Present Day Chicago Outfit

[Confederate]

Okay, that's cool. Just my opinion.
Anyway, How are the Outfit "deep into drugs". The Grand Ave bust were guys EXTORTING money from drug dealers, not dealing.
Don't you think it's possible that some of these guys just do this shit free lance on their own? Seems to me that guys like Difronzo and he old timers really don't want to have anything to do with the Outfit anymore, at least with the blue collar rackets.

[Wiseguy]

I feel like a broken record but the latest info we have from the feds is the Outfit has 25-30 members and a little over 100 associates. That makes it comparable to the New England or Philadelphia families in terms of overall manpower. The feds have also verified 4 crews - Elmwood Park, Grand Avenue, Melrose Park, and the 26th Street/South Side crew.

I haven't seen any evidence of the Outfit growing in size. It's continued to be a steady decline for years now as shown not only by the decrease in membership estimates but also the lower number of active crews. And, if they were growing, that would go against the general trend across the remaining mob families.

There have been Outfit bookmaking busts but not as many as one might think there would be over the last 15-20 years. Video poker machines seem to have been just as important, if not more so, to the Outfit.

There isn't any evidence, that I'm aware of, of the Outfit being deeply involved in drugs or prostitution. With narcotics, for instance, there have been a handful of cases from time to time. Ronnie Jarrett was reportedly involved in cocaine trafficking with a street gang (Satan's Disciples). There was another associate who was busted for marijuana trafficking. The Grand Avenue crew guys were robbing drug stash houses of money and drugs. So there are examples of some involvement but I wouldn't consider them deeply involved.

Generally speaking - especially over the long term - the less news and indictments means less activity and vice versa. Some posters have always looked for reasons to explain away a lack of news or cases in certain cities. Terrorism, drug gangs, etc. But the collective evidence, not just cases but statements from the feds, really tell you all you need to know about the present day Chicago Outfit. Everything else is speculation.

[Frank]

I believe John DiFronzo is retired do to age and bad health. Rumor is he has Alzheimer's. And Solly Delaurentis is current boss. It's interesting to hear names that possibly were made by Sarno, as there was talk of him making new members.

[smoker]

Okay, that's cool. Just my opinion.
Anyway, How are the Outfit "deep into drugs". The Grand Ave bust were guys EXTORTING money from drug dealers, not dealing.
Don't you think it's possible that some of these guys just do this shit free lance on their own? Seems to me that guys like Difronzo and he old timers really don't want to have anything to do with the Outfit anymore, at least with the blue collar rackets.

Well first of all, DiFronzo is nearly a century old. He isn't doing much of anything, let alone running a crime family. His brother Pete, however, was mentioned in the Mickey Davis case.

Again, I personally believe that drugs have become one of the Outfit's more modern rackets. This is an open thread. There aren't any cold hard facts on the Outfit over the past decade. Also, the Panozzo Crew bust saw the soldiers robbing street gang stash houses, not extorting the gangs.

Solly D is boss based purely on a Burnstein article & that Carparelli case. There is no concrete evidence because no one knows for sure. But I personally believe there to be one person above DeLaurentis, and in my opinion, it's Marco D'Amico.

No one said the Outfit was growing, per say, but "resetting". Getting back on their feet. Staying afloat, what have you.

[smoker]

***the Carparelli case had him being commissioned by/kicking up to DeLaurentis, didn't have him necessarily pegged as the #1.

[Confederate]

When I said "extorting" I really meant "robbing". My mistake for using the wrong word. However, they could have also extorted a few guys dealing drugs. LOL
Did you ever consider the possibility that there is no one Boss above everybody? Maybe there are just 4 crews still operating to a certain degree in their own designated areas and there is mutual cooperation when needed. Maybe they are partnered on a couple things that overlap but for the most part are autonomous. Maybe when Sarno made a few guys in the Cicero group several years ago, DiFronzo had nothing to do with it. It seems like the Elmwood Park guys were more into Construction, Union and off shore betting. More White Collar.

[Frank]

Yes you are right as numerous times since Capone was convicted the leadership has been unclear as to who is or is not the top boss, front boss or underboss. Joe Addriacchi could be the top guy right now. He is pretty old too. And Delaurentis is old too. But so were Aiuppa and Accardo

[Snakes]

DiFronzo is probably completely out by now. It wouldn't surprise me if Andriacchi was the top boss of everyone, much like Ricca or Accardo was many years ago. But again, we don't know for sure.

[smoker]

When I said "extorting" I really meant "robbing". My mistake for using the wrong word. However, they could have also extorted a few guys dealing drugs. LOL
Did you ever consider the possibility that there is no one Boss above everybody? Maybe there are just 4 crews still operating to a certain degree in their own designated areas and there is mutual cooperation when needed. Maybe they are partnered on a couple things that overlap but for the most part are autonomous. Maybe when Sarno made a few guys in the Cicero group several years ago, DiFronzo had nothing to do with it. It seems like the Elmwood Park guys were more into Construction, Union and off shore betting. More White Collar.

I do believe they operate almost as separate "families" these days and have for a while, at least since the early 90s. However, I still think there is a defacto #1, and I believe it is Marco D.

Andriacchi was the 7th name that I neglected to mention. As has been previously stated, he recovered from cancer, and I know for a fact that he is back on the street. I don't know that they'd want a guy who has been sick on & off at his age being "the guy", but there's a strong chance that he's a "consigliere" of sorts.

Further candidates for street boss besides Albie Vena, are Tony Dote & Sal Cataudella.

[smoker]

Also, ALL top Outfit bosses are old men. The Outfit is all about respecting seniority, much more than any other family. Guys rarely get 'made' before 50, not until they prove they can operate efficiently while simultaneously keeping their records relatively clean & keeping their mouths shut. This is another reason why it is so difficult to build a case against the Outfit, because the true knowledge of the structure is kept from the foot soldiers. There are only 4 capos. A capo in the Outfit is like a mini boss. If you're a capo, that means you're the boss of your crew. I'm sure there has been exceptions, but for the most part, if you're a soldier in the Outfit, unless you're fucking exceptional at what you do, or unless you're related to someone who is way high up, the chances of you becoming made, much less a capo, are highly unlikely. Which means if a foot soldier/associate flips, which many have over the years, as recently as within the past 3 years, they don't have any significant information to give. That's why informants like Bill Jahoda & Bob Cooley were so special. They captured made guys, and Outfit capos, completely letting their guard down & talking out of code. (although I personally believe the transcripts Cooley recorded of D'Amico & DiFronzo were totally fabricated by the FBI & complete entrapment. No way Marco or Johnny D would ever be casually talking to a lawyer about murders or their positions within the Outfit. I mean come on, Marco saying blatantly "we are going to kill that Greek cocksucker" out loud, broad daylight, at Taylor & May to some lawyer they've got under their thumb? Beyond unlikely. Unrealistic).

[Wiseguy]

Back when Sarno was acting/street boss, one informant said he was higher up the chain of command than Frank Caruso. That suggests there was still a hierarchy at that point. Several articles over the past 10-15 years have covered the Outfit hierarchy though they haven't always agreed.

[Confederate]

When I said "extorting" I really meant "robbing". My mistake for using the wrong word. However, they could have also extorted a few guys dealing drugs. LOL
Did you ever consider the possibility that there is no one Boss above everybody? Maybe there are just 4 crews still operating to a certain degree in their own designated areas and there is mutual cooperation when needed. Maybe they are partnered on a couple things that overlap but for the most part are autonomous. Maybe when Sarno made a few guys in the Cicero group several years ago, DiFronzo had nothing to do with it. It seems like the Elmwood Park guys were more into Construction, Union and off shore betting. More White Collar.

I do believe they operate almost as separate "families" these days and have for a while, at least since the early 90s. However, I still think there is a defacto #1, and I believe it is Marco D.

Andriacchi was the 7th name that I neglected to mention. As has been previously stated, he recovered from cancer, and I know for a fact that he is back on the street. I don't know that they'd want a guy who has been sick on & off at his age being "the guy", but there's a strong chance that he's a "consigliere" of sorts.

Further candidates for street boss besides Albie Vena, are Tony Dote & Sal Cataudella.

Why would there HAVE to be a defacto #1? When Marcello went to jail there was a big beef between Zizzo and Sarno years ago. Zizzo obviously didn't think Sarno was the defaco#1. Plus that, DiFronzo stayed out of it. The Outfit would operate more efficiently WITHOUT a top Boss in my opinion.
Also, The Feds can NEVER pin down a structure in Chicago like they do in New York because the Structure most probably is not the same.
Maybe if push comes to shove, they defer to the eldest more senior and respected man on the street for a final decision involving more than one Boss. That could be.
You are right about the crew members. It seems most all of them are not made. That's why the Outfit's total of made guys has always been on the low side. I think the structure of the Outfit DEFINITELY changed from the old days when everybody and his brother knew who was the Top Boss. That Structure didn't work well after awhile and nobody wanted that target painted on their back. A decentralized more Cartel type of Structure works better when the Feds become more and more proficient and there are more possible informants.

[Confederate]

Back when Sarno was acting/street boss, one informant said he was higher up the chain of command than Frank Caruso. That suggests there was still a hierarchy at that point. Several articles over the past 10-15 years have covered the Outfit hierarchy though they haven't always agreed.

Maybe they never agree because there is no one top Boss over all four Crews? I have no idea, but that possibility seems very logical because the feds and anyone else can NEVER pin down the structure of the Outfit. LOL

[Confederate]

Maybe there are 4 Capos (Who are like Bosses of Small families) and then there is a panel of retired senior advisors to all of them who may simply give advise when asked?

[Confederate]

Maybe they stopped having a making Ceremony in the early 90's and went to a more decentralized structure after Accardo died and DiFronzo freaked out about going to Jail in 1994? Maybe when Sarno made some guys they were only in HIS GROUP? I never read where Sarno made anybody NOT in the Cicero group. If I am wrong, tell me?