Early 1970s Chicago member informant
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant
Would have been convenient (and dramatic) for Bonanno or Gentile to mention that, if they knew it. Would have made for an even greater story if Maranzano and Masseria both came from the same family originally.
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Now that Gianola is firmly in our sights:
- Re: Moran/ Leavenworth. Given they served time in the same prison (at different times) and came from similar underworld circles, not hard to believe Gianola might hear gossip/rumors about Moran. By the time he told the FBI about it as a 61-year-old man his memory might have been hazy. He might have also heard gossip that had already passed through a number of people ala the game of telephone. All it takes is one person in the chain getting something slightly wrong to end up with a completely different rumor at the end of the chain.
- Gianola's older relatives. Given it looks like Gianola is the best candidate, what's the story with the presumed relatives who came from Sicily, were made in Chicago, and worked in bootlegging? When it comes to the early Chicago mafia, we really only have the names of the leaders and the most notorious figures, so there might well be obscure names who slipped under the radar.
- Because his wife was an Aiello and they married in 1933, he may have been referring to her relatives, assuming there's enough space in the redaction for that kind of detail. Mary Aiello was 19 in 1935 when Gianola went to prison.
- Father Vito Giannola still living, age 54, in 1935 when Leonard went to prison. Vito Giannola was naturalized in 1923 and his witnesses were James Rich and Louis M. DeCola. Couldn't confirm, but there were DeColas in Chicago from Termini Imerese. It's also commonly found in Avellino. Rich and DeCola appear to be neighbors of Giannola, so their names might not be meaningful. The father Vito adopted the spelling Gianola, though he was born Giannola. He died in 1943.
- Codefendants in 1935 case:
Carmen Cozzi
Joe Mendino
Dominick Monaco
Achillo Caringello
Pasquale Sansonetti
None of the above men appear to be of Sicilian heritage.
- The FBI says Vito Giannola came to the US via New Orleans in 1900, but he was married to Onorata Badalamenti in Cinisi in 1906 and she entered the US in 1909. Either he went back and forth or there is some confusion about his trajectory.
- I don't know if it's a coincidence, but one of Leonard Gianola's nicknames was "Lenny Green". The St. Louis mafia faction led by the other Vito Giannola was called the "Green Ones" or "Greenies". I don't know what the significance was of Giannola's faction being called "Green" (did it mean greenhorn?) but kind of interesting Gianola used it, too.
- Along the lines of his bootlegging, his employment was as a truck driver in 1929. So between the egg arrest and being a truck driver, he fits the informant circa 1920s/30s.
- Brother Salvatore "Sam" Gianola was baptismal godfather to the child of a redacted name, suggesting the name was an underworld figure. Sam Gianola ran a liquor store and had legal issues related to his store. He died in 1967. Given Leonard is the oldest and named for Vito's father Leonardo, Salvatore could be named for another relative. If not the mother's father, maybe an uncle. So that's something to look for, re: relatives.
- As of 1967, Leonard Gianola was married to "Val". No indication what happened with Mary Aiello or when. Val had previously worked in a cabaret.
EDIT: Gianola still married to Mary Aiello as of 1940. So she didn't leave him when he went to prison in the 1930s.
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Now that Gianola is firmly in our sights:
- Re: Moran/ Leavenworth. Given they served time in the same prison (at different times) and came from similar underworld circles, not hard to believe Gianola might hear gossip/rumors about Moran. By the time he told the FBI about it as a 61-year-old man his memory might have been hazy. He might have also heard gossip that had already passed through a number of people ala the game of telephone. All it takes is one person in the chain getting something slightly wrong to end up with a completely different rumor at the end of the chain.
- Gianola's older relatives. Given it looks like Gianola is the best candidate, what's the story with the presumed relatives who came from Sicily, were made in Chicago, and worked in bootlegging? When it comes to the early Chicago mafia, we really only have the names of the leaders and the most notorious figures, so there might well be obscure names who slipped under the radar.
- Because his wife was an Aiello and they married in 1933, he may have been referring to her relatives, assuming there's enough space in the redaction for that kind of detail. Mary Aiello was 19 in 1935 when Gianola went to prison.
- Father Vito Giannola still living, age 54, in 1935 when Leonard went to prison. Vito Giannola was naturalized in 1923 and his witnesses were James Rich and Louis M. DeCola. Couldn't confirm, but there were DeColas in Chicago from Termini Imerese. It's also commonly found in Avellino. Rich and DeCola appear to be neighbors of Giannola, so their names might not be meaningful. The father Vito adopted the spelling Gianola, though he was born Giannola. He died in 1943.
- Codefendants in 1935 case:
Carmen Cozzi
Joe Mendino
Dominick Monaco
Achillo Caringello
Pasquale Sansonetti
None of the above men appear to be of Sicilian heritage.
- The FBI says Vito Giannola came to the US via New Orleans in 1900, but he was married to Onorata Badalamenti in Cinisi in 1906 and she entered the US in 1909. Either he went back and forth or there is some confusion about his trajectory.
- I don't know if it's a coincidence, but one of Leonard Gianola's nicknames was "Lenny Green". The St. Louis mafia faction led by the other Vito Giannola was called the "Green Ones" or "Greenies". I don't know what the significance was of Giannola's faction being called "Green" (did it mean greenhorn?) but kind of interesting Gianola used it, too.
- Along the lines of his bootlegging, his employment was as a truck driver in 1929. So between the egg arrest and being a truck driver, he fits the informant circa 1920s/30s.
- Brother Salvatore "Sam" Gianola was baptismal godfather to the child of a redacted name, suggesting the name was an underworld figure. Sam Gianola ran a liquor store and had legal issues related to his store. He died in 1967. Given Leonard is the oldest and named for Vito's father Leonardo, Salvatore could be named for another relative. If not the mother's father, maybe an uncle. So that's something to look for, re: relatives.
- As of 1967, Leonard Gianola was married to "Val". No indication what happened with Mary Aiello or when. Val had previously worked in a cabaret.
EDIT: Gianola still married to Mary Aiello as of 1940. So she didn't leave him when he went to prison in the 1930s.
Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant
Motive for cooperation is always the other question.
- By 1973 his throat cancer became severe. Not sure when he was diagnosed with it or if he was already experiencing health issues when the informant began cooperating, but it wouldn't be the first time health issues contributed to cooperation.
- According to various reports, he was going through divorce proceedings in 1970, was separated from his wife in 1971, and remarried later that year. If the informant is Gianola, his cooperation would line up with stress in his personal life. However, the informant attended numerous events during this period with his wife and mentions no issues. It's possible the divorce/separation/remarriage/etc. was some sort of ruse related to finances or assets, or it was misreported. It's possible they reconciled before finalizing a divorce.
- Gianola obtained a passport with help from consgressman Frank Annunzio in 1971 so that he could visit Italy. Reportedly in the early 1960s Gianola had contact with someone in Naples. It's not clear why or where exactly Gianola was going in Italy, but it's possible he was eager to get out of town, hence getting Annunzio's help with the process.
- An informant reported during the early 1970s that Gianola was broke and kept complaining about money. He my have been seeking a paid informant gig.
- Any number of other possibilities we don't know of. So much potential for someone in the mafia to have misgivings that it really could be anything, but often there is some significant event or circumstance that leads to it.
- By 1973 his throat cancer became severe. Not sure when he was diagnosed with it or if he was already experiencing health issues when the informant began cooperating, but it wouldn't be the first time health issues contributed to cooperation.
- According to various reports, he was going through divorce proceedings in 1970, was separated from his wife in 1971, and remarried later that year. If the informant is Gianola, his cooperation would line up with stress in his personal life. However, the informant attended numerous events during this period with his wife and mentions no issues. It's possible the divorce/separation/remarriage/etc. was some sort of ruse related to finances or assets, or it was misreported. It's possible they reconciled before finalizing a divorce.
- Gianola obtained a passport with help from consgressman Frank Annunzio in 1971 so that he could visit Italy. Reportedly in the early 1960s Gianola had contact with someone in Naples. It's not clear why or where exactly Gianola was going in Italy, but it's possible he was eager to get out of town, hence getting Annunzio's help with the process.
- An informant reported during the early 1970s that Gianola was broke and kept complaining about money. He my have been seeking a paid informant gig.
- Any number of other possibilities we don't know of. So much potential for someone in the mafia to have misgivings that it really could be anything, but often there is some significant event or circumstance that leads to it.
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant
Gianola appears to have remarried in Saratoga Springs in 1947. In 1950 his second wife Norma Grace Hoffman gave birth to their son Robert Vito Gianola (the also had a daughter named Michelle). Norma Gianola died in 2010 and her obituary noted that she had been a stage performer. The info you provided that Lenny's wife "Val" worked in a cabaret strengthens my guess that the wife Valerie mentioned in his obituary was another name that Norma went by.B. wrote: ↑Wed Dec 30, 2020 10:11 pm Would have been convenient (and dramatic) for Bonanno or Gentile to mention that, if they knew it. Would have made for an even greater story if Maranzano and Masseria both came from the same family originally.
--
Now that Gianola is firmly in our sights:
- Re: Moran/ Leavenworth. Given they served time in the same prison (at different times) and came from similar underworld circles, not hard to believe Gianola might hear gossip/rumors about Moran. By the time he told the FBI about it as a 61-year-old man his memory might have been hazy. He might have also heard gossip that had already passed through a number of people ala the game of telephone. All it takes is one person in the chain getting something slightly wrong to end up with a completely different rumor at the end of the chain.
- Gianola's older relatives. Given it looks like Gianola is the best candidate, what's the story with the presumed relatives who came from Sicily, were made in Chicago, and worked in bootlegging? When it comes to the early Chicago mafia, we really only have the names of the leaders and the most notorious figures, so there might well be obscure names who slipped under the radar.
- Because his wife was an Aiello and they married in 1933, he may have been referring to her relatives, assuming there's enough space in the redaction for that kind of detail. Mary Aiello was 19 in 1935 when Gianola went to prison.
- Father Vito Giannola still living, age 54, in 1935 when Leonard went to prison. Vito Giannola was naturalized in 1923 and his witnesses were James Rich and Louis M. DeCola. Couldn't confirm, but there were DeColas in Chicago from Termini Imerese. It's also commonly found in Avellino. Rich and DeCola appear to be neighbors of Giannola, so their names might not be meaningful. The father Vito adopted the spelling Gianola, though he was born Giannola. He died in 1943.
- Codefendants in 1935 case:
Carmen Cozzi
Joe Mendino
Dominick Monaco
Achillo Caringello
Pasquale Sansonetti
None of the above men appear to be of Sicilian heritage.
- The FBI says Vito Giannola came to the US via New Orleans in 1900, but he was married to Onorata Badalamenti in Cinisi in 1906 and she entered the US in 1909. Either he went back and forth or there is some confusion about his trajectory.
- I don't know if it's a coincidence, but one of Leonard Gianola's nicknames was "Lenny Green". The St. Louis mafia faction led by the other Vito Giannola was called the "Green Ones" or "Greenies". I don't know what the significance was of Giannola's faction being called "Green" (did it mean greenhorn?) but kind of interesting Gianola used it, too.
- Along the lines of his bootlegging, his employment was as a truck driver in 1929. So between the egg arrest and being a truck driver, he fits the informant circa 1920s/30s.
- Brother Salvatore "Sam" Gianola was baptismal godfather to the child of a redacted name, suggesting the name was an underworld figure. Sam Gianola ran a liquor store and had legal issues related to his store. He died in 1967. Given Leonard is the oldest and named for Vito's father Leonardo, Salvatore could be named for another relative. If not the mother's father, maybe an uncle. So that's something to look for, re: relatives.
- As of 1967, Leonard Gianola was married to "Val". No indication what happened with Mary Aiello or when. Val had previously worked in a cabaret.
EDIT: Gianola still married to Mary Aiello as of 1940. So she didn't leave him when he went to prison in the 1930s.
Also, Lenny's grandfather Leonardo had a brother named Salvatore. Also interesting to note that Leonardo Gianola's mother was a Marianna Manzella, so it's possible this was a family link to Cesare Manzella.
There was also a Salvatore Giannola from Cinisi around the same age at Vito Giannola who settled close by around Taylor St during the same time period. Can't substantiate a direct family link to Vito Giannola in their family trees but they may very well have known each other at least.
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant
- Leonard had another brother named Joseph who was still living as of 1984. At least some of his siblings adopted the Giannola spelling, but the father and mother did use Gianola. His sister Mary married a John Sommario and her maiden name was listed as Gianola. I don't think the Sommarios were Sicilian.
- Salvatore Badalamenti is the name of Leonard Gianola's maternal grandfather. Makes sense, as the second son is supposed to be named after the mother's father, so Sam Gianola is named for him.
- When Onorata Badalamenti Gianola arrived to the US, she was traveling with two men who were coming from Cinisi to Chicago, 24-year-old Procopio Catarinicchia and 52-year-old Benedetto Fiordimondo. Fiordimondo's wife was an Evola. There were Evolas from Cinisi related to Gaetano Badalamenti and one of them lived in Michigan, involved with the Pizza Connection, so interesting that Onorata Badalamenti is traveling with a man who is married to an Evola.
- Onorata listed husband Vito Giannola as her arrival contact, already living in Chicago. Catarinicchia listed a cousin in Chicago, Benedetto Palazzolo. Fiordimindo was going to a nephew Salvatore Vitale in Chicago. Later immigration records for Caterinicchia show that he was married to a Giovanna Giannola and appears to have moved to Detroit where a brother lived. Records also show Cateriniccha was related to Vitales, like Fiordimondo. Gaetano Badalamenti married a Vitale.
- I'm guessing the passengers who came to the US with Onorata were relatives of her or her husband Vito. Having trouble tracking what became of Catarinicchia and Fiordimondo, but the name Procopio Catarinicchia from Cinisi shows up in both Detroit and St. Louis.
- The Giannola name has possibilities (especially with a Manzella relation), but we might want to look at some of Gianola's maternal connections for relatives involved with the mafia. His Mom was a Badalamenti and we are starting to see names like Palazzolo, Evola, and Vitale come up, so there is no lack of mafia names. Paul Palazzolo was the top mafia figure in Gary and closely involved with the Cinisi group in Chicago, murdered 1935, and Onofrio Vitale was another Cinisi mafioso in Calumet City killed in 1944, same year as their paesan Frank Alo Abbate.
- Salvatore Badalamenti is the name of Leonard Gianola's maternal grandfather. Makes sense, as the second son is supposed to be named after the mother's father, so Sam Gianola is named for him.
- When Onorata Badalamenti Gianola arrived to the US, she was traveling with two men who were coming from Cinisi to Chicago, 24-year-old Procopio Catarinicchia and 52-year-old Benedetto Fiordimondo. Fiordimondo's wife was an Evola. There were Evolas from Cinisi related to Gaetano Badalamenti and one of them lived in Michigan, involved with the Pizza Connection, so interesting that Onorata Badalamenti is traveling with a man who is married to an Evola.
- Onorata listed husband Vito Giannola as her arrival contact, already living in Chicago. Catarinicchia listed a cousin in Chicago, Benedetto Palazzolo. Fiordimindo was going to a nephew Salvatore Vitale in Chicago. Later immigration records for Caterinicchia show that he was married to a Giovanna Giannola and appears to have moved to Detroit where a brother lived. Records also show Cateriniccha was related to Vitales, like Fiordimondo. Gaetano Badalamenti married a Vitale.
- I'm guessing the passengers who came to the US with Onorata were relatives of her or her husband Vito. Having trouble tracking what became of Catarinicchia and Fiordimondo, but the name Procopio Catarinicchia from Cinisi shows up in both Detroit and St. Louis.
- The Giannola name has possibilities (especially with a Manzella relation), but we might want to look at some of Gianola's maternal connections for relatives involved with the mafia. His Mom was a Badalamenti and we are starting to see names like Palazzolo, Evola, and Vitale come up, so there is no lack of mafia names. Paul Palazzolo was the top mafia figure in Gary and closely involved with the Cinisi group in Chicago, murdered 1935, and Onofrio Vitale was another Cinisi mafioso in Calumet City killed in 1944, same year as their paesan Frank Alo Abbate.
Last edited by B. on Thu Dec 31, 2020 12:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant
Thats right, the North Side group was the smaller from the rest but they had few of the most richest and low profile guys then the rest. I also believe that after the 1940's the situation around the North Side changed, meaning some areas became "open" or "half-open" because some guys still had to kick up to Prio. Similar situation was with northern Cicero, meaning lots of guys from different crews had interests around that area but they had to kick up something to Giancana or Buccieri. Speaking about Buccieri, by the late 60's he had interests all over Chicago, same as Alex.Antiliar wrote: ↑Wed Dec 30, 2020 3:42 pmA number of Battaglia guys had interests or operated in the Near North Side, from Alderisio to Hunk Galiano, Frank Loverde (who I forgot to mention - his father came from Piana dei Greci in Sicily), Sam Louis, and more recently, Red Wemette, who was associated with Joey Lombardo's crew. Apparently a lot of money to be made in or around Rush Street, and Ross Prio evidently had a smaller crew.PolackTony wrote: ↑Wed Dec 30, 2020 3:02 pm Another thing to strengthen the inference on Gianola further. I believe that the informant stated that at a certain point he became close to Joey DiVarco. While a lot of guys from different crews of course hung out on Rush St, it's worth noting I think that while Gianola was based out of Taylor St, he did acquire interests on the northside, in Lakeview around Diversey. Further, some 60s era intelligence stated that Gianola and Jimmy Allegretti had become "inseparable".
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Another interesting thing to note is that Frank Laino was also possibly connected to Gianola, Labriola and Mendino, mainly because this guy was a lieutenant for the late Lawrence Mangano, meaning it is possible they belonged to the same crew. On top of that, Laino was also closely connected to Joe Fusco in several businesses.
Do not be deceived, neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God - Corinthians 6:9-10
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant
Paolo Palazzolo had a brother named Benedetto who settled in St Louis. Maybe he stayed in Chicago for a bit first.B. wrote: ↑Thu Dec 31, 2020 12:21 am - Leonard had another brother named Joseph who was still living as of 1984. At least some of his siblings adopted the Giannola spelling, but the father and mother did use Gianola. His sister Mary married a John Sommario and her maiden name was listed as Gianola. I don't think the Sommarios were Sicilian.
- Salvatore Badalamenti is the name of Leonard Gianola's maternal grandfather. Makes sense, as the second son is supposed to be named after the mother's father, so Sam Gianola is named for him.
- When Onorata Badalamenti Gianola arrived to the US, she was traveling with two men who were coming from Cinisi to Chicago, 24-year-old Procopio Catarinicchia and 52-year-old Benedetto Fiordimondo. Fiordimondo's wife was an Evola. There were Evolas from Cinisi related to Gaetano Badalamenti and one of them lived in Michigan, involved with the Pizza Connection, so interesting that Onorata Badalamenti is traveling with a man who is married to an Evola.
- Onorata listed husband Vito Giannola as her arrival contact, already living in Chicago. Catarinicchia listed a cousin in Chicago, Benedetto Palazzolo. Fiordimindo was going to a nephew Salvatore Vitale in Chicago. Later immigration records for Caterinicchia show that he was married to a Giovanna Giannola and appears to have moved to Detroit where a brother lived. Records also show Cateriniccha was related to Vitales, like Fiordimondo. Gaetano Badalamenti married a Vitale.
- I'm guessing the passengers who came to the US with Onorata were relatives of her or her husband Vito. Having trouble tracking what became of Catarinicchia and Fiordimondo, but the name Procopio Catarinicchia from Cinisi shows up in both Detroit and St. Louis.
- The Giannola name has possibilities (especially with a Manzella relation), but we might want to look at some of Gianola's maternal connections for relatives involved with the mafia. His Mom was a Badalamenti and we are starting to see names like Palazzolo and Evola come up, so there is no lack of mafia names. Paul Palazzolo was the top mafia figure in Gary and closely involved with the Cinisi group in Chicago.
Onorota Badalamenti's maternal grandmother was an Evola. And there were also Vitales on her father's side.
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant
diego guzzino is the current boss of caccamo family in sicilyB. wrote: ↑Mon Dec 28, 2020 11:55 pm If nothing else, guys like Joe L Costello and the informant both open up the possibility of more low-key second-generation members sneaking by in the organization earlier on. A lot of what we know about earlier Chicago is due to the "infamy" of certain figures, so these other types of guys may have gone unnoticed.
Joe Costello's membership may have gone unconfirmed without the one Giancana transcript, so can't rule out the possibility that others from that circle were made.
As far as ID'ing the informant goes, I think we're better off working from a list of established members of Sicilian heritage, but here are the names of Chicago figures I have for Caccamo, just to exhaust the possibilities if nothing else:
Caccamo (Palermo)
Vincenzo "Charles Costello" Castelli
Salvatore "Sam Costello" Castelli
Salvatore "Sam" Geraci
Joseph Guzzino
Giuseppe "Joe" Martino
Filippo "Phil" Piazza
Giovanni "John" Piazza
Pietro Zeranti
Sebastiano Zeranti
- The Guzzinos, Zerantis, and Geracis of Caccamo are relatives.
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Was it well-established that Leo Manfredi was a member? I know he was later murdered, but the informant confirms Manfredi was a member. Curious what the Chicago experts think of some of the names he says were made members. Most are well-known confirmed figures but I'd be interested if any of you found someone new or surprising, even if it was just confirmation of a particular name.
EDIT: I see Manfredi shows up on the earlier 1960s lists.
Where these member informants are really worth their weight in gold is when it comes to identifying members, especially in families without many inside sources.
Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant
Ok, we can finally say that Gianola is our guy right? Or should I say, we are 90% sure?
Do not be deceived, neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God - Corinthians 6:9-10
Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant
I'm confident in it, but let's give it a little time and dig in more. Maybe Ed will work some of his magic. I think we can operate from this assumption but I think we should keep digging for info that reinforces it.
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Wouldn't be surprised if we find out many of these people from Cinisi are related somehow, like we've found with Terrasini, Castellammare, Ribera, Bagheria, Corleone... really any of the early groups.
Gaetano Badalamenti had relatives operating out of Illinois and Michigan, so the Badalamenti name was still connected to Illinois in the 1980s even if it didn't involve the Chicago family by that time.
I'm interested in Onofrio Vitale because we're seeing the Vitale name come up and he's not quite as well-known as some of his Cinisi peers.
Onofrio Vitale's records show he bounced all over:
1917 - Married in Detroit
1918 - Child Born in Michigan, presumably Detroit
1923 - Child born in New York
1925 - Child born in Missouri
1929 - Child born in Indiana; Vitale naturalized in Indiana the same year
1930 - Living in Oak Park, Chicago
1931 - Traveled to Italy with Paolo LoDuca (b. 1904), also from Cinisi and lived in Chicago.
1940 - Living in Calumet City
1944 - Murdered, still living in Calumet City
- Would make sense why a guy from Cinisi lived in Detroit and St. Louis, but he also had a short stay in NY.
- Vitale's companion Paolo LoDuca arrived to the US in 1923 listing a cousin Francesco Vitale in Brooklyn as his arrival contact. Might not be a coincidence that Onofrio was in New York that same year where his child was born.
- Paolo LoDuca's wife was also a Vitale, so he may have been both a blood and marital relative of the Vitales. Their 1931 travel manifest shows that they were neighbors in Chicago, both apparently living in Oak Park. Paolo LoDuca died in 1979, living in Calumet City where Vitale had lived. Would appear they were close.
- In 1928, Vitale's compaesani Joe Giunta, Frank Alo Abbate, and Paolo Palazzolo attended the ill-fated Cleveland meeting, showing that the Cinisi element of Illinois/Indiana was heavily represented. Giunta lived in Oak Park while Abbate lived in Chicago Heights, but both men used Palazzolo's Gary address during the arrest.
- It doesn't seem to be a coincidence that during this general period, Vitale lived in Oak Park like Giunta, Chicago Heights/Cal City area like Abbate, and also Indiana like Palazzolo.
- In addition to being involved in Chicago Heights and Indiana, Frank Alo Abbate may have been involved in ganglang warfare in St. Louis. Abbate has also been given the surname Agrusa by some sources; these are likely both family names, as immigration records show Abbates and Agrusas from Cinisi coming to the US together and it isn't uncommon for mafiosi to adopt an AKA from other relatives.
- A James DeAngelo was found brutally murdered in 1944 and investigators believed his murder was related to Vitale's murder. DeAngelo looks to be the son of Agostino D'Angelo, who changed his name to August DeAngelo, from Termini Imerese. Some records of D'Angelo's from Termini Imerese show a relation to, you guessed it, Battaglias.
- Not sure if investigators had concrete reason to believe the DeAngelo murder was connected, but seems likely Vitale's 1944 murder corresponds to Frank Abbate's murder the same year. It looks like Cesare Manzella left Chicago for Springfield around this time, which could suggest overall problems for the Cinisensi in Illinois.
- If Gianola was from this early Cinisi element, you'd think he would mention these issues with his paesans in the 1940s, when he was already getting deep in the outfit, but it's hard to know what exactly is crammed into some of the redacted portions and we can't assume that it didn't come up in other interviews.
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Some considerations about top echelon informants:
I think some of these FBI interviews with top echelon informants were fairly casual / conversational, in that they allowed the informant to volunteer info on their own time and terms. It's not like a cooperating witness being grilled about every crime he's ever committed and trying to shape a cooperation agreement, nor is it like the Sopranos where the contact agent bullies the informant into giving up info on specific people/crimes. I'm not saying every relationship between an agent and CI is a corrupt "friendship" like Greg Scarpa / DeVecchio and the Boston guys, but the fact that those kinds of relationships can even happen is an indication that other CIs are given a fairly wide berth.
These top echelon informants are often figures with significant underworld stature and they're not people who are used to being talked down to or told what to do, so it wouldn't be to the FBI's advantage to try and bully a CI. While a government witness is an entirely different beast, as the government needs to use him to win cases and therefore his cooperation has to be "air tight", a top echelon informant tends to be more in the driver seat in terms of what he shares and when. We've seen where figures like Harry Riccobene were mainly willing to provide only historical info, while Butch Blasi made it a point to keep things friendly and casual. The FBI needs to feel like they're getting something out of it, no doubt, but many TE CI reports show the informant giving info at his own leisure. A lot of it surely depends on the circumstances that led someone to cooperate, i.e. if he's trying to get out of legal trouble he might be compelled to do more to save himself.
As an example, f we were just looking at SF boss Anthony Lima's 1960s CI reports that show up on Mary Ferrell, we would see a lot about contemporary San Francisco and some random info about getting made in the 1920s, references to a few early Pittsburgh figures, but there isn't a whole lot of deep background. Then we came across his 1970s reports where he "randomly" mentions a relative of his who was made in the Sicilian mafia and joined the San Jose family in the 1920s, or he'll mention the name of the San Jose boss in the 1920s, or list the entire hierarchy of San Francisco in the late 1920s and events that happened back then. He'll go on a tangent about a Camorrista who moved to California and was inducted into the SF mafia. You'd think he would have laid all of that out in a systematic way early in his cooperation, but it seems like there is a conversational / tangential tone to these interviews and as Ed rightfully pointed out, there isn't necessarily any narrative structure to the info. A CI might share some mafia history ten years into his cooperation that blows our minds, but to him and the FBI it's just a random footnote.
With the Chicago informant in 1971, he may have felt it relevant to mention a couple of relatives and other figures in these interviews, but it doesn't necessarily mean that was the extent of his knowledge. The FBI isn't going to sit with an informant, especially back then, and say "Tell me everything you know about the Cinisi faction in early Chicago from start to finish, no stone left unturned." While the FBI was interested in cataloging the history of the mafia in the US, they were also heavily interested in contemporary figures and activities, so they're more likely to want to hear about Accardo and Nicoletti than they are dead Sicilians from 40 years earlier.
Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant
If the informant is Gianola, I wonder if the figure who was "shot down" circa 1930/1931 is Joe Giunta, killed 1929. Giunta was from Cinisi and lived in Oak Park, so he was a Chicago-based leader of this Cinisi faction and we know from the 1928 meetings he was very close to his paesans in the Heights, Cal City, and Gary.
It'd be easy for the informant to confuse 1929 with 1930/1931 and it would also make sense that he would remember this specific murder, as Giunta was arguably the most prominent Cinisensi figure at the time. Ed felt that this didn't necessarily refer to one of the informant's relatives, but it would make sense that the murder of his paesan would be memorable especially if he had other relatives involved in this faction.
If Frank Abbate was in fact involved in the St. Louis war involving Vito Giannola there, that is a potential connection worth lookong into. Onofrio Vitale having lived in St. Louis for a period also opens up some possibilities as to who exactly he knew there.
It'd be easy for the informant to confuse 1929 with 1930/1931 and it would also make sense that he would remember this specific murder, as Giunta was arguably the most prominent Cinisensi figure at the time. Ed felt that this didn't necessarily refer to one of the informant's relatives, but it would make sense that the murder of his paesan would be memorable especially if he had other relatives involved in this faction.
If Frank Abbate was in fact involved in the St. Louis war involving Vito Giannola there, that is a potential connection worth lookong into. Onofrio Vitale having lived in St. Louis for a period also opens up some possibilities as to who exactly he knew there.
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant
Good inference on things potentially heading downhill for the Cinisese faction around 1944, with guys like Cesare Manzella getting the F outta Dodge.B. wrote: ↑Thu Dec 31, 2020 3:27 pm If the informant is Gianola, I wonder if the figure who was "shot down" circa 1930/1931 is Joe Giunta, killed 1929. Giunta was from Cinisi and lived in Oak Park, so he was a Chicago-based leader of this Cinisi faction and we know from the 1928 meetings he was very close to his paesans in the Heights, Cal City, and Gary.
It'd be easy for the informant to confuse 1929 with 1930/1931 and it would also make sense that he would remember this specific murder, as Giunta was arguably the most prominent Cinisensi figure at the time. Ed felt that this didn't necessarily refer to one of the informant's relatives, but it would make sense that the murder of his paesan would be memorable especially if he had other relatives involved in this faction.
If Frank Abbate was in fact involved in the St. Louis war involving Vito Giannola there, that is a potential connection worth lookong into. Onofrio Vitale having lived in St. Louis for a period also opens up some possibilities as to who exactly he knew there.
In spite of their obvious ties to the South Burbs/NW Indy, the fact that both Giunta and Vitale lived in Oak Park is notable, as it may suggest a further layer of connection between this Cinisi cluster and the Westside/Genna mob. The fact that the most prominent Cinisese guy was based on the Westside I think is important here.
Very well could be Giunta that the informant is referring to, as 40 years later he may just be mentally storing this info as "sometime close to the end of Prohibition". It's often the case with long term memories like this that one essentially "tags" them mentally as having occured in proximity to some other notable, era defining event. Over time, as the act of memory retrieval in itself inevitably recodes and distorts the stored event, he could've linked it to the year 1931 and have become convinced it happened in this year. That sort of error is very common.
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Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant
Pietro Amato is the only Cinisi Chicago figure I know of from Gianola's own generation. Amato's mother was yet another Vitale and he was born in Cinisi 1915, lived in Chicago, deported 1953, continued operating with the mafia in Cinisi.
Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant
As additional info, i have one John Manzella working for Buccieri during the late 60sPolackTony wrote: ↑Thu Dec 31, 2020 4:07 pm
Good inference on things potentially heading downhill for the Cinisese faction around 1944, with guys like Cesare Manzella getting the F outta Dodge.
Do not be deceived, neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God - Corinthians 6:9-10
Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant
Could be. He was associated with remnants from the old Genna faction.
Do not be deceived, neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God - Corinthians 6:9-10
Re: Early 1970s Chicago member informant
Giunta was the official Chicago Mafia boss between Lolordo and Aiello. He was one of the three mafiosi (the other two being Giovanni Scalise and Alberto Anselmo) reportedly beaten with baseball bats by Capone and Accardo before being shot and dumped in Hammond, Indiana. Giunta attended the 1928 Cleveland Mafia conference.