General Chicago Outfit Info Dumping Ground

[Patrickgold]

Afternoon Briefing: Mob-connected Chicago businessman indicted on tax charges
Chicago Tribune
Tue, February 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM CST
2 min read
Good afternoon, Chicago.

A mob-connected Chicago businessman has been indicted on tax evasion charges alleging he had a hidden interest in a sweepstakes gaming company run by the now-imprisoned son-in-law of Joe Berrios, the former Cook County assessor.

Afternoon Briefing: Mob-connected Chicago businessman indicted on tax charges
Chicago Tribune
Tue, February 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM CST
2 min read
Good afternoon, Chicago.

A mob-connected Chicago businessman has been indicted on tax evasion charges alleging he had a hidden interest in a sweepstakes gaming company run by the now-imprisoned son-in-law of Joe Berrios, the former Cook County assessor.

Robert “Bobby” Dominic, 71, a longtime associate of the Outfit’s Grand Avenue crew known for his connections to Richard’s Bar on the Near West Side, was charged in a five-count indictment made public today in U.S. District Court with tax evasion and failure to file tax returns.

[Snakes]

Afternoon Briefing: Mob-connected Chicago businessman indicted on tax charges
Chicago Tribune
Tue, February 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM CST
2 min read
Good afternoon, Chicago.

A mob-connected Chicago businessman has been indicted on tax evasion charges alleging he had a hidden interest in a sweepstakes gaming company run by the now-imprisoned son-in-law of Joe Berrios, the former Cook County assessor.

Afternoon Briefing: Mob-connected Chicago businessman indicted on tax charges
Chicago Tribune
Tue, February 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM CST
2 min read
Good afternoon, Chicago.

A mob-connected Chicago businessman has been indicted on tax evasion charges alleging he had a hidden interest in a sweepstakes gaming company run by the now-imprisoned son-in-law of Joe Berrios, the former Cook County assessor.

Robert “Bobby” Dominic, 71, a longtime associate of the Outfit’s Grand Avenue crew known for his connections to Richard’s Bar on the Near West Side, was charged in a five-count indictment made public today in U.S. District Court with tax evasion and failure to file tax returns.

Thanks, Patrick. Here's a link to the full article: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/ ... es-gaming/

[Patrickgold]

Mob-connected, Chicago businessman indicted on tax charges alleging hidden interest in sweepstakes gaming

By JASON MEISNER | jmeisner@chicagotribune.com | Chicago Tribune
UPDATED: February 25, 2025 at 2:53 PM CST

A mob-connected Chicago businessman has been indicted on tax evasion charges alleging he had a hidden interest in a sweepstakes gaming company run by the now-imprisoned son-in-law of Joe Berrios, the former Cook County assessor.

Robert “Bobby” Dominic, 71, a longtime associate of the Outfit’s Grand Avenue crew known for his connections to Richard’s Bar on the Near West Side, was charged in a five-count indictment made public Tuesday in U.S. District Court with tax evasion and failure to file tax returns.

An arraignment date has not been set. Dominic’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.

The indictment alleged that from 2014 to 2020, Dominic was secretly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars from two sweepstakes gaming companies through a sham entity owned by his then-girlfriend.



A month after his girlfriend died in January 2020, Dominic allegedly set up another phony company through another woman, identified only as Individual B, and continued to receive payments from the sweepstakes businesses, according to the indictment.

On March 30, 2021, the stock certificate for Sham Company B “was amended to reflect that all shares were to transfer to Dominic upon Individual B’s death,” the indictment stated.

Last fall, the U.S. attorney’s office subpoenaed Individual B to appear before a federal grand jury investigating Dominic, and sent a letter to her attorney indicating she would be compelled to testify through a grant of immunity, according to the indictment.

A few days before her scheduled grand jury appearance on Oct. 7, 2024, however, Individual B, who at the time was about 80 years old, agreed to marry Dominic in order to prevent her testimony, the indictment stated.


The charges also allege Dominic failed to file tax returns reflecting any of the income he made from the sweepstakes interests.

The charges against Dominic are an offshoot of a bombshell investigation into the shady world of sweepstakes gaming machines that brought down former state Rep. Luis Arroyo and businessman James Weiss, who is married to Berrios’ daughter, former state Rep. Maria “Toni” Berrios.

The case also had mob connections simmering in the background. The Tribune first reported last year that the grand jury sent a subpoena to the Illinois Department of Insurance on July 28 seeking applications, communications and other records involving a state Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan in Dominic’s name.

Around that same time, federal prosecutors alleged in a sentencing filing in Weiss’ criminal case that he was allegedly “good friends” with notorious mob hit man Frank “The German” Schweihs and once went to him for protection for his massage parlors being threatened by other gangsters.

Weiss’ brother, in fact, was caught on an FBI wiretap telling someone Weiss had partnered with “a known longtime mob associate” after Weiss had reportedly gone to Schweihs for help.

Details included in the new charges against Dominic reveal that he was the associate referred to on the recording.

“Yeah, well, Jimmy and Frank were good friends, and some Russians were muscling Jimmy, but Frank was on the run,” the brother, Joseph Weiss, told an unidentified person in the wiretapped call. “Frank was in hiding and Jimmy called Frank and … says, hey man, these guys just busted up my (expletive store). Scared the (expletive) out of the girls, this and that, you know, I need your help, where the (expletive) are you?

At the time, Schweihs had been charged in the landmark Family Secrets mob case and was on the run. According to the brother’s story, The German told Weiss, “‘Jim, I’m underground right now … but I’ll have someone call you right back.’”

“Somebody called Jimmy” and told him to go see Dominic, who “straightened it all out,” Joseph Weiss said, according to prosecutors.

“Ever since then, they’re partners on everything,” Joseph Weiss said. “The problem is (Dominic’s) like a gangster but he’s an honest guy. If you’re his friend, you’re his friend.”

Prosecutors called the description of Dominic as a gangster “an apt one.” In a separate undercover recording, Dominic admitted that James Weiss ‘is with me,’ referencing their joint involvement with gaming machines,” the filing stated.

“Insofar as (James) Weiss seeks to portray himself as a community-minded and otherwise law-abiding individual, his longtime partnership with (Dominic) and his own brother’s recording discussing his prior association with his ‘good friend,’ mob killer Frank Schweihs, demonstrates otherwise,” prosecutors wrote.

The filing also alleged that Dominic’s now-deceased girlfriend was a partner in one of James Weiss’ gambling businesses and received hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments from him.

Schweihs, who according to authorities spent decades as a reputed enforcer for the mob’s Grand Avenue street crew, died of cancer in 2008 while awaiting trial.

Weiss’ brother, Joseph Weiss, was charged in 2023 with lying to federal investigators about his brother’s reputed mob ties, including his previous contacts with Schweihs and Dominic.

James Weiss’ attorney, Ilia Usharovich, said his client had no ties at all to Schweihs.

“Jim denies ever speaking to Mr. Schweihs, ever meeting with Mr. Schweihs and ever doing business with Mr. Schweihs,” Usharovich said.

The Tribune has previously reported that James Weiss’ sweepstakes company, V.S.S., was connected to a former Chicago police officer, John Adreani, through a complex web of corporations, many of which list the same address in a south suburban strip mall as their headquarters.

Adreani was fired from the Chicago Police Department in 2015 for associating with a major drug trafficker after he was captured on a wiretap discussing gambling and drinking excursions and real estate ventures with him, according to Chicago Police Board records.

Adreani was not charged; however, his name came up several times during James Weiss’ trial.

Another one of Weiss’ business entities, Mac-T Retail LLC, which was formed in 2015, shares the same address in the 800 block of Sibley Boulevard in Dolton with V.S.S., state records show.

At least three companies that include “Mac-T” in their titles appear to be linked, according to state records. The first of them, Mac-T LLC, was organized by Anthony DeMarco of River Grove in 2014 and was also registered to the Sibley Boulevard address.

DeMarco originally incorporated Mac-T using an address of 723 W. Grand Ave. in Chicago, which is a single-room occupancy hotel in the same building that houses the Italian restaurant La Scarola and Richard’s Bar.

La Scarola was the scene of a 2012 lunch meeting with top Grand Avenue crew members that led to the FBI sting of hit man Steve Mandell, who was plotting, among other things, to kidnap, rob and murder a mobbed-up strip club owner.

Richard’s is owned, on paper at least, by the sister of Dominic, a reputed Outfit associate who, according to FBI and Chicago records, ran pornography and gambling interests for the Grand Avenue crew, which was headed by legendary mobster Joseph “The Clown” Lombardo.

James Weiss was convicted by a jury in June of seven counts of bribery, wire fraud, mail fraud and making false statements. The charges alleged Weiss then agreed to pay monthly $2,500 bribes to get language helping his sweepstakes business added to state gambling legislation, first to state Arroyo and later to state Sen. Terry Link, who was a chief sponsor of the gambling bill in the Senate.

Arroyo and Weiss didn’t know that Link, a Vernon Hills Democrat, was cooperating with the FBI. Link, who is hoping for a break in his own federal tax conviction in exchange for his cooperation, testified over two days about his undercover role.

Arroyo, meanwhile, pleaded guilty to bribery for his role in the scheme but did not agree to cooperate with prosecutors. U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger sentenced Arroyo to nearly five years in prison last year, calling him a “corruption superspreader.”

Arroyo was released to a halfway house late last year, federal prison records show.

James Weiss was sentenced in October 2023 to 5 ½ years in prison. He’s currently serving his term in Leavenworth, Kansas, and is due to be released in March 2027, records show.

Joseph Weiss pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced to two months in jail.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

[NickyEyes1]

Damn.. Having his GF marry him right before testifying is classic... Had to piss the feds off. Hopefully nothing happens to Richard's, its my favorite bar in the world

[Patrickgold]

It looks like Bobby is definitely of higher stature than people knew.

I would like to add that one of the companies that he allegedly controls but is not mentioned is owned by his brother in law who is Jewish.

[PolackTony]

It looks like Bobby is definitely of higher stature than people knew.

I would like to add that one of the companies that he allegedly controls but is not mentioned is owned by his brother in law who is Jewish.

Just my own personal speculation, but for some time now I wouldn’t be surprised if solid info were to come out that he is made. Who really knows with these guys today, but he certainly seems to have the commensurate status. Dominic being recorded noting that Weiss was “with me”, while it could have been meant in a more casual way, made me immediately think of a made guy letting it be known that an associate is formally on record with him.

[Patrickgold]

It looks like Bobby is definitely of higher stature than people knew.

I would like to add that one of the companies that he allegedly controls but is not mentioned is owned by his brother in law who is Jewish.

Just my own personal speculation, but for some time now I wouldn’t be surprised if solid info were to come out that he is made. Who really knows with these guys today, but he certainly seems to have the commensurate status. Dominic being recorded noting that Weiss was “with me”, while it could have been meant in a more casual way, made me immediately think of a made guy letting it be known that an associate is formally on record with him.

I 100% agree with you that there is a high likelihood that he is made. I think the Weiss court papers really gave that impression. And now that it looks like he basically has a stranglehold on the machines, that adds to that impression. I would be interested in knowing how he gets along with Cassano who also has a sweep stakes machine company. They might have their territory divided up.

[PolackTony]

Thanks for this background, Tony. Exactly what I was looking for. I had forgot that Nick's testimony went into this in detail. As you said, a sanctioned hit on a made member is typically something that is not always attributable to a single thing, but is usually a combination of gripes. It generally sounds like the Spilotros fucked up on multiple fronts.

To piggyback on what NorthBuffallo said, it does seem like there was a special angle to the actual hit. It sure seems like they wanted a clear message sent, and having members of every crew there is a way for word to spread about what happened. I suppose you could also argue that having everyone there was also just a cover regarding the "making ceremony" they were supposedly luring the Spilotros into, so there is that angle as well.

Yeah, I think it's clear that Tony S's behavior in Vegas, for years by that point and with the calamitous results it arguably led to, served already as a probable litany of infractions, with the final straw having been the convictions of Aiuppa and Cerone in the weeks immediately preceding the first failed hit attempt on the brothers (not to mention the damage done to the admin of KC and a highly-respected longtime Cleveland outfit associate). It bears stressing that per Nick C's account, Johnny Fecarotta wound up getting himself whacked out for considerably less (though it's interesting to note that in both cases, personal sexual impropriety was cited as one of the contributing factors, which is worth keeping in mind for a Family where in prior years, a made member had to flee and transfer to Madison when a hit was put out on him for refusing to perform an "honor killing" on his unfaithful wife). Perhaps Michael had also done his own part to piss people off, but I think he was maybe just as likely to have been seen as an appendage of his brother and a loose end that they felt the need to cut when clipping Tony (e.g., didn't want to have to worry about him trying to take revenge or run to the Feds, etc.).

I would stress again that Nick C participated in both the planning and execution of the Spilotro bros murders and said nothing at all about any symbolic aspects or "message" intended by the exact method of dispatch, just that it was a Plan B that was arrived upon after their earlier attempts to smoke the Spilotros in full 80s-action-movie-style had failed. If there was the intention of using the means of murder to encode some sort of special message or warning to the membership (beyond the fact that a made guy and his brother/associate got whacked for stupid spacconi shit that even the public was well aware of), then this failed miserably, as one of the guys who *himself carried out the murders* wasn't even aware of this, evidently. And it's also worth noting that members of *every* crew *may not* have actually been present at the murder itself. While affiliates of the Heights crew were tasked with disposing of the bodies, Nick C did not name any of them as having participated in the killings themselves and did not identify them nor members of the Northside/Solano crew as having been in attendance at the mock ceremony.

Frank Calabrese also said that it was DiFronzo's idea to do the sham making ceremony.

I'd have to revisit exactly what Frank Sr said on the prison recordings about it. But, per Nick C's testimony, Frank Sr was not involved in either the planning or execution of both the failed attempt or the actual murders in Bensenville. It was Nick who had to keep Frank looped in on this (we've discussed this a bit before, but it's one of the things that has led me to suspect that even this early on, Nick was already better-liked within the organization than his brother). And Nick was specific that to his knowledge, it was *Johnny Fecarotta* who came up with the idea of luring the Spilotros back to Chicago under the pretense of holding a ceremony:






Sorry, Frankie, but you're not invited to the party:






Nick went on to say after this that after meeting up with Fecarotta and Jimmy LaPietra before the murders, the three of them were driven to Bensenville by Jimmy Marcello. Nick notes that Sam Carlisi, Johnny DiFronzo, Joe Ferriola, Louie Eboli, and Louie Marino were already at the house. These are the only men that he could identify as having been present for the mock ceremony and actual murders. And this was not at all out of line with the scenario that Nick painted for his own 1983 induction ceremony. Here, we had the boss and underboss of the Family (whether acting or official at this point), Carlisi and Johnny D. We had the (presumed) captain of the Aiuppa crew (Marcello), the acting captain of the LaPietra crew (Jimmy Lap), the (presumed) captain of the Lombardo crew (Eboli), and the captain of the Taylor St/Cicero crew (Ferriola), along with a few other members. Again, fully in line with Nick's own ceremony and what one would expect if they really wanted the Spilotros to arrive on the scene and believe that a ceremony was being held (in '83, the boss and 5 captains presided over the ceremony, while here they had the boss, UB, and 3 captains).

Also, fun to note that Fecarotta was convinced that they were about to knock him down instead (who's rusing who??).

Note here that Nick stated that three guys whom he did not know were also present. It's safe to assume that none of them were Al Tocco, Toots Palermo, or Nick Guzzino, as Nick C knew them and they were part of his ceremony. Similarly, he also doesn't identify Solano as present, nor any of his men. We may well never know who these other three guys were, but I doubt that any of them were admin figures in the outfit. Nick goes on to say later that after the brothers were dead, they found a pistol secreted on the person of Michael S, and that he left with Marcello and LaPietra while Fecarotta disposed of Michael's vehicle; he was uninvolved in and unaware of any details regarding the disposal of the bodies.

Yeah, while the actual murder was a dark, quasi-ceremonial affair that comes across highly symbolic based on who attended, the fact that there was an aborted plot in Vegas that was anything but ceremonial tells us they simply wanted him gone and the circumstances of the actual murder were not intended to have any deeper meaning. I admit to getting taken by the "atmosphere" of the murder myself and making it out to be something more than it may have been.

I always thought the "they didn't even let him pray" detail was gratuitous, like something Calabrese added for dramatic effect. Dunno, fells "off" to me somehow. Might be way off base here.

I don't get the impression Calabrese embellished anything. He comes across very cut-and-dry with all of his info. I think we tend to dramatize these things in our head, though, which is why I always imagine the Spilotro hit almost like some slow-motion Satanic ritual.

Most likely, Frank Sr got this from his brother. Nick recounted that the last words that he heard from Tony S were a request to be permitted to say a prayer. Also note that Michael being tackled and strangled is fully in line with the method of dispatch in several other sanctioned hits that Nick testified that he had taken part in (in other words, not out of the ordinary SOP).

[Snakes]

Yeah, I assumed that most here knew that Frank would have heard his info secondhand (probably from Nick), but I should have made that clear in the initial post.

[B.]

When I said I didn't get the impression Calabrese embellished, I meant Nick. If he said on the stand that Spilotro requested to say a prayer, it's as close to a fact as we're ever going to have.

Two things the Spilotro ruse tell us about Chicago organizationally:

- Ceremonies were not extraordinary. Yes, the Calabrese induction had already taken place which we know was "traditional" but Tony Spilotro was not present for that. The idea of going to a house where a group of leaders and members would be present for what appears to be a standard mafia induction was not something that Tony Spilotro would find strange or questionable, indicating he was familiar with this process.

- If it's true part of the ruse was that Tony Spilotro would be promoted to capodecina, the timing doesn't seem to have coincided with an existing capodecina needing replacement (that I'm aware of). There is a tendency to assume Chicago captain promotions were always in direct succession within static crews but along with other evidence we have that challenges this, the "promotion" ruse could suggest it was not abnormal for a member to be promoted to captain over a new crew and/or when there wasn't an obvious need to promote someone. Maybe someone more knowledgeable has a better read on that period but it's an interesting detail.

[Ivan]

A few days before her scheduled grand jury appearance on Oct. 7, 2024, however, Individual B, who at the time was about 80 years old, agreed to marry Dominic in order to prevent her testimony, the indictment stated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0xJAe6uRFk

[PolackTony]

- If it's true part of the ruse was that Tony Spilotro would be promoted to capodecina, the timing doesn't seem to have coincided with an existing capodecina needing replacement (that I'm aware of). There is a tendency to assume Chicago captain promotions were always in direct succession within static crews but along with other evidence we have that challenges this, the "promotion" ruse could suggest it was not abnormal for a member to be promoted to captain over a new crew and/or when there wasn't an obvious need to promote someone. Maybe someone more knowledgeable has a better read on that period but it's an interesting detail.

Oh yeah, I have thought about this along the same lines myself. As you know, I am one who strongly believes that the fixed, linear sort of crew structure and succession that many have assumed for Chicago was likely in part to have been the product of reading later evidence backward to periods where we have little to no insider accounts of the actual mafia organization (“it was like this in Year A, so it must have always been like this…”). We have no reason to believe that Chicago was any different from other Families in this, where we know that crews could be dissolved, merged, split, new ones formed, captains busted up and busted down, etc. We also knows that, at least in a formal sense, whenever a new boss comes in, the Family is “remade” and this is often when we see these types of reshufflings. Thus it’s worth noting that the Spilotro bros murder occurred right at one of these transition/liminal moments, the shift from the “Aiuppa Family” to the “Carlisi Family”. Whoever reached out to Tony S may well have told him that another captain was being busted down, or just that he was going to be promoted over a new crew. Either way, I would assume this was not something that would be unexpected during a transition in the admin like this. We also know that when a new boss comes in, he often holds an induction ceremony, and thus the idea that Michael had been proposed and a ceremony was to be held at this time would not seem abrupt or unexpected.

Ferriola was in poor health at this time, so if Tony was told that he was succeeding another captain, it could be that he was told that he was replacing Ferriola (Tony S was very likely an associate with the Buccieri crew under Torello, and for all we know could well have originally been made into that crew and later transferred to report to Lombardo). Eboli, of course, succumbed to cancer the next year, so that could be another option, as he was (possibly) Tony’s captain at this time anyway and who I would guess had been cast as the “sponsor” for Michael in this ruse. Whatever Eboli’s health status was at this exact time, however, he apparently wasn’t too sick to garrote Michael with a rope.

[cavita]

- If it's true part of the ruse was that Tony Spilotro would be promoted to capodecina, the timing doesn't seem to have coincided with an existing capodecina needing replacement (that I'm aware of). There is a tendency to assume Chicago captain promotions were always in direct succession within static crews but along with other evidence we have that challenges this, the "promotion" ruse could suggest it was not abnormal for a member to be promoted to captain over a new crew and/or when there wasn't an obvious need to promote someone. Maybe someone more knowledgeable has a better read on that period but it's an interesting detail.

Oh yeah, I have thought about this along the same lines myself. As you know, I am one who strongly believes that the fixed, linear sort of crew structure and succession that many have assumed for Chicago was likely in part to have been the product of reading later evidence backward to periods where we have little to no insider accounts of the actual mafia organization (“it was like this in Year A, so it must have always been like this…”). We have no reason to believe that Chicago was any different from other Families in this, where we know that crews could be dissolved, merged, split, new ones formed, captains busted up and busted down, etc. We also knows that, at least in a formal sense, whenever a new boss comes in, the Family is “remade” and this is often when we see these types of reshufflings. Thus it’s worth noting that the Spilotro bros murder occurred right at one of these transition/liminal moments, the shift from the “Aiuppa Family” to the “Carlisi Family”. Whoever reached out to Tony S may well have told him that another captain was being busted down, or just that he was going to be promoted over a new crew. Either way, I would assume this was not something that would be unexpected during a transition in the admin like this. We also know that when a new boss comes in, he often holds an induction ceremony, and thus the idea that Michael had been proposed and a ceremony was to be held at this time would not seem abrupt or unexpected.

Ferriola was in poor health at this time, so if Tony was told that he was succeeding another captain, it could be that he was told that he was replacing Ferriola (Tony S was very likely an associate with the Buccieri crew under Torello, and for all we know could well have originally been made into that crew and later transferred to report to Lombardo). Eboli, of course, succumbed to cancer the next year, so that could be another option, as he was (possibly) Tony’s captain at this time anyway and who I would guess had been cast as the “sponsor” for Michael in this ruse. Whatever Eboli’s health status was at this exact time, however, he apparently wasn’t too sick to garrote Michael with a rope.

Tony could very well have been told he would be made a captain to oversee Las Vegas on his own in my opinion.

[B.]

Yeah, ceremonies and promotions/demotions are standard when a new leadership regime takes over. While he may have known he was in some degree of trouble, he must not have known the full degree if he believed that a promotion for himself and the induction of his brother were in the realm of possibility.

Is there any available info that suggests the Family had addressed any of the issues with him directly?

[funkster]

It looks like Bobby is definitely of higher stature than people knew.

I would like to add that one of the companies that he allegedly controls but is not mentioned is owned by his brother in law who is Jewish.

Just my own personal speculation, but for some time now I wouldn’t be surprised if solid info were to come out that he is made. Who really knows with these guys today, but he certainly seems to have the commensurate status. Dominic being recorded noting that Weiss was “with me”, while it could have been meant in a more casual way, made me immediately think of a made guy letting it be known that an associate is formally on record with him.

I 100% agree with you that there is a high likelihood that he is made. I think the Weiss court papers really gave that impression. And now that it looks like he basically has a stranglehold on the machines, that adds to that impression. I would be interested in knowing how he gets along with Cassano who also has a sweep stakes machine company. They might have their territory divided up.

Agree with both of you, I would say it’s more likely than not that he is.