General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

[Snakes]

Snakes- this may be a topic of a future episode, but what is your opinion about DiFronzo‘s role between 94 when he got out of prison until his death? I know there is not a lot of good official information on this out there. There’s a few nuggets here and there, such as a law enforcement report that Sarno was kicking tribute up to him sometime around 2008 or 2009, Carparelli feared crossing him with the Melrose Park car dealer situation in like 2012, and an FBI report (I believe this one may have come through gangster report) that he met with a bunch of grand Avenue guys around 2006 at a restaurant

My only unofficial source was my grandfather, who got me interested in all this stuff in the first place. He lived in Elmwood Park until he died about a year ago at 92. He wasn’t really involved per se, but grew up with all of those guys , was full blood Sicilian, and was part of that era and culture. He knew DiFronzo, Lombardo, and D’Amico socially. I won’t go into it, but I once witnessed a social interaction he had with D’Amico at an Elmwood Park restaurant. For what it’s worth, he always heard from his old man breakfast club buddies that DiFronzo was at least officially the boss longer than most think until Alzheimer’s got him. Take that for whatever it’s worth .

I'm probably gonna address this the next time I'm on TMA. I've got a few theories on the subject that seem reasonable.

[SonnyC]

Another thing to think about with the Chiaramonte hit. As Snakes already noted, we don’t know for sure if the Carlisi and Ferriola crews had been merged by this point. The guy that I know who was an associate who worked with Cicero guys during this period told me that “Big Mike” was the “boss of Taylor St/Cicero” in this period, but didn’t know anything about Marcello or Tornabene.

Interesting bit of info on "Big Mike". I was still living in the neighborhood then (Taylor Street) and the general feeling was that Blackie Pesoli ran the neighborhood from the old Survivor's Club.
[/quote]

Blackie Pesoli?? The cook county guy. He died not to long ago. Never heard anything about him being made. When did the old survivors club close?

Interesting note. Was down on Taylor St the other day. The last Italian club which was on May st just north of Taylor closed down last week. First time in a hundred years that there is no Italian social club in Little Italy. Taylor street is finished, has been for a while, as the last Italian places are closing down. I know some more that will be closing in the future but rather not say because it’s not official.
[/quote]

Yea, Blackie was CPD at one time, and was big in the boxing scene as well. My grandfather was partners with him in a personal loan business as well. He was quite a character. He could get you tickets for any show in town. I think he sold the property and closed the club down finally in the mid 2000's. Last time I was in town and drove through it was a wrestling school.

Up until the early 2000's there was still a regular card game every Tuesday at the Survivor's Club, which I believe was Harry Aleman's before Blackie took it over. Some Mexican kids robbed the game one day. An associate of mine from CPD from the 12th district responded to the call. They told him not to worry about it, that they'd take care of it and thanked him for his time.

The club on May St was called the "Blue Boys Club", if I recall correctly. There was also a third club in operation during the time I lived there, but I can't recall the name right now. Sad to see the neighborhood change, but that's the way of things. It's been over a hundred years now since my family settled there.

[Ivan]

So has the Outfit ever done anything in Elgin, Illinois? Was wondering if there is any Elgin/Outfit connection (I have a ladyfriend there and I want to torture her with Elgin mob trivia lol). Vena lives there, right? Any other connections/rackets/etc.

It was never a serious hotbed of mob activity, as it didn’t have a large Italian population. The Battaglia crew had activities going on in that area, around Elgin and Kane County, in the 1960s though. Battaglia himself was based on a farm in that area, where he would hold meetings with LCN members from other Families (per intel from Augie Maniaci), and Battaglia soldier Rocco Pranno, who was informing to the FBI also, was reportedly in charge of Kane County during that period. Outside of Elgin itself, that area was largely rural back then, of course, and has since become much more developed as an “exurban” region of Chicagoland.

Thanks. My gal there bought a house in Elgin to get away from all the ghetto mayhem shit that's spilling over into nice neighborhoods now (she lived in Logan Square). She fled Chicago two years before I finally got sick of all that same kind of shit in Las Vegas and ran away to a similar far-out suburby type place.

[Patrickgold]

Another thing to think about with the Chiaramonte hit. As Snakes already noted, we don’t know for sure if the Carlisi and Ferriola crews had been merged by this point. The guy that I know who was an associate who worked with Cicero guys during this period told me that “Big Mike” was the “boss of Taylor St/Cicero” in this period, but didn’t know anything about Marcello or Tornabene.

Interesting bit of info on "Big Mike". I was still living in the neighborhood then (Taylor Street) and the general feeling was that Blackie Pesoli ran the neighborhood from the old Survivor's Club.

Blackie Pesoli?? The cook county guy. He died not to long ago. Never heard anything about him being made. When did the old survivors club close?

Interesting note. Was down on Taylor St the other day. The last Italian club which was on May st just north of Taylor closed down last week. First time in a hundred years that there is no Italian social club in Little Italy. Taylor street is finished, has been for a while, as the last Italian places are closing down. I know some more that will be closing in the future but rather not say because it’s not official.
[/quote]

Yea, Blackie was CPD at one time, and was big in the boxing scene as well. My grandfather was partners with him in a personal loan business as well. He was quite a character. He could get you tickets for any show in town. I think he sold the property and closed the club down finally in the mid 2000's. Last time I was in town and drove through it was a wrestling school.

Up until the early 2000's there was still a regular card game every Tuesday at the Survivor's Club, which I believe was Harry Aleman's before Blackie took it over. Some Mexican kids robbed the game one day. An associate of mine from CPD from the 12th district responded to the call. They told him not to worry about it, that they'd take care of it and thanked him for his time.

The club on May St was called the "Blue Boys Club", if I recall correctly. There was also a third club in operation during the time I lived there, but I can't recall the name right now. Sad to see the neighborhood change, but that's the way of things. It's been over a hundred years now since my family settled there.
[/quote]



You’re right he was CPD and got convicted in the grey lord case. I don’t think Blackie was running anything on Taylor street but was more of like the mayor of Taylor street. Everyone knew him.

In regards to the club that just closed it was called the East Side-West Side Club. The blue boys club closed a couple of years ago and was on Polk street.

[outfit guy]

https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-maga ... tokyo-joe/

[funkster]

Interesting nugget in today's Mikey Scars patreon, talking about Chris Paciello and mentions that there were guys from chicago in the late 90s putting money into clubs in Miami. Doesnt mention names.

[funkster]

So has the Outfit ever done anything in Elgin, Illinois? Was wondering if there is any Elgin/Outfit connection (I have a ladyfriend there and I want to torture her with Elgin mob trivia lol). Vena lives there, right? Any other connections/rackets/etc.

It was never a serious hotbed of mob activity, as it didn’t have a large Italian population. The Battaglia crew had activities going on in that area, around Elgin and Kane County, in the 1960s though. Battaglia himself was based on a farm in that area, where he would hold meetings with LCN members from other Families (per intel from Augie Maniaci), and Battaglia soldier Rocco Pranno, who was informing to the FBI also, was reportedly in charge of Kane County during that period. Outside of Elgin itself, that area was largely rural back then, of course, and has since become much more developed as an “exurban” region of Chicagoland.

I was going to say, I believe Teets had a horse farm out there. Dont forget Blackjacks nightclub, the Buttitas allegedly run some stuff out of there.

[funkster]

Another thing to think about with the Chiaramonte hit. As Snakes already noted, we don’t know for sure if the Carlisi and Ferriola crews had been merged by this point. The guy that I know who was an associate who worked with Cicero guys during this period told me that “Big Mike” was the “boss of Taylor St/Cicero” in this period, but didn’t know anything about Marcello or Tornabene.

Interesting bit of info on "Big Mike". I was still living in the neighborhood then (Taylor Street) and the general feeling was that Blackie Pesoli ran the neighborhood from the old Survivor's Club.
[/quote]

Blackie Pesoli?? The cook county guy. He died not to long ago. Never heard anything about him being made. When did the old survivors club close?

Interesting note. Was down on Taylor St the other day. The last Italian club which was on May st just north of Taylor closed down last week. First time in a hundred years that there is no Italian social club in Little Italy. Taylor street is finished, has been for a while, as the last Italian places are closing down. I know some more that will be closing in the future but rather not say because it’s not official.
[/quote]
You mean you know of more places in the Taylor street area that are closing down? Thing is that area is so integrated with UIC these days. Also, the club that close you're referring to, the one next to busy burger? Sorry for the multiple posts, but been busy and catching up after a few days is often hard.

[funkster]

Incidentally, take it for what its worth obviously, but fairly certain that way back when i communicated with him Boka claimed that one of his sources giving him a lot of current info was a guy related to Pesoli who was a sheriff in one of the south suburban depts.

[Patrickgold]

[/quote]
You mean you know of more places in the Taylor street area that are closing down? Thing is that area is so integrated with UIC these days. Also, the club that close you're referring to, the one next to busy burger? Sorry for the multiple posts, but been busy and catching up after a few days is often hard.
[/quote]

Yes. There are more places that might close bc the owners want to retire. We will see what happens. UIC destroyed the neighborhood in my opinion. Now it’s all Chinese and Indian.

Yes, the club next to Busy Burger. Busy Burger is where the old Survivors club was located. They got kicked out of the building. Supposedly they are looking for a new club on Taylor street but the prices are too high for a club like that.

[SonnyC]

You mean you know of more places in the Taylor street area that are closing down? Thing is that area is so integrated with UIC these days. Also, the club that close you're referring to, the one next to busy burger? Sorry for the multiple posts, but been busy and catching up after a few days is often hard.
[/quote]

Yes. There are more places that might close bc the owners want to retire. We will see what happens. UIC destroyed the neighborhood in my opinion. Now it’s all Chinese and Indian.

Yes, the club next to Busy Burger. Busy Burger is where the old Survivors club was located. They got kicked out of the building. Supposedly they are looking for a new club on Taylor street but the prices are too high for a club like that.
[/quote]

Survivors Club was at the NW corner of Racine and Lexington during my time there.

Prices are indeed crazy there. Should have bought that 2 flat on Ada when I had the chance...

[funkster]

I didn't realize it was officially a club lol...always looked like an apartment that dudes hung out at lol.

I thought the old Survivor's club is where that chinese restaurant is occupying? Also, is the quote function fucked up for anyone else?

[funkster]

Snakes- this may be a topic of a future episode, but what is your opinion about DiFronzo‘s role between 94 when he got out of prison until his death? I know there is not a lot of good official information on this out there. There’s a few nuggets here and there, such as a law enforcement report that Sarno was kicking tribute up to him sometime around 2008 or 2009, Carparelli feared crossing him with the Melrose Park car dealer situation in like 2012, and an FBI report (I believe this one may have come through gangster report) that he met with a bunch of grand Avenue guys around 2006 at a restaurant. Then we have the well-known Chuck Goudie interview at that restaurant in River Grove in 2009, which certainly seemed like some type of meeting considering all of the guys who were there.

My only unofficial source was my grandfather, who got me interested in all this stuff in the first place. He lived in Elmwood Park until he died about a year ago at 92. He wasn’t really involved per se, but grew up with all of those guys , was full blood Sicilian, and was part of that era and culture. He knew DiFronzo, Lombardo, and D’Amico socially. I won’t go into it, but I once witnessed an interesting social interaction he had with D’Amico at Da Luciano’s In River Grove. For what it’s worth, he always heard from his old man breakfast club buddies that DiFronzo was at least officially the boss longer than most think until Alzheimer’s got him. Take that for whatever it’s worth .

Lol you should totally go into the interaction! :p

[funkster]

You mean you know of more places in the Taylor street area that are closing down? Thing is that area is so integrated with UIC these days. Also, the club that close you're referring to, the one next to busy burger? Sorry for the multiple posts, but been busy and catching up after a few days is often hard.

Yes. There are more places that might close bc the owners want to retire. We will see what happens. UIC destroyed the neighborhood in my opinion. Now it’s all Chinese and Indian.

Yes, the club next to Busy Burger. Busy Burger is where the old Survivors club was located. They got kicked out of the building. Supposedly they are looking for a new club on Taylor street but the prices are too high for a club like that.
[/quote]

Survivors Club was at the NW corner of Racine and Lexington during my time there.

Prices are indeed crazy there. Should have bought that 2 flat on Ada when I had the chance...
[/quote]
Interesting, that was an active social club with joker poker machines up until at least 2015.

[JerryB]

Thanks for posting this. Really a GREAT, well written and extremely informative read.