General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

[Patrickgold]

I know I have mentioned before that I heard Porky Poradyla died a couple of years ago but I have reason to believe that Fred “Porky” Poradyla is still alive and did not die like I previously thought. I had heard a “Porky” had died and figured there was only one “Porky” in Chicago. There was another Porky named Eddie Norton that passed away in 2021 and it was not Poradyla. Let me know if anyone has any obits or concrete evidence that Poradyla is in fact dead.

[PolackTony]

I know I have mentioned before that I heard Porky Poradyla died a couple of years ago but I have reason to believe that Fred “Porky” Poradyla is still alive and did not die like I previously thought. I had heard a “Porky” had died and figured there was only one “Porky” in Chicago. There was another Porky named Eddie Norton that passed away in 2021 and it was not Poradyla. Let me know if anyone has any obits or concrete evidence that Poradyla is in fact dead.

Never seen an obit for him. If he’s still alive he’s pushing like 96 now, though.

[NorthBuffalo]

I know I have mentioned before that I heard Porky Poradyla died a couple of years ago but I have reason to believe that Fred “Porky” Poradyla is still alive and did not die like I previously thought. I had heard a “Porky” had died and figured there was only one “Porky” in Chicago. There was another Porky named Eddie Norton that passed away in 2021 and it was not Poradyla. Let me know if anyone has any obits or concrete evidence that Poradyla is in fact dead.

Never seen an obit for him. If he’s still alive he’s pushing like 96 now, though.

I cannot speak to if he is alive, but a very good source told me Porky had grandkids and a family. He had a granddaughter with the last name Korolis that would always comment on Fosco's site. He lived in Harwood Heights and would frequent a social club at Alcott and Addison.

[NorthBuffalo]

This is only interesting bc of Michael Frontier being linked to this company previously and their shady business practices.

Former executive for cannabis company Verano indicted on insider trading charges
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/ ... -indicted/

By Robert McCoppin | rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com | Chicago Tribune and Jason Meisner | jmeisner@chicagotribune.com | Chicago Tribune
PUBLISHED: January 21, 2025 at 2:59 PM CST

A former executive for Chicago-based Verano, one of the largest cannabis companies in the United States, was federally indicted on charges of insider trading.

The indictment Thursday accused Anthony Marsico, 39, of Bartlett, of using confidential information to make an illegal profit of about $607,000 by buying stock in another marijuana company that Verano planned to acquire.

The deal to buy Minneapolis-based Goodness Growth Holdings Inc., now named Vireo Growth Inc., fell through. The two companies remain in court fighting over the failed deal.

Marsico’s lawyers, Todd Pugh and Patrick Blegen, told the Tribune their client was innocent of the charges.

“Mr. Marsico had a long-term and well-documented history of investing in the cannabis related financial sector,” the attorneys said in a statement. “Our investigation shows that Mr. Marsico’s investment activity was based solely on public and non-proprietary information.”

Marsico was indicted along with three golf buddies from a private country club with whom he hatched the plan, according to the indictment.

The other defendants were named as financial adviser Arthur Pizzello, Jr., 61, of suburban Wayne and of Marco Island, Florida; Robert Quattrocchi, 63, of Schaumburg; and Timothy Carey, 57, of Hanover Park. Pizzello co-owned the country club, was a financial adviser who surrendered his license, authorities stated, is an area vice president at a publicly traded insurance broker and human resource benefits company, and co-owns a leadership consulting company based in Carmel, Indiana. Pizzello also invested in Verano through a “friends and family” offering before its initial public offering in 2021, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

The friends regularly called and texted each other, and golfed, gambled and socialized together, the filing stated.

Marsico co-owned a forerunner entity that was subsumed by Verano in 2018, according to the indictment, and was executive vice president at Verano, responsible for municipal government relations and real estate, including getting approvals to open cannabis dispensaries.

The defendants hatched the scheme in December of 2021, after Marsico learned Verano was trying to acquire Goodness Growth, the indictment stated.

Marsico opened and funded a brokerage account and bought more than 900,000 shares of Goodness Growth stock in 359 separate transactions for a total of approximately $1.5 million in the Canadian over-the-counter market, prosecutors alleged.

The acquisition was publicly announced on Feb. 1, 2022. Goodness Growth’s share price that day “skyrocketed” to about $2.34, representing a 42% increase.

Marsico made profits of more than $607,000, according to the indictment, which the government wants to recoup.

Verano ended up terminating the acquisition agreement in October 2022, and in a statement said it follows all securities laws.

“We strongly condemn the alleged actions taken by a former employee, and upon learning of the alleged conduct, fully cooperated with authorities investigating this matter,” the Verano statement read in part.

“The alleged actions by this former employee, who was terminated a year ago, had no material impact on our business and have no bearing on our operations moving forward.”

Verano owns 14 cultivation facilities nationwide, with more than 120 stores and 4,000 employees. Vireo operates retail dispensaries and marijuana-growing facilities in New York, Minnesota and New Mexico.

[Patrickgold]

I know I have mentioned before that I heard Porky Poradyla died a couple of years ago but I have reason to believe that Fred “Porky” Poradyla is still alive and did not die like I previously thought. I had heard a “Porky” had died and figured there was only one “Porky” in Chicago. There was another Porky named Eddie Norton that passed away in 2021 and it was not Poradyla. Let me know if anyone has any obits or concrete evidence that Poradyla is in fact dead.

Never seen an obit for him. If he’s still alive he’s pushing like 96 now, though.

I cannot speak to if he is alive, but a very good source told me Porky had grandkids and a family. He had a granddaughter with the last name Korolis that would always comment on Fosco's site. He lived in Harwood Heights and would frequent a social club at Alcott and Addison.

Your source is right because he did live in Harwood Heights. If he went to the social club exactly on Olcott and Addison then it would be the Beato Giovanni Liccio Society club which is Sicilian. There are like 5 clubs within blocks of each other, with at least 3 being Sicilian. He’s not Sicilian but that obviously wouldn’t stop someone from going.

[NickyEyes1]

I know I have mentioned before that I heard Porky Poradyla died a couple of years ago but I have reason to believe that Fred “Porky” Poradyla is still alive and did not die like I previously thought. I had heard a “Porky” had died and figured there was only one “Porky” in Chicago. There was another Porky named Eddie Norton that passed away in 2021 and it was not Poradyla. Let me know if anyone has any obits or concrete evidence that Poradyla is in fact dead.

Never seen an obit for him. If he’s still alive he’s pushing like 96 now, though.

I cannot speak to if he is alive, but a very good source told me Porky had grandkids and a family. He had a granddaughter with the last name Korolis that would always comment on Fosco's site. He lived in Harwood Heights and would frequent a social club at Alcott and Addison.

Your source is right because he did live in Harwood Heights. If he went to the social club exactly on Olcott and Addison then it would be the Beato Giovanni Liccio Society club which is Sicilian. There are like 5 clubs within blocks of each other, with at least 3 being Sicilian. He’s not Sicilian but that obviously wouldn’t stop someone from going.

There's also another one across the street on that same intersection

[PolackTony]

Beato Giovanni Liccio is the Caccamo Society (we were just talking recently about the Stanfas and Guzzinos, this happens to be their hometown). Fraternal society specifically for people from or with ancestry from Caccamo. IMO it would be unusual for someone without a personal connection to Caccamo to attend there, and Poradyla’s wife and in-laws were/are not Sicilians. So it may be that he was attending one of the other clubs there which are not fraternal hometown societies (you also have the Società Santa Fara di Cinisi right by there, which is also a Sicilian hometown society).

There is that shady little club across from Beato Giovanni Liccio. Blacked out windows, “Members Only” sign. SW corner of Addison/Olcott. Definitely a Sicilian social club as it has the Trinacria in the window. Nice weather you’ll see some old Sicilian guys quietly drinking espresso out front. If Porky was attending a club specifically at Olcott, I’d think it was that one.

[NorthBuffalo]

I presume Porky (like the German) would be part Italian or at least suspected/feared by anyone connected to that world - and I think he was going there like 10+ years ago to play cards and whatnot.

[NorthBuffalo]

Quite timely....I'm told this is actually Porky's grandson. Will look for the obituary to verify it.
https://www.wndu.com/2025/01/20/man-kil ... aka-hotel/

[PolackTony]

I presume Porky (like the German) would be part Italian or at least suspected/feared by anyone connected to that world - and I think he was going there like 10+ years ago to play cards and whatnot.

Poradyla’s parents were both immigrants from Polish Galicia.

Frank Schweihs was German-Irish, as I’ve mentioned before. His daughter Nora was named after his Irish-American mother, Nora Roach.

Quite timely....I'm told this is actually Porky's grandson. Will look for the obituary to verify it.
https://www.wndu.com/2025/01/20/man-kil ... aka-hotel/

Could well be. Porky has a daughter with the married name of Korolis who is in her 70s.