Some interesting info I came across concerning the Outfit organizational structure around September, 1980. There are definitely some mistakes as I don't believe that this CW was a very high individual within the organization but he still puts forth some intriguing information, even if one believes (as I do) that a lot of it is disingenuous and, in some cases, later refuted or proven as false.
Most of the information here is more or less accurate. The "inner circle" referred to here is concerning those members or associates of the Outfit possessing direct access to the bosses. Only one of those listed here was a non-Italian, Alex, who was of Greek extraction. The "Loop" is the central business district of Chicago which had long been dominated by Alex. Blasi is described here as "trouble shooter" for Aiuppa and Accardo. I've also seen "appointment secretary" used but these terms are basically interchangeable. If you needed to contact Aiuppa or Accardo, you first had to go through Blasi. Bruno was basically the "Tom Hagen" of the Outfit. He may very well have been "made" himself. Marcy (who changed his name from "Pasquale Marchone" at a young age) was a made guy and the Outfit's conduit into the First Ward. He and Alex handled a lot of the political fixing at all levels of government....[A] cooperating witness was interviewed by Special Agent Shyrock[;] the following is a summary of the information:
[Joseph] Aiuppa is the boss of the Chicago mob. [John/"Jack"] Cerone is still the underboss. [Anthony] Accardo is definitely retired but is still a consultant and part of the inner circle. [Gus] Alex, [Dominic/"Butch"] Blasi, [Bernard] Bruno, and [Pat] Marcy are also part of the inner circle. Alex has long been known as the one in charge of Loop activities. Blasi is trouble shooter for Aiuppa and Accardo. Bruno is Accardo's attorney. Marcy is biggest fixman political influence for the mob.
A couple of things here. There were at least six crews operating in the Outfit during this time period, not four. The CW leaves out the North Side crew (who he lumps in with Grand Avenue) and the Elmwood Park crew, which was a tight knit crew that was run very quietly for years and reported directly to Cerone. It doesn't show up on any charts until at least 1990. We now know definitively that Lombardo was boss of the Grand Avenue crew and that Spilotro was under him; the CW had this reversed. LaPietra as boss of the south side crew is accurate, likewise with Ferriola being boss of Taylor Street, which was also known as the west side crew or the Cicero crew. Ferriola holding the unofficial title as the mob's "chief enforcer" was probably an estimation by the CW; Lombardo and Tocco were themselves responsible for several deaths. "Chief enforcer" was probably a way for the CW to note Ferriola as the most violent of a violent bunch. Pilotto being retired and Tocco being boss of the area was a little premature. Pilotto was recognized by other sources as the boss up to his imprisonment in 1982, and Tocco probably didn't take over the territory until 1983, at the very earliest. Dominick Palermo probably ran the Heights in the interim. The Cataura[sic] mentioned is Jimmy "The Bomber" Catuara, who was murdered in 1978 for refusing to relinquish his hold on the chop shop rackets. The north side group being controlled by Grand Avenue is the most puzzling. There was certainly Grand Avenue influence on the North Side but each crew still operated independently of each other and avoided any conflicts of interest. Vincent Solano, mentioned later by the CW, was most definitely a boss and in charge of the North Side as its own, distinct crew.There are four crews operating in the Chicago area. The Grand Avenue crew headed by Tony Spilotro and run by Joey Lombardo as Spilotro oversees the Chicago mob's interest in Las Vegas. The 26th Street crew or south side crew is headed by Angelo La Pietra. The strongest crew is the Taylor Street crew headed by Joe Ferriola, the mob's chief enforcer. The Height's area is now controlled by Al Tocco. Pilotto was told to retire. Pilotto is now only involved in Labor Union activities and is not an active boss anymore. He well knows what happened to Cataura when the Bomber refused to retire. The north side group is supposed to be controlled by the Grand Avenue boss.
Here is where it gets interesting. The CW's definition of "made" must differ from the definition that we normally associate the term with. First of all, there are many sources, both before and after this statement that refute the first sentence. At the very least, members must be of Italian-extraction on their father's side. The CW could be confusing "Outfit" member with "made" member, something that has long plagued Outfit intel. My interpretation of this is that non-Italian members can be unofficially brought into the Outfit by a sponsor and considered "members" but to be an official, "upper-echelon" (my own term) member you need to be "fully" Italian and "made" into the Outfit. Anyone who is thus "made" can run their own crew (or assist in running a crew) or hold some type of specialty position dealing with politics, labor, or some other form of legitimate business. You would also need to be "made" in order to become boss of a territory. The CW more than likely just lumped the two together without distinguishing between them. If there was a ceremony in place during this time, it was probably unknown to the CW. [Note, Nicholas Calabrese''s ceremony was in 1983 but there are infrequent mentions of ceremonies prior to this]. Most of what the CW states in the remainder of the paragraph is probably applicable to both definitions - Outfit members as well as "made" members. I should also note that the sentence stating "non-member[s] can turn down requests made by organized crime members" should probably be amended to read "non-members can turn down requests made by organized crime members at their own peril." History shows us that if you knew better, you did what you were asked and got out of town if you didn't.It is not believed that one must be Italian to be a member of Chicago Organized Crime. When an individual is "made" he is then on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A member if fully obligated and must carry out his orders. Members, especially the middle and lower echelon groups are generally salaried. The non-member can turn down requests made by organized crime members. A non-member must share 50-50 with organized crime. The non-member does not have the power influence that members have. A made guy can not be hit unless the top boss such as Aiuppa gives his okay. A member can kill a non-member with only the approval of a street boss.
The following are considered members or "made" in Chicago : John Monteleon[sic], Sponsor-Ferriola, Butch Petrocelli, Sponsor-Ferriola, Harry Aleman, Sponsor-Ferriola, Frankie Schweihs, Sponsor-Ferriola, Nick Montos, Sponsor-Fifi [Fiore Buccieri], Ronnie Jarrett, Sponsor-LaPietra, and Jerry Scarpella[sic], Sponsor-Cataera[sic].
Interesting that the CW has Monteleone being sponsored by Ferriola. Monteleone came up under LaPietra and worked with him for the majority of his "career," so one would assume that LaPietra would have been the one to have sponsored him. Schweihs being sponsored by Ferriola is even more of a head-scratcher. Schweihs had little recorded interaction with Ferriola and was under either Phil Alderisio or Lombardo for his entire life in the Outfit. Nick Montos is another name that made me look twice. First of all, he was Greek; at least Aleman and Schweihs were Italian on their mother's side. Second of all, he was, for lack of a better term, a bum, although he was probably involved in some Outfit dirty work on more than one occasion. Ronnie Jarrett is also mentioned here, but we have evidence that he wasn't made because of his ancestry (again, half-Italian), with Nick testifying that Frank Calabrese, Sr. was upset about Jarrett not being made into the Outfit. Scarpelli is another whose "making" can be refuted, as he was purported to have been made much later, 1988 to be exact. Again, there was probably a distinction between being brought into the Outfit as a member and being "made," one which the CW probably confuses. I should also note that there are seven redacted names; one of them is probably James Inendino, for reasons I will get into in the next post.
I'll be back later with another post.