General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

[Antiliar]

Reminds me of Genovese members touching their chins when referring to "Chin" Gigante or Bonannos touching their ears instead of saying Joe Massino. It suggests that DiFronzo still held the top role despite being (as far as we know) relatively uninvolved.

[Snakes]

I was looking for these two short videos for a long time and was finally able to locate them on YouTube. They are brief snippets of conversation between Jimmy Marcello and his brother from 2003 while Jimmy was in prison. I believe they are in reference to stories that were being printed in the papers at the time concerning the Spilotro murders.

Sometimes the words are hard to make out, but you can piece together some of the names they are discussing from other newspaper articles about these videos specifically.

“Shavago and his brother”= Spilotros

“Emmett Kelly”= Lombardo

Michael also touches his nose as a reference to Difronzo as opposed to saying his name out loud.

Maybe you guys can make out some things I couldn’t

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XQnpd6jB3yE

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y8Hgg7rQTU

In another recording they use Pagliacci, in reference to Joey Lombardo ("the clown").

[PPPP]

I believe they say "Emmett Kelly's kid", is that correct? Who is that referring to?

[Snakes]

I believe they say "Emmett Kelly's kid", is that correct? Who is that referring to?

I don't know about Emmett Kelly's kid, but they also used Emmett Kelly to refer to Lombardo. I don't think it's on any of the video recordings that are out there, but on one of the audio recordings Michael Marcello points to his gut to refer to John Matassa.

[Coloboy]

Given all the code speak, Emmett Kelly’s kid could probably refer to either somebody that was under Lombardo in the organization, or could potentially refer to his actual kid, Joey Junior. Didn’t he have some issues with law enforcement concerning union stuff?

[Snakes]

Given all the code speak, Emmett Kelly’s kid could probably refer to either somebody that was under Lombardo in the organization, or could potentially refer to his actual kid, Joey Junior. Didn’t he have some issues with law enforcement concerning union stuff?

Joey Jr. was a labor guy who got his position because of who his father was, but the feds admitted that he was a good employee that showed up and did everything legally. It's a stretch to call him an associate beyond acknowledging who his father was.

[PPPP]

Given all the code speak, Emmett Kelly’s kid could probably refer to either somebody that was under Lombardo in the organization, or could potentially refer to his actual kid, Joey Junior. Didn’t he have some issues with law enforcement concerning union stuff?

With all of the code they used, actually referring to someone's kid might be too literal for them. Like you said, maybe it refers to Lombardo's #2 or his heir apparent in the crew.

[Snakes]

I don't think they ever said "Emmett Kelly's kid," but I could be wrong

Edit: Okay, "his kid," they do mention it. They are referring to Joey Jr. with a civil matter about letting "organized crime's influence" into his union(mentioned in the Carol Marin article), but I don't think anything ever came of that.

[Snakes]

Here is some more on Joseph, Jr from a 1997 hearing:

There is no evidence in this record to indicate that Joseph Lombardo Jr. is a member or associate of the Chicago Outfit.

There was credible evidence presented at the Trusteeship Hearing that Lombardo is a hard worker who has ascended the ranks by doing a good job.[The latter is probably not completely accurate]

Every witness who was questioned indicated that Lombardo Jr. is knowledgeable about union business and dedicated to his job.

[funkster]

Interesting except from a 1962 wiretap of Pat Marcy’s office. Freddie Roti, Marcy lackey Benny Jacobson, and an Italian guy (uses Italian phrases) named Phil (LNU) are talking while Marcy and D’Arco are out at lunch. Phil seems to be an important man, as Roti repeatedly addresses him as “sir”; not Philly Alderisio, as this Phil says that he has a brother named Vito who had been a sheriff in the suburbs. Roti mentions relationships that his father (presumed former capodecina Bruno Roti) had with CPD detectives, and also refers to a boss (“the old man”, likely either Ricca or Accardo) wanting to have a detective whacked for investigating something involving the Imperial House (a fancy restaurant in the 50s on E Walton by Rush St).



Earlier in the tape, it was noted that a Joe Cosentino from Taylor St came to Marcy and said that he wanted to become a CPD officer. Marcy told him that he may have been “too late”, as each ward was given an allotment of cop positions to fill, but that Marcy would still do his best to help him as “we need guys like you”.

This is an interesting interaction.

[PPPP]

I don't think they ever said "Emmett Kelly's kid," but I could be wrong

Edit: Okay, "his kid," they do mention it. They are referring to Joey Jr. with a civil matter about letting "organized crime's influence" into his union(mentioned in the Carol Marin article), but I don't think anything ever came of that.

Got it. Thanks.

[Waingro]

Are these talks with his brother where people get the narrative that Jimmy Marcello had big plans for the Outfit when he got out? Anything to read on that?

[PolackTony]

As we've discussed before, intel for families like Chicago and Milwaukee over the years claimed that a recruit had to have participated in a murder in order to qualify for membership, whereas this requirement seemed less stringent in NYC. 1969 intel from the SF office (should be from Carmine Tagliatella) has the informant saying that the Genovese adhered to this requirement as well. As in Chicago, a couple of guys may have got in without having participated in a killing (i.e., major earners), though it should also be kept in mind that participation could mean playing any role in a murder (driving, posting lookout/surveillance, etc):

[PolackTony]

Whoa yeah, definitely further indication Chiusa Sclafani was tied to Catalanotto and part of the early Chicago Family.

Also Lennert mentioning that Vito Barone was godfather to Nick DeJohn's brother -- further indication Giovanni DeJohn was important. Took over D'Andrea's position with the union, his wife's naturalization witnessed by Mike Merlo and Solly D's relative, then his son's godfather was the possible second-in-command of the Chicago mafia circa mid-1910s.

To revisit Pietro Catalanotto of Villafranca Sicula, the “Silver King” of Little Sicily and possibly capo or acting capo of Chicago following Rosario Dispenza’s death.

Catalanotto’s was murdered in Little Sicily in June 1915. Several days later, Antonina LoCascio, née LoVerde, wife of Carlo LoCascio, was murdered in front of her home a couple of blocks away. Her murder was stated to have been revenge for Catalanotto, as her son Mariano “Michael” LoCascio was alleged to have slain the Silver King. Antonina was sitting outside with her 4-year-old grandson, Frank Ingo, when two gunmen opened fire on her and the kid. Frank Ingo was the son of Antonina’s daughter, Angelina LoCascio and Angelin’s deceased husband, Giuseppe Ingo of Lucca Sicula. Joe Ingo had himself been murdered in 1914 when two men opened fire on him with a sawed-off shotgun in an alley behind Hobbie and Milton in Little Sicily, a block from the LoCascio family home. A 12-year-old boy who witnessed the shooting identified Francesco Cannella as one of the assailants. Cannella, from Villafranca Sicula, was another LoCascio brother-in-law, as his wife was Giuseppina LoCascio, another child of Carlo LoCascio and Antonina LoVerde. Catalanotto’s sons, John and Phillip, and Vito Barone (probably from Ciminna and possible sotto capo under Catalanotto) were charged with Antonina’s murder but all were acquitted at trial. In November of 1916, John Catalanotto was shot to death on a streetcar at Belmont and Elston. It was believed that the murder was done by Michael LoCascio and his younger brother John; a witness said that he had never seen a look of hatred as strong on a man’s face as the expression of the man who killed John Catalanotto.

After Joe Ingo was murdered, Angelina LoCascio remarried a Joseph Bullaro, who was from Villafranca. Sam DiGiovanni’s brother, Nicola (from Palazzo Adriano, neighboring Chiusa Sclafani where the LoCascios were from) married a Martha Bullaro whose father was also a Giuseppe Bullaro from Villafranca (mother was a Miceli from Burgio; they were closely connected to the Agrigento colony in Downstate IL, Marion/Johnston City). Martha’s brother John Bullaro died in CO in 1931, and we know that the DiGiovannis were closely linked to the Pueblo Family. In 1923, a Domenico Ingo was apparently murdered in CO during the mafia war in the Pueblo Family (per Bill Feather). He may have been a relative of the Joe Ingo murdered in 1914 in Chicago.

Pietro Catalanotto’s daughter Mariantonia had married Giuseppe LoCascio, another son of Carlo and Antonina, in 1913. Giuseppe died in December of 1914 and it was reported that he killed himself over terror of the “Black Hand”, who had been targeting his father who was noted as a “wealthy real estate broker” in Little Sicily. As yet another tie to Agrigento, Mike LoCascio, alleged king slayer, was married to Vita Bellavia of Burgio.

About a week after the murder of Angelina LoCascio, a guy named Salvatore Russo was murdered at Huron and Green (likely Morici territory at that time); police believed that this murder was somehow linked to the Catalanotto/LoCascio saga. Russo’s death record stated that he was resident in Italy and the papers stated that he had only recently arrived in Chicago. The eldest LoCascio kid, Rosina LoCascio, was married to a Russo who was also from Chiusa Sclafani, so maybe there was a connection. Francesco Mezzatesta, of Ficarazzi, was later arrested for the Russo murder; he had himself survived a shooting in May of 1915 in Little Sicily (just before the Catalanotto murder). Russo was found with letters from a Carlo BonGiovanni on him at the time of his death; BonGiovanni was arrested with a number of other “Black Handers”, though apparently not charged with any crimes in relation to the Russo murder. The papers stated that BonGiovanni’s address was in Milwaukee, though I couldn’t confirm him either there or in Chicago. There were, however, BonGiovannis in Little Sicily from Ficarazzi, which could be relevant given Mezzatesta’s alleged involvement. I believe those were the same BonGiovannis who in later years were named as members of a Little Sicily neighborhood “committee” along with interesting surnames such as Merlo, Nuccio, Brancato, DeJohn, Romano, and Giovenco.

Possibly unrelated was the Salvatore Canelli [sic] who the Chicago press reported as an Aiello guy slain in 1928 by Lombardo/Capone gunmen. I haven’t been able to confirm a death record for someone by that name so it may have been an alias or the surname was badly butchered by the papers. “Canelli” was stated to have been with “Tough Tony” Califiore, described as a top “lieutenant” to Joe Aiello, when assailants opened fire on them. Califiore (given as “Califura” by the papers at the tim) also survived an attack in the summer of 1928 when he was shot and gravely wounded by alleged Lombardo/Capone gunmen at North Ave and Wells. These attacks were thought to have been reprisals for the slayings by the Aiello faction of Giovanni Oliveri (Corleonese) and his partner Giuseppe Salamone (Alcamese), stated to have been staunch Lombardo/Capone loyalists. When Lombardo was murdered in September of 1928, Calafiore was considered to be a prime suspect in the killing, as investigators were working under the belief that the Lombardo hit was retaliation for the above-noted attacks against Aiello’s men. Not sure if Calafiore surfaced, but there were at least two Antonino Calafiores from Bagheria in Chicago, so the contention that he was an Aiello man seems solid.

[PolackTony]

In 1958, the Feds received intel that Ross Prio had a mansion on Lake Geneva in WI, but that it was under the name of another Italian. Prio allegedly used this mansion for organizational meetings, target practice, and to harbor outfit guys who had to escape heat in Chicago. After searching through property records, they discovered that Gaetano “Black Tom” Oneglia’s widow Vittina Castelluzzo (from Ciminna) owned a mansion on Lake Geneva, and concluded that this was the Prio mansion. They noted that this time that Prio and Oneglia had business partnerships going back to the 1930s. We, of course, know that Prio and Oneglia were also paesani from Ciminna. Additionally, at the time of Gaetano’s murder in 1943, the Oneglias lived on the 6100 block of N Campbell in West Ridge, in the far Northside; in 1930, the Prios lived on this same block.

On another note, Oneglia daughter Katherine Oneglia was married to CPD detective Frank Cerone (not outfit member Skippy Cerone), who I believe was another Cerone cousin.