbillies” in this (historically) majority Italian organization, there were plenty of ways for personal ties to develop between Chicago and KY. Many Appalachians migrated to Chicago (as well as Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh) back in the day. In Chicago at least, some of them worked for the mob. Incidentally, hillbilly kids were some of the craziest gangbangers one could ever meet in Chicago lol. Even the Puerto Rican gangs always had a few hillbillies within their ranks, and these guys were wild. The Uptown neighborhood, which used to be called “Hillbilly Hollywood”, was a really rough and gang ridden neighborhood for many years.

With the WV stuff involving Cleveland and Lansky, I have to imagine that Pittsburgh was part of it as well, or at least receiving their cut as this was part of their territory, of course.

I wonder which families were involved in the AL and GA coal rackets?

Hillbilly Hollywood? It was called Hillbilly Heaven in my neighborhood. Gaylords had a lot of hillbillys in their gang, especially the Uptown Gaylords. Uptown rebels and Thorndale Jaggoffs were also in uptown and recruited heavily from the Appalachian migrants. Chuckie Russell was a hillbilly from West Virginia

Yes, I’ve heard Uptown referred to as both Hillbilly Hollywood and Hillbilly Heaven. While the GLs started as an Italian club, you’re absolutely correct that the Uptown GL section (Sunnyside and Magnolia) was mostly if not all Appalachian. There were hillbilly kids in most of the majority white gangs — GLs, SCR, TJO, PBC, Jousters, C-Notes etc — at least on the Northside. I remember as a kid in the 80s and going to Uptown and seeing huge confederate flags on the stoops in front of those rundown apartment buildings and tons of crazy white gangbangers everywhere lol. Coming from Humboldt Park/West Town I had no idea as a kid that there were neighborhoods that bad on the Northside. I also knew of hillbilly members in PR gangs like the MLDs and LKs who were seriously nuts.

Thanks for the info on Chuckie Russell, I wasn’t sure if he was Irish or what. I’d imagine that he may have been a C-Note himself, as they always had a few important hillbilly dudes within their organization who were accepted as brothers by the Italians. Was his wife Italian though? I recall hearing before that he was related by marriage somehow to Albie Vena but I’ve never been able to substantiate that.

Supposedly he was living with a Spilotro who was also related to Vena. I don’t think they were married. Not sure how he ended up in Chicago. Don’t forget Alva Johnson Rodgers who worked for Caifano was also from the south. They met in prison. And you also got the entire Silas Jayne gang which worked for the Outfit and they were basically all hillbillies. Most of these guys were low ranking guys. Don’t think any really climb the ladder very far

[Patrickgold]

I know the Outfit’s italian and drug connections have been discussed before. I saw this on Facebook. Anybody know anything about him??

[Villain]

First time hearing about this guy.

[PolackTony]

My first time too, thanks for posting it Patrick. All I can tell you is that Lettieri was probably from Naples/Campania while Ingrao is a Sicilian surname.

[PolackTony]

Thanks to Scott B, who posted that Chuck Crimaldi died last year under an assumed name in Texas:
https://gangsterreport.com/hoffa-tipste ... er-to-cia/