General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

[Ivan]

That "dunningwatch" account thingy is also on Twitter it looks like: https://x.com/DunningWatch/status/1809376269978718713

[PolackTony]

Looks like another shooting at one of the Italian social clubs on Addison st in Chicago. I heard a lot things about that place including lots of gambling and also prostitution going on in there. No idea what happened this time but here is a snippet that I got off Facebook.

Update:

The owner of the club was supposedly arrested. Should be made public in the near future.

Just from what I’ve seen from the outside when I was there last year, definitely looks like the kind of place.

Used to be called Palese Cafe, now it’s called Bari Cafe. Not sure who the owner is, but the address is associated with an attorney, Giuseppe Arato. Arato isn’t a Barese surname though, so I’m thinking he’s Sicilian. Not sure what his relationship with the operator of the cafe is.

[Patrickgold]

Looks like another shooting at one of the Italian social clubs on Addison st in Chicago. I heard a lot things about that place including lots of gambling and also prostitution going on in there. No idea what happened this time but here is a snippet that I got off Facebook.

Update:

The owner of the club was supposedly arrested. Should be made public in the near future.

Just from what I’ve seen from the outside when I was there last year, definitely looks like the kind of place.

Used to be called Palese Cafe, now it’s called Bari Cafe. Not sure who the owner is, but the address is associated with an attorney, Giuseppe Arato. Arato isn’t a Barese surname though, so I’m thinking he’s Sicilian. Not sure what his relationship with the operator of the cafe is.

Thanks Tony. I know it changed ownership within the last year or two and actually that picture of the cafe is old. It looks different now. Doesn’t mean the building owner changed but the person renting it could have changed. I should have some more information on it in the next couple of days. It’s literally a block or two east from Angelo Cassano’s place. Actually saw him outside his place the other day with his two big dogs.

[NorthBuffalo]

Angelo Cassano has been dead since 2018 unless you are thinking of someone else. I would be surprised if Gene Cassano is hanging out in social clubs again this quickly after beating his case a few months ago.

[Patrickgold]

Angelo Cassano has been dead since 2018 unless you are thinking of someone else. I would be surprised if Gene Cassano is hanging out in social clubs again this quickly after beating his case a few months ago.

Yes I meant Gino. He’s there all the time in the morning. Stop by in the morning and you will see him. It’s not a private social club like his brother Tony’s place. It’s a legit cafe with gambling machines. It’s called “Da Park Cafe” if you didn’t know.

[NorthBuffalo]

Is anyone aware of Joseph 'Joe Pooch" Pascucci? He was an informer on the Infelise Crew who apparently was busted for bookmaking again in recent years - surprised he's alive and around anything illegal in Chicago after giving evidence against that crew of killers. Additionally, what about Michael Pascucci?

[cavita]

Is anyone aware of Joseph 'Joe Pooch" Pascucci? He was an informer on the Infelise Crew who apparently was busted for bookmaking again in recent years - surprised he's alive and around anything illegal in Chicago after giving evidence against that crew of killers. Additionally, what about Michael Pascucci?

If Joe Pooch is around he's 91 now and I'm unsure what crew he'd be with. Same with Mikey Pooch..

[PolackTony]

Pascucci is a name I haven’t heard in a while. Joe Pooch died in 2020 (I appreciated the note in his obit stating that he “loved” to travel to Vegas lol). His brother Mikey Pooch is also dead (2017). Joe Pascucci Jr is still alive and I believe that he now runs a towing company in Wheeling that his dad used to run, which made the papers in 2015 when it was awarded a contract by Buffalo Grove.

Not sure if Joe Jr has been involved in gambling, but the dad remained involved into the 2000s. In 2004, Joe Pooch pled guilty to his part in running a gambling ring with operations in IN and FL and handed over $935k in checks from his cut of the business to the government as part of his plea deal, in exchange for a 33-month sentence. Joe Pooch was an old school guy, with big gambling busts going back to the 60s. By the 70s. LE claimed that he was one of the largest gambling operators up in Lake and McHenry Counties, a key part of the Taylor St/Cicero crew push to take over that area. Like the DeLaurentis, the Pascuccis were an old school Taylor St family who relocated back in the day to the northern burbs.

Wouldn’t at all surprise me if some of his younger relatives have been involved in some things in recent years, but I don’t recall seeing anything about it myself.

[NorthBuffalo]

Pascucci is a name I haven’t heard in a while. Joe Pooch died in 2020 (I appreciated the note in his obit stating that he “loved” to travel to Vegas lol). His brother Mikey Pooch is also dead (2017). Joe Pascucci Jr is still alive and I believe that he now runs a towing company in Wheeling that his dad used to run, which made the papers in 2015 when it was awarded a contract by Buffalo Grove.

Not sure if Joe Jr has been involved in gambling, but the dad remained involved into the 2000s. In 2004, Joe Pooch pled guilty to his part in running a gambling ring with operations in IN and FL and handed over $935k in checks from his cut of the business to the government as part of his plea deal, in exchange for a 33-month sentence. Joe Pooch was an old school guy, with big gambling busts going back to the 60s. By the 70s. LE claimed that he was one of the largest gambling operators up in Lake and McHenry Counties, a key part of the Taylor St/Cicero crew push to take over that area. Like the DeLaurentis, the Pascuccis were an old school Taylor St family who relocated back in the day to the northern burbs.

Wouldn’t at all surprise me if some of his younger relatives have been involved in some things in recent years, but I don’t recall seeing anything about it myself.

That's my point, Pascucci was a confidential CI in the Infelise/Marino/DeLaurentis case. How in the fuck did he stay involved after giving information on these guys? My Chicago buddies say Will Gratace mentioned in the article below is affiliated with the old Sarno crew.

I just don't understand how Chicago works - guys really seem to be CIs all over the place and somehow stay around.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/06/ ... operation/

[PolackTony]

When did the Feds confirm that Joe Pooch was a CI? I don’t recall having seen this reported, though plenty of guys “inform” in various capacities at some point in their lives. Chicago and anywhere else. I mean, look at Carmine Lombardozzi. He was an FBI CI, the Gambino Family found out about him informing and guys were told to stay away from him. But then somehow all of this got swept under the rug and just a couple years ago Michael DiLeonardo was surprised to find out that Lombardozzi was a known CI and said that he had no clue about it when he was in the life.

Mike Pascucci came up in the Infelise crew trial as he was with Louie Marino, who was bankrolling him with juice loans. DeLaurentis was recorded flipping out over this as he thought that Pascucci operating in Lake County was an infringement on his territory, regardless of who Pascucci was with.

[funkster]

That article is the first time i've heard of him being a CI too.


lol that club shooting is a good find.

[PolackTony]

Yeah, that’s a good find. I had never heard that Joe Pooch was a CI either. Here’s the relevant section from the article that NB posted. His CI status wasn’t mentioned in some other articles about the case, which also involved Mary Daddono and some other guys working in IN and FL:



His CI status was not reported so far as I know during the actual Infelise crew trial, which would make sense, as a confidential informant’s status is, well, confidential (CI intel might be cited by the government in an indictment or sentencing hearing, but the identity of the informant won’t be disclosed). Here it was disclosed in the papers filed for his later case, where the Tribune saw it and reported it. If his status as a CI wasn’t previously known, then it may only have gotten out after this case. Is there any reason to believe that anyone knew about this prior to this time?

By the time Pascucci’s sentence was done, he was in his 80s and I haven’t seen anything myself that points to him being involved in gambling operations subsequently. No one was gonna whack a guy in 2007 (a high profile year in Chicago) because it came out that he had been a CI in the 80s.

[Ivan]

Fun article about Capone's earliest days in Chicago: https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-maga ... al-capone/

[NorthBuffalo]

Yeah, that’s a good find. I had never heard that Joe Pooch was a CI either. Here’s the relevant section from the article that NB posted. His CI status wasn’t mentioned in some other articles about the case, which also involved Mary Daddono and some other guys working in IN and FL:



His CI status was not reported so far as I know during the actual Infelise crew trial, which would make sense, as a confidential informant’s status is, well, confidential (CI intel might be cited by the government in an indictment or sentencing hearing, but the identity of the informant won’t be disclosed). Here it was disclosed in the papers filed for his later case, where the Tribune saw it and reported it. If his status as a CI wasn’t previously known, then it may only have gotten out after this case. Is there any reason to believe that anyone knew about this prior to this time?

By the time Pascucci’s sentence was done, he was in his 80s and I haven’t seen anything myself that points to him being involved in gambling operations subsequently. No one was gonna whack a guy in 2007 (a high profile year in Chicago) because it came out that he had been a CI in the 80s.

Polack you know they whacked Zizzo like a few years prior for infringing on gambling machines in shitty bars. I am just surprised DeLaurentis and the old crew that was under him wouldn't have gone after him - the entire case was built on CI information and there were multiple bookies being extorted wearing wires. I'm really surprised a crew like that who was going around and threatening people with 'trunk music' would have just let that slide.

I'm also surprised a guy in Sarno's crew would work with him - not to mention the daughter of a mob boss (which maybe means he was quite desperate for partners in the end).

[Coloboy]

Yeah, that’s a good find. I had never heard that Joe Pooch was a CI either. Here’s the relevant section from the article that NB posted. His CI status wasn’t mentioned in some other articles about the case, which also involved Mary Daddono and some other guys working in IN and FL:



His CI status was not reported so far as I know during the actual Infelise crew trial, which would make sense, as a confidential informant’s status is, well, confidential (CI intel might be cited by the government in an indictment or sentencing hearing, but the identity of the informant won’t be disclosed). Here it was disclosed in the papers filed for his later case, where the Tribune saw it and reported it. If his status as a CI wasn’t previously known, then it may only have gotten out after this case. Is there any reason to believe that anyone knew about this prior to this time?

By the time Pascucci’s sentence was done, he was in his 80s and I haven’t seen anything myself that points to him being involved in gambling operations subsequently. No one was gonna whack a guy in 2007 (a high profile year in Chicago) because it came out that he had been a CI in the 80s.

Polack you know they whacked Zizzo like a few years prior for infringing on gambling machines in shitty bars. I am just surprised DeLaurentis and the old crew that was under him wouldn't have gone after him - the entire case was built on CI information and there were multiple bookies being extorted wearing wires. I'm really surprised a crew like that who was going around and threatening people with 'trunk music' would have just let that slide.

I'm also surprised a guy in Sarno's crew would work with him - not to mention the daughter of a mob boss (which maybe means he was quite desperate for partners in the end).

All valid comments. Although I think Zizzo's death was a little more complex than just gambling machines. All signs point to that being a major structural move, essential for consolidating power in the outfit as whole. There's no way they are whacking a high profile guy like that in 2006 unless it's absolutely crucial. There's probably more to it than we will ever know, but the general sense is that Zizzo and the old Melrose Park Crew (The Aiuppa/Carlisi/Marcello lineage), was at odds with the newer, younger power base of Sarno's Cicero crew (Ferriola/Infelise lineage) for overall control of the outfit following Marcello's bust in Family Secrets.

My question on that hit has always been whether this was something Sarno was allowed to do on his own, or if he had to get approval from some of the old guard at that time (Difronzo/Andriacchi).