For the second time in recent history, Rudy Fratto’s name will be mentioned prominently in Judge Leinenweber’s court room. The first time it was during my attempt to bring Civil RICO charges against the Chicago Outfit. We all know how that turned out, unfortunately. Hopefully Judge Leinenweber remembers just what kind of a guy Fratto is now that he is once again before his Honor. Fratto is up on new Federal charges of wire fraud. Please read about it here before continuing. Too bad Judge Leinenweber refused to give my case against them a chance. Perhaps now that he is presiding over Rudy’s new indictment, Judge Leinenweber will think a little more about giving Fratto a pass this time.
During the time Jackie Cerone was setting the stage for what turned out to be U.S. District Court Case 10 CR 0196, I was around him nearly seven days a week, from breakfast time with his wife Judy until after-dinner cocktails with his mistress Rosa Pena, of Hoffman Estates. I managed to get to know people like Tommy Gilmore, Tommy Thomas (McCormick Place affiliates) and the Cleveland Guys (members of the Mob out of Ohio) like Sam Lucerelli (of Minute Men Staffing).
Billy Degironemo was someone that I knew well in advance of meeting the Cleveland Guys. Billy Degironemo is a known ‘phone guy’. He turns on phones for Outfit Bookmakers under bogus identities through his company Alpha Communications, which is headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois.
Because I pitied Degironemo, about seven years ago I warned him that Cerone was planning to break his legs (with the help of a thug). Cerone and Degironemo were planning to go in to a business partnership in Milwaukee relating to cellular phone stores, but Degironemo entered it alone, thus infuriating Cerone. Degironemo thanked me for the information and ran to Rudy Fratto to make amends. He told Rudy, “I thought we were friends.” Rudy feigned ignorance of any problem, which is when Degironemo betrayed me. Billy told Rudy what I confided in him. Fratto denied that Cerone would do that to Degironemo and ultimately Degironemo decided to believe Fratto over me.
89 Comments
Joe according to carol marin jill ran as a republican unapposed with campaign contributions from names like accordo etc. Didnt realize esquire was that dangerous.
Joe,
Who is Mr. English? Furthermore, you refer to Rudy as a murderer, how many people do you think he has murdered? Moreover, you refer to Rudy as a ‘fake mob boss,’ I don’t understand. It sounds like he has been really busy scamming and scheming. In other words, it sounds like he really is a ‘mob guy.’
On a totally different topic, what do you think of Kass writing that ‘no nose’ and ‘the builder’ have gone completely underground and that a ‘tsunami’ for the outfit is on it’s way.
Joe,
In Saturday’s Chicago Sun-Times article the said they gave Rudy a swab in his mouth for DNA , why ? Or why do you think ?
A small typeo it should have said they said not the said. Sorry keep up the good work
Joe, You say Rudy is a fake mob boss but Chuck Goudie is saying they may be the first family of the mob. If Rudy is fake why would he say that?
I know Rudy is a real gangster (I never said he was not a real gangster), however, he is not a real mob boss . He is a phony mob boss. He makes himself out bigger than what he is.
Goudie might be correct about his description of the Fratto family being one of the first mob families, however, Rudy is the polar opposite of his uncles. Rudy is a small-minded person that can only cheat people. His uncles knew how to enterprise and help others, not hurt friends.
If I were a Fratto, I would offer Rudy money (while he is on his as* and needs money) to change his last name. He does not deserve to have the name Fratto.
A law was enacted in recent years requiring all newly convicted felons to give DNA samples to law enforcement, which is the reason he was asked to have his mouth swabbed.
Chuck English was one of Sam Giancana’s enforcers. He was shot and killed in 1984 in Elmwood Park, Illinois.
Joe Andriacchi spends most of his time on the east cost with his daughter. He is rumored to be near death – cancer.
DiFronzo can be found almost every day at the Loon Cafe in River Grove, Illinois.
oop’s, ‘east coast’
So Goudie would be referring to Rudys uncles Cockeye Louie and One ear Frankie.
Where they the real deal?
Dear Seeker,
I do not want to offend the Fratto family and say Rudy’s uncles were real gangsters. I will say they were real men. They helped friends – they did not cheat people.
Rudy is not a man – I knew this all along. However, Rudy proved to the public that he is a wimp two months ago when he exploited his children in his failed attempt to win sympathy with the judge at his sentencing hearing.
His late uncles would have agreed to extra jail time to prevent their children from such exploitation. As I said, Rudy is a wimp, which is unlike any other Fratto.
Rudy you chinless wimp, enjoy your few weeks of freedom because its all over for you pal – you dumb person.
Joe,
you mention maryann mungo being involved with the Fratto”s how did this come about?I know they both live in Darien, but you also state she does not like them???And again why is she exposing her children to such criminals?
Dear Just,
Mary Ann loves criminals. She was most attracted to Jerry when he was on his way to prison several years ago. Now that many years have passed with Jerry staying out of trouble, we know Jerry is reformed, perhaps this is what is truly disappointing to her. All I can say is that Mary Ann is by far the craziest woman that I have ever met.
Mary Ann met Rudy nearly 10-years ago thru another gangster, Michael Magnafichi.
I have no idea why Mary Ann exposes her minor children to gangsters? In my opinion it makes her one of the most unfit mothers that I know.
Thanks for clarifying that but from the Jerry navarro story it seems she is still attracted to him, prison or not.Didnt you state she was driving past his house and almost got caught.. stalking.Wonder why she has not done that to any of the men in her life? Do you know why?
Joe ,
I said it before and I will say it again Carl has a face for radio that picture in the times can scare a starving pit bull of a meat wagon
Dear Tom,
I agree with you about Carl’s looks. Carl has a face that would scare a gay man straight.
It is nice to see that Steve Warmbir is taking Dote’s unethical dealings seriously. I would assume his piece in today’s paper is a stepping-stone for another piece on Dote’s ties to Des Plaines.
I do not think Des Plaines should host the casino because of their ties to the Outfit thru Dote.
after fratto’s last indictment and sentencing, you had a lot of information about his dwindling status within the organization. such as, no nose wanted him deader than he wanted you.
has there been any new chatter in response to fratto’s troubles? it would be interesting to know the outfit’s response to the idea that fratto went ahead and advertised his membership with the mob, and that he suggested that he had influence with cleveland, oh.
Dear Penguin,
One of my sources told me that John DiFronzo cannot be more outraged with Fratto. However, at the same time he is most likely very relieved that he is not the focus of Rudy’s problems (for now).
Several years ago I tried telling DiFronzo all of the things Rudy was doing, in addition to victimizing me (with DiFrono’s support), and DiFronzo did not want to hear about it. He should have listened to me the first time I tried telling him.
Is there a Cleveland guy named Russell Papalardo who may be involved in this?
I think the fact that Lawyer Cerone (a non-mobster) and Fratto were able to convince Cleveland that they were #’s 1 and 2 in Chicago shows how insignificant the Cleveland mob is. If I’m not mistaken, it was declared inactive by the FBI in the late 1990’s. Maybe this also shows how disconnected the various LCN groups from each other nowadays.
Dote, Fratto, DiFronzo, Sarno, Magnafichi and Scavo are men of honor.
how much of what james wagner said during the family secrets trial do you believe? he said that the trial didn’t cripple the outfit because of the younger generation of wanna-be’s who are always chomping at always the bit. wagner thinks the outfit is as strong as ever, with or without the old-timers.
Dear Never,
I will double check what I know about a Russell Papalardo and get back to you in a little while.
I agree with you, this entire matter should be extremely embarrassing for Cleveland.
I remember like it was yesterday when Michael Magnafichi and I would have dinner with Jack and the Cleveland guys. After dinner Michael and I would meet for a drink and laugh all night at how stupid everyone from the Cleveland Outfit is. Michael always said, “I want no part of what Jackie is doing, because if Johnny ever finds out it wont be good.”
Jackie’s foolish actions gave Willie Messino something to laugh about when he was living out his last days. Every time I gave Willie a report on Jackie’s Cleveland capers, Willie would just shake his head and say, “that guy (Jackie) really is crazy.”
After Micheal disassociated with Jack (over Jack’s Cleveland scam), Jackie pulled Rudy in to it. Such a scam was exactly what Rudy was looking for.
Dear Merlot,
I think James Wagner is right about the Outfit surviving for years to come because of wannabes. However, I strongly disagree that it is as strong as ever. It has a fraction of the strength it once had, in my opinion.
Does someone want to explain to me why a lawyer would want to be a gangster? Why would someone who is from a wealthy family to begin with, and who works in a field where there is the potential to earn millions, legitimately, aspire to be something criminal?
It sounds like you spent a lot of time with Mr. Cerone, so I’m sure he has probably explained this or confided in you.
Dear Emma,
Cerone never explained his motives behind his desire to be a gangster because he thought I was under the impression that he was a gangster. However, I was aware of his sincere interest in being like his dad. He used to tell me that he was his dads real underboss. That his father solicited advice from him on every major Outfit decision that he made (if true, that would mean the lawyer made the decision with his father and Aiuppa to murder the Spilotro’s).
Cerone used to hint that Allen Dorfman’s demise was caused by him – he persuaded his father to give the order to knock down Dorfman.
Cerone used to take his cell phone out of his pocket and call Tony Accardo, Jr, while seated with several people at a dinner table to put on a show for everyone, allowing us to listen to him talk to Tony.
Every Christmas season he hosted a lunch for the old-timers. Guys like Messino, Caifano, Pilotto, Milk-wagon Joe and several other would attend (he hosted these parties up until recently – I attended several of them). The lawyer wanted to be an Outfit guy more than anything. He asked Johnny DiFronzo if he could be made in the late 1980’s, after his dad went to prison. DiFronzo thought he was being silly. He was not made.
Michael Magnafichi always regretted that DiFronzo did not charge Jackie 1-million dollars to ‘make’ him. He would have paid for it.
Jack is not alone with this sickness. Many rich and/or legitimate men would pay to be a ‘made’ member of the Outfit. I believe the following people would pay to be ‘made’: Sam Zitella, Jimmy DeLeo, Judge Casciato, Melrose Park Mayor Ronald Serpico, former Melrose Park Police Chief Vito Scavo, late Fr. Lawrence Cozzi, the list could go on and on.
Is Sam Zitella the same one that owns a real estate office on harlem avenue?
Dear Joe,
Do you agree with the person namedd “Large Fellow” that these people are honorable men. What I mean is, do you feel that there is any honor behind this organization?
Dear Just,
Yes, same Sam.
Dear Quebert,
If there is honor in the Outfit, I have not seen it.
Joe,
Did you ever meet the Spilotro brothers? If so, what was your impression?
Dear Emma,
I would also add Mary Ann Mungo to the list of people that I think would pay to be ‘made’.
Ann,
for the last comment i believe mary ann mungo has already been laid by paid by many a men.
Joe,
i meant to say been laid and paid by many a men
Dear Bobby,
Please refrain from making such remarks about people on this thread.
Attention viewers, please note that the two previous comments posted by ‘Bobby’ are merely allegations.
Thank you.
Dear Nick,
I have met one of the Spilotro brothers. In my opinion, he was quick to trust a dishonest person by the name of Greg. The Greg I am referring to is a confidence man. I am sorry, however, I have nothing further to say on the subject. Thank you.
Dear Joe,
What about state rep Skip Saviano? Would he be on your pay to play list?
Furthermore, do you think that the people on your list would rather pay versus earn ‘made’ status because it would mean a lot less headaches for them in terms of not having to scheme and break laws etc.
Moreover, would you say that these same people would like to become made members of the outfit because it would mean more power for them in whatever their life endeavors are?
Did you ever aspire to become a made member back when you dabbled in ‘mob life’ (No offense, I just didn’t know any other way to phrase it).
Lastly, do you think that the rumored forthcoming ‘tsunami’ of indictments for the outfit has any truth behind it?
Dear Joe,
I was watching a clip on the internet that featured Dote and his wife talking about their restaurant. It seems like he has left ‘the life’ behind. In other words, he appears to be no longer active, just like a lot of the guys that are talked about on this site.
It seems like the outfit was active as recently as the late 90’s. That is pretty amazing, at least from my perspective because when I think of the mob, I think of the 20’s and 30’s with guys like Al Capone but it’s pretty amazing that it was still strong all the way up until the late 90’s.
Anyway, it just seems like nobody is active anymore. Do you think that anyone is active these days or is it just a bunch of guys (like Dote) who have gotton older and left ‘the life’ behind them.
Dear Skinny,
I am not sure Skip Saviano would want to be a ‘made’ guy (despite how impressed he is with gangsters – I think Skip likes being a politician). I would bet his brother Nick would like to be ‘made’ because he collaborated with Willie Messino in a café in Elmwood Park over 10-years ago (Willie was a silent partner). Why would Nick enter in a business partnership with someone like Willie Messino if he did not have an interest in being a gangster? In fact, Nick’s previous partner was mike Spano – go figure. Lol
I think the people on my list would do just about anything to be ‘made’. Actually, I forgot to indicate the one person that I believe wants to be ‘made’ very much, Dr. Joseph L. Giacchino, Jr, MD.
The Chicago Outfit never sold its membership. However, it is said that various New York families have done so.
When I was a teenager thru my early 20’s I imagined how it would be if I were a ‘made’ outfit member and I found the idea of it interesting. Not because I might have had to kill people but because of the respect that ‘made’ guys receive from important and famous people. I always had enough sense to know I would never be ‘made’. Today, I look back at my younger years (wasted years – so sad) and ask, ‘what was I thinking’?
Regarding your question about the ‘tsunami’, yes, I believe something big will come (at least bigger than the stupid charges Rudy keeps being hit with). They apparently want Rudy very much. I do not see the charges he has already faced as the final blow. I think the government is saving the best for last. Remember, Rudy is a killer.
Dear Anonymous,
Look, what appears to be might not be so – who can say for sure that Carl has left his old life? Who can say that he will not rejoin his old life, if the money is right? Carl’s brother is with Marco almost every day. Go to the Moose Head Lodge in River grove, Illinois and see for yourself. Because of Chuck Goudie, we know Marco has pizza parties with Johnny DiFronzo. Carl Dote, thru his wife, is doing business in Des Plaines, Illinois. The mayor of Des Plaines seems to be aware of the loophole that convicted felons/gangsters use by naming their wives or children on liquor licenses in order to cheat the system. It is worse that the Des Plaines mayor seems to not mind such a loophole. Therefore, Des Plaines is clearly not suitable to host a major gaming enterprise (not while Moylan and Dote are doing business in Des Plaines – and Police Chief Prandini for that matter). If the Illinois gaming commission is going to be nearly as through as they were in Rosemont, expect that Des Plaines will not host the casino. The Dote’s, Marco and DiFronzo, coupled with Mayor Moylan’s verified willingness to allow the Dote’s to use a loophole to acquire something that should be out of reach for them is the reason Des Plaines is not the right town to host major gaming. If Governor Quinn and his Gaming Commission do not see it the way I have explained it – they should be investigated.
If you are suggesting the Outfit is inactive, you are being silly.
I believe there are many active gagsters in Chicago today and affiliates. I believe Tony Dote is active today in illegal gaming thru the Outfit.
Lawyer Cerone was Lackey Cerone’s real underboss?
I thought that most Chicago gangsters forbid their sons from entering the rackets. I wonder what DiFronzo would think if he found out that Lawyer Cerone was telling people that.
Do you agree with the FBI that Rudy Fratto is one of the top five most powerful mob figures in Chicago?
Dear Emma,
DiFronzo would probably laugh. You have to understand, I was in my 20’s when most of my experiences occurred. If Cerone told me the things he told me today, I would laugh at him.
Any word on Russell Papalardo? Was he one of the Cleveland, OH made guys who are tangled up in the Fratto mess? Supposedly, Papalardo and a guy name Iacobacci run the Cleveland Outfit.
Dear Never,
I do not recall any involvement of an Iacobacci. However, I believe Russ Papalardo is relevant. I will be more detailed and accurate after I speak to a source very soon. My independent memory of the events (from 2000-2003 or 2004) is somewhat limited, regarding the Cleveland portion.
Does the Outfit — under it’s true leadership (DiFronzo, Marcello, Andriacchi, Lombardo)– ever engage in business dealings with other Midwestern Outfits? Or did this Cerone and Rudy Fratto pretend to be Outfit leaders because the Cleveland mob is generally unaware of who the Oufit’s real leaders are because there is no mob network these days?
When you and Michael (and Cerone) hung out with the Cleveland people, who made the introduction? And why didn’t Michael speak up when Cerone was pretending to be the boss?
Dear Metro,
I have no idea how often or to what degree the real Chicago Outfit bosses engage in business dealings with other Midwestern Outfits. My guess would be (since the time DiFronzo became last Mohican), almost never.
In my opinion, both confidence artists, Rudy Fratto and Jack P. Cerone, used both Chicago and Cleveland Outfits as unsuspecting shills to satisfy their greed. I believe both men took advantage of the communication breakdown between the two different Outfits. I am afraid to know for sure if Fratto and Cerone used me (or Michael) as unsuspecting shills at some point early on in the fraud. Obviously Billy Degironemo (and the trade show corporations that falsely verified that he was an expert in the field of forklifts) served Fratto and Cerone as shills with the intent to do so.
I am not exactly sure if the Cleveland Outfit played along in the fraud unknowingly or with intent. I would guess they unknowingly engaged the fraud as shills based on their foolish decision to think that Cerone was what he claimed to be.
Cerone always introduced the Cleveland Outfit guys to Michael and me. Michael had more exposure to them than I did. However, I do not believe that Michael engaged in Fratto and Cerone’s fraud with the Cleveland guys, nor did I (I definitely did not). As to the reason Michael did not speak up when Cerone was pretending to be boss – I am not sure. If I had to guess, Michael may have been nervous about the idea of creating a situation that could drag DiFronzo and/or Andriacchi in to clarify things, which could have put Michael in a dangerous position not being able to predict what they would do about it. Michael was under the advice of Andriacchi to stay away from Cerone. Obviously, Michael ignored Andriacchi’s advice. At this stage it does not matter a whole lot if Andriacchi knows that Michael ignored his orders nearly 10-years ago. Rumor has it that Andriacchi is very sick.
For those of you that cannot figure out why a rich lawyer would get involved in such a smalltime but high risk situation like the one we are discussing, take a few minutes to think about the wealthy people that chose to risk their lives (in some cases loose their lives) flying around the world in a hot air balloon. In other words, some people are not happy unless they are doing crazy things. And in Jack’s case, he stood to make money (he is very greedy – look at how long he has been fighting his wife in divorce court over money she wants to give their children – almost 5 years and counting). There is no doubt in my mind that Jack had his hands in every players pocket (Fratto, Degironemo, Individual A and Cleveland) – strange how Jack is not under indictment, not even named.
Oop’s, in my previous comment, I incorrectly referred to Individual A as a shill. Individual A would be the ‘mark’, along with McCormick Place.
Dear Joe,
Thanks for addressing my question. One other thing: How did Cerone have Cleveland Outfit contacts to begin with? It would be interesting to know where else he has mob contacts. Also, I read some time ago that Cerone has a controlling interest in Iron City Brewing. Do expect there to be any wanna-be mafia shenanigans to emerge from that business situation?
Is that true? If so, what a shame. Iron City was a decent beer.
Joe,Tommy Thomas was the president of a union(Local 17 USWA) that I belonged to from 1993-2004 and Cerone was the chief attorney for our local. Those two men alone almost compleatly ruined our local by over billing us for years under Tommys control. During the end of Tommys term, he was near retirement and knew he would not be elected for another term, we were in serious contract negotiations with McCormick Place about overtime pay and work restrictions. During this time there were rumors that Cerone and Thomas took a large under the table payoff to give up half of our work and put restrictions on the overtime pay we recieved which accounted for most of the money we made. I myself, figured by giving away most of the work we controlled in the building and alot of our overtime that somebody had to gain or profit from it. I know just from reading articles on ktf that you were friends with Cerone around this time. Did he ever mention anything about this subject to you?
Dear Gallardo,
I am well informed on the matter you have mentioned. In my opinion Jack destroyed Tommy and nearly destroyed the union. I was with Jack and Tommy for dinner nearly 3-times a week during that time. Again, I am well informed on the matter. It is my understanding that Jack coerced Tommy in to everything that Tommy did. Actually, I always felt bad for Tommy because of what Jack did to him.
Dear Joe,
Who, in your opinion, would you say the administration is for the outfit? I read somewhere online that it was recently as follows:
1. Boss: J. DiFronzo
2. Underboss: J. Andriacchi
3. Consigliere: A. Tornabene
Please respond with your top 3 list of who the current regime is and who the next regime could be.
Thanks in advance.
P.S. Do you think it might look like this:
1. Boss: P. DiFronzo
2. Underboss: J. Matassa
3. Consigliere: M. D’Amico
Dear Sam,
Until John and Joe’s death, they will remain the most respected by everyone as if they are the current day-to-day leaders.
Tornabene is dead.
D’Amico is considered an extension of DiFronzo (underling).
Matassa is simply a ‘made’ mistake, like Rudy.
I would say todays top two ‘fall-guys’ are as follows:
1) Mike Sarno
2) Solly C.
joe,
it sounds to me like being ‘made’ is a popularity contest or something. it doesn’t really seem to mean anything.
when angelo & jimmy lapietra sponsored the calabrese brothers to be made, nick & frank were told that being ‘made’ means receiving slightly more protection–but not much. nick supposedly never earned more than 40K a year working under his brother. that’s what being ‘made’ got him!
some ‘made’ guys (like fratto) are broke and are not even really all that respected by other gangsters. some gangsters who aren’t made (like marco) seem to have higher stature than guys who are.
is it like giving a gold star or cookie for insecure gangsters who need special treatment or to have their egos stroked?
who was made when Large opened the books last year?
Large ‘made’ a number of his guys in recent times. I am sorry to say that I am not entirely aware of their identities. His crew is an interesting mix of people. Because the process of being ‘made’ is essentially a joke (especially these days), I am not very interested in who Sarno has ‘made’.
do you agree with my characterization of being ‘made’ as ego-stroking gold star for gangsters who need to feel special?
i’m thinking that at the end of the day a poor and unpopular mobster like fratto thinks to himself, “well, at least i’m made.” while guys like marco or casey szaflarski don’t enjoy the honor of being patted on the back with a ‘made’ button–instead, they enjoy being rich and/or respected.
Dear Santa,
I would agree with you. However, this has not always been the case. Being ‘made’ prior to 1990’s still meant something serious. I understand it has always been used in part to make its members feel special. Although most of the people ‘made’ prior to the 1990’s were in fact special, in their own Outfit way. Today its a total joke – in my opinion.
Santa, I agree with Joe Fosco, that certainly before the 1990’s & maybe to a lesser degree during the 1990’s, being ‘MADE’ meant a lot because IF you were capable of being a good earner, being made gave you the right to run a ‘frachise’ in partnership with your Capo and with that opportunity, you could make a lot of money. It also gave you the permission to extort money from any independant operators who were not ‘spoken for’ already. However, if someone is not ambitious or not a good entrepeneur, and doen’t want to be involved in killing someone, they’re better off remaining as a soldier and getting paid to work for the ‘made’ guy they’re with. Nick Calabrese made a lot more than $40,000 a year. He didn’t exactly work ‘for’ his brother, he was a fellow made man and a ‘partner’ with his brother in running their franchise which was part of the 26th street crew under LaPietra, their Capo. I don’t think being ‘made’ today means the same thing like it did previously. In this regard, would again agree with Joe Fosco.
joe,
is volpendesto (who is the 80 year old man who helped Lage bomb that berwyn business) ‘made’ ?
also, i’ve heard that there’s no ‘made’ guys down in chinatown anymore, ever since the calabrese brothers went away. i think i even read on here that despite popular belief, the caruso’s are not made members of the outfit. shorty lamantia wasn’t made. do you know the status of chinatown?
joe,
please don’t let the nick gio demands of other readers distract from these comments. please try not to forget my 12:03 p.m. questions.
I always thought very highly of Tommy it was him that put me in the position I was in back then. I was very young and was making very good money for doing almost nothing. Im sure you know what Im talking about the work we controlled at that time was easy work most of the time all I had to do was show up. After Tommy retired as you know our local was nearly destroyed and I lost all respect for him. Not really knowing Cerone I saw Tommy as a leader and it never crossed my mind that he was controlled by the lawyer we paid or really over paid for years. The more I think about it the more Im starting to feel bad for Tommy. So in your opinion it was all Cerone that made out on those negotions?
Dear Santa,
I am sorry, I do not know if Volpendesto is “made” or not. Its possible. One of the Caruso’s could be “made,” although I doubt it.
What specific information do you want to know about Chinatown?
Dear Gallardo,
It is my understanding that Cerone controlled Tommy. I have no doubt that Cerone benefited in a number of ways from the negotiations. Tommy might have received a token of Jack’s appreciation in some form. Jackie really liked Tommy. Jack only likes people he can manipulate (in my opinion).
Do you know if Cleveland in 2010 has a active mafia family???? It seems from the Fratto indictment….Do you know how many made members has?????
Thanks for the possible reply
Dear Pablo,
In my opinion, based on my real life experiences, I would say ‘yes’, the Cleveland Outfit is still active today. Based on the exposure I had to the Cleveland Outfit, thru Jack P. Cerone, I would guess that Cleveland has roughly 15 made members that are still active.
Mr. Fosco,
Do you think that the government is putting pressure on Rudy Fratto to get to John DiFronzo? In other words, they (the government) may not be able to convict DiFronzo without a good snitch, that’s were Fratto comes in. Does Fratto have the backbone to do serious prison time?
Dominick asks a good questions. A guy could get 20-years for wire fraud, and to a 60-something year old man, that could be a life sentence.
Also, did your source give you any information on Russell Papalardo? Is he the current boss of Cleveland?
joe,
you have mentioned armando jr. (your brother?) before on here and that your relationship with him and certain other relatives has becomed strained. do they have any associations with the outfit? who are you referring to when you write about your “family” who has been good to you while you’ve been disenfranchised by the mob? just curious.
also, what was it that difronzo said about lee magnafichi that pissed michael offso much? if john and lee were so close, why would michael have been so bothered by the comment?
also,
also, do you suspect that there has been any outfit murders recently besides zizzo, chiaramonti, lavalley, or lacoco?
Dear Dominick,
I cannot say for sure if the government is applying pressure on Fratto to reach DiFronzo. However, I am willing to bet that Fratto does not hold up and tries to deliver anyone he can in an attempt to get out of his predicament. I will never forget the weak man that I saw at his sentencing hearing. He was so pitiful looking, I almost felt bad for him.
I have often asked some of his family members (who will remain nameless) if Rudy was adopted. One, he is ugly, and every Fratto I met looks good. And, Rudy’s uncles were real men – Rudy cannot be related to them by blood.
Dear Never,
My source remembers Russ. It is unclear to us if Russ is the current boss, the boss of bosses or an area-boss. Sorry.
Dear Hershey,
My brother Armando Jr does not have any affiliation with the Outfit – not since the death of our father and Uncle Jack “Romie” Nappi (my brothers affiliation with them was his only affiliation with the Outfit). However, my brother is very close to Rudy Fratto’s brother Bobby. I do not constitute that as an affiliation with the Outfit.
My relationship with my brother is compromised. It has been unstable since my fathers passing in 1987. We have a number of issues that are difficult to deal with.
None of my living relatives has any affiliation with the Outfit.
I am sorry; I wish not to publicize which family members of mine have helped me deal with my predicament with the Outfit.
Johnny DiFronzo paid an insult to Lee after his death in front of Michael. I wish not to exploit the actual words used. Lee was closer to Joe Andriacchi than he was to Johnny DiFronzo.
I do not believe there has been additional Outfit murders than the ones you have mentioned. Please let me know if I am forgetting something.
In my opinion I think Difronzo himself is an secret fbi informent how else can such a high profile outfit member avoid indictment after indictment. Do you think this is possible? I mean how else can a man of his stature remain free to operate and make millions legally or not? The government love going after men like this. How else can he avoid the wrath of the government because if they want you they find a way to get you, regardless of the charges they always get their man. What do you think about this Joe?
Dear Gallardo,
I had your thoughts in mind when I wrote the following piece:
http://www.ktfmediagroup.com/home/2009/11/07/unlike-hannibal-lecter-chicago-mob-boss-john-difronzo-doesnt-have-to-hide/
Dear Gallardo,
Many have thought the same thing about Tony Accardo, its just not true.
Dear Six,
It probably is not true. However, it might be true.
Dear Joe,
First of all I enjoy your blog a lot and read here often. With that being said, I choose not to believe such empty claims with no good or solid evidence to back it up. Like I said there were people saying the same thing about Accardo. If we are going to throw around such beliefs or claims as the one up top, where will it end? All your really doing (and I hate to say this) is feeding or spreading a rumor thats basically what it boils down to. Don’t get me wrong I don’t think he’s a good man or anything close to it. And I hope the feds lock him up for good, but I rather choose to base my beliefs on facts and not rumors. Have a good one
BTW keep up the good work Joe.
Dear Six,
I agree with you – perpetuating rumors is not good. However, I do not believe that I am guilty of it. I merely raise questions and make points. I might suggest that it is possible, however, I never say with certainty that DiFronzo is a government informant. Is there anything wrong with throwing out some possibilities in an attempt to start a conversation on a matter?
Thank you for your feedback – please keep it coming!
Being a novice to all this, where does DiFronzo live if he’s hanging out at the Loon Cafe?
Dear Joe,
Let me start by asking you a few questions. Would you suggest that Accardo was a CI? If yes why? If no whats the difference from his situation and DiFronzo? I do not believe ether one of them were and are CI’s, simply because there is absolutely zero evidence to prove it. Especially Accardo, he has been dead almost two decades now I believe. If he was the feds would have released that info by now, no way they would have been able to with hold such info this long. Example Scrapa in N.Y. and Whitey in Boston. And if there is any city where one could pull off what Accardo did (which by the way was simply amazing to say the lest) and what DiFronzo is doing, Chicago would be the place. I wouldn’t be surprised if Chicago was the most corrupted city in the U.S., if not they are pretty darn close.
BTW to answer your question, no there is nothing wrong in throwing things out to strike up conversations. But I think we should be very careful in repeating it over and over to where it becomes the “truth” if you know what I mean. Especially here on the internet where fiction becomes fact quite often.
Dear Yo,
The answer to your question is in the following article:
http://www.ktfmediagroup.com/home/2010/01/04/gacy-dahmer-and-difronzo-%e2%80%93-which-serial-killer-had-a-senator-in-his-pocket/
Dear Six,
Thank you for your continued feedback.
I do not believe that Accardo was a CI. However, I know some people that believe he was a CI.
As for DiFrionzo, I truly have no idea if he has played in the double-agent arena or not. If I had to bet on it, I would say DiFronzo is not a double agent. However, I would not bet a great deal on it.
Dear Joe,
Is there a personal e-mail I can reach you at?
My personal email is jfosco@ktfmediagroup.com.
Dear Joe,
Who is the new #3 (consigliere) for the outfit since the passing of ‘pizza al’?
I think that you previously stated that #’s 1 and 2 are ‘no nose’ and ‘the builder’ respectively.
Any idea?
joe,
i love on this blog where you get these troublemakers who push you a little too far and then you nail ’em up the ass with one of your comebacks or unknown knowledge. keep it coming!!
i have a question about fratto’s (according to you) bomb making and bomb wiring skills. do you think he had anything to do with blowing up the front of mario rainone’s mom’s house, when the outfit found out mario was cooperating? as i recall, part of the reason rainone beefed was that he thought fratto was out to kill him.
do you know of any other bombings fratto might have done?
Dear Short,
Mike Sarno would be #3, but he appears as #1, because DiFronzo and Andriacchi are so far underground.
Dear Marshall,
I believe Fratto arranged for the bomb to blow up the front porch of house belonging to Rainone’s mother.
I will get back to you on your final question, as I wish to check on something first. Thanks.
joe,
the bombing thing is very interesting. any more info along those lines would be worth putting on here.
do you know if jimmy marcello was ever any higher than #3, and does he know difronzo and andriacchi personally?
this is a little off topic, but i’m also wondering if you think mr. jingledonkey is “made” ?
(in case you didn’t know, mr. jingledonkey lit up a bunch of these threads with some interesting comments and said he was contacting steve warmbir (suntimes) about his outfit blog.)
The Outfit in Chicago doesn’t exist anymore as one powerful unit. Of course Marcello knows DiFronzo & Andriacchi. Marcello & Sarno were the Top Bosses of the blue collar Mafia group in Chicago. DiFronzo & Andriacchi are the two Top Bosses of the white collar Mafia group in Chicago.