Mr Fosco, in an earlier comment that you made in one of your other blogs, you mentioned that you regret knowing people like Magnafichi. Why are you changing your tune? Seems strange.

Ah I have stumbled upon your site here Joe. Just an old friend passing through who just also happens to know your old pal Mike Mags. Two different points in my life intersect here. I like your blogs and articles. Interesting. I respect your opinions and applaud your bravery. It seems you have fallen out of grace with certain people of a life once attractive to you and I. Whether this has been by choice or out of survival necessity I applaud you for your writings and truthfulness in knowledge and feelings. I do however question wisdom of it. You, like I know how it and they work. What does surprise me however, is that having partaken and indulged in this life to some degree in your past, why you would be at all surprised these same men whom you once believed to be honorable men, would purportedly attempt to and from what I gather from your writings successfully extort you Joe. They are I know from my own experience creatures of habit and opportunists who will turn on each other when there is money to be made. There is no love or loyalty to brother, son or friend Joe you and I both know this. It is all a facade. You once invited me into your world knowing I had been around my shares of crews in my life. I at that time entertained that offer. We even shared a sandwich or two in a deli with an old man now gone. By all accounts not a good man and most likely burning in hell. My relative had worked for this man so I knew of him and his importance when you brought me to him. There was once a favor you asked of me on behalf of this old man. A favor I had to deny as I by that point in my young life had too many of my own demons to live with, without adding to them. Too much darkness in an already dark life I could hold no more. I was on my way out by then just trying to figure out which door to use to a new life. I walked out the door of the saloon on ‘that great street’ and never looked back. I was attracted as at that point the street was all I had ever known in my life. Still, somewhere inside I knew there was another life for me out there. One away from the streets and jails and semesters in ‘college’ so to speak. Though it has not been easy and I have at times yearned for some of the fun from back then I also know it was all at the expense of others. These days I try to live a decent life in hopes I may be looked upon as a decent man who tried to change when that time we all face comes to meet our Maker. It’s probably better you never returned my calls and we never said ‘take care’. It seems your life whether by choice or necessity has changed or at least is on the way to it. I live my dreams now. The life always lures young men such as us with promises of wealth, power and fulfillment of ego. That is until the few fortunate of us see it for what it truly is. Destroyer of your soul. I still have a hard time cleaning the blood and grime from my hands I build up long before I met you. I still have nightmares at times. But everyday that passes they dissipate a little more. There is no need you remember me but if you do know I wish you the best in your quest. But don’t ruin them to satisfy your own ego. Do it because they have ruined so many others and it is the right thing to do. We were never like them Joe as much as we might have wanted to be. If we were we would be sitting by their side now. Good luck, God bless and be safe.
A Rush St. Actor

Dear Barry,
The arrest you are referring to was totally dismissed for both defendants. I was not only there at the scene of the alleged crime, but I was present for both defendants court cases. According to my understanding, Magnafichi and the co-defendant were wrongfully arrested.
I know a great deal about Lee magnafichi because my late father and Lee had a number of mutual contacts that happened to confide in me about various matters.

Dear Harlem,

I have been to the HIP many times to shop several years ago.

If you would have asked me 10-years ago if Michael could have been the next boss, I would have said, ‘could’. However, today I would say, no.

Thanks

Dear Joe,

I apologize in advance for this lengthy but important comment.

I have noticed some very strange commentary on your blog recently. Two examples would be the very close and careful analysis of the late Joseph Aiuppa’s appearance, which was prefaced by a comparison between his nose and a flaccid penis, or something to that effect. (Please forgive me for being too lazy at the moment to go back and check the precise language.). Another example that is perhaps even more disturbing is some of your audience’s bizarre preoccupation with Nicholas Gio.

But while disconcerting, the Aiuppa comment was at least semi relevant, as you set a precedent by including a very humorous yet somehow helpful description of Mayor of Des Plaines, Martin J. Moylan’s age-inappropriate, perhaps even ill-advised dental braces.

The Gio obsession, however, is unrelated to any of the articles that you have published on your website. In your Topic Cloud, I see that “Aiuppa”, “Cerone”, and “Melrose Park” are recognized as being subjects of interest, and I am sure that it is not out of the question that at some point in the future, you may consider inserting “Des Plaines” as being a Topic, as well. But, Joe, I am sure you do not need to be reminded that “Nick Gio”, “The Great Street”, “White Italian Jackets with the Boot on the Back and the I.O.U. Z-Cavaricci Combination”, and so on, are NOT included in this Topic Cloud.

The persistent questioning focused on Gio and his Italian panache, taste in automobiles, sartorial preferences, and street reputation is becoming extremely ANNOYING. (I noticed the other day that you were put in a position where you overlooked other relevant questions because a bunch of weirdoes vandalized your blog with a great deal of Gio commentary.)

Joe, by my lights, there are three possible explanations for the interest in Nick Gio.

First is the possibility that these inquisitors are actually your enemies who are trying to execute switch tactics and create distractions in order to divert attention from your main focus: corruption and organized crime. In this case, they have decided that Gio material is their best option in achieving their goal.

Second, is that these inquisitors are what I will refer to as ‘Nick Gio pervs’ who have gravitated toward your website because there is general lack of interest about Nick Gio on the worldwide web. For some reason they assume that you will entertain their Nick Gio obsession for an interminable amount of time. God help us if this is the case.

Finally, and perhaps most ominously, I checked with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (via its interactive website) and have noticed that Nicholas Gio was released from prison on April 25, 2006. Therefore, judging from his apparent constituency on KTF Media Group, I believe it is possible that Nicholas Gio has dispatched his comrades to promote his reputation on your threads, or that it could even be Nick Gio himself contributing remarks that are favorable to his own legacy.

Joe, are you aware that these distractions have been taking place?

Please advise.

Harlem and Joe, please see my 10:43 p.m. post. Harlem, please stop bringing up Nick Gio. No offense, but no one cares how Italian you are.

i hate to burst yer bubble mr. harlem playboy — but while nick gio may have made $$$ to buy the cars you are obsessing about by doing outfit stuff, none of the crimes he was convicted of were “outfit” (though he went down via RICO). this he was involved in wasn’t outfit related, so your best bet is to check the microfilm at your local library.

there is an obsession about gio on this website. if you google “nick gio” two of the hits on the first page of results are for joe’s ktf media articles.

if you want to read about a guy who was heavy in the outfit at a young age, read about michael sarno–he was definitely involved in the robbery of a porn shop in 1979 that resulted in the murder of its owner. he was only 21-years old at the time.

the other outfit guys who were in on the porn shop caper with the 21-year old mike sarno were all “Made” guys: Bobby Salerno, Solly Cautedella, Jerry Scalise, and Gerald Scarpelli

Dear Joe, take a look at this: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3549/3547234784_fa62c59bf4.jpg

Is this from the Villagio’s arrest? What was the arrest for? I understand that the charges were dropped and that in your opinion MM was not guilty of perpetrating any crime. But what was the arrest for? Were you guys drunk? I read that a man was beaten and that Magnafichi & Daddano III were involved.

Dear Teets,

I am aware of the distractions you have taken the time to indicate. It does not bother me.

Dear Mr. Fosco,
Regarding the 11:57 comment with the photo of Michael, I was just curious to know if he ever did any time in prison. In the article, you’ve glamorized him as sort of a ‘nice guy gangster,’ however he was listed as a top gangster in the 1997 Chicago Crime Commision’s organizational chart.
Was he ever imprisoned? The photo posted during the 11:57 comment is very intimidating looking. I mean he looks like a gangster. No matter how nice you say he is, I know I would be scared of him just from the looks on his photo.
Furthermore, you mention that he really fell for a tall wealthy blonde. Could you go into a bit more detail on this. You sort of left me curious when you said that her father is really rich. Lastly, I was curious as to why you wrote this article on him. Is it a protection tactic for him since he fell out of favor with the bosses.
Could it be your trying to protect your friend in the same way your protecting yourself. That is, by shedding light on things and placing enough attention on the ‘outfit’ so that they won’t come after you guys. This was an interesting article and I was just curious, thanks.

Dear Paul,

Yes, Michael spent a number of ‘weeks’ behind bars for two different traffic related offenses, which were both consolidated for purposes of sentencing. In one case, Michael was issued a citation for driving too slaw and the officer believed he smelled alcohol on Michael, resulting in a DUI. In the other case, Michael was taking a nap in the back seat of his car, during a road trip, when a police officer checked it out. During the confrontation, the officer believed he smelled alcohol. During one of the incidents, Michael failed to prove he had auto liability insurance, which raised the misdemeanor charge to a felony. Michael did not submit to any kind of testing during the arrests.

I believe that DiFronzo and Andriacchi’s decision to suspend their ‘crews’ street activities in Chicago, which affected Michael’s income, is one of the contributing factors Michael wound up in the slammer for a couple of traffic infractions. The photo you are referring to was taken after Michael was shipped from one facility to another, without him having the opportunity to shave for a few days. Apparently, they woke him earlier than expected to photograph him. Let me get one thing strait, Michael has helped me. He has been nice to me. I understand that other people view him differently then I do. I am not arguing with anyone about his or her opinion of Michael.

As to the blonde-haired woman that Michael loves with all of his heart, as much as I would like to share the story behind it, I cannot. Michael has asked me to stay off the subject. He is not happy about the things I say about the Outfit, but he does not care about the Outfit. He cares about the blonde-haired woman.

I wrote the story on Michael because its true and I wanted to tell the story – if it serves as a protection mechanism, great.

Dear Binny,

Allow me to clarify; I am referring to Joey Andriacchi as Joey A. In fact, Joe Aiuppa was commonly referred to as Joey O, relating to his longtime alias name Joey O’Brien.

Joey A and Lee were best pals. Lee knew that Joe would treat Michael like a son, and he did. That is probably why Andriacchi did not orchestrate establishing business relations between Sarno and Magnafichi, because Joey A does not want to see Michael go away to prison like Sarno.

For the record, Michael hated Joey O – although Michael admits that he would never admit it if Joe were alive because he was deathly afraid of him.

Dear Peeps,

Of course, Lee met Joe B – Lee knew him well. Michael knew Joe B well too. Yes, I would say Lee kept a low profile.

You know more than I do, I do not know who ‘android’ is. I think I could guess whom, but I would rather not.

What “Peeps” said about, “lee magnafichi was involved in a robbery with peter difronzo and joe andriacchi from the 1960’s” is actually true (surprisingly):

http://cases.justia.com/us-court-of-appeals/F2/448/110/100635/

The men were involved in a robbery. Are you sure Lee was a Capo? There’s no information about him anyhwere. If he was a Capo, was he the guy who sponsored Michael to be “made”?

PS_Andriacchi was not known as “the android.” That’s ridiculous.

sarno (among others) was implicated in the robbery of a pornographic bookstore, which resulted in the shooting death of Michael Oliver. he was never charged with murder or even the robbery as far as i know.

Dear Peeps,

If Joe Andriacchi was referred to as the ‘android’ this is the first I have heard of it. I am not disputing you. Who knows how many nicknames exist about people that most others have never heard. I was having a drink one night with one of the ‘Germans’ partners (about 3-years ago), who told me him and the German used to refer to old man Cerone as the ‘eagle’ (as in Bald Eagle, for obvious reasons). I never heard of before that nickname.

I cannot think of any fights Joey A had with anyone notable. I will double check with my source. Joey A used to argue with old man Cerone quite a bit. In fact, that is why Cerone skipped Joey A when he made Lee a Capo before going to prison. Lee always felt that Joey A was more deserving of it. Joey A never once raised his hand to Jack – he would have been killed immediately.

Joey A never fought Aiuppa, especially in a fistfight. You are funny. Just the thought of that makes me imagine the physical torture Joey A would have suffered thru before being killed if he would have raised his hand to Joey O.

Dear Justia,

I have no idea who sponsored Michael. I would assume it would have been Joey A. I doubt Michael was ‘made’ when his dad was alive.

Dear Meebo,

I have heard some chatter that suggests some doubts are forming about the Marcello’s. However, the majority of the peanut gallery thinks they will hold up. I will see what I can uncover on the matter.

Joe
In one of Bill Roemer’s books, there’s a pretty accurate account of Willie Messino. I know how you feel about Roemer, but he (accurately) describes Messino as a trusted, feared Made guy who had close personal relationships with the Outfit bosses.
He also discusses Chris Cardi who was a relative of Messino’s. Cardi got involved in narcotics and had to serve a prison sentence because of it. Accardo let him serve his whole prison sentence out and then had him killed when he was released. Did this upset Messino? (I believe Cardi was his nephew.) Did you ever meet Chris Cardi?

Dear Arthur,

How few of times we actually get to know the reason someone is murdered. Only when the victim leaves behind a note a person in fear may leave, or a suicide, or when we have a credible eyewitness, etcetera. I believe the death of Mr. Cardi is not well understood. Assumptions have been made. The assumptions seem logical, but how do we really know unless the killer comes forward and confesses, which is not the case in the Cardi murder. I do agree with Romer (if what you state is in his books) that Messino was ‘made’ and trusted, having close relationships with top Outfit bosses – these things were common knowledge. Willie sat at the Onion Roll in Oak Park with Joe B once a week. He and Johnny DiFronzo greeted each other almost every morning at the old Gene’s Deli in Elmwood Park. For forty years, Willie could be observed by passerby’s entering and exiting old man Cerone’s Elmwood Park home. One does not have to be a Bill Romer to know most of the information in his books.

I do know that Willie loved Pat Cardi very much – Pat and Chris were brothers. In the nearly 10-years that I saw Willie on an everyday basis, for several hours a day, we discussed a great deal of topics, however, never once did the name Chris Cardi ever come up. I never met Chris Cardi. I used to visit his brother Pat and his friends every Sunday for meatballs and good conversation – with Willie, of course.

Dear Fifi,

I did not witness a beating take place that night, which I have said before. I was in misdemeanor court with both defendants and witnessed the judge dismiss their cases because the alleged victim could not identify Daddono as the alleged batterer, and he failed to show at the Magnafichi hearing, which is an automatic dismissal. Make what you want of it. However, please know that when I saw the alleged victim in court, he did not appear injured – he was in great shape.

Dear Brian,

I have no respect for the Marcello’s. I do not protect them. I tend to shy away from questions that I feel have been answered before. Sometimes I overlook a question. Please cut and paste the questions you want clarification on, I would be glad to look at them.

Please understand, Joe Andriacchi is not my good buddy. Thank you.

Dear Brian,

No offense taken. Thank you for being kind.

Dear Peeps,

I had a chance to talk with my source today. I asked him if Joey A had it out with another Outfit guy or affiliate. According to my source, Joey A had a fight at the Twist Lounge in Elmwood Park in the late 1960’s with Frank Cullotta (now government informant). Apparently, Frank was getting the best of Joey when Joe’s friend the now late Rich Penachio took Joey A’s place in the fight – Penachio destroyed Cullotta. I was told Cullotta had to crawl under a car in the parking lot to escape the brutal force of Penachio’s blows of his fists.

Others in attendance at the Twist Lounge during the rumble were Lee Magnafichi and Noochy Lombardo (Joe Lombardo’s brother – I have know idea how to spell his first name/nickname correctly).

I was informed that Joey A also had engaged in some ‘words’ over the years with Milwaukee Phil because Joey A was fooling around with Phil’s girlfriend Nan.

I hope I have addressed your concerns.

Dear Joey,
I started paying attention to the mob during the family secrets mob trial. What do you think goes through some of the other gangsters minds when all of this is going on. Do you think guys like Michael M. are worried that they might be indicted in the future if there is ever a family secrets part 2?

Dear Joey,
I am a really nice person. Why aren’t you answering me?

Joe,

Just to head off any potential questions. I didn’t write the 5:25 p.m. comment. Though, I’m sure Mr. Giannotti is a nice and honest man.

I know Vic, thanks.

Joe,

Thanks for saying you’ll get back to me about my questions. You are a very kind man.

Joe, I love that story.
Andriacchi got his ass handed to him by Cullotta of all people, huh? Wow. He talks pretty tough when he’s on TV. Supposedly Frank Calabrese was scared shitless of him.
I’m not so sure there’s going to be a Family Secrets 2. I’m expecting a series of smaller indictments and subsequent trials. Sarno’s case is pretty tiny compared with Family Secrets. Is Magnafichi prepared for the unkown as far as a legal strategy, or is he going to skip town like “Pagliacci”?

Dear Brian,

Sorry, I will need another day.

Dear Proviso,

I have no idea what Michael would do if he were indicted in a Family Secrets II case.

hes a nothing ,thats a fact, you like facts right f’in rat zero

neither, marcello is in prison ,i dont think he can be, joey a is not either ,im just saying hes a man ,and petes a man too, i dont need to be in the know to figure this out, accardo gave it up and theyll never get it back ,sorry about grammar

none, two elmwood park guys,cant be either of them.marcello in jail but not for long he has a real strong appeal wait till you guys see grown men pissing and craping themselves nothing is gonna happen to anyone, there will be a real man on the street again

he has elmwood ,thats it.

i dont know who, ill tell you who isnt, i’ll never say who is,marcello will live his life without any worries from the likes of them ,believe me no one will go near him

ill call sissies out ,but not talk murder etc, by the way you did call him a pussy ,thats not true, those were your words

I don’t know him, so why would I make a claim as to how tough he was. And I’m NOT asking you to discuss “murder.”

I was trying to have a discussion. Again, Kass’ words not mine.

I was curious why you know so much about Marcello. That’s all.

he also said he was a front boss for guys who wouldnt fuck with him even when hes in jail

if you repeating what someone else said i apologize ,i wont say anything like that about him the #1 stuff, i say hes smart and no one fucks with him ,if i knew about brawn i wouldnt say it thats for the informants

Dear Brian,

DiFronzo is not afraid of anyone that lives and breathes – no matter what anyone says or writes to the contrary.

I am not sure what t-bone means. However, I am grateful for everyone’s participation including his.

Dear Joseph,
Just an observation from visiting this thread. I think ‘anold friend’ = ‘t bone.’

Joe,

Do you know who “Singing Joe” Vento is? Also, is your reader “Vin” crazy?

Dear Sidney,

I heard of Joe Vento. I have never expressed an interest in him; therefore, I am not aware of any significant information on him.

As to Vin, I do not form opinions on the commenter’s.

Dear Willie,

There have been ‘made’ guys that have never killed anyone. These individuals were ‘made’ because they held important positions that required them to meet with a number of Outfit bosses, and having the person ‘made’ worked out better. I do not believe that the Outfit ‘makes’ people based on their earning potential. Marco is living proof, big earner – not made.

I believe that Michael is ‘made’.

I hope he did not kill anyone, if it is proven to me that he has committed murder, I will disassociate with him and expose him for being a murderer.

Rereading this thread, I’m reminded that Marcello is an example of a member of the Outfit who was a coconspirator in three murders though in all three (Spilotro, D’Andrea) he played the role of driver.

As everyone knows (thanks to Calabrese’s testimony) Marcello went through the Outfit’s elaborate initiation rites, becoming “made” in the early 1980′s.

Being a mere driver in these murderous events apparently was enough to fulfill the “at least one murder” criteria on the Chicago Outfit Human Resource Department’s membership rubric.

if were come into some incriminating information about magnafichi you’re saying that you’d expose him as a killer? i assume that’s what you’ve attempted to do with fratto too. all you do is kill him an “outfit killer” with no explanation. that’s tantamount to name-calling, and it doesn’t seem to be damaging to fratto’s image or rep.

Dear Rain,

Thank you for your question.

If you recall, I said, “If it were proven to me that Magnafichi is a killer,” or anyone for that matter, I will expose them as such, as I have Fratto.

I have learned from major sources that Fratto is a killer, which is why I have exposed him. My information on Fratto has been corroborated more thoroughly than the government’s evidence in the Family Secrets case against Calabrese. Meaning I did not rely on the bias testimony of a victims daughter that claimed she accurately recalled the sound of someone’s voice over 20-years ago when she was a child, which still does not prove the caller is the murderer.

If Fratto disagrees with my articles about him, he is free to file a libel claim against me in an attempt to prove his innocence, which is what I would do if someone printed something about me that I contend is false. However, if the writer printed the truth (as I have), I would ignore it as Rudy seems to be doing.

Dear Rain,

I know that it came out somewhere, perhaps in one of the threads that I charge Fratto with participating in the death of Outfit member, Chuck English (according to my sources). Does this make you feel better know?

Dear Rain,

‘Rudy is X’ also accomplishes establishing an appropriate title for a killer in the community.

No one wins in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, except that Government.

That’s great a great story about Andriacchi against Cullatta. Sorry to hear that the Builder got the worst of it. I can’t imagine Johnny No Nose in a fistfight. He’s too sly. I guess he probably turned the other cheeck, but then made more dangerous plans for revenge. No way would No Nose engage in a fistfight.

Joe, I wonder if Lee or Michael M. ever got in a fistfight why they were made guys on the street. Joe, did Lee ever stomp anyone’s sh*t? I also wonder if centraccio ever beat down someone while he was a made guy running a street crew in DuPage and melrose park clinic.

Joe, great stories.

Dear Butch,

I know a story that you would find interesting.

Buddy Ciotti was in a fight (one of many) at Aurie’s Restaurant in Melrose Park, Illinois. The fight was between him and an unknown fellow. The unknown fellow was going toe to toe with Buddy. The fight wound up outside in the street. Somewhere along the Melrose Park Police were notified. Upon the arrival of the police, they noticed it was Buddy who was ‘getting the best of’ the unknown fellow, so the police decided to wait until Buddy finished. As soon as Buddy stopped punching the unknown fellow, Melrose Park’s finest finally stepped in by handcuffing the unknown and charging him with battery.

I was not a witness to this story; however, several reliable sources informed me of it – one of my sources on this story is a Melrose Park Police officer.

I find such story somewhat troubling because I never experienced my friend Buddy behave that way.

just read the story about ciotti. totally awesome.

i think we did our comments at the same time.

you’re the man

Joe,

i dont’know what happened to my other message, but i said that it sounds like a cool photo, but that you probably gave it away because you couldn’t stand the sight of your extorter, No Nose. (personally, i would’ve burned it or handed it directly over to the cops.)

joe, that would be awesome if you could find that other picture. it would validate your theory that lee was a real person who was a capo in the outfit ( i already believe this). joe, there is no question about it–lee probably was very feared, unfortunately.

Dear Butch,

The photo I made available for view is 28-years old.

Joe,

Thanks a lot! Lee was a pretty handsome guy. I would definitely not F with Lee. Juding from the picture, Lee could probably handle himself really well. Lee probably would have kicked Cullatta’s butt if he was challenged–if he wasn’t distracted by Cullatta’s afro that is.

Joe,

Listen. THere’s something that I find very creepy about peter difronzo. I can’t put my finger on it, but he gives off a vibe that he is a dangerous person. He seems like a very dangerous person, in fact. I notice he doesn’t get very much attention on here from readers. Did you ever have words with him? I surmise that lee Magnafichi could have wasted him if they ever got into it, but i know they were friends.

Joe, did you or Mike M. ever have words with peter? I hope you and Mike M. know how to handle yourselves around a guy like peter.

Thanks again joe.

Hey Joe,

In your blog, there’s that thing about John DiFronzo having very little respect for MM’s father. How did he demonstrate his lack of respect for Lee?

Also, from the mug photo, Michael looks like a a guy who doesn’t take crap from anyone, and if he’s half as solid as Lee appeared to be, I curious why he didn’t slap Peter around a little bit. He’s got thirty years on him for crying out loud.

Dear Joseph,
I have to say that I am pretty darn impressed with that photo. Unlike most people who follow the mob it appears that you were truley an insider.
I just hope that you remain safe. Most people that turn against the mob and start revealing and showing and writing things do so because they are in the witness protection program.
But the guys you write about are still very much alive and not in prison and as for as I know your not working with the government.
I’m sure you’ve heard this before and I do not want to beat a dead horse, but the only logical conclusion that I can draw is that the mob no longer exists. I’m convinced of it. You are living proof that the mob in Chicago no longer exists.
This, of course, is only my opinion. Only time will tell and I just hope that I am right. Your either a genious or a very risky gambler.
Just one more thing, how long has Michael’s father been deceased now?
Thanks.

Dear Nokia,

Johnny made a rude remark about Lee, after his death, to Michael. Michael will never forget the comment. I am sorry; I would rather not say what it was.

Michael would never raise a hand to his elders.

Dear One,

I am sorry; I would rather not go in to details on Pete DiFronzo’s threat. I might pursue legal options, therefore do not want to compromise anything. I consider the late Mrs. DiFronzo (their mother) more dangerous than Rudy Fratto, Jr.

Dear Colo,

On second thought, please do not resubmit the list. I will take care of it and answer your question very soon.

I am sorry, I had to remove your comment, and however, I will respond to it.

Be advised the size of your comment was too large for some of our computers to accept.

Again, please do not resubmit the list.

Than you.

Dear Colo,

No harm, it was an innocent mistake. Thank you.

Dear Joe,

It seems odd that Johnny DiFronzo paid for Lee’s funeral expenses but then also ripped him in front of his son. I’m not asking you to repeat the comment, but maybe he just had mixed feelings about Lee. DiFronzo might be a killer, but he’s still human. All in all, as the Irish say, it’s not proper to speak ill of the dead, especially in front of the deceased son.

Why did DiFronzo pay for the funeral expenses, anyway? Did he do it to make a big self-gratifying show out of it, or was he Lee’s pal?

Dear Jimmy,

In the old days (I cannot believe I am referring to the 1980’s as the old days), the Outfit paid the burial expenses for their capos and other bosses, unless they were knocked down, (I just realized I have misspelled ‘knock’ in several comments and articles – excuse me).

Johnny and Lee were very close.

Joe,

Who is Sam Urbana?

Judging from his appearance it looked like he probably stomped some serious ass in his day. I won’t ask you for any stories though because it is clear that Mr. Urbana most likely put some individuals in the hospital because of a problem with rage, sorry to say. Yes, many poeple were definitely scared of him, unfortunately.

I bet that Urbana was scared of Lee Mags, though. I’m guessing that Lee might have had to straighten him out of a couple times, but probably nothing that required hospitalization. I guarantee that Lee would have kicked around Ciotti like an empty milk carton or something. I’m not bad-mouthing Ciotti. Keep in mind that the only person who wasn’t scared of Lee was most likely Accardo. But who knows?

Dear Joe,

Mickey Marcello cried at his sentencing when his son submitted a statement about how he was a very good father who had his faults. The judge said Mickey’s biggest personal failing was being too good of a brother to James. I’m not minimizing Mickey’s life as a gangster, I’m just saying that by all accounts he is supposed to be a good man–deep down. (Now, typically this is where you step in with your Gacy analogy, and rightfully so.)

Now, the FBI surveilled Mickey engaged in a serious argument with Hatch Chiaramonti, and less than a week later he, Hatch, was shot. They have recently apprehended the perpetrators (an Outfit associate and his buddy). My question is: what light your source might shed on this with regard to James Marcello’s role in orchestrating the incident? Marcello was heard saying that he was disappointed in how the hit was “done”, but he certainly did not protest the fact that it transpired. Your source suspects that it’s possible he hand a hand in Zizzo, but how about the Hatch?

Dear Joe,
I’ve been following your story and I really feel bad for all the pain that you and your family have gone through. I read that Fratto recently threatened you and in the past the FBI informed you that other ‘outfit’ members had threatened your life. This obviously is enough to scare the daylights out of anyone.
Most people say that the ‘outfit’ is still alive and well and that it’s just not as powerful as it used to be. I tend to agree with this theory somewhat. However, I really think that the threats are exactly that. That is, they are just threats. Other than a few instances over the last several years the outfit is no longer violent. It seems like they stopped wacking people since the early to mid ninties. Over the last 15 or so years, they have not been very violent. This seems to be the case all over the country where any LCN organization exists.
I’m just saying that I highly doubt that the threat that Fratto made to you is anything more than just a threat. I think that the worst possible thing that a person can do is commit the act of murder. It just doesn’t get any worse than that. The ‘outfit’ has become nothing more than a business(albeit sometimes an illegal one). The Italians have moved up in the world and as we evolve as a nation and as a universe we tend to advance our ways of thinking and we tend to learn from past mistakes. I’m sure this goes for the ‘outfit’ as well. The bottom-line is that people, in general, are smarter nowadays.
Worst case scenario, lets say there are some ruthless, evil guys left at the top that want you gone. Who’s gonna do the job? I personally feel that the kind of guys that want to join the ‘outfit’ are the type of guys who are smart enough to know that if they commit the act of murder that they are eventually going to get caught and go to jail for the rest of their life. Furthermore, they will spend eternity in H*LL which is even worse than a life sentence. I don’t think anyone wants to face all that just to impress ‘no nose.’
But who am I? I could be wrong. Apparently, crime has always existed and will probably always exists. This is probably because people have to be young before becoming old and young people almost always make mistakes. Therefore, I really admire what your doing. Also, the historical aspect of organized is interesting.

Deli – I’m not sure how Joe will address your question, but I once read on the Suntimes blog about how the scariest thing this one guy had ever seen was Mickey Marcello get angry. I assume Magnafichi has had different experiences with him. Maybe Joe will elaborate.

Joe, without getting into specifics, was Peter’s threat scarier or more ominous than Fratto’s. I’m asking because Fratto’s threat is about as serious and direct as it gets. Thanks.

Dear Joe or Deli,
I’m not familiar with !. Could you please tell me more about the alleged murders. Also, what murders did Joe bring up that we wouldn’t know about. I guess I missed some stuff on here somewhere. I thought that the last hit was on a guy named Ronald Jarret in late 1999 or early 2000. His name came up during the family secrets trial. I think there was also someone named LaCoco or something like that. He was a bookie who died while riding a horse, during an NFL Sunday. Do you guys know anything about that. Also, the only other thing I heard of was Anthony Zizzo. But who knows about him, he could be sitting on a beach somewhere sipping on a Mai-tai taking in the tropic sun. With Zizzo, it could have been a premature escape from indictment. On the hand, I heard that it could of been another crew behind his disappearance because they knew that with ‘Jimmy the man’ going away to jail that ‘little tony’ would be the only one with the stature to stand in the way of them taking over that territory. Who knows?

Dear Frank,

I honestly do not remember the name of Willie’s father; however, it might have been Chris Messino. Nonetheless, there has never been an Outfit guy from Chicago.

Dear Deli,

My source simply refers to the Hatch as a man with many enemies, in other words, a case of “Who shot JR.” My source hated him too.

Mickey is a gentle giant; however, he will kill if his brother tells him to. In addition, Mickey was a heavy cocaine user and drinker. I believe he kept the extent of his drinking from his brother, and every bit of the cocaine usage from his brother.

I do know that Vito Scavo was selected as the Melrose Park Police Chief because he agreed to fix cases and arrests and protect the Outfit in every way possible, which he did.

Dear Lucky,

Can someone inform Lucky what thread ‘!’ wrote on? I do not remember, sorry. Lucky, I am going to insist that you read the comments. I do not have the time to repeat them, I am sorry.

Lucky, you are correct, Zizzo is on a beach rubbing sun-lotion on Helen Brach’s back, discussing how much fun they had at Jimmy Hoffa’s 97th birthday party last week.

Dear Robert,

My source has had a much different experience with Mickey Marcello than most people. My source sees Mickey as a nice guy, not a threat. Unfortunately, my sources are in a position that most others in society are not – to see these scary people as if they are ordinary individuals.

I remember having lunch with Frank Mancari (the Dodge dealer) and Michael Magnafichi one afternoon, and Frank brought up the Hatch. Frank would not stop going on and on about how rough he was. Michael Magnafichi told one of his stories about the Hatch. Apparently, Michael’s former wife had a run in with the Hatch back when Michael was only dating her. Michaels then fiancé mentioned her experience with the Hatch to Michaels father, Lee, explaining how scary he seemed. According to Michael, his father asked the young woman whom she was referring to – Michael’s fiancé told him ‘the Hatch’. Lee’s response was, “oh, do not worry about him, I will have a talk with him.” In other words, Lee could regard a person like the hatch as if he were a child – an ordinary person would be frightened to even think of it.

Robert, both threats are frightening – from Rudy and Peter. However, Peter frightens me more than Rudy does.

I made Michael aware of the ‘Lee Magnafichi groupie’. His response was, “what a creep.” Please be advised, it was not my response – please do not blame the messenger.

butch, man, you need to calm down! i’m reading your comments, and you know nothing about these men, yet you’re clearly fantasizing about them.

in the first one, you start out by asking who urbana is, but then not even two sentences later you say, ‘it is clear that Mr. Urbana most likely put some individuals in the hospital because of a problem with rage, sorry to say. Yes, many poeple were definitely scared of him, unfortunately’

how do you know he hospitalized people because of his problem with rage, or that many people were scared of him?

i see why michael, who is a “made guy on the street,” called you a “creep.” get over it.

Dear Joe,
Check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEQ6V-PDQpI
What do you think?

Dear Lake Street,

I checked out your link. Seventeen seconds in to it my phone rang (saved by the bell) so I paused it. After my call ended, I wanted to close out the screen. However, I decided to give a chance to play out. At the 48-second mark, I had to turn it off.

However, thanks for the thought.

i meant, do you know if mags comes to this website personally?

joe,

disregard doe’s comment. he has absolutely no idea what my internet privileges are at work. nor does he know what i do for a living.

“vin”, “harlem playboy”, and “maury” are responsible for the dumbest comments on this website–you can add the horse fart guy, too–and i don’t apologize if i offended them.

joe, if you get a chance, please address my question. thank you.

Dear Longtime,

Michael does not come to the site personally. People read him the threads while he plays cards with them. Michael does not voice his opinion to me about the site. He knows about it – we discuss it and he keeps his feelings to himself. I would assume he would rather I not have such site, but he does not say so.

I agree with longtime reader. Horse fart guy, LOL.
Joe, in one thread you said you had notes from some old Outfit guys that are deceased? Can you tell us who they were?

” the Terpening-Messino shooting in 1998, or an earlier incident involving the investigation of John DiFronzo in a criminal damage to property allegation. ”

Yes please elaborate. It would be disappointing if you threw this out there as a attention getting scheme, only to dash down your rabbit’s hole when you are asked for more information.

Dear “longtime reader”
You’ve got it backwards. If you don’t like our participation, ignore our remarks or go to another blog. Don’t dismiss our comments as moronic. Also, my name isn’t “the horse fart guy”, it’s “fart on a horsey boner.” If you happen to have a problem with that, take it up with my parents because they’re the ones who named me. They gave me a silly name to toughen me up, but it backfired because the all years of ridicule ended up turning me into a total coward who shields himself with the anonymity of the internet and hides behind his computer all day long.

Dear Mr. (or Ms.) M. Leddo,
There’s something I like about you. Please write a poem targeting “longtime reader” — a new commenter and stuck-up snob.

Dear Mr. Magnafichi,
Please do not commit any of the content of my remarks to your memory if you happen to be reading this. It’s just a couple of guys sorting things out amongst themselves. Nothing to concern yourself with. God bless you.

Respectfully,
Mr. fart on a horsey boner

There is NO PROOF that “THE LARGE GUY” is in the mafia PERIOD.

Dear Joe and Dick,

My inability to be on line 24-hours a day in not the ‘silent treatment’. I have responded to your question on the shooting and criminal damage in the appropriate thread.

well, i see that i have successfully incurred the indignation of some of the idiots on this thread. good! i don’t want to be on the side of idiots.

joe, be advised that “fat boy” = “harlem playboy” = “johnny apple seed” = “john doe”

this person is baiting you by making an obviously false statement because he has grown bored that you will no longer entertain his nick gio obsession. the gio material started with “johnny apple seed” back in january on the “rosemont thread.”

interestingly, on that same thread is the thoroughly asinine statement:

“There is no proof that John DiFronzo, Jack P. Cerone, or Rudy Fratto are in the mafia. Period.” made by “big fella” on 1/10/10 @ 5:37 p.m.

joe it isn’t even funny how obvious it is that this is “harlem playboy” — the biggest moron on that list of morons from earlier. bigger then vin marron and horsie dick or whatever.

that’s how bored i was today, “harlem”. i virtually memorized the “rosemont” thread and traced some of your activities across all of your various fake names via the unifying theme of nick gio.

The only thing that going to put this bedbug to sleep is a porn movie starring Gio!

Joe,

I agree with F*rt on a Horsey B*ner,
“LONGTIME READER” has it backwards.

Joe, could you advise this troubled soul to stop discouraging some of your readers from contributing.

In the meantime I will pray for him.

Thank you Joe and God Bless.

Dear Mr. Fosco,

In regards to the commentor named “longtime-reader,” not only is he unoriginal but he appears to be an angry person.

Stop trying to throw guys like Vin and Harlem under the bus and go back to moonlighting at work.

Couldn’t you come up with something more original than “longtime-reader?”

Oh, and one more thing, stop trying to play Butt Detective and have a good night.

By the way, nobody cares what you think anyway.

Dear Joe, Lake Street Player, and readers;

Please watch this video (linked), which shows the only known publicly available footage of Joe Ferriola.

In the title he is incorrectly called a “reporter”, but this is obviously an FBI video recording of Ferriola.

Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytd9q06pmrw

(No one appears to have been injured in this video.)

Joe,
Tell Mr. Long Term Reader not to take this so seriously.
I think that some of these other people are just teasing him.
Besides, who really cares anyway?
PEACE!

joe,

are you the same age as michael magnafichi?? if not how much younger or older than him are you? it might sound weird, but i’m trying to get a sense of the ‘dynamic’ of the relationship.

Dear Vin,

I want to put a couple of questions to you, pal…

–What do you know about skipping out on bar tabs in Roselle and Hoffman Estates?

–What do you know about a stupid ass blog about the Outfit that I recently came across? (Why did you remove your first article, and why are you deleting my comments?)

–What can you tell us about some fantasy Outfit mob charts you drew in a spiral notebook four or five years ago with “Vincenzo Marone” as top banana?

Vin, you used to wish you were in the Outfit, but now you think you are Joe Fosco.

Oh, and I just remembered, Vin can you tell us about the time you got in trouble for accosting that deaf man outside Valli produce on Roselle Rd?

Thank you very much for your time, Numbnuts.

I thought he said I was the love of his life………

Dear Shangra,

I have not heard of the add on. I will check on it and talk to some of my sources and get back to you soon. Thank you.

Dear Shangra,

I do not believe Casey and Magnafichi know each other. Magnafichi and Sol know each other.

When video poker machines become legal in Illinois, the Outfit will have an upper hand because they have existing relationships with bar owners.

Dear Shangra,

I am referring to Solly Cataudella. Solly is extremely close to Fat Mike.

Dear Dell,

In my opinion, I would say he might replace Sarno as day-to-day boss, if he has not already.

Michael Magnafichi knows both of them. He is closer to Solly because Solly was one of Michael’s players several years ago (football book).

Dear Living,

No vengeances here. I am simply a hard working journalist.

Dear Nick,

If you are referring to my friendliness with Mr. Mganafichi – unlike Bill O’Reilly – I have a particular ‘gangster’ to be thankful for in terms of being alive today. In other words, Mr. Magnafichi has helped me in various ways address the “Outfit” hit on my life, therefore, in my opinion; he is partially responsible for my existence on this planet today.

Despite Mr. Magnafichi’s good deeds concerning me, I have indicated via KTF (in various threads and articles) that he is an alleged gangster, and I have cited his criminal record. However, I have decided to pardon him in a sense for his good deeds relating to me, by not slamming him as I have other criminals. Again, he helped save my life – that counts for something. Most importantly, I do not believe that he has murdered anyone and that counts for something too.

I am confident that a reasonable person could understand my position and would see that I am extremely fair and balanced.

Thank you for your comments.

Harlem Playboy,

As I scan the comments on this site, I see that you have brought the reputation of being a Nick Gio fanatic, a horsey fart, and a funnyman on yourself. You have no one else to blame, sir. You made your bed–now sleep in it. I will pray for you.

this is for ‘gentle peacemaker’

i’m not sure if you caught it, but, on another thread, this guy (harlem “playboy”) was caught in the act of intimating violence against other readers. then he accused me of persecuting him, then went on a weird rant, only to immediately apologize and inform me that i would not encounter him on here anymore. normally when people engage in this type of misbehavior in reply-threads, they are banned/blocked by the newsgroup. ktf isn’t a subscription news service, so i’m not sure if that’s an option. my advice to you is to leave this troubled maniac to alone, but do not hesitate to submit an email if he begins to creep you out, or if he starts implying threats.

There’s something way, waaaaay “out there” about Harlem Playboy.

I’m half-expecting his name to pop-up in an “Attention Public” article sooner or later.

…just did an image search for “Lee Magnafichi” and all I got was thumbnails of the ghost of f. on a horsey b.’s avatar. LOL!