Chicago Outfit Places of Origin

[Antiliar]

He was able to leave the Army in 1944 and was advised to move to a safe location far from the Mafia. He chose to move to Chicago

Well, that was a brilliant move on Carramusa’s part. Soon as I read that, I knew how the story would end, lol. Not only did he move to Chicago but chose to live in Humboldt Park which was crawling with Outfit guys. Makes me think of that black dude at the Paterson Falls in season 1 of the Sopranos “Some sad shit. Muthafucka said he didn’t wanna live no more”.

Great write up of a thing I wasn’t at all aware of. Any idea who they were working with on the Chicago end? If it was Rocco’s brother Joe DeGrazia, we know that Rocco was involved with drugs, so that could be a good bet. Any idea as to who Antinori’s customers who killed him were (you probably would’ve already stated that if they were known, of course)?

There's a lot more to the story. I'm trying to gather information.

[PolackTony]

He was able to leave the Army in 1944 and was advised to move to a safe location far from the Mafia. He chose to move to Chicago

Well, that was a brilliant move on Carramusa’s part. Soon as I read that, I knew how the story would end, lol. Not only did he move to Chicago but chose to live in Humboldt Park which was crawling with Outfit guys. Makes me think of that black dude at the Paterson Falls in season 1 of the Sopranos “Some sad shit. Muthafucka said he didn’t wanna live no more”.

Great write up of a thing I wasn’t at all aware of. Any idea who they were working with on the Chicago end? If it was Rocco’s brother Joe DeGrazia, we know that Rocco was involved with drugs, so that could be a good bet. Any idea as to who Antinori’s customers who killed him were (you probably would’ve already stated that if they were known, of course)?

There's a lot more to the story. I'm trying to gather information.

Looking forward to seeing what you uncover here.

[Antiliar]

The Tampa source originated in Marseilles, then to Havana. The source in Havana was Juan Manuel Alfonso, a politician. James DeSimone transported them to Kansas City. Kansas City also obtained drugs from Sebastiano Nani of Brooklyn and San Francisco. John Vitale was in charge of the St. Louis drug operation under Thomas Buffa and Tony Lopiparo. In Kansas City, Louis and Patsy Ventola were dealers who operated under Charles Bengimina, who was a distributor under Carl Carramusa. Charles Binaggio was the head of the KC Family at the time. According to the report, not only was Carl Carramusa a Mafia member, but so was his father.

BTW, this is a fantastic source for Kansas City material: https://pendergastkc.org/topics/corruption

[PolackTony]

The Tampa source originated in Marseilles, then to Havana. The source in Havana was Juan Manuel Alfonso, a politician. James DeSimone transported them to Kansas City. Kansas City also obtained drugs from Sebastiano Nani of Brooklyn and San Francisco. John Vitale was in charge of the St. Louis drug operation under Thomas Buffa and Tony Lopiparo. In Kansas City, Louis and Patsy Ventola were dealers who operated under Charles Bengimina, who was a distributor under Carl Carramusa. Charles Binaggio was the head of the KC Family at the time. According to the report, not only was Carl Carramusa a Mafia member, but so was his father.

BTW, this is a fantastic source for Kansas City material: https://pendergastkc.org/topics/corruption

Very cool stuff. I note that father Frank Carramusa also died in 1945, but I don't see any murder in the papers so I'm thinking it was of natural causes. I wonder if by this point Frank was a Chicago or KC member. Maybe Carl thought that his father would be able to protect him in Chicago (really, this guy had to either have been touched in the head or had a death wish to be living where he was living at that time). Also worth noting that the Tribune had a Phillip Morreale as Carl's cousin in Chicago, and as I covered above the Morreales seem to have been significant Aiello affiliates from Bagheria. Another potential connection could be Frank's mother Olimpia Spano, as Aiello henchman Angelo "Jack Costa" Spano was likely from Bagheria.

I note that testimony at the Kefauver hearings stated that Paul Catanzaro of the KC family killed Carl Carramusa's brother and that although it was seen by the whole neighborhood, no one would come forward to talk about it. Any idea why the mafia would kill an 11-year-old kid?

[PolackTony]

For unrelated Spanos. Michael Bernard "Big Mike" Spano (Sr) was born in 1940 in Chicago to James Michael Spano and Michelina "Margaret" Macaluso. Several ancestry.com family trees have James as the son of the infamous Antonino "Joe Nerone/Cavaliero" Spano from Marsala who was killed in 1926. That wasn't the case, as Cavaliero was born about 1890 while James was born ~1902 in the town of Tropic in Central Ohio (some of his siblings appear to have been born in Brazil and the family may have lived there before emigrating to the US). I have James' parents as Antonio Spano and Maria Ciana. Based on info for James' older brother Stefano Spano, the family was from Sant'Ilario dello Ionio, Reggio Calabria (recently came out that the Perlas from the Tampa family were also from Sant'Ilario, which is historically in a major 'Ndrangheta hotbed area). In 1928, James married Margaret, who was born in 1903 in Chicago to Paolo Macaluso and Rosalia Emmanuele of Termini Imerese. In the 1940s, the Spanos lived at 1257 W Flournoy, near Our Lady of Pompeii Parish in the Taylor St Patch.

[cavita]

Leo Palmeri born August 10, 1892 in Marsala, Sicily to Mr. and Mrs. Giuseppe Palmeri and he arrived in Rockford from Marsala in 1910. Palmeri was involved early on in gambling and was questioned in 1937 in the investigation into the murder of bookmaker Charles Kalb. Palmeri was arrested on gambling charges over the years and he and his son Leo, Jr. owned and operated Illinois Auto Sales. Palmeri died July 5, 1975 in Rockford, Illinois.

[cavita]

Paul “Cherry” Picchioni was born November 1, 1908 in Cherry, Illinois to Federico Picchioni and Emma Cioni of Gaggio Montano, Italy. Picchioni was arrested often in the 1920s on robbery and weapons charges and in August 1930 he was arrested in Rockford for carrying a concealed weapon while acting as a bodyguard for Chicago gangster Tommy Abbott. Abbott was a main bootlegging rival of Al Capone. In June 1932 Picchioni and Charles LaFranka were arrested for armed robbery of customers at a “beer flat and served time in the Joliet Penitentiary on that charge. On November 21, 1938 Paul married Catherine Capriola in Rockford, Illinois and her family was from Naples, Italy. In February 1943 Picchioni was arrested again for gambling in a Rockford LCN poker game at the Chandler Hotel and he was charged as the “banker” of the game. In 1953 Picchioni moved to Dallas, Texas where he died in December 1974.

[cavita]

Angelo “Dingo” Pro was born August 17, 1930 in Rockford, Illinois to Giovanni Pro of Ferentino, Italy and Antonia Buttoni of Viterbo, Italy. Pro was first arrested for operating an illegal fireworks stand in 1951 with Tom Buscemi but gambling was his real calling. Dingo was arrested many times for gambling and he was a notorious loanshark, lending out thousands of dollars while always carrying a pistol in his waistband. He could often be found at area restaurants and the Off Track Betting facility gambling and loaning out money and he died May 10, 2021 in Rockford, Illinois.

[Antiliar]

Angelo “Dingo” Pro was born August 17, 1930 in Rockford, Illinois to Giovanni Pro of Ferentino, Italy and Antonia Buttoni of Viterbo, Italy. Pro was first arrested for operating an illegal fireworks stand in 1951 with Tom Buscemi but gambling was his real calling. Dingo was arrested many times for gambling and he was a notorious loanshark, lending out thousands of dollars while always carrying a pistol in his waistband. He could often be found at area restaurants and the Off Track Betting facility gambling and loaning out money and he died May 10, 2021 in Rockford, Illinois.

Was Pro his real surname? It seems incomplete, like it was originally Provenzano or something.

[Antiliar]

Nicola Impastato was Carl Carramuso's partner or superior in the heroin trade and one of his alleged killers. His a small bio.

Impastato, Nicola (June 1, 1900, Cinisi-Sept 1979) was a made member of the Kansas City crime family. He was born to Giacomo Impastato and Marianna Beretta. He claimed he escaped persecution from Benito Mussolini in 1927. The 5’6” tall Impastato told authorities that he spoke no English, but was able to work as a clerk in a Kansas City liquor store for the DiGiovanni family.
In the mid-1930s he was contacted by Nick Gentile and Charles LaGaipa to take part in a heroin drug trafficking ring.
In 1940 he and James DeSimone, both from Kansas City, fired a shotgun at Tampa gambler Charlie Wall and a friend. Wall and his associate both escaped with only slight injuries. DeSimone and Impastato were staying with high-ranking Tampa member Ignazio Antinori family at the time. Impastato and Tampa Mafioso James Lumia were suspected of killing turncoat Carl Carramusa in Chicago in 1945. In 1950 Impastato was suspected of killing Lumia in Tampa.
According to his World War II draft card, he lived at 712 Highland in Kansas City in 1942 and had a business partnership with Frank DiSimone of 406 Wabash in Bel-Air Cleaners at 2321 Independence Avenue.
Impastato was deported on an Air France flight on November 29, 1955, from Mexico City to Paris. He died in his hometown of Cinini in September 1979. Impastato’s partner in crime, James DeSimone, was deported on September 19, 1953.

[PolackTony]

Nicola Impastato was Carl Carramuso's partner or superior in the heroin trade and one of his alleged killers. His a small bio.

Impastato, Nicola (June 1, 1900, Cinisi-Sept 1979) was a made member of the Kansas City crime family. He was born to Giacomo Impastato and Marianna Beretta. He claimed he escaped persecution from Benito Mussolini in 1927. The 5’6” tall Impastato told authorities that he spoke no English, but was able to work as a clerk in a Kansas City liquor store for the DiGiovanni family.
In the mid-1930s he was contacted by Nick Gentile and Charles LaGaipa to take part in a heroin drug trafficking ring.
In 1940 he and James DeSimone, both from Kansas City, fired a shotgun at Tampa gambler Charlie Wall and a friend. Wall and his associate both escaped with only slight injuries. DeSimone and Impastato were staying with high-ranking Tampa member Ignazio Antinori family at the time. Impastato and Tampa Mafioso James Lumia were suspected of killing turncoat Carl Carramusa in Chicago in 1945. In 1950 Impastato was suspected of killing Lumia in Tampa.
According to his World War II draft card, he lived at 712 Highland in Kansas City in 1942 and had a business partnership with Frank DiSimone of 406 Wabash in Bel-Air Cleaners at 2321 Independence Avenue.
Impastato was deported on an Air France flight on November 29, 1955, from Mexico City to Paris. He died in his hometown of Cinini in September 1979. Impastato’s partner in crime, James DeSimone, was deported on September 19, 1953.

Good bio, I didn't know much about Impastato but he was clearly an interesting figure. I could've sworn that I remember reading somewhere that Impastato lived in Chicago for a period as well?

[B.]

Vito Impastato was one of the few guys we can bet on for Springfield Family membership. I'd bet he was tied to his paesans Cesare Manzella and Frank Alo/Abbate/Agrusa given they show up in Springfield in addition to the Chicago area. Not sure his relation to the KC ones but Impastato is a diehard mafia name in Cinisi -- the murdered anti-mafia activist Giuseppe Impastato's father Luigi was a made member in Cinisi.

Significant Cinisi paesan network between Chicago, the Heights, Gary, Springfield, St. Louis, Detroit, and apparently Kansas City. Chicago appears to have completely wiped out their local influence in the 1940s which is why Gianola's background is extra interesting.

[cavita]

Giuseppe O. Cucinella was born in 1946 in Cinisi, Sicily and immigrated to the United States in February 1964. From 1966 to 1972 he operated Sam and Joe’s Pizzeria in Belvidere, Illinois with Salvatore Vitale. FBI files in the 1960s stated how Cucinella and Vitale were observed often at the restaurant in conversation with Rockford LCN underboss Frank Buscemi and member Phil Priola among others. On October 31, 1971 Cucinella married Rosalia Trupiano, sister of Giuseppe Trupiano of Olney, Illinois who was involved in the Pizza Connection case. In July 1972 Cucinella moved to Robinson, Illinois where he operated a pizzeria there for many years.

[cavita]

John S. Leombruni was born 1950 in Rockford to Giovanni Leombruni of Ferentino, Italy and Francesca Catalani of Arezzo, Italy. Leombruni was living in Las Vegas in the early 1980s but was kicked out of the city by “the gang chief there” according to FBI files. In May 1982 after months of investigation, federal authorities arrested Leombruni and a dozen others in connection with a Rockford LCN connected cocaine distribution ring that ran from Chicago to Rockford to Las Vegas. At the time, Leombruni was described as Rockford’s biggest cocaine dealer. Leombruni was released from federal prison on May 16, 1986.

[cavita]

John DiBenedetto was born in 1903 in Donaldsonville, Louisiana to Antonino DiBenedetto and Girolama Palermo who were from Salaparuta, Sicily. By 1929 DiBenedetto was living in Rockford where he was charged with possession of a large alcohol still. In November 1930 he was arrested in Donaldsonville in relation to the huge liquor conspiracy investigation in Rockford and was sentenced to a year and a half in Leavenworth Prison. Upon release in December 1931 DiBenedetto became a sports promoter but was arrested again in 1934 for being part of an auto theft ring. Another arrest in 1936 as a keeper of a gambling house saw twenty one other men charged as well. On November 15, 1936 DiBenedetto was found murdered behind the wheel of his car outside 3450 N. Racine Avenue in Chicago. His siblings were Nick and Charles DiBenedetto, Catherine Pizzolato, Josephine Inzerillo, Jennie Montalbano and Virginia Randazzo.