Cops in the Chicago Outfit

[Villain]

The previous convo in Ed's thread regarding corrupt cops in the Mob got me thinking about two cases that occurred in Chicago during the 1950s and 60s.

Back in the old days the Chicago Outfit was largerly known as one of the most corruptible machines that completely infiltrated some of its members and associates within Chicago's government system. They had their own people on the political field, but they also had people in the police force and investigation bureaus. Even today there are still many dilemmas if some of these guys were made members of the Outfit or not, but one thing is for sure, these fellas were ruthless mobsters with badges.

Now Im going to share with you two interesting stories from the 50s and 60s, regarding some of these fellas who used their authority for their evil deeds.

We all already heard about the infamous chief detective Richard Cain who was brought in the Mob by members of Chicagos First Ward and later during the early 1960s he developed quite close connections with the Outfits boss at the time Sam Giancana, and sometimes acted as his personal assistant and protector.

But Cain wasnt the first "cop" who worked for the boss, since there were others before him who had the same job and were probably more ruthless than him.


The Moretti bros

Im talking about one of Giancana’s most notorious crime pals from the old days known as Salvatore Moretti, who in turn worked as Melrose Park policeman. According to some reports, Moretti was one of the most devious individuals around Giancana with a quite scary look, who with just one sight, he was able to create chills up your spine.

Salvatore Moretti was one of six children who had grown up on Chicago’s West Side, followed by his identical twin brother Vincent who by 1951 also worked as Melrose Park policeman, also the oldest one Lawrence, a deputy bailiff, Michael who worked as a state’s attorney policeman, and Thomas, a simple restaurant owner.

Since the beginning, all of the brothers were considered quite notorious and in reality, some of them represented killers with a badge, meaning if Giancana had a problem with someone, sometimes he called for one of his crew bosses William Daddono, who in turn called Salvatore Moretti to take care of the problem. You see, even though Moretti was sometimes direct with Giancana, still he was placed to work under Daddono.

By the mid 1950s Moretti was fired from the police force and later he worked as a "bird dog" in selling autos, meaning he worked as a broker who puts buyers in touch with auto dealers and collects a commission but his second and real job was being Outfit enforcer.

In March, 1957, Daddono received an order from Giancana to find Salvatore Moretti and to give him the “contract” on one banker and land developer known as Leon Marcus. This guy was knee-deep in shit because he was under federal indictment for misapplication of bank funds and making false entries in bank records, which became a huge scandal and Giancana was behind it.

Marcus’ trial was scheduled for September 23, 1957, and there was a huge possibility that he might talk and so on March 31, 1957, Marcus was met by few guys including Moretti, at 2135 West 51st Street, and they told him to get in their car. Marcus allegedly said “Leave me alone and I’ll give you anything I got” and struggled with the attackers but in the end they managed to bring him in their dark collared Chevrolet.

In a short time, Marcus’ dead body was found six blocks away from the kidnapping scene in the vacant lot at 4198 Campbell Avenue. He laid on the ground face up with a bullet hole in the back of his head.

The murder was perfectly completed by Moretti but he made one fatal mistake since he forgot to check Moretti’s pockets for any implicating records, such as the name of the boss himself, Sam Giancana. And that’s what happened. When the cops found some small papers with Giancana’s name on it, Moretti’s fate was sealed.

On April 12, 1957, Salvatore Moretti’s strangled and bullet riddled body was found in a car trunk on a country road south of Plainfield, Will County. The coroner report said that Moretti had cuts and bruises all over his face which indicated that he was pistol whipped before being strangled and then shot twice in the chest and twice in the head. One bullet went through the lower lip and then angled up in the cranium, while the other bullet went through the right cheek, up between the eyes, and out the left front of the skull.

The news fell hard over his twin brother Vincent, who in turn never forgot the death of his brother, nor the hatred towards Daddono, Giancana, Battaglia and Accardo. He knew that his brother visited the residences of those individuals on daily basis, and he also knew that they were the ones behind his murder plot. But according to some “unwritten” underworld rules, no matter who you are related to, because if that individual next to you is killed, you are expected to say not even a word about it.

According to the feds, their older brother Lawrence Moretti was closely associated in the loan sharking business with the Ross Prio group from the North Side, especially Joe Arnold and Joey DiVarco.

The rest of the Moretti brothers, such as Michael or Thomas, were also so notorious that they though anybody can be beaten or killed at any time, and the main “fuel” for the so-called Moretti “killing machine” was hard liquor. For example, Thomas was fined $150 after a jury found him guilty of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, meaning he violently fought with few policemen before they arrested him on the complaint of a woman that he harassed her as she passed one of his hamburger stands at 2002 Lincoln Park West.

As for Michael, one night on August 24, 1951, with no particular reason, he shot three people, while being heavily under the influence of alcohol. Witnesses said that Moretti was walking down the street with a gun in one hand and his other hand concealed behind his back and allegedly captured three young people who according to him, were involved in a narcotics ring.

Five or six of his policeman colleagues tried to stop him since they were with Moretti in the lot after the three young men were captured and they knew that there was going to be trouble. So Mike Moretti decided to fire one shot in the air, just to scare away his policemen buddies, placed the three alleged suspects in a car and took them to the police station.

Next thing you know, it turned out that two of the alleged suspects were dead and one was wounded. But the worst thing was that the two dead individuals were in fact quite young, such as 21 year old Edward Salvi and 15 year old Arthur Gambino. Even though the third wounded individual and also survivor Leonard Monaco testified on trial that Mike Moretti was drunk as hell and started shooting at them on purpose, it turned out that the other policemen, who were at the scene when Moretti arrested his victims, have never been identified.

It was enough to place him in jail by just looking at his three statements which were taken three days after the shooting, like for example in the first one he stated "I don't remember a thing and I don't remember what happened," followed by the second one "At this time I don't remember. My mind is hurting me" and during the third statement, Mike Moretti gave the investigators 34 pages report describing his activities fully on the night of the shooting.

I mean what do you expect, this was the 1950’s and the Outfit was the real government of the city of Chicago at the time but by the end of the day, the prosecutors provided too many witnesses who saw the violent behaviour of Moretti and testified before the jury and in the end, they found Moretti guilty and sentenced him to life in prison.

As for Salvatore’s twin brother Vince Moretti, he was a little bit different than the rest of his violent brothers, because he was a man of a different action. You see, even though later he was also suspended from the police force because he falsely testified during Michael’s trial, he once managed to make a citizen s arrest of a man carrying a loaded .44 caliber pistol.

One Waldo Gibson was waving his gun and shouting as the pedestrians scattered but out of nowhere, Moretti jumped out of his car and approached the man. A few feet away Moretti shouted "No, no, don't hit him" to a mythical assailant behind Gibson. When Gibson whirled, Moretti made a flying tackle and grabbed the gun from Gibson's hand and kicked him to the floor. So this shows that he had qualities to be an honest man but life sometimes can be quite the opposite. As additional info, by the early 1960’s, all of the rest of brothers were dismissed from their public duties.

In addition, years later Vince Moretti tried to get his revenge by being one of the main guys who burglarized Tony Accardos home, but that was the biggest mistake in his life since he and his whole crew were found brutally murdered shortly after that.


Tommy Durso

Another corrupt police detective who worked for the Chicago Outfit went by the name of Tommy Durso. As we previously saw the cases with the Moretti bros, a situation in which police detectives moonlighted for the crime syndicate as protectors, procurers, collectors and even hitmen, so in Durso’s case we shall see again all of the previously mentioned activities, including murder.

According to the feds, Durso was closely associated with the Outfits top representative on the West Side at the time, Sam Teets Battaglia, and acted as one of his main compatriots, who played a vital role in Battaglias protection and second, Durso peddled narcotics for his boss. In plane words, Durso was a gangster with a badge who was associated to many West Side hoodlums, especially dope peddlers.

One of Durso’s main partners was Mike Gargano, a known Outfit enforcer, who in turn re-sold large quantities of heroin which were previously acquired from Durso. This fella was a hardcore criminal with a quite large history of arrests and convictions, including a sentence to Joliet state prison in July 22, 1949, to two four-year terms for armed robbery. After that he was paroled on June 6, 1951, and again on June 13, 1957, he was sentenced to serve 10 years in the state prison at Fort Madison, for breaking and entering but he was again paroled in 1959.

Now, the main Outfit member who was placed between Battaglia and Durso’s drug peddling ring was one quite demented and notorious individual known as Mad Sam DeStefano. This guy was one quite lucrative syndicate member from the West Side and personal friend of both Battaglia and Giancana, who was mostly involved in loan sharking and counterfeiting activities, two business which by that time were on the lowest scale of the FBI’s list.

Also, DeStefano was known for having whole crews of corrupt policemen on his payroll for doing his dirty work. According to some reports, DeStefano largely financed Durso’s drug peddling operations and they were seen many times together in some of the city’s locals. But the “funny” thing was that back in 1955 Sam DeStefano killed his younger brother Michael on the orders from his boss Sam Giancana, allegedly because the younger criminal became a heroin addict and the problem was that he knew too much regarding some illegal operations and became unrealible.

So Durso repeatedly purchased narcotics finacied by higher ups in the racket such as DeStefano, and then sold the dope at a profit to addicts through his large network of pushers. So after receiving the dope Durso usually informed Gargano regarding the arrival of the shipment, who in turn called some of his runners to come and collect the product. The actual runners for the operation were Tony Moschiano, John Generella, Pete Fabbri and Leonard Fiorenzo, all from the West Side area.

The crew usually operated by renting a hotel room, in which they kept the stash of drugs which was previously packed in numerous little packages, ready for sale. After making the transaction, the crew visited Green’s Tavern which was located on the West Side and was owned by one of Durso’s associates known as James Green, where they would leave the money for a pick up, usually by Moschiano since he was one of Durso’s main runners.

In fact, Green had a long history of narcotics trafficking by being connected to another Outfit member known as Americo DePietto.

Everything went smooth, until some kind of a “bad blood” occurred between Durso and his prime runner Tony Moschiano. Story goes that Durso developed a huge paranoia and started blaming his runners for being possible informers and always threatened them with death.

The cause for Durso’s alleged paranoia were the profiles of his runners, meaning most of them were petty criminals and rapists and top of that, they were heroin addicts. In fact, these guys were the main proof for the presence of narcotics on Chicago’s city streets for such a long period.

So it was natural for Durso to be constantly worried since some of these guys were not quite reliable. According to some reports, there were three incidents between Durso and Moschiano, like for example the first one occurred when the duo went on sale which in turn was never realized.

The problem was that the purchaser of heroin, which was one of Moschiano’s associates, did not have the money and on top of that, he became quite suspicious of Durso's car, since it contained a plaque which indicated some connection with the Chicago Police Department. Suddenly a heated argument occurred between Durso and Moschiano, in which Durso has threatened his younger associate that if he, meaning Moschiano, did not get rid of the stash in two weeks, he might end up dead.

I believe that Moschiano quickly got the picture because he realized that with people such as Durso there was no “this” or “that”, but instead it was expected from him to just nod with his head and get the job done or else.

The second incident occurred after a month, when Durso became quite angry at Moschiano for not appearing with the money from the sale or with the product. Thereafter, Durso called for Lenny Fiorenzo and advised him that he knew that he, meaning Fiorenzo and Moschiano had been together for the last several days, and that Fiorenzo was in trouble and his life depended on finding Moschiano.

This was a classic Outfit move by pushing one of the victim’s friends against his fellow associate. All cornered, Fiorenzo told Durso that the only place that he knew of, regarding Moschiano’s whereabouts, was his home. After failing to find him there, Durso lost his nerves and drove to a restaurant where they were joined by Gargano.

This time Fiorenzo was cornered by Gargano who in turn gave him another chance to think about where Mochiano might’ve been, and if not, he was going to kill the poor guy. Suddenly Fiorenzo told Durso and Gargano another possible place, which was the apartment of one of Moschiano’s girlfriends Lupe Costabile.

The three of them then proceeded to Lupe's rooming house, where they were greeted by Lupe's landlady Nancy Bourne. They entered violently, and Gargano remained downstairs holding a pistol on Fiorenzo head and also a man who roomed in the building, while Durso and Mrs. Bourne went upstairs to Lupe's room.

When Durso saw that the room was empty, he knocked Mrs. Bourne down, whereupon he drew a pistol and screamed at her to get up. The poor woman said that she had recently broken her back and couldn't get up, whereupon Durso swore that he would break her back again and would blow her head off if she didn't get up.

He then forced Mrs. Bourne downstairs and forced her to phone Moschiano and when someone answered the call, Durso grabbed the phone from Mrs. Bourne and told whoever was on the other side to have Moschiano on the street within ten minutes or someone would be hurt.

The person on the other side arranged for them to meet and so Durso sent for Gargano to get Moschiano. After their arrival, Moschiano and Fiorenzo were handcuffed together and taken from the Bourne home. After a dozen of kicks, cuts and cigarette burnings, both were released with the understanding that Moschiano was given a second chance to sell the remaining heroin within two weeks and deliver the proceeds to Durso.

Now, don’t get fooled by Durso’s “forgiveness” because he really cared about the money, instead of his relationship with Moschiano. The reality was that if he killed Moschiano right there on the spot, he was never going to see his money ever again.

But the situation got worse when few days later both Fiorenzo and Moschiano were arrested by narcotics agents and were taken into custody. They were kept for six days until both of them broke the street code and spilled the beans. Both runners started talking regarding their illegal activities and their association with Durso and during that same period, Moschiano led officers to the hotel room where the narcotics were seized.

So now, the two informants, together with the feds, devised a plan to get Durso into a trap. So on January 21, 1964, shortly after Mochiano’s and Fiorenzo's release from custody, they contacted Durso and arranged a meeting at some local restaurant. An hour later, Durso only met with Fiorenzo, who in turn explained to him that he and Moschiano were arrested for some alleged petty theft and were confined for six days.

Suddenly the temperature in the joint went very high when Fiorenzo also informed Durso about the alleged robbery of the hotel room where the narcotics were kept, while they were in custody. Strangely, Durso looked very calmed and told Fiorenzo to go and pick up Moschiano and later to stop by at Durso’s suburban home.

When the duo arrived at the place, they parked their car in the garage where they were greeted both by Durso and Gargano. During their conversation, Moschiano assured Durso that he still had the money, along with other money from sales of narcotics, which he would’ve deliver to him but the thing was that he, meaning Mosciano had the opportunity to make a kilogram sale of heroin and that he would make up for the missing money and missing narcotics from the proceeds of the previous sale.

Durso stated that he was not going to fall for that and suddenly, fuelled by murderous rage, he pulled out a hunting knife and started stabbing Moschiano to death right there in the garage. With his hands covered in blood, Durso turned to Fiorenzo, who by now was peeing in his pants, and told him "I want you to look at this. This is what happens to stool pigeons and people that short me."

In other words, Durso was imposing his brand of punishment as a deterrent to future potential informers. It was not a crime of passion spawned by hot and angry blood, but instead it was a crime for profit with the help of the cold, deliberate execution of a human being just to protect the investment which was represented by a crime syndicate narcotics ring.

He then told Fiorenzo that he would give him the break of his life and let him go, and if any one in the neighbourhood asked him about his having picked up Moschiano he was to say that he did pick him up but that he dropped him off two or three blocks from the point where he had picked him up. Gargano then drove Fiorenzo to an elevated train station and the latter took a train back to Chicago's West Side. In a state of panic, Fiorenzo quickly reported the incident to the cops.

Some "nice" plan made by the feds eh?!

On February 2, 1964, both Durso and Gargano were arrested on charges for transporting and selling narcotics, but not for the murder of Moschiano since there was no body or any other evidence regarding the slaying, except for Fiorenzos word. But more than two months later, Moschiano’s dead body popped up in the Des Plaines River, with his hands handcuffed, rags stuffed in his mouth, his throat cut from ear to ear, and with numerous stabbings in the stomach.

Besides that, it was then when the feds caught a real break. In no time, both Durso and Gargano were taken to trial, and during the “show”, the defence was destroyed by the testimonies of Fiorenzo and the rest of the runners, including Mrs. Bourne and Miss. Costabile. In the end, in November, 1964, both defendants were sentenced from 100 to 150 years in prison.

One police captain who attended the trial, told the newsmen that this was the first syndicate-related murder conviction in Chicago in his memory. According to some of the attendees at the trial, both Durso and Gargano have shown no remorse after hearing their sentences and were calmly escorted to their prison cells. Justice is so sweet but in the city of Chicago it lasts very shortly, meaning five years later broth convicts were paroled and released from prison.

[Confederate]

Those are great examples of what I read in the Book "Captive City" by Ovid Demaris but with expanded detail, especially about Durso.

The Outfit was a "Syndicate" first. Then, within the Outfit, was the Mafia. Therefore, the Outfit had no idiotic rules like never having a non-Italian be an actual "member" or never inducting a Police Officer or a Politician or never calling the Police on a particular matter. They worked closely with many Police officers as indicated in those stories. Most were associates but a few select Non-Italian gangsters or a select LE man or a select Politician were actual members of the Outfit just like any other made member. If that particular person was Italian, then they also belonged to the National LCN. If that particular person was not Italian, then they simply didn't belong to the National LCN but nonetheless were actual full fledged members of the Outfit & subject to any rule or order just like any Italian.

When Murray Humphreys gave high level "made" man Joe Gagliano a direct order to find a particular juror in an upcoming trial. Gagliano didn't have to check with Jack Cerone to validate the order, he followed it with no question asked because it came from Senior Political Advisor Humphreys who had his own power as a full fledged member of the Outfit.
A Syndicate that encompassed the Mafia is the best way to think of the Outfit IMO. In 1931, the Mafia needed Capone more than Capone needed them. However, it obviously turned out to be mutually beneficial to all.

[Villain]

Those are great examples of what I read in the Book "Captive City" by Ovid Demaris but with expanded detail, especially about Durso.

The Outfit was a "Syndicate" first. Then, within the Outfit, was the Mafia. Therefore, the Outfit had no idiotic rules like never having a non-Italian be an actual "member" or never inducting a Police Officer or a Politician or never calling the Police on a particular matter. They worked closely with many Police officers as indicated in those stories. Most were associates but a few select Non-Italian gangsters or a select LE man or a select Politician were actual members of the Outfit just like any other made member. If that particular person was Italian, then they also belonged to the National LCN. If that particular person was not Italian, then they simply didn't belong to the National LCN but nonetheless were actual full fledged members of the Outfit & subject to any rule or order just like any Italian.

When Murray Humphreys gave high level "made" man Joe Gagliano a direct order to find a particular juror in an upcoming trial. Gagliano didn't have to check with Jack Cerone to validate the order, he followed it with no question asked because it came from Senior Political Advisor Humphreys who had his own power as a full fledged member of the Outfit.
A Syndicate that encompassed the Mafia is the best way to think of the Outfit IMO. In 1931, the Mafia needed Capone more than Capone needed them. However, it obviously turned out to be mutually beneficial to all.

If Sal Moretti got away clean with the Marcus hit, I strongly believe that he was going to be officially inducted in the family by Giancana himself and was probably going to be one of Daddonos top lieutenants.

As for Durso, the guy was a brutal mistery lol

Can you give some more details on Durso?

[FriendofFamily]

There are still enough Cops, Judges, and Politicians to help the LCN to survive.

[Villain]

Now Im going to show you a third example regarding another Outfit-connected police “crew”, which was headed by police detectives Sam Canzoneri and Sheldon Teller, two corrupt cops who dealt with narcotics and also acted as protectors for few of the biggest dope peddling rings in the Chicago area at the time.

Sam Canzoneri and Sheldon Teller

As I already said, during the 1950s and mid 60s, both Canzoneri and Teller worked in the Chicago Police Department, as officers in the narcotics squad. Both Teller and Canzoneri owned a joint known as the Rivoli Club which in fact was a rock and roll spot on the city’s North Side.

The indivuduals that these guys were connected to were few of the most important faces in the Chicago Outfit, including Sam Giancana, Ross Prio, John Roselli, Dom DiBella, Joey Aiuppa, Charles Nicoletti, Irvin Weiner and Richard Cain. According to the feds, Canzoneri was CN connected hoodlum who used the name "Sam C".

Sheldon Teller acted for Canzoneri as his main operator and connection to all street dealers in the Chicago area and even though his career was going smooth because he managed to solve few murders, still Teller never learned his lesson since during the late 50s he almost ended up in prison for the same reason which was narcotics, but he was never convicted because of the lack of evidences.

His two coleagues were corrupt officers and Outfit associates Miles Cooperman and Richard Austin, and these fellas protected a narcotics ring which stretched from coast to coast. The main connection between the corrupt detectives and the drug peddling crews at the time was Edward Gayles, a former narcotics agent and later a defence attorney who mostly specialized in narcotics cases.

So by 1963, Teller still sold large quantities of Mexican heroin on the city’s street but this time, he was the main connection to the streets and his main co-operators were his wife Joyce and narcotics detective John Sullivan, and besides heroin, they also sold marihuana which was the main proof for the shipment’s origin.

Since he once managed to elude the feds, Teller’s ego went through the roof and felt untouchable, like for example selling drugs straight from his house. Sometimes when Teller or Sullivan weren’t able to deliver the “goods”, the costumers went straight to Teller’s home where they were usually greeted by his wife Joyce, who in turn sold them whatever was needed.

When he and his partner were out of duty, they would usually tell the costumer to wait next to some particular phone post where they would simply throw the package and drive away.

And because of his “hard work”, Teller, his wife and two kids lived in a $60,000 home in Longwood dr., equipped with a swimming pool and a tennis court, and in his garage, Teller has “stashed” three cars. In other words, the famous detective was riding high.

But in 1965, detective Sheldon Teller, who by now sold the Mexican product around the city’s North Side, managed to screw things up, all by himself. This occurred when one of Teller’s runners known as John D. Cage was arrested for possession of large quantities of marijuana and heroin and was sent to trial.

Story goes that this guy was quite loyal and so detective Teller decided to write a letter to the assistant state’s attorney Lawrence Genesen, and in it he asked him to consider that in the past Cage had allegedly given police valuable information for a series of burglaries. In return, Genesen replied that he already had considered asking the judge to dismiss the charges because Teller had such an outstanding reputation as a police officer.

But the problem was when Cornelius Casey, head of the narcotics detail, recommended that nothing be done at the time and that the police was to be given a chance to investigate the statements made in Teller's letter.

After the investigation, it turned out that Teller was lying since Cage was already in prison at the time when Teller had said that he was a police informant on the city’s streets. So after making such a stupid mistake, all of the attention was now turned on detective Teller and his partner John Sullivan.

So the feds decided to use the same old tactic by arresting all of the runners and hoping that someone will decide to talk. And they were right again. Another of Teller’s personal African-American runners Samuel Washington got arrested and was forced to telephone the detective numerous times, while the feds were listening on an extension phone.

During their conversations, the two were mostly talking about narcotics deals and the feds somehow realized that Teller was keeping his stash at home. In no time, the agents obtained federal arrest and search warrants for Teller’s residence and during the search, the agents recovered large quantities of heroin, cocaine and marijuana, another rolled black sock containing narcotics, which all valued at $150,000, together with narcotics-making apparatus and more than $45,000 in currency.

At the same time, detective Sullivan's apartment was also searched and agents there found several cards on which were recorded six automobile license numbers which had been assigned to narcotics agents. Immediately Teller, his wife Leah Joyce and his partner Sullivan were indicted for the sale and possession of narcotics and bonds were set at $5,000 for Teller, $1,500 for the wife and $2,500 for Sullivan.

While out on bond, Teller’s wife suffered greatly by constantly having panic attacks, thus non-stop visiting the hospital. Panic attacks or no panic attacks, on November 6, 1966, all three defendants where destroyed by the testimony of Washington and so they all received long prison sentences, including Teller 18 years, Sullivan 9 years, and Teller’s poor wife received 5 years in prison.

As for Sam Canzoneri, because of the whole situation, the only punishment which he received was losing his job as a cop when he was identified as half-owner of the infamous joint which was connected to large scales of narcotics and prostitution operations.

After the imprisonment of his partner in crime, Canzoneri’s new associate became Dominic Santarelli, who in turn was another mysterious criminal who posed as a wealthy builder-developer and also a dope dealer, and spent considerable time in Miami, Florida. In reality, Santarelli was the main overseer of the Florida port for a new smuggling ring.

As I already said, Canzoneri was connected to many Outfit guys including Irvin Weiner. The reason i mention this is that, according to the feds, during the mid and late 1970s, there were numerous reports of airplane flights between Chicago’s O’Hare Airport and New York’s LaGuardia or Miami, Florida, with both Canzoneri and Weiner being on those same flights, followed by reports of meetings with “unknown individuals” closely connected to the Bonanno crime family.

I personally believe in the possibility that those same individuals were in fact Sicilian dope smugglers, mainly because many of them recently arrived in the country and were completely unknown to LE at the time.

For example, the main connection between the Sicilians and the Outfit in the Florida area was one of Carmine Galante’s close associates known as Tito Carinci, who in turn was a Miami-based mobster.

So the main thing which connected Canzioneri to the newly formed dope racket was his dope pedling history and above all, his ownership of a pizzeria business known as the Pizza Crisp International and Panhandle Pizza Inc., which possibly was just one of the fronts for the inernational “Pizza Connection”.

Currently I dont have any clue on what went down with Canzoneri during the following years and if anyone has any additional info, please share.

[Confederate]

Those are great examples of what I read in the Book "Captive City" by Ovid Demaris but with expanded detail, especially about Durso.

The Outfit was a "Syndicate" first. Then, within the Outfit, was the Mafia. Therefore, the Outfit had no idiotic rules like never having a non-Italian be an actual "member" or never inducting a Police Officer or a Politician or never calling the Police on a particular matter. They worked closely with many Police officers as indicated in those stories. Most were associates but a few select Non-Italian gangsters or a select LE man or a select Politician were actual members of the Outfit just like any other made member. If that particular person was Italian, then they also belonged to the National LCN. If that particular person was not Italian, then they simply didn't belong to the National LCN but nonetheless were actual full fledged members of the Outfit & subject to any rule or order just like any Italian.

When Murray Humphreys gave high level "made" man Joe Gagliano a direct order to find a particular juror in an upcoming trial. Gagliano didn't have to check with Jack Cerone to validate the order, he followed it with no question asked because it came from Senior Political Advisor Humphreys who had his own power as a full fledged member of the Outfit.
A Syndicate that encompassed the Mafia is the best way to think of the Outfit IMO. In 1931, the Mafia needed Capone more than Capone needed them. However, it obviously turned out to be mutually beneficial to all.

If Sal Moretti got away clean with the Marcus hit, I strongly believe that he was going to be officially inducted in the family by Giancana himself and was probably going to be one of Daddonos top lieutenants.

As for Durso, the guy was a brutal mistery lol

Can you give some more details on Durso?

Moschiano's problem had begun about 3 weeks before his murder, following his arrest by FEDERAL narcotics agents who confiscated 4 ounces of uncut heroin belonging to Durso. Moschiano had mistakenly tried to sell the drugs to one of those Federal agents. To escape imprisonment, Moschiano then became an informant.
In his attempt to explain the disappearance of the heroin, Moschiano told Durso that thieves had stolen it from his room. Accompanied by Gargano & Fiorenzo, Durso broke into Moschiano's room to search for the missing drugs. Unable to find the drugs, the 3 men then drove to the house of Lupe Riviera looking for him. You know the rest of of it. It didn't end well for Moschiano.

[Patrickgold]

Lots of cops in the Outfit. Here is a list of some of them off the top of my head. I’m sure I missed some:

Bill Hanhardt: Chief of Detectives for CPD. I think everyone knows his background

Mark Thanasouras: was commander of 15th district. Worked with Joe Gags in shaking down taverns. Murdered by Outfit in 77

John Gattuso: cook county deputy sheriff that was killed in 1983 after failed Eto hit

Sam Blackie Pesoli: CPD officer. Worked for Roti in the 1st ward. Went to prison in early 90s.

Pierre Zonis: CPD Officer Linked to several Outfit homicides. Bookie and bagman for North Side crew before he joined CPD

Renato DiSilvestro: CPD patrol officer that also was a bookie. Moved to Vegas in early 90s when he retired from CPD and supposedly ran some Outfit operations in Vegas

Philip "Philly Beans" Tolomeo: Former CPD Officer that worked for Frank Calabrese crew. Later testified against him

Richard Cain: CPD and cook county sheriff. Everyone knows his background

Steve Mendell: Former CPD cop that worked for Grand Ave crew. Suspect in multiple Homicides. Doing life

Fred Pascente: CPD detective. Wrote book called Mob Cop

Anthony Twan Doyle: got indicted in family secrets case

[cavita]

Michael J. Corbitt was sheriff deputy with Willow Springs connected to the Outfit.

[Villain]

Those are great examples of what I read in the Book "Captive City" by Ovid Demaris but with expanded detail, especially about Durso.

The Outfit was a "Syndicate" first. Then, within the Outfit, was the Mafia. Therefore, the Outfit had no idiotic rules like never having a non-Italian be an actual "member" or never inducting a Police Officer or a Politician or never calling the Police on a particular matter. They worked closely with many Police officers as indicated in those stories. Most were associates but a few select Non-Italian gangsters or a select LE man or a select Politician were actual members of the Outfit just like any other made member. If that particular person was Italian, then they also belonged to the National LCN. If that particular person was not Italian, then they simply didn't belong to the National LCN but nonetheless were actual full fledged members of the Outfit & subject to any rule or order just like any Italian.

When Murray Humphreys gave high level "made" man Joe Gagliano a direct order to find a particular juror in an upcoming trial. Gagliano didn't have to check with Jack Cerone to validate the order, he followed it with no question asked because it came from Senior Political Advisor Humphreys who had his own power as a full fledged member of the Outfit.
A Syndicate that encompassed the Mafia is the best way to think of the Outfit IMO. In 1931, the Mafia needed Capone more than Capone needed them. However, it obviously turned out to be mutually beneficial to all.

If Sal Moretti got away clean with the Marcus hit, I strongly believe that he was going to be officially inducted in the family by Giancana himself and was probably going to be one of Daddonos top lieutenants.

As for Durso, the guy was a brutal mistery lol

Can you give some more details on Durso?

Moschiano's problem had begun about 3 weeks before his murder, following his arrest by FEDERAL narcotics agents who confiscated 4 ounces of uncut heroin belonging to Durso. Moschiano had mistakenly tried to sell the drugs to one of those Federal agents. To escape imprisonment, Moschiano then became an informant.
In his attempt to explain the disappearance of the heroin, Moschiano told Durso that thieves had stolen it from his room. Accompanied by Gargano & Fiorenzo, Durso broke into Moschiano's room to search for the missing drugs. Unable to find the drugs, the 3 men then drove to the house of Lupe Riviera looking for him. You know the rest of of it. It didn't end well for Moschiano.

Thanks. Well being close to Mad Sam explains a lot regarding Durso's brutal nature

[Villain]

Lots of cops in the Outfit. Here is a list of some of them off the top of my head. I’m sure I missed some:

Bill Hanhardt: Chief of Detectives for CPD. I think everyone knows his background

Mark Thanasouras: was commander of 15th district. Worked with Joe Gags in shaking down taverns. Murdered by Outfit in 77

John Gattuso: cook county deputy sheriff that was killed in 1983 after failed Eto hit

Sam Blackie Pesoli: CPD officer. Worked for Roti in the 1st ward. Went to prison in early 90s.

Pierre Zonis: CPD Officer Linked to several Outfit homicides. Bookie and bagman for North Side crew before he joined CPD

Renato DiSilvestro: CPD patrol officer that also was a bookie. Moved to Vegas in early 90s when he retired from CPD and supposedly ran some Outfit operations in Vegas

Philip "Philly Beans" Tolomeo: Former CPD Officer that worked for Frank Calabrese crew. Later testified against him

Richard Cain: CPD and cook county sheriff. Everyone knows his background

Steve Mendell: Former CPD cop that worked for Grand Ave crew. Suspect in multiple Homicides. Doing life

Fred Pascente: CPD detective. Wrote book called Mob Cop

Anthony Twan Doyle: got indicted in family secrets case

Thanks for the list and yeah im familiar with most names. To tell you the truth, besides Cain, i think that Gattuso is the only one who fits my previous examples, meaning he was ready to kill for the organization.

[Villain]

Michael J. Corbitt was sheriff deputy with Willow Springs connected to the Outfit.

Larner's guy

[Confederate]

Michael J. Corbitt was sheriff deputy with Willow Springs connected to the Outfit.

Larner's guy

Also Giancana's guy. Corbitt used to deliver huge bags of money to the other underbosses (territory Bosses) in Chicago who had an interest in Willow Springs. One of those guys was Vince Solano way up in the North. Willow Springs must have been an open area & not exclusively under the Chicago Heights Boss?

[Villain]

Michael J. Corbitt was sheriff deputy with Willow Springs connected to the Outfit.

Larner's guy

Also Giancana's guy. Corbitt used to deliver huge bags of money to the other underbosses (territory Bosses) in Chicago who had an interest in Willow Springs. One of those guys was Vince Solano way up in the North. Willow Springs must have been an open area & not exclusively under the Chicago Heights Boss?

Tell you the truth i have no idea if it was an open area, although it seems like that...usually in the old days they had some types of few "half-open" areas such as north and south Cicero or Lake County etc. where almost everyone was able to operate but still they also had to give percentage to the crew boss and also the territorial boss of that same area. For example, when Patrick transfered to Rogers Park, besides kicking up to Alex and Giancana, he also had to give percentage to both Prio and DiVarco, and when he also opened up few shops in Lake County he also had to give something to Les Kruse.

Alex had no problems setting shop in southern Cicero, but when he set shop in the northern part he had to give percentage to Buccieri. Same as the other way around, meaning when Buccieri entered the Loop for the first time he had to give something to Alex.

This was a good tactic, meaning if you are a territorial boss and control 4 or 5 areas and districts, you might open just one of those for the rest of the membership, which means more money for everyone.

[Confederate]

Michael J. Corbitt was sheriff deputy with Willow Springs connected to the Outfit.

Larner's guy

Also Giancana's guy. Corbitt used to deliver huge bags of money to the other underbosses (territory Bosses) in Chicago who had an interest in Willow Springs. One of those guys was Vince Solano way up in the North. Willow Springs must have been an open area & not exclusively under the Chicago Heights Boss?

Tell you the truth i have no idea if it was an open area, although it seems like that...usually in the old days they had some types of few "half-open" areas such as Cicero or Lake County etc. where almost everyone was able to operate but still they also had to give percentage to the crew boss and also the territorial boss of that same area. For example, when Patrick transfered to Rogers Park, besides kicking up to Alex and Giancana, he also had to give percentage to both Prio and DiVarco, and when he also opened up few shops in Lake County he also had to give something to Les Kruse.

This was a good tactic, meaning if you are a territorial boss and control 4 or 5 areas and districts, you might open just one of those for the rest of the membership, which means more money for everyone.

Yes, I agree. The Outfit was smart that way. Besides, Pilotto probably got a bigger cut than Solano. I would have to reread his testimony but it did seem (from memory) that Pilotto had the biggest "Voice" in Willow Springs.

[Villain]

Michael J. Corbitt was sheriff deputy with Willow Springs connected to the Outfit.

Larner's guy

Also Giancana's guy. Corbitt used to deliver huge bags of money to the other underbosses (territory Bosses) in Chicago who had an interest in Willow Springs. One of those guys was Vince Solano way up in the North. Willow Springs must have been an open area & not exclusively under the Chicago Heights Boss?

Tell you the truth i have no idea if it was an open area, although it seems like that...usually in the old days they had some types of few "half-open" areas such as Cicero or Lake County etc. where almost everyone was able to operate but still they also had to give percentage to the crew boss and also the territorial boss of that same area. For example, when Patrick transfered to Rogers Park, besides kicking up to Alex and Giancana, he also had to give percentage to both Prio and DiVarco, and when he also opened up few shops in Lake County he also had to give something to Les Kruse.

This was a good tactic, meaning if you are a territorial boss and control 4 or 5 areas and districts, you might open just one of those for the rest of the membership, which means more money for everyone.

Yes, I agree. The Outfit was smart that way. Besides, Pilotto probably got a bigger cut than Solano. I would have to reread his testimony but it did seem (from memory) that Pilotto had the biggest "Voice" in Willow Springs.

Could be, but as I already said right now i dont have any clue on Willow Springs and if you fing something, pls share it