Chicago Outfit Places of Origin

[Antiliar]

Good write-up. I think we can safely rule him out as a member, but his association with Gioe is interesting. There's still a lot of questions about Gioe.

[Snakes]

Per my info, Frank Orlando was most likely born Francesco Orlando in 1910 in Chicago to Antonino Orlando of Vicari, Palermo province, and Cosima Di Liberto, most likely from Palermo province (some other DiLibertos in Chicago from Brancaccio and other parts of Palermo province). Antonino and Cosima married in Chicago in 1908. Cosima died in 1915, and Antonino subsequently remarried Giuseppina Polizzi of Mezzojuso, Palermo province. The Orlandos lived near Division and Sedgewick on the Near Northside. On his WW2 draft card, Frank Orlando's address was near Willow and Howe in Old Town, and he stated that he was employed by a Sam Catalano. His wife was Catherine Lombardo. Frank Orlando died in Chicago in 1988.

Not a lot of info to go off of for Frank Orlando. While one Tribune article had him with an age consistent with the birth year of 1920, that may have been an error as several other articles gave ages consistent with 1910. I also have no idea whether Frank Orlando was related to the Frank Orlando busted with Paulie Carparelli in 2014.

Just doing some digging and Frank Orlando was confirmed born 27 June 1910, dying 14 September 1988. Still don't know about the Carparelli "Frank Orlando," but this is Frank Orlando's son (Jr.): https://www.glueckertfuneralhome.com/ob ... d=17767677

I still get a laugh out of the wiretap played at Family Secrets where Joey Lombardo was speaking to Louie Eboli about some video gambling machines in a building belonging to Joe Ferriola, but also involving Frank Orlando: "Frank Orlando? Fuck, Frank Orlando, he's nobody."

[PolackTony]

Frank Leo Demonte was born 1927 in Chicago to Anthony DeMonte, born in New Orleans, and Margaret DiVarco, born in Chicago. Anthony DeMonte's parents were Francesco De Monte and Maria Diadora Macaluso, both from Palermo province. Maria's family seems to have been from Campofelice di Roccella (also worth noting that her mother was a Nuccio). Margaret DiVarco was the daughter of Andrea Di Varco, brother of Vincenzo DiVarco, thus she was Joey Caesar's 1st cousin. Margaret's mother was Rosa Cutaia, who was also from Campofelice.

Frank Demonte's father I believe was the "Tony Mack" identified by Maniaci as a member of the Northside crew who attended Phil Priola's 1964 wedding in Rockford. Maniaci had initially erroneously identified him as "Tony Maccalucci", but then was later shown a photo of Anthony DeMonte and confirmed that he was "Tony Mack". As Tony DeMonte's mother was a Macaluso, DeMonte used Tony Macaluso as an alias, hence Maniaci misremembering it as "Maccalucci".

Tony DeMonte's FBI file also states that Margaret DiVarco was Joey DiVarco's 1st cousin, and has a copy of DeMonte's birth record from Louisiana.

On his 1943 naturalization document in Chicago, Francesco De Monte (spelled Damante here) stated that he arrived in NOLA 1899/07/04 under the name Francesco Demonte. He stated that both he and his wife Maria were born in Palermo. I'm unable to find a record for any Francesco entering NOLA from 1898 to 1900 who seems to match him, however, so maybe he actually used another name.

Worth noting also that Francesco De Monte had a Francesco Amari witness his naturalization. Amari was, as expected, from Ribera, and spent several years bouncing between Chicago and Trinidad, CO, with his family before setting permanently in Chicago, where he lived at Hudson and Elm on the Near Northside (later demolished for Cabrini-Green) and died in 1948.

[PolackTony]

Elmwood park capodecina Joseph "Joey Gags" Gagliano was born Giuseppe Gagliano in 1915 in Chicago to Salvatore Gagliano and Maria Cadetto, who married in Chicago in 1909. While a bunch of Ancestry.com family trees claim that Salvatore and Maria were from Agrigento, closer inspection shows that these claims are based on erroneous genealogies, as both seem to have been from Calabria. The 1980 death record for daughter Anna Marie Gagliano (born in 1918) states that both parents were born in Calabria. Investigation into Maria Cadetto reveals that both of her parents, Antonio Cadetto and Nicolina Marigliano, were indeed from Cosenza province. When Salvatore Gagliano was naturalized in Chicago in 1920, he stated that he arrived in the US 1903/08/27. An NYC passenger manifest for a 1903/08/26 arrival of a Salvatore Gagliano (born about 1885, like the Chicago one), states that he was from Drapia, Vibo Valentia. Though bound at this time for Philly, I believe this was very likely Joe Gag's father. On His WW1 Draft card, Salvatore Gagliano stated that the family lived on the 2600 block of W Superior, near Smith Park. The family subsequently decamped to the Italian section of Humboldt Park around Chicago Ave and Homan/Pulaski, in which area Joe Gags was later associated in his outfit career.

Elmwood Park member Gary "Gary Gags" Gagliano has been claimed over the years to have been either a nephew or son of Joe Gags. Gary was in fact Joe's nephew. Gary M. Gagliano was born in Chicago in 1943 to Michael S. Gagliano and Lola Petri. Michael Gagliano was a younger brother of Joe Gags, born in 1920 in Chicago. Lola was born in 1922 in Chicago to Amelio Petri and Maria Puccini of Bagni di Lucca, Toscana. While in 1940 Michael Gagliano still lived with his family at Chicago and Kedvale in West Humboldt Park, in 1950 he lived with Lola, Gary, and daughter Susan at 37th St and 57th Ave in Cicero. The Petris lived first on Grand Ave near Halsted, later moving west to Ridgeway and Chicago Ave in Humboldt Park.

Gary Gags' first mention in the papers came in 1961, at 17 when Gary faced federal charges for a Morton Grove bank robbery with 18-year-old James Schrimmenti. Schrimmenti lived at Diversey and Oak Park Ave in the NW Side Montclare neighborhood, while Gary lived on Mango near Wellington in neighboring Belmont Cragin. In recent decades, Gary Gags has been known as the owner of Luke's Italian Beef, a well-known beef stand on Jackson in the Loop, with his wife Roseanna Makaris (his cousin Salvatore "Tore" Gagliano, Joe Gags' son, has owned Tore & Luke's beef in suburban Palatine, now run by Frank Caputo). Gary Gags has also long been rumored to be a feared killer for the outfit with the Elmwood Park crew. In a 2011 interview with Joe Fosco, Mike Magnafichi named Gags as such:

JF: Are you ready to do this?

MM: I have been talking about it for a long time. Let’s do it.

JF: Are you worried that something will happen to you?

MM: Yes, but I will be okay. I know who their killers are. I know who to look for and who to avoid.

JF: Who are you going to be on the lookout for?

MM: Alby, Gary Gags, Porky, Bobby Abbinanti and a couple of others.

[PolackTony]

Cicero crew affiliate and all-around great guy Paulie Carparelli was born in 1969 to Paolo "Paul Michael" Carparelli and Beverly Vertucci. Paolo Carparelli was born in 1943 in Carbonara di Bari to Vito Carparelli and Arcangela Paparella, and immigrated to Chicago in 1953 with his mother and siblings (father Vito doesn't seem to have joined them in Chicago, so he may have died). By his 1969 naturalization, Paolo Carparelli was living at 23rd St and 54th Ave in Cicero. Beverly Vertucci was born in Chicago to John Anthony Vertucci (from a Taylor St family, likely of Campanian ancestry) and Marian Van Dinther (making Paulie 3/4 Ital).

in 1986, Paolo Carparelli was found shot to death in his torched home in Berwyn; the death was ruled a suicide. Clearly, the family was troubled, as Paulie is well-known to have been a member of the Almighty 12th St Players, an historically Italian (and later Polish, Mexican, etc) street gang in Cicero and Berwyn -- current reputed Cicero crew members Louie Rainone and Joey Guarino were also Players.

Paulie Carparelli in the 1980s rocking his Players "nation" sweater (credit to Chicagoganghistory.com):

[PolackTony]

Elmwood Park crew affiliate Alphonse Mitria was born Alfonso Mitria in 1949 in Ricigliano, Salerno to Luigi Mitria and Donata Parilli, of Ricigliano. The Mitrias arrived in Chicago in 1958, when Luigi was naturalized in 1965, he was living at California and Nelson in the NW side Avondale neighborhood and working as a barber. By this time, however, he had separated from Donata (he then got with a Lucia Parilli, also apparently from Ricigliano), who was living at Lawrence and Ashland in the Northside Ravenswood neighborhood. When Al Mitria was naturalized in 1970, he was living nearby at Lawrence and Wolcott.

For years, Al Mitria was rumored to be involved in burglaries and fencing of stolen merchandise at the old Maxwell St Market (I probably bought something off of him at some point, lol). In 2001, Mitria was busted with Charles Parilli in a massive stolen goods ring. Police told the Tribune that at the time it was one of the largest recoveries of stolen goods in Chicago history (computers, appliances, toys, clothing, firearms, etc.); it took a team of 60 investigators 3 days to transport and catalog the loot, which was estimated at $2 million dollars in value and burglarized from freight train yards. Mitria and Parilli were called "alleged organized crime figures" at the time, with CPD intelligence commander of the Organized Crime Division John Guarnieri referring to Mitria as "an Elmwood Park mob crew boss". Along with the swag, it would seem that these two were involved in narcotics, as Parilli was busted at one of their storage sites with cocaine, marijuana, and $20k in a suitcase.

Though not mentioned in the papers, Parilli was likely Mitria's relative, of some sort. Charles "Chick" Parilli was born in Chicago in 1928 to Vito Parilli and Vita "Della", also nee Parilli, of Ricigliano. Parilli grew up in the Northside Edgewater neighborhood and later moved to the affluent northern suburb of Northbrook. In 1989, Charles and his older brother Louis Parilli were pinched as part of a major gambling bust that also ensnared outfit gambling overlords Dom Cortina and Don Angelini, along with Joe Spadavecchio and Chinatown crew member Richie "Cat" Catezone. I'm not sure if Mitria and Parilli were convicted or sentenced for the stolen merch case, but in 2005 Mitris was hit with a Federal indicitment for interstate trafficking in stolen goods. Per court douments -- "Among other things, the indictment alleged that, as a result of his illegal activities, Alphonse had received $100,000.00 and one 10.57 carat emerald cut diamond". Mitria was convicted on these charges and ordered to pay restitution; in 2008, another case alleged that Mitria had attempted to defraud the US government by transferring several residential properties to his wife Patricia. Today, Al Mitria is a free man who runs Al's Roofing, LLC, a contracting company based in the city; he and Patricia Mitira own a number of properties in Chicagoland and FL. Chick Parilli died in 2005.

The case of Mitria and Parilli is interesting, as we can see here that a "second wave" immigrant arrival from Italy was involved in organized crime activities with a Chicago-born paesan'. Later immigrant arrivals to Chicago did not arrive to a vacuum, but rather to a dense set of community networks formed by their paesani and relatives in Chicago, built over decades.

[Antiliar]

Great stuff, Tony

[Coloboy]

Awesome research. Good to know more about Joe Gags for sure. It seems he was pretty influential in terms of bringing some of the more modern day top guys like Andriacchi, Difronzo, etc into the fold. According to Fosco, no nose told him this directly.

Did you guys ever watch any of Frank Culotta‘s videos? Whatever his faults, he was a great storyteller and very entertaining. He had a video about Andriacchi and Joe Gags. Easy to find on YouTube. If the story is to be believed, Andriacchi jumped Cullota outside of a bar that was owned by Difronzo, and Gagliano later stepped in to prevent Cullota from retaliating because Andriacchi was such a good earner.

[PolackTony]

Awesome research. Good to know more about Joe Gags for sure. It seems he was pretty influential in terms of bringing some of the more modern day top guys like Andriacchi, Difronzo, etc into the fold. According to Fosco, no nose told him this directly.

Did you guys ever watch any of Frank Culotta‘s videos? Whatever his faults, he was a great storyteller and very entertaining. He had a video about Andriacchi and Joe Gags. Easy to find on YouTube. If the story is to be believed, Andriacchi jumped Cullota outside of a bar that was owned by Difronzo, and Gagliano later stepped in to prevent Cullota from retaliating because Andriacchi was such a good earner.

I enjoyed watching Culotta, as -- despite his faults -- he had lots of interesting stories and gave us a good account of what the outfit looked like to a legit tough/street guy from the neighborhood who never rose beyond the status of associate. Associates like him are like the blind men with the elephant -- their perspective is partial and can be misleading, but they did indeed touch the elephant. Additionally, Culott always gave me a lot of nostalgia, as he was one of a dying breed, in that he acted and talked just like the old Italians I remember from back when I was a kid. At some point, there will be no one left with that accent ("hit dat perrrscribe button dere").

Agreed on Joey Gags. My impression is that he was like the "Godfather" of Humboldt Park, back when the SW section of the neighborhood still had a heavy Italian population and was highly mobbed-up.

[PolackTony]

Chicago AZ operative Paul Schiro was born in 1937 in Chicago to Giovanni Battista Schirò and Nunzia "Nancy" Lanza, both of Piana dei Greci (Piana degli Albanesi). Nunzia arrived in Chicago in 1926, a year before their first child Domenica was born. In 1948, Paulie's parents divorced and in 1949 Nunzia remarried Antonino La Russo of San Cipirello. In 1950, Paulie was living with his mother and stepfather at Mulligan and Diversey in the Belmont Central neighborhood on the NW Side, near Riis Park; Antonino worked as a nickel plater in a metal-working factory. Paulie attended Steinmetz HS with wholesome pals Tony Spilotro and Joey Hansen in the '50s (see Mugshots). It appears that Antonino and Nunzia relocated to Baton Rouge (where Nunzia died in 2003) in the early 1970s, which would coincide with Paulie's relocation to the Phoenix area in that decade.

In 1977, an article published in the Redding, CA, Record Searchlight discussing mafia activity in Arizona claimed that FBI and other records supported that Schiro (noted there as a "former business partner of a Bonanno associate") was the local point-man for Spilotro in charge of major Chicago operations in Arizona, while "the lower level of the Chicago faction is believed under the tacit control of Joseph 'Papa Joe' Tocco, brother of Albert Tocco, a ranking Cosa Nostra member in Chicago... Tocco exerts an influence of sorts over street-level activity". The Spilotro-Schiro group, on the other hand, was alleged to "specialize in narcotics and stolen goods", with the further assertion that "it is known to supply a major portion of hard drugs for Chicago street sales". Per Frank Culotta, Schiro was deployed to SoCal in the early 1980s by Spilotro, presumably as part of a larger push by Chicago to foment and dominate traditional LCN rackets (gambling and juice loans) in LA territory along with guys like Vito Spillone and Joey Hansen. In 1983, when the FBI was seeking Schiro as a person of interest in the Dorfman hit (with Shciro identified as a suspect in multiple homicides), investigators noted that Paulie had relocated to San Diego in 1981, where he evaded heavy LE surveillance multiple times, and then returned to the Phoenix area in late 1982. Schiro was subsequently based in Scottsdale. In 2000, he was busted in Scottsdale for his role in the major multi-state jewelry theft ring with Bill Hanhardt, who moonlit as Chief of Detectives and Deputy Superintendent of the CPD while pursuing his life's passion as an associate of the Grand Ave crew.

[cavita]

Chicago AZ operative Paul Schiro was born in 1937 in Chicago to Giovanni Battista Schirò and Nunzia "Nancy" Lanza, both of Piana dei Greci (Piana degli Albanesi). Nunzia arrived in Chicago in 1926, a year before their first child Domenica was born. In 1948, Paulie's parents divorced and in 1949 Nunzia remarried Antonino La Russo of San Cipirello. In 1950, Paulie was living with his mother and stepfather at Mulligan and Diversey in the Belmont Central neighborhood on the NW Side, near Riis Park; Antonino worked as a nickel plater in a metal-working factory. Paulie attended Steinmetz HS with wholesome pals Tony Spilotro and Joey Hansen in the '50s (see Mugshots). It appears that Antonino and Nunzia relocated to Baton Rouge (where Nunzia died in 2003) in the early 1970s, which would coincide with Paulie's relocation to the Phoenix area in that decade.

In 1977, an article published in the Redding, CA, Record Searchlight discussing mafia activity in Arizona claimed that FBI and other records supported that Schiro (noted there as a "former business partner of a Bonanno associate") was the local point-man for Spilotro in charge of major Chicago operations in Arizona, while "the lower level of the Chicago faction is believed under the tacit control of Joseph 'Papa Joe' Tocco, brother of Albert Tocco, a ranking Cosa Nostra member in Chicago... Tocco exerts an influence of sorts over street-level activity". The Spilotro-Schiro group, on the other hand, was alleged to "specialize in narcotics and stolen goods", with the further assertion that "it is known to supply a major portion of hard drugs for Chicago street sales". Per Frank Culotta, Schiro was deployed to SoCal in the early 1980s by Spilotro, presumably as part of a larger push by Chicago to foment and dominate traditional LCN rackets (gambling and juice loans) in LA territory along with guys like Vito Spillone and Joey Hansen. In 1983, when the FBI was seeking Schiro as a person of interest in the Dorfman hit (with Shciro identified as a suspect in multiple homicides), investigators noted that Paulie had relocated to San Diego in 1981, where he evaded heavy LE surveillance multiple times, and then returned to the Phoenix area in late 1982. Schiro was subsequently based in Scottsdale. In 2000, he was busted in Scottsdale for his role in the major multi-state jewelry theft ring with Bill Hanhardt, who moonlit as Chief of Detectives and Deputy Superintendent of the CPD while pursuing his life's passion as an associate of the Grand Ave crew.

Interesting in that there was a Giorgio Schiro and family that lived in Rockford. Giorgio was born in Piana die Greci in 1878 and immigrated to New Orleans in 1905. He lived there for five years before moving to Rockford in 1910. Also, Rockford LCN boss Joe Zammuto's first wife was Elena Schiro who I believe ties into this Schiro family.

[PolackTony]

Chicago AZ operative Paul Schiro was born in 1937 in Chicago to Giovanni Battista Schirò and Nunzia "Nancy" Lanza, both of Piana dei Greci (Piana degli Albanesi). Nunzia arrived in Chicago in 1926, a year before their first child Domenica was born. In 1948, Paulie's parents divorced and in 1949 Nunzia remarried Antonino La Russo of San Cipirello. In 1950, Paulie was living with his mother and stepfather at Mulligan and Diversey in the Belmont Central neighborhood on the NW Side, near Riis Park; Antonino worked as a nickel plater in a metal-working factory. Paulie attended Steinmetz HS with wholesome pals Tony Spilotro and Joey Hansen in the '50s (see Mugshots). It appears that Antonino and Nunzia relocated to Baton Rouge (where Nunzia died in 2003) in the early 1970s, which would coincide with Paulie's relocation to the Phoenix area in that decade.

In 1977, an article published in the Redding, CA, Record Searchlight discussing mafia activity in Arizona claimed that FBI and other records supported that Schiro (noted there as a "former business partner of a Bonanno associate") was the local point-man for Spilotro in charge of major Chicago operations in Arizona, while "the lower level of the Chicago faction is believed under the tacit control of Joseph 'Papa Joe' Tocco, brother of Albert Tocco, a ranking Cosa Nostra member in Chicago... Tocco exerts an influence of sorts over street-level activity". The Spilotro-Schiro group, on the other hand, was alleged to "specialize in narcotics and stolen goods", with the further assertion that "it is known to supply a major portion of hard drugs for Chicago street sales". Per Frank Culotta, Schiro was deployed to SoCal in the early 1980s by Spilotro, presumably as part of a larger push by Chicago to foment and dominate traditional LCN rackets (gambling and juice loans) in LA territory along with guys like Vito Spillone and Joey Hansen. In 1983, when the FBI was seeking Schiro as a person of interest in the Dorfman hit (with Shciro identified as a suspect in multiple homicides), investigators noted that Paulie had relocated to San Diego in 1981, where he evaded heavy LE surveillance multiple times, and then returned to the Phoenix area in late 1982. Schiro was subsequently based in Scottsdale. In 2000, he was busted in Scottsdale for his role in the major multi-state jewelry theft ring with Bill Hanhardt, who moonlit as Chief of Detectives and Deputy Superintendent of the CPD while pursuing his life's passion as an associate of the Grand Ave crew.

Interesting in that there was a Giorgio Schiro and family that lived in Rockford. Giorgio was born in Piana die Greci in 1878 and immigrated to New Orleans in 1905. He lived there for five years before moving to Rockford in 1910. Also, Rockford LCN boss Joe Zammuto's first wife was Elena Schiro who I believe ties into this Schiro family.

Good info. There was also a Joseph Schiro who was killed in Chicago in 1940 in a shootout with CPD during a bank robbery. He was an ex-con who had relocated from NO.

B will appreciate that a George Schiro, probably a relative (maybe nephew?) of Giorgio Schiro, married a Phyllis Calacurcio in Rockford. Her family was from Santo Stefano Sole, Avellino, immediately neighboring the town of Serino, Avellino, where the Seattle Colacurcios were from.

Given that Paulie Schiro's stepfather Tony LaRusso was from San Cipirello, do you know of any ties there to Rockford?

[PolackTony]

Are you certain that you have the correct parents for John A. Matassa Sr? This obit is from 1976 and seems to match:

CT 1976May9 John Matassa Sr obit.jpg

According to Ottavio Matassa's naturalization he was from San Leiliceslavo, which is a typo for something. His World War II draft card has San Felitio. Slav.

Good catch. I should've hedged that one by stating "I believe" the way that I did for Jimmy I, as with these "younger" guys it's more difficult to establish a firm genealogy. There was another John A Matassa who died in 1951 in Chicago, who I thought was the son of Ottavio Matassa but died too early to be the John Matassa, Sr here. The one who died in 1951 now I think may have been an uncle or something. When I looked into Ottavio, he was from San Felice del Molise, which is an old settlement of Croatians (hence the "Slavo").

Can anyone confirm that the former cop and union official John Matassa died in 1976? Also, that Pudgy Matassa's wife is named Judith?

Pudgy Matassa was said to have a cousin named Tommy Matassa. I imagine this was the Thomas P Matassa who was identified in the Tribune a number of times as having organized crime connections. This may be the Thomas P Matassa who died in 2018. who was the son of a Louis Matassa and a Josephine LoCicero. There was a Louis Matassa, born in 1914 and died 1983, who was the former secretary of the Chicago Truck Drivers union. That Louis Maatssa seems to have been the son of Ottavio Matassa and thus a brother of the John A Matassa that Antiliar posted.

Per FBI files, the John Matassa who was Giancana's driver was John Anthony Matassa, so I think it's safe to conclude that the John A Matassa that Antiliar (thanks again) posted was him. His parents were Ottavio Matassa, of San Felice del Molise, Campobasso, Molise, and Martha Miletti (born 1893 in Italy to father pasquale Miletti). Martha should be Maddalena Miletti, who I was able to verify was born 1893 in Acquaviva Collecroce, Campobasso, Molise to Pasquale Miletti and Antonia Spadanuda. Ottavio and Martha initially settled in Waukesha, WI (where John Anthony was born in 1922, according to several documents) and subsequently moved to Chicago in the 1920s, where they lived on W DeKoven St in the Taylor St "Patch". The mother of Pudgy Matassa would then be Mary Ann Rita, born 1924 in Chicago and died 1996 (father named Anthony Rita). She may be the same Marianna Rita born in 1924 to Antonio and Maria Rita. On his 1926 US naturalization document, Antonio Rita's birthplace was written as "Riposudida". This is almost certainly Ripacandida, Potenza, Basilicata (where the surname Rita is also present).

The Tom Matassa mentioned as a cousin of Pudgy Matassa thus is most likely the Thomas P Matassa (died 2018) who was the son of Louis Matassa (brother of John A Matassa, Sr) and Josephine LoCicero.

Given that John Matassa, Sr was the driver and close associate of Giancana, it's interesting to note that he died suddenly in 1976 while out of state. the California Death Index has him as dead 05/07/1976 in Los Angeles. I have no idea what he died from, of course. Matassa, Sr was also under active investigation for union corruption prior to his death, with his name appearing in the Tribune several times in 1976. Maybe the stress killed him.

Couple of notes on the Matassas. Ottavio Matassa, John A. Matassa, Sr's father, was, as noted from San Felice in Campobasso. San Felice was founded as a settlement of Molisani Croats -- "Slavo-Molisani", formally, or "Schiavoni", traditionally -- hence Ottavio putting the older name of San Felice Slavo on some documents. There are still people in San Felice today who speak a local dialect of Serbo-Croatian alongside Italian, though Matassa itself I doubt is a surname of Slavic origin. Maddalena Miletti, John, Sr's mother, however, was also from a Molisian Croat town, Acquaviva Collecroce, which may indicate that their families were actually of "Slavo" origin. Not sure how surnames in these towns played out, but possible the Croatian settlers adopted Italian surnames at some point.

John A Matassa, Sr was a CPD detective and later Sergeant in the narcotics unit in the 1950s, with his name making the papers for some major drug busts. In 1957, Matassa was stated to be partnered with detective John Allegretti in the narcotics division. This should be retired CPD Sergeant John Daniel Allegretti, who died in 1992. While he wasn't related to Jimmy Allegretti (whose actual surname was Palcera/Policheri anyway), his mother, Rose Daddono, was Willie Daddono's sister. Like the Daddonos, the Matassas lived in the Taylor St Patch. One has to wonder if it was a coincidence that these guys were working on the narcotics squad. John's brother Thomas P Matassa was a CFD fireman who was injured in the 50s when a burning building collapsed on Taylor St.

In 1958, "Det. Johnny Matassa" was noted in the Trib as waiting to greet Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra upon their arrival at Midway Airport, along with CPS Captain Ralph Catanese. In 1959, John, Sr survived a heart attack and was again noted as a close personal friend of Dino and Sinatra; he was noted again as Sinatra greeter and companion at a 1960 Sinatra visit to Chicago. It was probably due to the heart attack that John, Sr retired from the CPD and joined the Teamsters. By the early 1960s, John, Sr had been appointed Treasurer of the notorious Local 727 under Eco Coli, and was noted in a number of FBI files from this era as a driver, bodyguard, and close personal confidant of Giancana. Matassa's outfit associations may have forced him to leave the Teamsters (though a 1976 Trib article cliamed that Coli fired Matassa after a "heated dispute"), and in 1968/69, Matassa filed and then dropped a $1.4 million libel suit against the Chicago Crime Commission for publishing Matassa's name as a "member of the syndicate". In 1974, "Johnnie Matassa" was one of the men busted for a major juice loan operation; others pinched included the LaPietra Bros, Chuckie English, Joe Ferriola, John Lardino, Don Angelini, and Irv Weiner.

[PolackTony]

Anthony Vito Cirignani was born in 1928 in Chicago to Domenico Cirignani, of Carbonara di Bari, and Giacinta Novelli, of nearby Loseto, Bari. The Cirignanis settled on Erie St near Ada in the Grand Ave Patch, along with many other Baresi. In 1950, Tony Cirignani was working as a freight truck driver and living with his father at Erie and Armour; Domenico was then unemployed. So far as I'm aware, Tony Cirignani's first appearance in the papers came after the 1966 murder of Hunk Galiano. Alleged eyewitness Joseph Kaladay had initially told police that he witnessed Jasper Campisi shoot Galiano at a juice loan collection HW on North Ave near Halsted and that Campisi was accompanied by Cirignani and a third man who fled the scene with them (this may have been Leonard Franzone, who was subsequently questioned by police as a person of interest in the shooting and then decamped for Louisiana). Kaladay, of course, quickly retracted his statement and then told police that he had made it up. Campise and Cirignani were, however, arrested running down Dayton St from the scene of the shooting. When questioned at a grand jury about the shooting, both men pleaded the 5th; as usual, Galiano's murder remained unsolved.

In the 1980s, Ken Eto testified that a "Juliano" was a "member" of the Solano crew who served as an enforcer/collector assigned with Jay Campise to assist Eto with collections from his bolita operations, though Eto listed members and associates together; investigators ascertained that "Juliano" was an alias of Tony Cirignani. In 1984, the Chicago Sun-Times and UPI reported that Anthony Cirignani was allegedly slated to be appointed by the Chicago mob as their man to "run the Kansas City rackets", according to Federal investigators. Investigators stated that Jasper Campise had been Chicago's liaison to the KC outfit until he was clipped after the Eto attempt and that rackets in KC were then up for grabs following the car bomb murder of Carl Spero; they further alleged that Cirignani was a top suspect in the Campise and Gattuso murders and had since become "Campise's heir apparent". They also claimed that "Kansas City is considered a satellite of Chicago's crime syndicate operations". I've also seen rumors that tony Cirignani was involved with Solano's LIUNA Local 1, though I haven't been able to confirm any association myself. A Vincent Cirignani who was a City employee apparently involved with ghost payrolling, seems to have been a cousin -- his wife Jean Cirignani was convicted on felony charges for holding a no-show job with the City. In 1985, the FBI listed Tony Cirignani as a Chicago LCN member, and as Snakes has argued, he was likely a redacted name on their 1993 list.

Tony Cirignani died in 2003.

[cavita]

Chicago AZ operative Paul Schiro was born in 1937 in Chicago to Giovanni Battista Schirò and Nunzia "Nancy" Lanza, both of Piana dei Greci (Piana degli Albanesi). Nunzia arrived in Chicago in 1926, a year before their first child Domenica was born. In 1948, Paulie's parents divorced and in 1949 Nunzia remarried Antonino La Russo of San Cipirello. In 1950, Paulie was living with his mother and stepfather at Mulligan and Diversey in the Belmont Central neighborhood on the NW Side, near Riis Park; Antonino worked as a nickel plater in a metal-working factory. Paulie attended Steinmetz HS with wholesome pals Tony Spilotro and Joey Hansen in the '50s (see Mugshots). It appears that Antonino and Nunzia relocated to Baton Rouge (where Nunzia died in 2003) in the early 1970s, which would coincide with Paulie's relocation to the Phoenix area in that decade.

In 1977, an article published in the Redding, CA, Record Searchlight discussing mafia activity in Arizona claimed that FBI and other records supported that Schiro (noted there as a "former business partner of a Bonanno associate") was the local point-man for Spilotro in charge of major Chicago operations in Arizona, while "the lower level of the Chicago faction is believed under the tacit control of Joseph 'Papa Joe' Tocco, brother of Albert Tocco, a ranking Cosa Nostra member in Chicago... Tocco exerts an influence of sorts over street-level activity". The Spilotro-Schiro group, on the other hand, was alleged to "specialize in narcotics and stolen goods", with the further assertion that "it is known to supply a major portion of hard drugs for Chicago street sales". Per Frank Culotta, Schiro was deployed to SoCal in the early 1980s by Spilotro, presumably as part of a larger push by Chicago to foment and dominate traditional LCN rackets (gambling and juice loans) in LA territory along with guys like Vito Spillone and Joey Hansen. In 1983, when the FBI was seeking Schiro as a person of interest in the Dorfman hit (with Shciro identified as a suspect in multiple homicides), investigators noted that Paulie had relocated to San Diego in 1981, where he evaded heavy LE surveillance multiple times, and then returned to the Phoenix area in late 1982. Schiro was subsequently based in Scottsdale. In 2000, he was busted in Scottsdale for his role in the major multi-state jewelry theft ring with Bill Hanhardt, who moonlit as Chief of Detectives and Deputy Superintendent of the CPD while pursuing his life's passion as an associate of the Grand Ave crew.

Interesting in that there was a Giorgio Schiro and family that lived in Rockford. Giorgio was born in Piana die Greci in 1878 and immigrated to New Orleans in 1905. He lived there for five years before moving to Rockford in 1910. Also, Rockford LCN boss Joe Zammuto's first wife was Elena Schiro who I believe ties into this Schiro family.

Good info. There was also a Joseph Schiro who was killed in Chicago in 1940 in a shootout with CPD during a bank robbery. He was an ex-con who had relocated from NO.

B will appreciate that a George Schiro, probably a relative (maybe nephew?) of Giorgio Schiro, married a Phyllis Calacurcio in Rockford. Her family was from Santo Stefano Sole, Avellino, immediately neighboring the town of Serino, Avellino, where the Seattle Colacurcios were from.

Given that Paulie Schiro's stepfather Tony LaRusso was from San Cipirello, do you know of any ties there to Rockford?

Regarding the George Schiro that married the Calacurcio, his father was Giovanni Schiro born 1909 in Piana degli Albanese. This Giovanni married a Domenica Mandala, also from Piana. Some of the Mandala's changed their name to Mandell and they were very connected to the Rockford LCN. I have seen the Calacurcio name sometimes used interchangeably as Colacurcio in Rockford as well. I have never seen any connection to Rockford with any LaRusso however. Although there may be some people in Rockford that have connections to San Cipirello, none come to mind immediately.