History and set-up of Milwaukee family (1900s-1960s)

[B.]

I'm not familiar with the Milwaukee family at all outside of the angle in Donnie Brasco and honestly haven't been that interested in them (or the midwest in general). That said, I stumbled upon a doc with some great information from Milwaukee member source that has caught my attention.

This is most of the info from the doc related to the history and structure of the Milwaukee family provided by the source (with some bits here and there from others), but if I have time I will comb through the rest of the doc which is related to Frank Balistrieri's current activities at the time of the report.

This informant must be a longtime member, as he has extensive knowledge going back decades. Based on what he says, I wouldn't be surprised if his membership dates back to the 1920s or 30s. Given the internal issues going on with the Balistrieri regime, particularly with old timers feeling shut out, that could be a very logical reason why this guy started giving so much info. Maybe our informant expert Ed has already identified this guy or someone else knows. I'm sure our Chicago/midwest experts here may have some of their own thoughts on this info.

- The Milwaukee family was formed in the early 1900s and is referred to by its members as "the Outfit". Informant said "La Cosa Nostra" is not the name of the organization but has informally heard it referred to in Italian as "our deal" or "our thing". Informant says the current organization is a degenerated form of the Mafia and that "Outfit" and "Mafia" are synonymous. This is interesting because it implies "Outfit" was more of a regional term and not exclusively a name for Chicago.

- Informant was not around for the earliest days of the Milwaukee family, but believes it originally functioned to protect and assist members in both legal and criminal activities and to settle disputes among them. He says they had limited financial opportunities in Milwaukee until prohibition, when its members became heavily involved in bootlegging.

- Milwaukee had no "central treasury" through which profits were divided, but members helped each other with financial opportunities by including them in their operations.

- Informant described the Mafia as originally being a Sicilian organization, but says parallel organizations existed among Neapolitans and Calabrians known as the Camorra. He says that the Camorra were largely responsible for "black hand" extortion letters and that the mafia may have had similar rackets but generally looked down upon the Camorrista as "ruffians who lacked principles". Says the Mafia degenerated on a national scale when the Neapolitans and Calabrese joined the organization and "destroyed its Sicilian character".

- Greed and ambition of individual members and leaders, prompted by lucrative rackets like bootlegging, brought about national events that "affected the Milwaukee Outfit". One particular event the informant cites is "the action taken in the 1920s by 'boss of bosses' Joe Masseria" regarding Joe Aiello and Al Capone in Chicago. Al Capone was not a member at this time but had large-scale bootlegging and gambling operations in Chicago. Joe Aiello was boss of the Chicago family and was losing large sums of money by gambling in games run by Capone. He would then have Al Capone's games raided to forcibly take back his money and "much more" than he had originally lost. As a result, Capone made payments to Masseria for protection. Aiello continued to be "greedy" which led to a conflict between Aiello and Masseria. In response, Masseria inducted Capone, who the informant says was a Camorrista, into his NY family and promoted him to capodecina in Chicago. Masseria also authorized the killing of Joe Aiello which led to warfare between Aiello and Capone. Very interesting that he IDs Capone as a "Camorrista". This also gives a lot more context on the origins of the dispute between Aiello/Capone and what led to Masseria inducting Capone.

- In 1926 or 1927, an "Apalachin type" meeting was held in Pewaukee, WI to establish peace in the area. This meeting was attended primarily by members of the different Chicago factions, but representatives from other families in the US attended. It was held at the home of a piano player named Edwards or Williams who worked for Milwaukee boss Pete Guardalabene. Williams was not involved in the meeting, obviously. The meeting devolved and ended with "everybody throwing fruit and vegetables at each other." (!!!)

- The "high point of the war" was in 1929 when six Aiello members were killed in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. The informant says that Capone loyalist Tony Capesio was one of the shooters in the murder but does not know who else was involved. Following the massacre, Aiello "found himself without friends in Chicago" and hid at a resort at Lake Nagawicka, WI. He occasionally visited Milwaukee during this time and was driven by Tony Scala. While Aiello was visiting Milwaukee, Capone men found his hideout back at the resort and killed his associate Jack Zutta, who was apparently Jewish. Aiello's allies in the Milwaukee family subsequently found themselves in trouble with the rest of the Mafia.

- After Joe Aiello was killed, some members of the Chicago family who were loyal to him fled and joined the Milwaukee family. These members included his brother Sam Aiello, Joe Caminiti, and Michele Mineo. Caminiti and Mineo were subsequently promoted to capodecinas in Milwaukee and as of this document were still alive in Milwaukee (though no longer capodecinas). Sam Aiello had actually been opposed to his brother and later returned to Chicago where he was reinstated as a member of Chicago capodecina Jim DiGeorge's North Side crew. Aiello later died a natural death.

- Other Chicago members who fled and transferred to other families were Carl Caputa, who joined the Madison family and later became boss of Madison, and Joe Aiello (different from the killed Chicago boss), known as "Joe Pizza Pie", who became a Madison member. Not clear if this Aiello is related to the others.

- Al Capone became boss of Chicago following Aiello and was succeeded by Tony Accardo, "the last Sicilian to be an important boss" in Chicago. Accardo was succeeded by Giancana, described by informant as a Neapolitan. The Chicago family was turned into "a money grabbing operation" in which a small number of leaders benefit at the expense of the wider membership. Informant says this influenced the Milwaukee family to go the same direction. I know very little about Chicago, so I would guess this and other info he shares about Chicago may not be accurate. For example he doesn't mention other guys who have been identified as Chicago bosses and I am also under the impression that Giancana was Sicilian not Neapolitan.

- Informant believes the Milwaukee family did not shake down gamblers or businessmen until Sam Ferrara became boss in the mid-1930s. In the 1940s Ferrara muscled in on Jewish bookmaker Louis Simon who ran a race wire service. Simon went to the Chicago family because he did business with them but they told him to cooperate with Ferrara.

- Milwaukee lost some of its independence around 1952 when it requested help from Chicago to settle internal problems. Sam Ferrara tried to take a share of a gambling club owned by Milwaukee member Frank Balistrieri, son-in-law of old time member John Alioto, who balked at the request. As a result, Balistrieri was kicked out of the family. The leadership (I assume including Ferrara) reached out to Chicago to help settle the issue and a general meeting was held which was attended by Chicago representatives Tony Accardo, Rocco Fischetti, and Sam Giancana, but this backfired as Chicago forced Ferrara to step down and John Alioto was put in as new boss. Alioto subsequently reinstated Frank Balistrieri into the family and promoted him to capodecina.

- When John Alioto took over as boss he stopped the shake downs of gamblers and businessmen. A group of "ambitious members" led by capodecina John DiTrapani openly challeneged Alioto and DiTrapani let it be known that he could spend $90,000 to become boss of the family and would finance murders if necessary. Not clear if he means he could buy the boss position for $90k or if he meant he had that much to fund a war. Alioto knew about this.

- At the same time as the issue with DiTrapani, Chicago members took a "large sum of money" from DiTrapani's friend FNU Pasternak who was gambling in Las Vegas, which upset DiTrapani. Because of this dispute and the issues with Alioto, the Chicago family ordered DiTrapani's murder. DiTrapani and Milwaukee member Frank LaGalbo were asked to meet with Chicago representatives in Milwaukee. LaGalbo refused to go and warned DiTrapani, instead fleeing to a resort in Wisconsin, but DiTrapani went to the meeting and was found dead in his car the next morning on March 17, 1954. He was clutching a gun between his legs and had been shot through the head and body.

- Following DiTrapani's murder, Frank LaGalbo contacted friends in the Chicago family and was transferred to the Chicago family in the crew of Chicago Heights capodecina Frank LaPorte. However, LaGalbo continued to live in Milwaukee but he ceased all activities with the Milwaukee family. LaGalbo was later photographed attending a Milwaukee member's funeral along with Chicago capodecina Jim DiGeorge and John DiBella of the Grande Cheese Company (Joe Bonanno's partner).

- Jack Enea was another DiTrapani ally in the conspiracy to depose boss Alioto. He was later killed in November 1954.

- John Alioto stepped down as boss in Januarry 1962 and was replaced by his son-in-law Frank Balistrieri. The informant says that Balistrieri did NOT have Alioto's support to succeed him despite their relation and was "unhappy" that Balistrieri became boss, as Alioto felt it should have gone to an older member. Frank Balistrieri campaigned for the boss spot by going to Chicago and received their approval despite the Milwaukee family having no voice in the decision. One of Balistrieri's close connections in Chicago was through Phil Alderisio, who was the godfather of Balistrieri's son Joseph, and it is Alderisio who is said to have helped Balistrieri "advanced in the Mafia".

- There had been additional problems between Alioto and Balistrieri because Balistrieri was cheating on his wife with her cousin. When John Alioto's son Joe died, Frank Balistrieri felt that Joe's share of the Alioto's Restaurant should go to Frank's wife, Joe's sister John Aliotto instead gave it to another daughter who is the wife of non-member Joe Dentice.

- Upon becoming boss, Balistrieri restarted the shakedowns of gamblers and "Italian businessmen" that had ceased during Alioto's reign. He was shaking down Holiday House operators Bruno Ramazini and John Volpe, and apparently did not try to extort restaurant owners Frank and Jimmy Fazio until later, when one of the Fazios' restaurants was bombed and Balistrieri traveled to Florida, where upon returning he claimed to have a piece of Jimmy Fazio's restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale.


- Informant claimed that the older members of the Milwaukee family were unhappy with the way Balistrieri operates, as he does not consult with other members. The informant would not be surprised if Balistrieri is eventually killed as a result. However, at the current time informant felt that anyone who tried to take out Balistrieri would be killed by the Chicago family.

- The informant again states that the Chicago family has basically controlled the Milwaukee family since appointing John Alioto boss in 1952. However, he says that the Chicago family has no "direct interest" in Wisconsin rackets as these are under Balistrieri's jurisdiction. He does say that Balistrieri may have invited the Chicago family into a couple of operations.

- According to informant, the Apalachin meeting in 1957 established Sam Giancana as sort of a "boss of bosses" with full authority over Milwaukee, Madison, Rockford, and Springfield families. Informant believed Albert Anastasia had been taking action that affected other bosses without consulting with them. He said two men had also disappeared and were presumed executed but were never found and that these were the causes of Anastasia's murder. Would he be talking about the murder of the Mangano brothers earlier on? Alioto and Balistrieri were supposed to attend Apalachin but changed their plans at the last moment and attendance "was not compulsory".

- Chicago underboss Sam Battaglia and capodecina Felix Alderisio act as intermediaries between Giancana and Milwaukee boss Frank Balistrieri. Balistrieri consults with Chicago about "anything important". These meetings take place at a farm owned by Battaglia in Dundee, IL, and Giancana sometimes attends. Alderisio, Battaglia, and Marshal Caifano also met with Balistrieri at a motel in Milwaukee on occasion.

- Informant states that Mercer, WI resident Ralph Capone (Al's brother) has no role in dealings between the Chicago and Milwaukee families.

- Buster Balestrere and Joseph Gurera were two members who had transferred from the Kansas City family at Milwaukee to help shake down gamblers and businessmen. No clue if Balestrere is related to Frank Balistrieri despite the spelling differences. Buster Balestrere was shaking down the Pfister Hotel through its manager and attempts were made to shake down a hotel in Jamaica owned by Fox Head Brewery and run by the same manager. Frank Balistrieri invited Sam Giancana to take over a gambling casino in the hotel but the plan fell through when the manager lost his job.

- Frank Balistrieri operated the Continental Music Company in Milwaukee, WI from behind the scenes which sold jukeboxes and other equipment. This company worked in partnership with Pioneer Sales and Service whose owner had been killed in Minnesota. Informant believed that Pioneer was a Chicago outfit company.

- Informant heard that the Chicago family may have up to 500 members and outlined the structure as follows:
Boss - Sam Giancana
Underboss - Sam Battaglia
Capodecina: Felix Alderisio, Marshal Caifano, Frank LaPorte (Chicago Heights), Tony Maccalucci (ph.), Ross Prio (North Side, former Jim DiGeorge crew)

- Informant heard there were problems in the Chicago family for reasons similar to the problems in Milwaukee, that a select few members were making money and others want their share. Members were also dissatisfied with Giancana for being too much of a playboy and not tending to business. Informant felt John Cerone, "very close" to Accord, should be a potential successor to Giancana.

- Informant said that Kansas City family members have visited Milwaukee and that Frank Balistrieri is a blood relative of Big Jim Balistrieri, deceased Kanasas City boss. Kansas City members who have visited Milwaukee are John Molle, who has visited both recently and a "long time ago", Joseph Cusumano, and Joe Jellosa/Jealouso (ph.). "Jellosa" is a former liquor store onwer from KC around 65-years-old who moved to St. Louis, MO. Informant does not know the leadership of Kansas City and knows of no arrangements between them and Milwaukee.

- Again, he describes that upon becoming boss in 1962, Balistrieri recruited Kansas City members Joseph Gurera and Buster Balestrere to shake down Milwaukee gamblers and businessmen. Joe Gurera came "well recommended" for the job and allegedly killed two politicians in Kansas City. Informant did not know who the politicians were, but LE identified them as Charles Binaggio and his bodyguard Charles Gargotta. Upon his transfer, Frank Balistrieri made Gurera a capodecina in the Milwaukee family, with Buster Balestrere put into his crew. Buster's brother Jim Balestrere also came to Milwaukee but was not a member.

- Informant described the Rockford family structure as follows:
Boss - Joseph Zumutto
Underboss - Frank Bucemi
Consigliere - Joseph Zito, brother of Springfield leaders Frank and Tony Zito
Members:
FNU (possibly Carl) Caltegerone (ph., described as an old man who was close to Pasquale Migliaccio, deceased Milwaukee capodecina)
"Charley Vince"

- Described the Madison family structure as follows:
Boss - Carl Caputo
Member: Joseph "Joe Pizza Pie" Aiello
(Both members said to be wealthy from real estate)

- Benny DeSalvo was a former boss in the Madison family who died in 1964 and was buried in Milwaukee.

- Informant states that the Milwaukee has had seven bosses since its inception and outlined the family history as follows:
1.
Boss - Vito Guardalebene (confirmed by Nicolo Gentile as boss in 1915, but no clue when his reign started/ended)
Underboss - Joseph Vallone

2.
Boss - Peter Guardalebene (son of Vito)
Underboss -?

3.
Boss - Joe Amato
Underboss -?

4.
Boss - Joseph Vallone (mid-1920s to mid-1930s, curious if he was underboss through all of the previous regimes)
Underboss - Joe Gumina (still alive as of the doc)
Consigliere - Charles Zarcone (still alive as of doc)
Capodecina: Joe Gumina (not sure if he had a crew as well as being underboss or why he is listed), Pasquale Migliaccio, Michele Mineo (still alive as of doc, former Chicago member), Tom Lubua (ph. Believed to have moved to Los Angeles where he became a shoemaker)

5.
Boss - Sam Ferrara (mid-1930s to 1952, still alive as of doc)
Underboss - Joe Gumina (son married Sam Ferrara's daughter; not made)
Consigliere - Charles Zarcone
Capodecina: Joe Gumina (again), Pasquale Migliaccio, Michele Mineo, Joseph Caminiti (may have been promoted during Vallone's regime)

6.
Boss - John Alioto (1952-1962)
Underboss - Joe Gumina
Consigliere - Charles Zarcone
Capodecina: Joe Gumina (again), Michele Mineo, John DiTrapani (murdered 1954), Pasquale Migliaccio, Frank Balistrieri

7.
Boss - Frank Balistrieri (1962-)
Underboss - None
Consigliere - Charles Zarcone (possibly still consigliere, but inactive)
Capodecina: John Alioto (became capodecina of older members when he stepped down as boss), Peter Balistrieri (brother of Frank, has all active members in his crew)

- Informant says that older members are unhappy with Joe Gurera being transferred to from Kansas City and made a capodecina when this position should have gone to a local member. They also blame Gurera for negative publicity resulting from the murder of Anthony Biernat, which Gurera seems to have supervised.

- Members are also dissatisfied with Balisrtrieri because the membership is not earning much money. Again the informant states that as long as Balistrieri is in good standing with Chicago he won't be hurt.

- A different Milwaukee informant stated that in early 1964 Frank Balistrieri had held a series of parties at a restaurant, with three parties taking place over several weeks in January. These parties were held to try to smooth over his relationship with members who were unhappy with his leadership. He was planning another party as well after this. Balistrieri was supposedly telling members that things would "open up" shortly and that jobs would be available for most members. However, Balistrieri was cautious and tried not to expose himself.

- In particular, Balistrieri promised gambling jobs to Vito and John Aiello (no idea if they're related to the more famous Aiellos of Chicago, or the Aiello in Madison) as well as Augie Maniaci.

- Three other informants, including the main informant I have mentioned throughout this, talked about the restaurant parties and listed members and close associates who attended. Two informants said that the meetings were held to mend bad feelings between associates Myron Jennaro and Paul Bogosian.

- The books were open in Milwaukee during the regimes of Joe Vallone and Sam Ferrara, but closed during John Alioto's reign. The books were re-opened when Frank Balistrieri took over.

- Informant says members used to have to be Sicilian, but that no longer applies and members simply must be of Italian blood.

- It is not necessary for proposed members to have committed murder, but "at times" this was a qualification. He says recent made members may have earned their membership through the murder of Anthony Biernat in 1963.

- Candidates are proposed by a member as usual, but in the past each member of the Milwaukee family was asked personally if they had objection to the candidate and a "blackball" would prevent him from being made. As of this doc, all members are no longer consulted and the decision is made only by the leaders.

- Originally initial ceremonies were held during what the informant calls a "tourna", which was a general membership meeting attended by all members. This is no longer done as of this doc.

- The informant describes two initiation ceremonies that ignored the old rules where members were polled and held at a general membership "tourna", but this information is blacked out. From the next information, it's clear that at least one of these was conducted by Frank Balistrieri and involved the induction of Steve DeSalvo (mentioned in Donnie Brasco as Balistrieri's top guy and an accomplished hitman), Dominic Principe, and Albert Albana, who were all believed to have participated in the Biernat murder. Additionally, Steve DeSalvo was the last person known to have contact with Biernat.

- The Milwaukee ceremony had both the candidate and sponsor prick their fingers and mix the blood "as a sign of brotherhood", and then all members' hands were joined in a circle while a saint's picture was burned and an oath taken in Italian about the candidate obeying orders from leaders and placing the welfare of the organization above everything, including family or religion.

- The informant had never heard of choosing a sponsor during an initiation by doing the "finger counting game" (like in the Valachi and Scafidi inductions), but said that this has been used on occasion to a select a man to take part in a hit. I find this very interesting.

- Not following orders from the boss results in death.

- Members cannot traffic narcotics.

- Members must consult with their leaders before engaging in any activity that affects another member. These include both criminal and other business activity.

- Originally the family handled "serious matters" at a meeting called the "sagia", or "chair", which was attended by the boss, underboss, consigliere, and capodecina. However, Frank Balistrieri no longer does that and makes most decisions without consulting others. On "very important" issues he consults with Chicago.

- The informant said that the following titles are used to describe the positions in the family:
Capo = boss
Sottocapo = underboss
Consigliere = advisor
Capodecina = a man who has a squad of men of any number under him, sometimes up to 50 members in "some large families". He has never heard the term caporegima used.

This is interesting because the terms "capo" and "sottocapo" no longer seemed to be in much use by the 1960s, but here we have a Milwaukee informant still using them then. Also interesting that he'd never heard caporegima/caporegime, indicating this may have been an east coast invention.

- Informant says they refer to members as amico nostro.

- Informant has never heard of the organization called "Onorata Society".

- Mentions that the following terms are used by members but they have no significance in the organization itself: avugad (lawyer), cumpare (godfather), don, Omerta (which he says is a word used to "express all the desierable qualities of the word manly").

- The informant lists the following as members of the Milwaukee family:
John Aiello (made during Sam Ferrara regime)
Vito Aiello (brother of John, made during Sam Ferrara regime)
John Alioto (former boss, current capodecina as of doc; inducted during Vito Guardalebene regime)
Albert Albana (of Kenosha, WI; initiated by Balistrieri a month after Biernat murder in January 1963)
Mike Albano (long time member, pizzeria owner)
Tony Albano (uncle of Mike, retired employee of the city of Milwaukee; age 70s)
Frank Balistrieri (boss, former capdoecina; inducted early 1950s during Sam Ferrara regime, same ceremony as murdered capodecina John DiTrapani)
Joseph Balistrieri (father of Frank, long time member)
Peter Balistrieri (brother of Frank, capodecina; inducted 1963 during Balistrieri regime)
Joseph Caminiti (Local 257 Secretary Treasurer; inducted in Chicago under Joe Aiello and fled to Milwaukee family where he became capodecina during Joe Vallone and Sam Ferra regimes; married to John Alioto's other daughter making him a brother-in-law of Frank Balistrieri)
Harry DeAngelo (City of Milwaukee Sanitation employee; proposed during Sam Ferrara regime but Ferrara blackballed him, inducted by Balistrieri in 1963)
Carlo DiMaggio (longtime member)
Benedetto DeSalvo (nephew of former Madison boss Benny DeSalvo; lived in New York for a decade due to wife, but returned to Milwaukee in early 1960s where he was made in 1963)
Steve DeSalvo (inducted by Balistrieri a month after Biernat murder, same ceremony as Peter Balistrieri's induction and prob other Biernat suspects)
Sam Ferrara (former boss; owns liquor store and inactive as of doc)
Joseph Gumina (former underboss and capodecina druing Vallone, Ferrara, and Alioto regimes; former boxer who came from Italy)
August Maniaci (longtime member)
Santo Marino (brother-in-law of Sam Ferrara; tavern owner, inactive)
Michele Mineo (inducted in Chicago and fled to Milwaukee family following Joe Aiello's murder; capodecina during Vallone, Ferrara, and Alioto regimes; employee of Schlitz Brewery)
John Pernice (old timer)
Dominic Principe (resident of Illinois, inducted 1963 following Biernat murder)
Joe Rizzo (former bartender)
Vito Seidita (inactive, employed by City of Milwaukee Street Department)
Joseph Spero (inactive, works for City of Milwaukee Sanitation)
Charles Zarcone (consigliere during regimes of Vallone, Ferrara, and Alioto, possibly still current as of doc; retired butcher)

Members of other families operating in the Milwaukee area:
Frank LaGalbo (restaurant owner; former Milwaukee member, transferred to Chicago)
John DiBella (Grande Cheese owner; described by informant as a member from Italy, but as we know most likely a Bonanno member)
Raph Capone (Al's brother, member of Chicago family)
James DiGeorge (former Chicago capodecina who was supposedly marked to be murdered but got a pass and moved to WI; operates farm)

- Informant says the current trend is to keep the younger generation out of the organization.

- Informant said the following associates were not members but had been incorrectly called members by other sources: Walter Brocca, Tony Bruno, Sam Cefalu, Sam Cefalu (different one), Anthony Cefalu, Gus Chiaverotti, Sam DaQuista, Joe Dentice, Dominic Frinzi, Nick Fugarino, Ted Gagliano, Nick Gentile, Joseph Guarniere, Dr. Vito Guardalabene (son of former boss Pete), Danny Lampone, Tony LaRosa, Sam Librizzi, Sam and Tom Machi, John Mandella, Vincent Mercurio, John Percurio, Tom Piscitello, John and Joe Piscuine, Bruno Ramazini, Frank Sansone, Joe Sardino, Tom Sorce, Frank Stelloh (non-Italian), Nick Tarantino (had assisted police in a burglary case, disqualified), John Triliegi, Sam Vermiglio, John Volpe,

- Frank Balistrieri contacted "key personnel" in the Milwaukee Police Department with the intention of reducing LE pressure on the Milwaukee family.

- Balistrieri was in talks with members in Chicago and Miami about investing in a motel in the Bahamas.

- The Milwaukee family had influence over Teamsters locals 200 and 257 through Frank Ranney and Joe Caminiti, the latter being a longtime Milwaukee member and former capodecina.

[FriendofFamily]

I would say that is a lot to take in and dissect for facts and assimilation into order again

[willychichi]

Great info and insights B thank you for sharing them.

[johnny_scootch]

Hot damn....I could give two shits about Wisconsin but I didn't mind reading that. Thank you.

[Antiliar]

You may want to read the writings of Gavin Schmitt in a blog he calls "The Framing Business": http://framingbusiness.net/archives/cat ... ized-crime

He's also written a couple of books on the Milwaukee Mafia.

A few notes on Chicago: The name of the alleged St. Valentine's Day shooter was "Tough Tony" Capezio, and the Jewish mobster who was killed was Jack Zuta (k. August 1, 1930). Marshall Caifano was never a caporegime/capodecina. Tony Maccalucci? No idea, but a more likely spelling would have been Macaluso. Whoever it was, the name was totally mangled. The only Tony I can think of (from that time period) on top of my head was Accardo, but the informant was aware of him and already mentioned his name.

[BeatiPaoli]

TO B: Great read and extremely interesting info! I notice you did not specifically reference the source. As I was reading this, I could swear I read this somewhere before, perhaps the Mary Ferrell site? Bits and pieces seem very familiar, but I could be mistaken. I do thoroughly enjoy any and all info on the smaller Cosa Nostra Families around the nation.

Thank you again for that posting!

Regards,
BeatiPaoli

[cavita]

Augie Maniaci was the Milwaukee informant. He started informing (as best I can tell) around 1963 and may have been as a result of Balistrieri becoming boss or getting caught up in a federal housing authority scam and facing prison time- I'll have to check my notes on the FHA thing as I'm pretty sure it happened around 1962 or so. Maniaci was in a position to give info about the Madison and Chicago families due to their proximity to Milwaukee and dealings with each other and he was knowledgeable about the Rockford family because his father-in-law was Giuseppe Guttilla, an old time Rockford member and Maniaci had lived in Rockford from about 1934-1940.
By the time Maniaci was murdered in 1975 I believe the Milwaukee family had suspected he had been informing on him and that's why he was killed.

[Snakes]

Maniaci was killed by Chicago, I believe. Al Tocco was the one behind the murder as Maniaci owed him several thousand dollars.

[OlBlueEyesClub]

I always wondered in the case of Capone's induction into the Mafia, if he most likely had to venture back to NY in order to have the ceremony done in his honor.

Great read B. And nice insight by Cavitia, into whom this informant may have most likely been.

[Ed]

By early 1964, the Milwaukee Crime Family likely had two member informants: Maniaci and another unknown CI. As Cavitia says, Maniaci likely gave this Intel.

Before he died in 1967/8(?), KC family member Joe Gurera also fed the FBI Intel about his time and crimes in Milwaukee.

[Villain]

Nice read and thank you.

I would also like to add that there should've been a so-called commission meeting on Battaglia's farm in Pine Grove in 1964, between the Midwest families such as Milwaukee, Kansas City, Los Angeles and Detroit but somebody tipped off the mob bosses about possible fbi surveilance and the meeting was called off.

As for Caifano, my opinion is that he wasnt your typical capo or area boss, but for some period he was the Outfit's representative in Las Vegas which made him something like an area boss. And another thing, I believe that the hit team on Ditrapani were Patrick and Yaras.

[DPG]

Hearing the Massacre victims called Chicago Family/Allieo members it a new one for me.

[cavita]

I have the following excerpt from Phil Priola's FBI file which clearly points to Augie Maniaci being the Milwaukee informant. Why some of this was not redacted is beyond me, but I'm not complaining.

At Milwaukee, Wisconsin

On 4/29/66, informant was unable to make a planned trip to Rockford, Illinois, and Springfield, Illinois, where he hoped to make contact at the latter city with [REDACTED], reportedly a member of the LCN family at Springfield. This trip was postponed due to the serious illness and death of ROSE MANIACI in Milwaukee on 4/17/66.

Utmost care must be used in any reporting or other utilization of the above information regarding this informant’s information because of his close ties with the Rockford LCN family and his possible future contacts at Springfield, Illinois. For your confidential information, the informant is one of nine sons of the above-mentioned deceased ROSE MANIACI. In view of this, it is additionally important that this information be used judiciously to protect the identity and personal well being of this informant.

[JCB1977]

Great topic and post B.

[JerryB]

Good stuff, B. Thanks.