Confirmation of Chicago Consiglio 1969

[Snakes]

Now the question is who all sat on the consiglio. There are multiple references to Ross Prio being a consistent part of this body in addition to Ricca and Accardo.

A lot of the Family consigli around the country seem to have had five seats (admin plus two captains and/or soldiers) which makes sense given these bodies voted and the mafia often favored odd numbers so there'd be a tie-breaker (Valachi says this was why the joint-consiglio in NYC/NJ had 7 seats).

Chicago was a bigger Family than a lot of these small or dwindling Families who had 5-member consigli so maybe theirs was 7 members, no idea myself.

DeRose said these men were on the "committee" who advised Sam Giancana:

- Paul Ricca
- Tony Accardo
- Fifi Buccieri
- Sam Battaglia
- Jack Cerone
- Ross Prio (possibly)
- Presumably Giancana was on it, making 7.

DeRose pointed out that most of them were Sicilian (he mistakenly thought Cerone was Sicilian but was right that Ricca and Buccieri weren't while the others were).

Ricca and Accardo were technically not in the pyramid hierarchy but this made them consiglieri and at least one was the chairman / secretary. None of the references I've seen suggest every captain had a seat but rather select ones did. If Alderisio was actually a consiglio member in 1969 he could have been a soldier who sat on it for a period or was at least included in the process.

Here is a reference to the "elder statesmen" in 1971. If this is synonymous with the consiglio/committee, it appears that only the most senior capos were allowed to be members (along with the boss -- vacant at this time -- and Ricca and Accardo, who were jointly acting as boss):

[PolackTony]

Now the question is who all sat on the consiglio. There are multiple references to Ross Prio being a consistent part of this body in addition to Ricca and Accardo.

A lot of the Family consigli around the country seem to have had five seats (admin plus two captains and/or soldiers) which makes sense given these bodies voted and the mafia often favored odd numbers so there'd be a tie-breaker (Valachi says this was why the joint-consiglio in NYC/NJ had 7 seats).

Chicago was a bigger Family than a lot of these small or dwindling Families who had 5-member consigli so maybe theirs was 7 members, no idea myself.

DeRose said these men were on the "committee" who advised Sam Giancana:

- Paul Ricca
- Tony Accardo
- Fifi Buccieri
- Sam Battaglia
- Jack Cerone
- Ross Prio (possibly)
- Presumably Giancana was on it, making 7.

DeRose pointed out that most of them were Sicilian (he mistakenly thought Cerone was Sicilian but was right that Ricca and Buccieri weren't while the others were).

Ricca and Accardo were technically not in the pyramid hierarchy but this made them consiglieri and at least one was the chairman / secretary. None of the references I've seen suggest every captain had a seat but rather select ones did. If Alderisio was actually a consiglio member in 1969 he could have been a soldier who sat on it for a period or was at least included in the process.

Here is a reference to the "elder statesmen" in 1971. If this is synonymous with the consiglio/committee, it appears that only the most senior capos were allowed to be members (along with the boss -- vacant at this time -- and Ricca and Accardo, who were jointly acting as boss):

And, of course, 5 of those 7 were gone very shortly thereafter.

Here’s the info we have for 1974. The second one was from Bompensiero:

[Coloboy]

Awesome find! Certainly confirms quite a bit of uncertainty there.

As you have all astutely pointed out, there was always some form of "consiglio" active in Chicago, which among other things, hand picked and could essentially fire the boss. It's a very good system for maintaining peace.

However, one thing I would push back on is the notion that both Ricca and Accardo, as members of this Consiglio, were merely equal to the other members. It is fairly clear that even when there was an official boss in place (giancana/aiuppa), Ricca/Accardo had final say and could sway the board or consiglio whichever way they wanted. With ultimate control of the board of directors as it were, you have ultimate control over an organization, even if un-involved day to day. This is why in my research and opinion, I believe that between the mid 30's until the early 90's you essentially either had Ricca, Accardo, or both, having ultimate power in the Chicago Outfit, which is wild to think about.

I apologize I don't have the time to locate it at this moment, but someone may know where it is. There is an FBI surveillance report, I believe from the late 70's, which documents a dinner between Accardo, Aiuppa, and Cerone. At the dinner the agents reported that Accardo was frustrated and barking orders at the other two. It is these hints that help paint the picture to me not of a role that was merely an advisor, but rather the person with final authority.

[B.]

Coloboy -- I agree Accardo and Ricca had more defacto power than the other consiglio members, including the boss in many ways, but in terms of formal rank they sat as firsts among equals on the consiglio. You can find underbosses, consigliere, and captains who were more powerful than the boss, but in this case it's like Kansas City or San Jose where certain elders had the most authority behind the scenes. The consiglio seems to be designed for that.

Snakes -- what I notice about the list you posted is it's very similar to the people DeRose named, with a couple of different names. It still totals 7 which adds to the idea that 7 guys sat on their council.

[Snakes]

Coloboy -- I agree Accardo and Ricca had more defacto power than the other consiglio members, including the boss in many ways, but in terms of formal rank they sat as firsts among equals on the consiglio. You can find underbosses, consigliere, and captains who were more powerful than the boss, but in this case it's like Kansas City or San Jose where certain elders had the most authority behind the scenes. The consiglio seems to be designed for that.

Snakes -- what I notice about the list you posted is it's very similar to the people DeRose named, with a couple of different names. It still totals 7 which adds to the idea that 7 guys sat on their council.

It was 1971, so Battaglia was in prison. Cerone (if he had a seat) was also in prison, so I'd imagine that there were a few empty spots. Also, like Tony said, 5 of the 7 guys would be dead within the next two years. Around that time (1973), it was said that Accardo was not looking to promote anyone and there were a lot of vacant spots. Obviously later on, things were shaken out (1975 at the latest), but I'm curious to wonder if the consiglio faded out because of that big turnover in 1972/73.

[B.]

It coincides too with the consiglio weakening and disappearing around the country.

[Coloboy]

Also, with regards to Chicago specifically, would we consider people like Gus Alex, Jake Guzik, and Murray Humphries as official members of the Consiglio? We know that they held influential positions, but what form that took is up for debate.

Also interesting that just because you were a capo or an area boss, doesn’t mean that you were a defacto member of the board. All these folks were hand-picked. Once again, who picked these people often seems to be either Tony Accardo or Paul Ricca, as snakes pointed out above in the 1973 example . Notice it was not the official boss, Aiuppa, choosing who got to sit on that council at that time

[B.]

The non-Italians couldn't officially sit on the consiglio but the names you mentioned had a defacto role with it for sure based on what I've seen. Probably comparable to Accardo and Bompensiero saying Meyer Lansky was a defacto representative on the Commission in representing national Jewish racketeers, but in this case on an individual Family level. Lansky couldn't have an official Commission seat but he was a non-member equivalent for specific interests, very similar to what Alex was within Chicago.

I see that similarly to Joe Watts representing the Westies in NYC. Powerful non-member who was more than just a textbook associate and he was tasked with representing another group of big time non-Italian associates. We know Watts carried weight even among the made members and Family leaders.

[PolackTony]

Coloboy -- I agree Accardo and Ricca had more defacto power than the other consiglio members, including the boss in many ways, but in terms of formal rank they sat as firsts among equals on the consiglio. You can find underbosses, consigliere, and captains who were more powerful than the boss, but in this case it's like Kansas City or San Jose where certain elders had the most authority behind the scenes. The consiglio seems to be designed for that.

Snakes -- what I notice about the list you posted is it's very similar to the people DeRose named, with a couple of different names. It still totals 7 which adds to the idea that 7 guys sat on their council.

It was 1971, so Battaglia was in prison. Cerone (if he had a seat) was also in prison, so I'd imagine that there were a few empty spots. Also, like Tony said, 5 of the 7 guys would be dead within the next two years. Around that time (1973), it was said that Accardo was not looking to promote anyone and there were a lot of vacant spots. Obviously later on, things were shaken out (1975 at the latest), but I'm curious to wonder if the consiglio faded out because of that big turnover in 1972/73.

Just to note again, one 1974 CI referred to Chicago still having a "Board of Directors", naming Accardo, DiBella, and unnamed other senior members. And then the Bompensiero info from Pilotto that same year seems to at least strongly suggest that the new gen capos Pilotto, Torello, and Lombardo were serving with Accardo in that capacity. With DiBella, that would make 5. With Cerone and Aiuppa, 7.

[PolackTony]

Also, with regards to Chicago specifically, would we consider people like Gus Alex, Jake Guzik, and Murray Humphries as official members of the Consiglio? We know that they held influential positions, but what form that took is up for debate.

Also interesting that just because you were a capo or an area boss, doesn’t mean that you were a defacto member of the board. All these folks were hand-picked. Once again, who picked these people often seems to be either Tony Accardo or Paul Ricca, as snakes pointed out above in the 1973 example . Notice it was not the official boss, Aiuppa, choosing who got to sit on that council at that time

Regarding Alex (and we can presume the same for Guzik and Humphreys):

Regarding not all capos got to sit on the Consiglio, in other families, at least, it was also the case that not everyone on their Consigli were capos or admin members, as soldiers could sit too. If Bompensiero was correct that Alderisio was formally a soldier in 1969, he could be an example, as he told Bomp that he was attending some Consiglio meetings. In Alderisio's case, however, it also could be that he wasn't formally a "councilor" but was called in to take part in some meetings. Presumably, the same was true for guys like Alex. If the Consiglio were discussing matters that pertained to his area of responsibility (political corruption, business and labor racketeering) or non-Italian mobsters who were under the outfit, then Alex would be called in to take part. Similar to what Bompensiero described as Lansky's role as a de facto "avugad" for the Jewish syndicate to the Commission.

[PolackTony]

On the subject of Chicago consiglieri.

From David P. Schippers's forward to M.D. Jones's 2019 book "Hoodlum Lawyer", on Joe Imburgio (Jones is Imburgio's grandson):

In the background, though, mostly unfamiliar to the average citizen, there existed a comparatively shadowy member of the Outfit in whom the highest echelon of the Mafia bestowed almost unquestioning trust and confidence. Insiders referred to this person as the "consigliere"[.] The individual who held this position until his mysterious death was [...] Joseph Imburgio Bulger.

It should be noted that Schippers was a former Assistant US SA who was the Chief of the US DOJ's Special Organized Crime Unit during the 1960s. He was actively involved in investigating Imburgio and was also the guy who gave Giancana immunity from self-incrimination, leading to the latter's contempt charges in 1965.

[Snakes]

Coloboy -- I agree Accardo and Ricca had more defacto power than the other consiglio members, including the boss in many ways, but in terms of formal rank they sat as firsts among equals on the consiglio. You can find underbosses, consigliere, and captains who were more powerful than the boss, but in this case it's like Kansas City or San Jose where certain elders had the most authority behind the scenes. The consiglio seems to be designed for that.

Snakes -- what I notice about the list you posted is it's very similar to the people DeRose named, with a couple of different names. It still totals 7 which adds to the idea that 7 guys sat on their council.

It was 1971, so Battaglia was in prison. Cerone (if he had a seat) was also in prison, so I'd imagine that there were a few empty spots. Also, like Tony said, 5 of the 7 guys would be dead within the next two years. Around that time (1973), it was said that Accardo was not looking to promote anyone and there were a lot of vacant spots. Obviously later on, things were shaken out (1975 at the latest), but I'm curious to wonder if the consiglio faded out because of that big turnover in 1972/73.

Just to note again, one 1974 CI referred to Chicago still having a "Board of Directors", naming Accardo, DiBella, and unnamed other senior members. And then the Bompensiero info from Pilotto that same year seems to at least strongly suggest that the new gen capos Pilotto, Torello, and Lombardo were serving with Accardo in that capacity. With DiBella, that would make 5. With Cerone and Aiuppa, 7.

I still think it faded out not too long after that, though. There is little mention of it in the 80s, and the Outfit began to more closely resemble the East Coast families as far as structure was concerned. I think the reduction in size of the organization also played a part.

[PolackTony]

Coloboy -- I agree Accardo and Ricca had more defacto power than the other consiglio members, including the boss in many ways, but in terms of formal rank they sat as firsts among equals on the consiglio. You can find underbosses, consigliere, and captains who were more powerful than the boss, but in this case it's like Kansas City or San Jose where certain elders had the most authority behind the scenes. The consiglio seems to be designed for that.

Snakes -- what I notice about the list you posted is it's very similar to the people DeRose named, with a couple of different names. It still totals 7 which adds to the idea that 7 guys sat on their council.

It was 1971, so Battaglia was in prison. Cerone (if he had a seat) was also in prison, so I'd imagine that there were a few empty spots. Also, like Tony said, 5 of the 7 guys would be dead within the next two years. Around that time (1973), it was said that Accardo was not looking to promote anyone and there were a lot of vacant spots. Obviously later on, things were shaken out (1975 at the latest), but I'm curious to wonder if the consiglio faded out because of that big turnover in 1972/73.

Just to note again, one 1974 CI referred to Chicago still having a "Board of Directors", naming Accardo, DiBella, and unnamed other senior members. And then the Bompensiero info from Pilotto that same year seems to at least strongly suggest that the new gen capos Pilotto, Torello, and Lombardo were serving with Accardo in that capacity. With DiBella, that would make 5. With Cerone and Aiuppa, 7.

I still think it faded out not too long after that, though. There is little mention of it in the 80s, and the Outfit began to more closely resemble the East Coast families as far as structure was concerned. I think the reduction in size of the organization also played a part.

I as well believe that it declined in the following years, just that it seemed to have still been intact around the mid-70s. I also suspect that while the formal Consiglio declined with the downsizing of the family, a vestige of it may have persisted, in that a couple of senior guys (Lombardo, LaPietra, Difronzo, Andriacchi) over the years may have enjoyed a similar status and consulted by the admin. Knowing that Chicago did have a formal Consiglio at least into the 70s could really be an important part of making sense of not just Ricca/Accardo, but also the role of some of these semi-retired senior members in later decades.

That it was probably largely defunct, or only preserved in the form of senior/emeritus members, by the 80s is suggested by the fact that Nicky C made no mention of any similar formal body in his testimony. DeRose was a non-member and was well aware of the Consiglio in the early 60s, so even a soldier like Calabrese should have at least been aware of it if it was still a formal thing by then.

[Angelo Santino]

Coloboy -- I agree Accardo and Ricca had more defacto power than the other consiglio members, including the boss in many ways, but in terms of formal rank they sat as firsts among equals on the consiglio. You can find underbosses, consigliere, and captains who were more powerful than the boss, but in this case it's like Kansas City or San Jose where certain elders had the most authority behind the scenes. The consiglio seems to be designed for that.

Snakes -- what I notice about the list you posted is it's very similar to the people DeRose named, with a couple of different names. It still totals 7 which adds to the idea that 7 guys sat on their council.

It was 1971, so Battaglia was in prison. Cerone (if he had a seat) was also in prison, so I'd imagine that there were a few empty spots. Also, like Tony said, 5 of the 7 guys would be dead within the next two years. Around that time (1973), it was said that Accardo was not looking to promote anyone and there were a lot of vacant spots. Obviously later on, things were shaken out (1975 at the latest), but I'm curious to wonder if the consiglio faded out because of that big turnover in 1972/73.

Just to note again, one 1974 CI referred to Chicago still having a "Board of Directors", naming Accardo, DiBella, and unnamed other senior members. And then the Bompensiero info from Pilotto that same year seems to at least strongly suggest that the new gen capos Pilotto, Torello, and Lombardo were serving with Accardo in that capacity. With DiBella, that would make 5. With Cerone and Aiuppa, 7.

I'm really out of my element here but given the similarities we see between Chicago and Detroit I thought I should point something out in Detroit.

On the Detroit seggiu/consigliu/pannel sat the B, U and C but also Bill Tocco and Peter Licavoli. Bill's organization background is up for debate but Peter Licavoli was ID'd as a captain who sat on the panel but resided in Arizona and the individual running his decina was Mike Rubano. We don't have an insider like DiLeonardo or Pennisi or Calabrese to say whether Licavoli vacated his capo position and just sat on the panel or if he kept it and Michael Rubino was acting captain. These is organizational inside info that's lost to history. But flipping to the operational side of things, regardless of what ranks Licavoli and Bill Tocco held outside of the seggiu, their underlings/successors in Rubino and Jack Tocco would most certainly have listened to them to the point where it'd be safe to say: "Yeah, he's boss of the crew but all important decisions are made by Licavoli."

I think the 1960's were an interesting time in the American Mafia, bosses of various families around since the 1920's were entering their twilight years and wanted to slow down but didn't want to relinquish full control. Having a seat on these panels might have been the best option to hold an administrative stake without the heavy administrative/political burdens of the office positions.

Charting out these councils on an organizational chart showing its influence is incredibly hard to do in uniform because some councils held incredible influence over the boss while others appear as more advisory boards. In terms of Detroit and Chicago, Zerilli had been boss for decades while Giancana was relatively new, if things were reversed and Tony Z the son was boss and Ricca still boss, one would argue that the council controls Zerilli but that Ricca precedes on or over a council. Additionally, the Licavoli-Rubino relationship might explain certain Chicago discrepancies regarding capo/crew bosses within their decine.

[B.]

One new thing I saw (can't remember if I mentioned it), is Bomp followed up on the rumor he heard from Moceri about Joe Zerilli stepping down to become a "consigliere of power". Moceri later told him that Zerilli realized how unpopular his son Tony was in the Family and decided against stepping down because the election of a new boss would not go in their favor. Seems Zerilli stayed put because it was more beneficial for his son at that time.

This is also important because it shows Zerilli didn't have absolute authority over the boss election (we have this idea that guys like Zerilli could simply "choose" the next boss, though we know that did happen sometimes) and the election was subject to some kind of democratic process that would be influenced by other factions. We have numerous reports about how Priziola for example represented his own faction and he was the chairman / secretary of their consiglio so it makes sense Zerilli didn't have absolute control over the direction of the Family should he step down.

I don't know what Scott B thinks, but my take is Priziola was an equal of Joe Zerilli and even though he was not the boss his position was enough to balance the Family's power on both a defacto and official level. Not a coincidence he was chairman of the council.