Who was Frank Balistrieri, Milwaukee's reputed organized crime boss?
Portrait of Mary Spicuzza Mary Spicuzza
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Organized crime in Milwaukee isn't as well-known as the Outfit in Chicago or the Mafia in New York. But under the leadership of Frank P. Balistrieri, it was reputed to be no less ruthless.
Although Balistrieri was suspected by law enforcement of ordering a string of murders in and around Milwaukee, none were ever solved. One of them was the 1978 car bombing death of my cousin, August Palmisano.
My podcast, “My Cousin Augie,” chronicles my journey to find out who killed my cousin, and why. The third episode — available on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts — delves into who Balistrieri was and what their relationship was like.
Here's what I learned.
Who was Frank Balistrieri?
Balistrieri was the reputed boss of organized crime in Milwaukee dating from the early 1960s until his death in 1993.
Born in 1918, he graduated from Marquette University and briefly attended law school there before becoming a leader in organized crime.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation had files on him dating back to at least the 1950s.
"Informants advise Balistrieri is considered to be one of the leaders in the Italian American 'syndicate' in Milwaukee and to have strong connections with the Chicago and Kansas City syndicates," one 1958 FBI report read.
And a 1960 FBI memo said, "Balistrieri has been described as a lieutenant of what in some circles is known as the 'Italian organization' in Milwaukee, which group is said to coordinate criminal work in Milwaukee and arranges for its members to be available for criminal undertakings in any place in the country."
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How did Balistrieri become Milwaukee's crime boss?
Balistrieri married the previous boss' daughter.
But even his father-in-law, John Alioto, reportedly raised concerns about the way Balistrieri was running things in Milwaukee, according to "The Balistrieri Tapes" series by Mary Zahn and Bill Janz, which was first published in the Milwaukee Sentinel in 1988.
The stories were reported based on tapes that the FBI had secretly recorded. In one such tape, Balistrieri shouted at Alioto, who was pleading for him not to kill at least two men.
"L'amazzari,” Balistrieri said in Sicilian, meaning, "l got to kill them."
"I don't know why you're so anxious for blood," Alioto said.
The recording ended without a resolution.
One of the men they were arguing about, August Maniaci, was later murdered in the alley behind his home in Milwaukee.
What businesses was Balistrieri involved in?
Throughout his career, Balistrieri had a wide range of legal and illegal business interests: nightclubs, restaurants, strip clubs, vending machines and gambling.
Many of those businesses are gone today, although the Shorecrest Hotel on Prospect Avenue, which was owned by Balistrieri's family, still exists. Balistrieri frequently conducted business from a table at Snug’s, a restaurant on the ground floor.
Was Frank Balistrieri ever convicted of murder?
No.
Balistrieri was linked to a string of unsolved murders and attempted homicides in southeastern Wisconsin stretching from the 1950s to the 1980s. That included the murders of strip club owner Isadore (Izzy) Pogrob in 1960, jukebox distributor Anthony Biernat in 1963, restaurant owner Louis Fazio in 1972, August Maniaci in 1975, as well as my cousin August "Augie" Palmisano in 1978.
But he was never charged, much less convicted, in those killings.
Was Balistrieri convicted of any crimes at all?
Yes, several times.
Balistrieri was convicted of tax evasion in 1967.
But that case was almost derailed when Balistrieri found a microphone hidden behind wood paneling in his office and a wire connected to it stretching from his building to a telephone pole. It turned out to be an illegal wiretap planted by the FBI.
After proving the wiretap had "no effect or influence" on the tax case, then-prosecutor Franklyn Gimbel ended up winning, and Balistrieri was sentenced to two years in prison.
Then in the 1980s, Balistrieri was convicted on gambling and extortion charges in a pair of cases that The Milwaukee Journal once dubbed the "World Series of Trials."
Then-federal prosecutor John Franke, who served on the Organized Crime Strike Force for the U.S. Department of Justice, was the lead prosecutor in the pair of six-week trials, held in 1983 and 1984.
The cases were made possible by years of work, including an FBI investigation that brought agent Joe Pistone to Milwaukee while he was working undercover as "Donnie Brasco."
What was Balistrieri's role in the scheme to skim millions from Las Vegas casinos?
Balistrieri is considered a key figure in what's known as the "skim."
Many may be familiar with the story from the 1995 movie "Casino," but few people know about Balistrieri's real-life involvement, since it was cut from the film.
The scheme involved Balistrieri using his connections at the Teamsters Union pension fund to arrange a hefty loan for a Las Vegas businessman to buy several casinos. Balistrieri and other crime bosses were eventually charged and convicted of maintaining hidden control of the company to skim money from the casinos.
In secretly recorded FBI tapes, Balistrieri often referred to these payments as his "transfusion."
What did Balistrieri say about Augie Palmisano?
In July 1978, shortly after my cousin was blown up by a car bomb in downtown Milwaukee, undercover FBI agent Gail Cobb was summoned by Balistrieri to a meeting at the Shorecrest Hotel. There, Cobb said, Balistrieri began talking about Palmisano.
“He was arrogant. He called me a name to my face," Balistrieri reportedly said. "Now they can’t find his skin.”
Cobb wasn't wearing a wire, so the exchange wasn't recorded. But he testified to it later during a federal trial.
It remains one of the most famous, and chilling, quotes ever attributed to Balistrieri.
Mary Spicuzza is an investigative reporter with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at
mary.spicuzza@jrn.com.