General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

[Patrickgold]

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/

Damn, I had no idea he was still alive. I liked his book. Wonder what Frank Cullota thought of him. Did anyone ever ask him before he died?

[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/

Damn, I had no idea he was still alive. I liked his book. Wonder what Frank Cullota thought of him. Did anyone ever ask him before he died?

I haven’t read the book. It would be cool to go back through Cullotta’s videos to see if Crimaldi ever came up.

[SolarSolano]

Lettieri was a fixture in the Austin neighborhood for years. His brother Tino was a trustee in Mokena - I believe this was connected to Tony Zizzo's drug ring that involved Vic Plescia and his wife Cora along with Camillio Grossi and a bunch of others. Lettieri likely worked for Zizzo.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct- ... story.html

[SolarSolano]

Photo of Vic Plescia in FCI Milan:

[Tonyd621]

Photo of Vic Plescia in FCI Milan:

How much time did he get? Is he out? Alive? Dead?
How these turn to getting involved in all this sh*t?
What do they start out as small time bookies and just progress from there? Are they set up?

[PolackTony]

Lettieri was a fixture in the Austin neighborhood for years. His brother Tino was a trustee in Mokena - I believe this was connected to Tony Zizzo's drug ring that involved Vic Plescia and his wife Cora along with Camillio Grossi and a bunch of others. Lettieri likely worked for Zizzo.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct- ... story.html

Thanks for the reminder on the Plescia/Melrose Park crew drug ring. Thanks also for the info linking Lettieri to that group.

I’m pretty sure that Lettieri is from Campania, and it may be worth noting that there are people with that surname linked to Camorra clans. There is a pentitto named Franco Lettieri from Salerno. Also, back in 2011 when a number of ranking Camorra figures were indicted around the time of the Naples mayoral election, run off candidate Gianni Lettieri was accused of being closely linked to the Camorra as well as disgraced former Berlusconi minister Nicola Cosentino, who was forced to resign due to mafia ties.

As detailed in the Chicago “zips” thread, Frank Millito, Vincenzo D’Agostino, and the murdered Giuseppe Cocozza (linked to dirty CPD and Northside crew associate Pierre Zonis), were also all from Salerno province.

Just to mention another Camorra angle in Chicago, a 2006 report by the Italian Parliament’s Antimafia Commission cited the Licciardi clan and Alleanza di Secondigliano as having operatives and business interests in Chicago (this info was also detailed in then Commission president Francesco Forgione’s 2009 book “Mafia Export”).

[PolackTony]

Worth noting again that, as the article states above, the Plescia/Grossi narcotics operation was said to answer to Zizzo and Tornabene. I recall that the Carlisi crew was said to have their hands in drugs, so this would be one example. Is there any evidence of other drug operations associated with that crew (at the moment I can’t think of any but I could be spacing)? Another question I have was whether or not these operations were already going on under Aiuppa, or whether they started after ‘86. IIRC, in his Outfit and the drug trade thread from several years back, Villain claimed that in the 70s when the drug question came before Chicago’s admin, Accardo and Alex were opposed to it, but ultimately Aiuppa decided to permit it (presumably so long as no made guys had their hands directly on the drugs)?

[funkster]

Plescia ended up doing a bunch of time for that, didn't he?

[Patrickgold]

Anybody see the news about this guy named Nicholas Valentino. Guess he got caught with 22 million worth of marijuana. It’s all over the news bc he shot at the police. Anybody ever hear of him? He’s from Des Plaines area. Most of the big dealers in Chicago area are Mexican and he’s white/italian.

[funkster]

Anybody see the news about this guy named Nicholas Valentino. Guess he got caught with 22 million worth of marijuana. It’s all over the news bc he shot at the police. Anybody ever hear of him? He’s from Des Plaines area. Most of the big dealers in Chicago area are Mexican and he’s white/italian.

Heh, grew up there. Folks still live out there. Link?

[funkster]

Nvm, wow lol.

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/202105 ... -drug-bust

[Patrickgold]

Very interesting article about Chris Petti from 1989. I believe he was the one chosen to take over West Coast operations after Spilotro was killed.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm ... KEl7F1_5fU

[PolackTony]

Nvm, wow lol.

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/202105 ... -drug-bust

He’s the last vestige of the old Rocky Potenza crew lol.

Seriously though, seeing this guy’s pic reminds me of a wise man’s words: “where do these creatures emerge from?” Lol.

Apart from the vowel at the end of his surname, I don’t see any reason to think he’s connected (not that Patrick was implying that, of course). Given the apparent scale of his operation and busting shots at the cops, I’d suspect some street gang affiliation, though he doesn’t really have that “look” either.

[funkster]

Nvm, wow lol.

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/202105 ... -drug-bust

He’s the last vestige of the old Rocky Potenza crew lol.

Seriously though, seeing this guy’s pic reminds me of a wise man’s words: “where do these creatures emerge from?” Lol.

Apart from the vowel at the end of his surname, I don’t see any reason to think he’s connected (not that Patrick was implying that, of course). Given the apparent scale of his operation and busting shots at the cops, I’d suspect some street gang affiliation, though he doesn’t really have that “look” either.

This dude was definitely selling his shit at Phish shows.

Plesica's still alive, is he not?

[SolarSolano]

Very interesting article about Chris Petti from 1989. I believe he was the one chosen to take over West Coast operations after Spilotro was killed.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm ... KEl7F1_5fU

You know who Petti hired to collect Spilotro's outstanding debts? Big Cheese DiNunzio who is the boss of Providence. Crazy connection.