Anthony Pinelli Sr. (Gary, IN) Capo Chicago Outfit

[JCB1977]

Looking for more info on Anthony Pinelli Sr., who relocated and settled in Sierra Madre, CA.

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... ny_Pinelli (1968)

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... ny_Pinelli (1958)

According to Informants:

-Pinelli is an Old Time Capo in Chicago Outfit
-Pinelli is still a member in good standing with the Outfit
-Made under Tony Accardo
-Owner of Century Distributing Company at 1101 Taft St Gary, IN
-Rackets include pinball machines, horse racing and fooball betting
-1964 he was under indictment for Income Tax Evasion
-Close to john LaRocca, Salvatore Marino and Gabriel Mannarino

[PolackTony]

Looking for more info on Anthony Pinelli Sr., who relocated and settled in Sierra Madre, CA.

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... ny_Pinelli (1968)

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... ny_Pinelli (1958)

According to Informants:

-Pinelli is an Old Time Capo in Chicago Outfit
-Pinelli is still a member in good standing with the Outfit
-Made under Tony Accardo
-Owner of Century Distributing Company at 1101 Taft St Gary, IN
-Rackets include pinball machines, horse racing and fooball betting
-1964 he was under indictment for Income Tax Evasion
-Close to john LaRocca, Salvatore Marino and Gabriel Mannarino

Lots of info on Pinelli in the Chicago threads. Antonino Pinelli was born in 1899 in Calascibetta, Enna, and settled in Chicago in 1913, living in the Taylor St Patch on the Near Westside before later moving to the SW Side (both areas were closely linked to the Genna/Taylor St group in the mafia) and then the NW Side (1940). There is some evidence that would support that Pinelli was already involved with the mafia by the 1920s, as one of the associates of Villarosano mafioso Filippo Gnolfo. Pinelli’s sister Mariannina Pinelli also married Luigi Barbagallo, who was murdered in 1926 in suburban Stickney (a Capone-controlled town); the Barbagallos were also from Calascibetta and involved in mafia activities in Chicago and Rockford in the 1910s-20s.

In 1923, Pinelli married Madeline Miceli, who was born to parents from Baucina and grew up in Little Sicily. Around 1948, the Pinelli’s relocated to Sierra Madre, CA. FBI investigations later concluded that Pinelli served a vital role for the Chicago outfit in CA, likely using what was described as an “octopus” of Pinelli-controlled business and real estate investments to launder illegal money for the Chicago leadership. One son, Salvatore Pinelli (named after Tony’s brother who died in childhood) went on to become an LA member, while another son, Tony Pinelli Jr, was a very well-known attorney in Chicago for decades. Tony Pinelli St died in 1974.

LA member CI Salvatore Piscopo identified Tony Pinelli Sr as a Chicago capodecina residing in CA who transferred to the LA outfit around 1965 (Piscopo noted that with increasing age it was getting hard for Pinelli to continue fulfilling his duties as a Chicago member out of state). Pinelli seems to have been the capodecina over the Gary, IN, crew (identified by Frank Bompensiero as having previously been an independent Family; likely absorbed into Chicago sometime following the 1935 murder of the likely Gary boss Paolo Palozzolo). Pinelli owned a pizzeria in Gary that local LE reported to the FBI was the command mode for OC activities in Gary through the 1950s.

Regarding Pinelli’s links to Pittsburgh, it’s pretty clear that the Calascibetta/Villarosa network would have been a major factor. As noted above, Chicago mafioso Filippo Gnolfo was from Villarosa and had killed a guy in 1915 in Greensburg, PA (at which point he relocated to Chicago). Pinelli’s nephews Joe and Tony Gruttadauro (sons of Pinelli’s SIL Salvatora Miceli and Andrea Gruttadauro of Villarosa) also lived in Johnstown, PA, in the 20s; the Gruttadauros seem to have been with the Gary crew, though like Pinelli they lived in the City of Chicago. Pitt boss John LaRocca was, of course, also Villarosano.

[JCB1977]

Looking for more info on Anthony Pinelli Sr., who relocated and settled in Sierra Madre, CA.

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... ny_Pinelli (1968)

https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... ny_Pinelli (1958)

According to Informants:

-Pinelli is an Old Time Capo in Chicago Outfit
-Pinelli is still a member in good standing with the Outfit
-Made under Tony Accardo
-Owner of Century Distributing Company at 1101 Taft St Gary, IN
-Rackets include pinball machines, horse racing and fooball betting
-1964 he was under indictment for Income Tax Evasion
-Close to john LaRocca, Salvatore Marino and Gabriel Mannarino

Lots of info on Pinelli in the Chicago threads. Antonino Pinelli was born in 1899 in Calascibetta, Enna, and settled in Chicago in 1913, living in the Taylor St Patch on the Near Westside before later moving to the SW Side (both areas were closely linked to the Genna/Taylor St group in the mafia) and then the NW Side (1940). There is some evidence that would support that Pinelli was already involved with the mafia by the 1920s, as one of the associates of Villarosano mafioso Filippo Gnolfo. Pinelli’s sister Mariannina Pinelli also married Luigi Barbagallo, who was murdered in 1926 in suburban Stickney (a Capone-controlled town); the Barbagallos were also from Calascibetta and involved in mafia activities in Chicago and Rockford in the 1910s-20s.

In 1923, Pinelli married Madeline Miceli, who was born to parents from Baucina and grew up in Little Sicily. Around 1948, the Pinelli’s relocated to Sierra Madre, CA. FBI investigations later concluded that Pinelli served a vital role for the Chicago outfit in CA, likely using what was described as an “octopus” of Pinelli-controlled business and real estate investments to launder illegal money for the Chicago leadership. One son, Salvatore Pinelli (named after Tony’s brother who died in childhood) went on to become an LA member, while another son, Tony Pinelli Jr, was a very well-known attorney in Chicago for decades. Tony Pinelli St died in 1974.

LA member CI Salvatore Piscopo identified Tony Pinelli Sr as a Chicago capodecina residing in CA who transferred to the LA outfit around 1965 (Piscopo noted that with increasing age it was getting hard for Pinelli to continue fulfilling his duties as a Chicago member out of state). Pinelli seems to have been the capodecina over the Gary, IN, crew (identified by Frank Bompensiero as having previously been an independent Family; likely absorbed into Chicago sometime following the 1935 murder of the likely Gary boss Paolo Palozzolo). Pinelli owned a pizzeria in Gary that local LE reported to the FBI was the command mode for OC activities in Gary through the 1950s.

Regarding Pinelli’s links to Pittsburgh, it’s pretty clear that the Calascibetta/Villarosa network would have been a major factor. As noted above, Chicago mafioso Filippo Gnolfo was from Villarosa and had killed a guy in 1915 in Greensburg, PA (at which point he relocated to Chicago). Pinelli’s nephews Joe and Tony Gruttadauro (sons of Pinelli’s SIL Salvatora Miceli and Andrea Gruttadauro of Villarosa) also lived in Johnstown, PA, in the 20s; the Gruttadauros seem to have been with the Gary crew, though like Pinelli they lived in the City of Chicago. Pitt boss John LaRocca was, of course, also Villarosano.

Thank you Tony. Do you happen to know who the person Gnolfo had killed in Greenburg, PA? Greenburg was a hot bed for Black Hand Activity in 1915. There was a state cop from Greensburg who wrote a report on OC by the name of Detective John Chrin and he said over 200 members of the Black Hand were still living in greater Pittsburgh in the early 1940's. see link for info: https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.htm ... ack%20Hand

[PolackTony]

I’m not sure who Gnolfo killed in Greensburg. That he had been wanted for murder there was reported in the Tribune when Gnolfo was killed in Chicago in 1930 (he was also reported at that time to have been responsible for operating a blast furnace that Joe Aiello’s faction used to dispose of their enemies). But I was able to confirm that Gnolfo indeed lived there and relocated to Chicago after 1915.

Thanks for linking the FBI report. I note that it claims the Villarosa Society in Pittsburgh as linked to mafia activity. In Chicago there was the Società San Giacomo di Villarosa. Its President in the 1930s was Eugenio Falzone; though I’m not aware of any specific mafia connections for him, he was based out of the same Taylor St neighborhood as Gnolfo and his men (additionally, an Angelo Falzone from neighboring Santa Caterina Villarmosa was apparently targeted in a bombing in 1926). During this time Tony Pinelli was also named as the President of the Calascibetta Society in Chicago (one of a number of mafiosi involved in the Italian/Sicilian paesani societies).

[JCB1977]

I’m not sure who Gnolfo killed in Greensburg. That he had been wanted for murder there was reported in the Tribune when Gnolfo was killed in Chicago in 1930 (he was also reported at that time to have been responsible for operating a blast furnace that Joe Aiello’s faction used to dispose of their enemies). But I was able to confirm that Gnolfo indeed lived there and relocated to Chicago after 1915.

Thanks for linking the FBI report. I note that it claims the Villarosa Society in Pittsburgh as linked to mafia activity. In Chicago there was the Società San Giacomo di Villarosa. Its President in the 1930s was Eugenio Falzone; though I’m not aware of any specific mafia connections for him, he was based out of the same Taylor St neighborhood as Gnolfo and his men (additionally, an Angelo Falzone from neighboring Santa Caterina Villarmosa was apparently targeted in a bombing in 1926). During this time Tony Pinelli was also named as the President of the Calascibetta Society in Chicago (one of a number of mafiosi involved in the Italian/Sicilian paesani societies).

North Side Bootlegging Beer Baron, John Cancelliere, who also ran the North Side Rackets was from Villarosa. The Cancelliere's and the LaQuatra's married into one another. Joe LaQuatra, close friend to John LaRocca and President of LIUNA Local 1058 where LaRocca had a death grip on that union and his son John LaRocca Jr was VP of Local 1058. The Cancelliere's and LaQuatra's had a restaurant (mob hangout) called the Rosa Villa Restaurant, it was a meeting place for Italians from Villarosa.

I'd be interested to find out who Gnolfo killed in Greensburg...can you send me the article from the Tribune that mentioned it? If I could find out what month the killing took place, I could narrow down the search through newspapers.com. In April of 1910, there was a high profile killing of an alleged Black Hand Leader named Mariano Mara aka Marra. Possibly from Western Reggio Calabria. From 1904-1913, Greensburg was a hotbed for activity.