The Cicero Crew (also known as the Taylor Street Crew, the Ferriola Street Crew, and the Infelise Street Crew) has historically been one of the most powerful crews in the Chicago LCN. Traditionally centered around the Cicero, IL area, the crew has also operated in other western Cook County suburbs and neighboring McHenry and Lake Counties. Chicago street crews are not always bound to strict geographic areas, and some of the crew’s members also operated in areas outside of those mentioned above. Prior to the Chicago FBI’s normalization of “street crew” within their nomenclature, crews were often referred to as “groups,” i.e. the “Buccieri group."
Fiore “Fifi” Buccieri was the capo (or boss*) of this crew from at least the early 1960s until his death in 1973. A brief summarization of the crew’s activity and operations during this time is covered by the FBI below:
*=Various informants and the Chicago FBI frequently refer to “capos” as “bosses.” “Capo” is the formal term for Buccieri and his successors’ positions within the LCN. To avoid confusion with the “overall” boss of the Chicago LCN, I will use “capo.”
Sometime after Buccieri’s death in 1973, James “Turk” Torello assumed control of the crew. Upon Torello’s death in 1979, Joseph Ferriola became capo. There has been some discussion over whether Ferriola formally assumed control over the crew at the time (especially via the testimony of Nick Calabrese, who described Ferriola only as a powerful member with direct access to the bosses), but the preponderance of official evidence seems to suggest that he did and led it until shortly before his death in 1989, at which point Ernest “Rocky” Infelise took control.
The structure of the crew was also detailed in 1988 by cooperating Chicago LCN member Gerald Scarpelli -- who later recanted his statements and discontinued his cooperation with the FBI, ultimately committing suicide in 1989 in the Chicago MCC while awaiting trial.
Additional members of the crew during the 1970s and 1980s, not identified by Scarpelli in the above excerpt, included:
Robert Bellavia
Robert Salerno
Michael Sarno
William Jahoda
William DiDomenico
Edward Stevenson
Robert Covone
Michael Zitello
Harry Aleman
William “Butch” Petrocelli
Anthony Borsellino
Joseph “Jerry” Scalise
Aleman, Petrocelli, Borsellino, Scalise, and Inendino collectively composed the so-called “Wild Bunch,” a group of hitmen and extortionists (effectively a “crew within a crew”) who were suspected of committing many murders for the Chicago LCN in the mid to late 1970s. Borsellini and Petrocelli were murdered in 1979 and 1980, respectively, while Aleman and Inendino were both imprisoned in the late 1970s, effectively ending the group. Court document excerpts from Scalise’s 2010 indictment for robbery conspiracy describe the group:
On February 7, 1990, a massive indictment was issued by the Northern District of Illinois against Infelise, Marino, DeLaurentis, and 17 other members or affiliates of the Cicero crew. The trial would not begin until 1992, but Infelise and several others were detained without bail and ultimately convicted to long sentences.
Previously, in November 1989, Dominic Cortina, Donald Angelini, Joseph Spadavecchio, and others had been indicted for running a multimillion-dollar sportsbook, taking bets of up to $188,000 daily during football season. Cortina and Angelini were also members of the Ferriola Crew. Some debate had existed about whether Cortina and Angelini were members of the crew, but government witnesses William “B.J.” Jahoda (himself a member of the crew who testified for the prosecution in the Infelise case) and Ken Eto confirmed their status as members. A 1990 Chicago Tribune article summarized this as follows:
Most importantly, Cortina and Angelini were listed as members of the crew by deceased LCN member Scarpelli (see earlier entry).
The indictment and convictions of many important and high-ranking members of the crew decimated it, leaving a void in leadership. Information concerning the crew’s lineage and activity is more difficult to come by during and after this time (1990 to present), but enough evidence exists to obtain a general understanding.
In 2001, the Northern District of Illinois indicted Michael Spano, James Inendino, and others in a scheme to defraud the Town of Cicero. A government proffer introduced during the court proceedings was referenced in appeal records for this case:
This evidence, although admittedly slight, suggests that Spano succeeded Infelise as head of the crew, and Gregory Ross (an associate of crew members Infelise, Bellavia, and Spano) was prepared to testify in support of that (In 1992, Infelise also allegedly asked Ross to assist Spano in “looking out for his [Infelise’s] interests in Cicero”).
It’s possible that Spano’s alleged leadership of the crew was only on an interim basis. John “Johnny Apes” Monteleone was a Chicago LCN member that had been released from prison in 1990 after serving a four-year sentence for criminal contempt. He had been a member of the Buccieri/Torello crew until at least the late seventies when he followed Angelo LaPietra to the Chinatown/26th Street crew, which LaPietra had been chosen to head. Evidence does exist that Monteleone kept his connection to his former crew and may have even transferred back to Cicero after Butch Petrocelli’s death, as this 1980 FBI excerpt describes:
Monteleone was described in another excerpt as a “long-time” member of the Cicero crew. However, Nick Calabrese did not mention Monteleone as a member of the Cicero Crew in his testimony and Nick only referred to Monteleone in relationship to Chinatown. It is possible that Monteleone maintained a relationship with both crews and may have acted as some sort of liaison between the two.
Whatever the case may be, Monteleone was allegedly appointed to head the Cicero Crew in mid-1993, as the following FBI excerpt describes:
This would seem to indicate that Spano had only been capo on an acting or interim basis – if at all – and that Monteleone’s appointment may have been delayed until Infelise’s sentencing in 1993, when Infelise was transferred out of the immediate Chicago area. James LaPietra – capo of the Chinatown Crew during his brother Angelo’s incarceration – died that same year, and Monteleone was also named capo of that crew, according to the FBI excerpt listed below:
Additionally, Frank Calabrese Sr. alluded to Monteleone not only becoming capo of Chinatown, but also being named “number 2” at the same time, indicating that Monteleone was now also underboss of the Chicago LCN. This was caught on a prison wire worn by his son, Frank Jr. It is unknown if or how long he continued to function as capo of this combined crew (Frank Sr’s statement that Monteleone “also” becoming the number 2 seems to make this a possibility), but there is evidence that Spano and James DiForti were delegated at least some authority over the Cicero crew during Monteleone’s time as underboss.
Spano was shown in court documents as being “higher” in the Outfit than James Inendino (who was possibly an LCN member by this time) and asserting some decision-making concerning the Cicero-area and the scheme to defraud the town. Spano was also attempting to bribe someone in the federal government to obtain preferential treatment for imprisoned former Cicero capo Rocky Infelise. This arrangement lasted through at least 1998. A court document displaying Spano’s authority and Inendino’s subordination to Spano is shown below:
As for DiForti, it appears that he operated in Cicero in some capacity on behalf of Monteleone. If Monteleone’s potential status as a “go-between” on behalf of the Cicero and Chinatown crews was accurate, DiForti may have held a similar position. Two FBI excerpts detail DiForti’s status below, both prior to James LaPietra’s death in 1993 (first excerpt) and after (second excerpt):
DiForti was indicted in 1997 for the 1988 murder of a man in a dispute over a $100,000 juice loan. However, he died of natural causes in 2000 before he could stand trial.
Monteleone was promoted to boss of the Chicago LCN in or around 1997, but it is unknown if anyone was officially promoted to capo of the Cicero crew after this. Frank Calabrese Jr. (imprisoned in the late nineties with his father and namesake) related that Michael Sarno (longtime Cicero crew member) had “replaced” DiForti in the organization, but the context of this statement is unclear. This could have meant Sarno was inducted into the Chicago LCN to replace DiForti or that Sarno had inherited DiForti’s responsibilities within the Cicero Crew and/or the Outfit. The Cicero and Chinatown Crews may still have been merged by this point, as Frank Calabrese Jr. stated in 2002 that Frank “Toots” Caruso (Chicago LCN member), Leo Caruso (suspected LCN member), and Joseph “Shorty” LaMantia (LCN associate) were “running” Chinatown but kicking up to Sarno. This sounds similar to the description of DiForti’s activities in the citations listed above.
Also included in Frank Jr’s information (ostensibly gleaned from his father) is that Sarno was “working for” James Marcello, who most likely became the boss of the Chicago LCN in 2001 after Monteleone’s death. There is evidence that Marcello (still in prison at this time) had the Cicero and Melrose Park crews consolidated and appointed his lieutenant, Anthony Zizzo, to head the combined crew. Friction gradually developed between Sarno and Zizzo, which led to Zizzo’s disappearance in August 2006. He has been missing ever since and is presumed to be dead. Sarno then took over the Cicero Crew (and possibly also the Chicago LCN) at this time. A confidential informant and Frank Calabrese Jr. both independently corroborated this information:
The head of the Chicago LCN’s power base has resided in the Cicero area since the late 1990s. There is some evidence that the Outfit was divided into northern (based in Elmwood Park) and southern (based in Cicero) groups around this time -- and the coupling of Cicero and Chinatown (and subsequently, Melrose Park) is the strongest we have -- but whether this was a permanent arrangement, or one formed out of necessity during a turbulent time for the organization cannot be determined. A major RICO case was brought against Sarno and other members and associates of the Cicero crew in 2009, resulting in a 25-year sentence for Sarno. Unfortunately, the federal government did not pursue an LCN angle during the trial, so there is still crucial information concerning the crew and overall family structure during this time that remains to be discovered.
Suffice to say, official documents and rumors seemingly indicates that the Outfit’s power still emanates from the Cicero area, and the crew, while greatly diminished from the glory days of the late 1980s, is still a force within the organization.
