Meeting Nick Calabrese: Good Instincts or Naive?

Friends of ours: Nick Calabrese

Received an email from a reader who shared his own personal opinion and experiences with running into Nick Calabrese around his neighborhood in Chicago. Nick is currently in the Federal Witness Protection Program and expected to be a key witness U.S. Attorney in their Operation Family Secrets trial later this summer.

I used to go into a cafe on Cumberland just north or Lawrence several years back called Il Cafe'. I was in there one day with one of my friends and their was this large older man about 6'2 or so with salt and pepper hair and beedy eyes. He was "cut up" as in lean and muscular. I said to my buddy Brian "that guys in the mob." My friend Brian laughed at me and said "that's Nicole's father." I guess Nicole was some girl he knew. Brian said "he was in jail with those kind of guys but he's not in the mob."

Another time I was in Il Cafe' and the gentleman came in again. I was standing at the counter drinking an espresso. The gentleman was talking to the girl about a squirmish that had taken place the night before in which he pulled a gun out to scare off some punks, as the girl had stated. She said "Nick you had a gun I saw it." He said "maybe you thought you saw and gun but you didn't and that's what you should tell the police." She said "but Nick you did have a gun." Nick then left the cafe. I told the girl "you know that guys a mobster." "Don't you understand what he's trying to tell you?" She laughed at me and said I was "crazy" "Nick's not in the mob." I couldn't believe her stupidity.

The last time I saw Nick I was standing again at the counter drinking an espresso and he came in and starting teasing the girl behind the counter. He then looked at me and said "is this your girlfriend?" To which I replied "no." He then asked "do you speak Italian?" To which I answered "no." and he ignored me after that.

I can tell you that this man gave me chills. He didn't dress flashy or stick out. He would always wear Levi's a t-shirt and slip ons with no socks. But when you looked at him you knew he was tough and commanded respect without acting like a tough guy. His eyes were very small and dark you couldn't even see the whites of them.

It was until a year or two after this I seen an article in the Sun Times with an old picture of him and about "operation family secrets."

Either I have good instincts or people are really naive, LOL.

The Chicago Outfit is the Smartest Mob in the Country

In an exclusive interview with Sean Chercover, Cameron Hughes touched on a number of topics including the mob in Chicago. Of particular interest, is Chercover's view of the past and current condition of the Chicago Mob.

Sean Chercover's first novel, Big City, Bad Blood, was a surprising debut. Just when I thought the Private Investigator sub-genre was on life support, along came this gritty, realistic story. Sean Chercover used his real experiences as a PI to make his writing better and I got a kick out of it. He knows and loves the genre well and had some interesting things to say about cliches, character development, and more.

CHUD: Obviously Chicago is famous for the Mafia, but ever since the RICO Act, is it still a noticeable presence there, or is it just amped up in the book to give it more color?

SC: Organized crime is alive and well and still extremely powerful in Chicago. Extremely. The Chicago Outfit was (and is) the smartest mob in the country. First, they're the only mob that stayed true to the "no narcotics" rule. Second, they divested themselves of street-level prostitution over the last 20 years or so. And third, they've made huge investments in legitimate "upperworld" industries.

Staying out of narcotics and getting out of street-level prostitution (they still run the high-end sex trade, mind you) has had two major consequences. First, it takes the heat off, because drug dealers and prostitutes on the streets are the things that the civilians get riled up about. Second, it has made the black and latino street gangs very, very powerful, because they run the narcotics and street prostitution. Consequently, the cops focus mostly on the street gangs, because that's what the civilians are upset about.

Anyway, the mob in Chicago showed a great deal of discipline by not getting into narcotics and by getting out of street prostitution, and it has allowed them to stay clear of a lot of police attention that would otherwise be directed at them. The other thing - investing heavily in legitimate businesses - has given them the stature to buy their way into positions of political power. They own way more than you might suspect, and they use the legitimacy as a front, to funnel money where it can buy influence. Unions, politics, and so on.

Anyone who thinks that the Outfit is ancient history should read the books by investigative reporter Gus Russo. Start with The Outfit. Great overview. And everyone with an interest in current organized crime and how it corrupts the political process should visit the website The Illinois Police and Sheriff's News. An incredible resource. I go there regularly.

Cosa Nostra is Alive and Well in New York

Friends of ours: Danny "The Lion" Leo, Vito Genovese, Genovese Crime Family, Vincent "the Chin" Gigante, "Fat Charlie" Salzano

New Yorkers have been given a rude awakening to the continued presence of the Mafia in their midst with the arrest of Danny "the Lion" Leo, the reputed boss of the city's most powerful crime family.

Many had assumed the tide of prosperity pouring through New York had washed away the Mafia clans who once terrorised their city. Instead, it appears the mafia is very much alive.

Prosecutors say that Leo, 65, arrested on charges of loan sharking and extortion, is head of the powerful Genovese family, one of the so-called "five families" that ruled the Mafia in New York for half a century. "Two hundred or so members of this violent, ruthless criminal organisation can only commit acts of violence with the approval of the acting boss," said Eric Snyder, the assistant US attorney. "That's the type of power he holds."

Leo's indictment reads like pages from Mario Puzo's bestseller The Godfather. There are "soldiers", the hit men, "capos" or captains, and defendants with colourful nicknames. Prosecutors claim that Leo's right-hand man is "Fat Charlie" Salzano, a 26½ stone enforcer caught on wiretaps threatening to shoot his victims.

Leo has been charged with conspiring to demand $250,000 protection from a Harlem taxi company owner, with Salzano promising in the wiretap evidence that he will "turn you out" if the money is not paid.

Leo, who lives in a mansion in New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York, insists he is innocent, pleading not guilty to all charges.

His supporters point to his almost unblemished criminal record: he has a single conviction, 25 years ago, for contempt of court when he refused to testify in a murder trial. But prosecutors say he is proof of the continuing existence, and prosperity, of arguably the biggest and most successful criminal organisation in history - the infamous five families.

They were first revealed to the world in evidence in a 1959 investigation. The five families had been set up before the Second World War as an arrangement whereby the city's crime gangs attempted to rationalise their organisations. Killings of justice officials were banned, a "commission" set up to regulate disputes, and the omerta, the Sicilian vow of silence, was cemented in place with a promise of execution against any member breaking it.

The Genovese family, named after its founder, Vito Genovese, was arguably the most powerful, smashing its way to the top by bringing mass heroin smuggling to the United States.

Leo is accused of taking the mantle of leader from the former Genovese boss Vincent "the Chin" Gigante. When Gigante died in prison two years ago many assumed that his "family" - actually a grouping of several families - would plough their money into legal enterprises and leave the gangster life to the newer, hungrier, gangs from Russia and Central America.

Leo's arrest comes a fortnight after the justice department announced a separate trial of two men accused of being from the same crime family, charged with conspiracy to murder. And New Yorkers are waiting to see if it will mark the start of a new campaign by the authorities against organised crime.

Mr Synder insists that the Mafia remains potent and that the trial will expose the hold that criminal gangs have in the US.

Thanks to Chris Stephen

America's Most Wanted on The Chicago Syndicate

America's Most Wanted and The Chicago Syndicate have partnered to highlight AMW's upcoming Episode.

Omar Mora is our lead story right now. Mora is an Indiana man who police say opened fire on his wife and another man in a deadly love triangle. According to cops, Mora should be considered armed and very dangerous.

Additional features include:

Jose Garcia: Kentucky police say that Jose “Joey” Garcia brutally attacked and raped a co-worker in 2004. A matching DNA test came back linking Garcia to the crime, but he went into hiding before police could get to him.

Alexis Flores: Flores had been convicted of felonies before, but now police suspect that he is responsible for the horrifying murder of 5-year-old Ariana DeJesus in 2000. The identity of Ariana’s killer was a mystery to investigators until 2007 when the FBI in Philadelphia got a break when DNA from the crime scene matched that of DeJesus.

Midtown Jane Doe: When construction workers started working to renovate a Manhattan apartment building once known for attracting prostitutes and pimps, they dug up something horrifying—the skeleton of a young woman. Investigators are now piecing together clues in hopes to figure out who she was, and who might’ve killed her.

Shane Magan: Magan is a young man from California with a troubled past. As a child, he was placed in a foster home after his mother abandoned him. Now, what was bad has only gotten worse. Cops say Magan’s on the run after shooting a cop.

Unknown Chris Mader Update: Chris Mader was a 24-year-old Maryland man with big dreams of becoming a sports broadcaster. But then, on Thanksgiving morning in 2004, Mader was tragically shot and killed by an unknown assailant. Police are hoping a new sketch will give them what they need to get closure for Chris’ family.

US Marshall Tells US Attorney and FBI He F@#%ed Up

Friends of ours: Nick Calabrese
Friends of mine: John Ambrose

As soon as the high-ranking deputy U.S. marshal sat down with U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and FBI Chicago chief Robert Grant, he knew he was in trouble, federal documents allege.

"I fucked up," John Ambrose reportedly told both officials as they questioned him about whether he leaked sensitive information.

Ambrose, a member of the regional fugitive task force who also did a brief stint in witness protection, is charged with passing government material about protected mob witness Nick Calabrese to a third party. That information made its way to the mob, federal authorities contend.

Calabrese is a major government witness in the upcoming Operation Family Secrets mob trial. Ambrose was stripped of his duties last year and charged in January.

The allegations were taken so seriously that Grant and Fitzgerald took the rare move of sitting down with Ambrose last September. Prosecutors say they told him he faced criminal charges and risked losing his job -- but they contend they also told him he wasn't under arrest. If he were in custody, a Miranda warning would have been required. Federal prosecutors say Ambrose never asked for a lawyer and was free to leave whenever he pleased. "Mr Ambrose at times appeared anxious while reviewing some of the evidence against him," Grant said in a court affidavit filed Tuesday. "Mr. Ambrose on a number of occasions shook his head and repeated that he had fucked up."

Their contentions come in response to a filing last month in which Ambrose claimed that he was pressured into giving incriminating statements. "The pressure was so extreme that my body was shaking and my mind was racing," Ambrose said in court papers.

Ambrose's filing says he believed he was in custody. He is trying to get his statements tossed.

Thanks to Natasha Korecki

Criminal Defense Attorney Compares Mob Work to Grocery Stocker

Friends of ours: James Marcello, Frank Calabrese Sr.,

Is working for a mob street crew like working for a corporate subsidiary -- or like working in a produce section?

Those analogies arose Tuesday as attorneys for two top mobsters, James Marcello and Frank Calabrese Sr., tried to get federal appellate justices to dismiss racketeering charges against the men.

Calabrese Sr.'s attorney, Joseph Lopez, argued it's unfair for the men to be charged with racketeering for being part of the Outfit now when they were charged years ago with the same crime for being part of mob street crews.

Federal prosecutor Mitch Mars said there's little overlap in the new and old cases.

While one appellate judge noted prosecutors can indict subsidiaries and then their parent corporations, Lopez compared mob employment with working for a grocery store -- whether you unload tomatoes or flowers, you're still working for the store.

Thanks to Steve Warmbir

The Sopranos Sparks Interest in World of Gangsters

So you've ordered HBO and watched the first shocking episodes of The Sopranos, but how much do you really know about the show? Wondering what management style Tony Soprano uses to be an effective leader? What the symbolism is of the ducks in his pool? And did you ever wonder how Carmela Soprano makes her baked ziti? Lake Park reference librarian Karen Mahnk discusses Soprano-related books to help you get wise to everything you ever wanted to know about America's favorite Italian family. Mahnk, who is Italian, says she's been hooked since the second episode.

Q. Have you seen an increase in circulation of books related to the show?

A. Somewhat. Actually, we've noticed an increase in circulation of gangster movies such as Goodfellas, Donnie Brasco and, of course, the Godfather trilogy as well as earlier seasons of The Sopranos.

Q. Soprano-related books seem to run the gamut of topics from cookbooks to Tony Soprano-style management guides. What books about the show are most popular?

A. Who's Sorry Now: The True Story of a Stand-Up Guy by actor Joe Pantoliano with David Evanier and Wise Girl: What I've Learned About Life, Love, and Loss by actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler are the more popular of the related biographies.

The cookbooks seem to be the most popular. After all, food is an underlying theme throughout the series. In fact great food is an underlying theme for most Italians. Many of the scenes take place in front of a butcher shop. A few scenes, including a few unsavory ones, take place inside as well.

Baked ziti is featured and mentioned many times, as well as capicolla (spicy ham) and cannoli a crème-filled crunchy dessert item. It's a guess that many non-Italian viewers may become curious about these foods they see on the series. Many Italian viewers such as myself just get hungry for childhood favorites.

The latest cookbook, Entertaining with the Sopranos by Allen Rucker, is perfect to refer to if there's something you've seen in the show and would like to try yourself. Another is The Sopranos Family Cookbook: As Compiled by Artie Bucco by Allen Rucker and Michele Scicolone.

Q. What are books about the show like? Do the focus on the plot or characters?

A. They range from a number of issues focusing in particular on the characters' place in the fictional family, such as the latest releases: Reading The Sopranos: Hit TV from HBO (Reading Contemporary Television); This Thing Of Ours: Investigating The Sopranos; The Sopranos: A Family History and Bright Lights, Baked Ziti: The Unofficial, Unauthorised Guide to the Sopranos.

Others zone in on the psychological aspects: The Sopranos on the Couch: The Ultimate Guide; The Psychology of the Sopranos: Love, Death, Desire and Betrayal in America's Favorite Gangster Family.

Another looks at leadership from a Soprano boss's point of view: Leadership Sopranos Style: How to Become a More Effective Boss and Tony Soprano on Management: Leadership Lessons Inspired By America's Favorite Mobster.

Q. What attracts you to the show? Do you have a favorite character?

A. As a psychology minor in college, I'm intrigued by the metaphors, such as what the ducks are supposed to represent to Tony as well as the hypocrisy of the characters. Even Dr. Melfi, his shrink, is not without her moments of denial. I also find the dialect of the Italian words used interesting as the pronunciation varies not just from which part of Italy it is actually spoken but how many Italian words transform even further in the U.S. depending on region, such as New Jersey, Staten Island or New Orleans.

Q. Why do you think people connect with this show?

A. People have always been fascinated by gangsters and bad guys. The mix of glitz and guns is a safe escape on the screen vs. real life. While there is always the controversy that violence may be glorified, on The Sopranos, it seems everybody sooner or later gets their "just desserts." Some scenes, such as Tony's pronunciation and relating of Sun Tzu and the Art of War, are funny. Tony Soprano's America: The Criminal Side of the American Dream presents an interesting review of the sort of duality the Sopranos live and the way morality and family values are portrayed.

Q. What books would you recommend about the real Mafia?

A. There are several books discussing not only the history of the Mafia in New York and Italy but also closer to home:

Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld by Scott M. Deitche, and Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires by Selwyn Raab. For a different perspective there's No Questions Asked: The Secret Life of Women in the Mob and On the Run: A Mafia Childhood by Gregg Hill. Hill, as many Goodfellas fans will recognize, is the son of real-life goodfella, Henry Hill. Also, I'd recommend American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power and Blood and Honor: Inside the Scarfo Mob, the Mafia's Most Violent Family by George Anastasia.

Q. Several groups have spoken out against The Sopranos, saying the show unfairly stereotypes Italians. Are there any books that expound on that?

A. There are several that do a very good job of covering the issue: Were You Always an Italian?: Ancestors and Other Icons of Italian America by Maria Laurino and La Storia: Five Centuries of the Italian American Experience by Jerre Mangione. Italian Pride: 101 Reasons to Be Proud You're Italian by Federico Moramarco is particularly a nice read since it includes those great Italian food dishes as many of those 101 reasons.

Second City Cop

I wanted to showcase a new site that I have added to my list of Friends of the Chicago Syndicate. Growing up in a cop family and still having many friends "on the job", I immediately appreciated Second City Cop.

For those with similar backgrounds, you will recognize the sarcasm and wit that fill most posts. The comments section are also filled with that same "cop attitude" and jargon. If you are not from the Windy City, this site will give you a great window into the men and women in blue's view on what makes Chicago the so called "City That Works".

More Information on Mob Driver and Hit Man Gerry Carusiello?

Friends of ours: Joey Aiuppa, Tony Accardo, Gerald Carusiello, John Borsellino

Recently, I have been emailing with one of my readers regarding Gerry Carusiello. The reader included a link from Alan May over at American Mafia. In particular, he wanted to know more about Carusiello who is mentioned in the following excerpt.

September 18, 1976 – Gerald Carusiello was found shot seven times in the back in an apartment development in Addison, Illinois. Carusiello had served as a driver for Chicago Outfit boss Joey Aiuppa. Carusiello was believed to have been one of the torture slayers involved in the execution of several burglars who had the temerity to rob the home of Anthony Accardo.

The only thing that I could add is that I do not believe that the date above is correct. My understanding is that Carusiello was found dead in 1979. Earlier that year, the body of John Borsellino was found in a farm field near the Will-Cook Border. Both Borsellino and Carusiello were believed to have worked together on the burglar executions. Outside of that, I am not aware of much more regarding Carusiello.

Can anybody add any new information on Carusiello? Feel free to drop me a line.

Operation Family Secrets Mob Murder Victims

I have been asked from time to time whether various individuals were among the 18 victims that were allegedly murdered by the defendants in the Operation Family Secrets indictments. Below you will find a list of the victims along with the dates of their respective murders.

Michael Albergo in Chicago in August 1970

Daniel Seifert in Bensenville on September 27, 1974

Paul Haggerty in Chicago on June 24, 1976

Henry Cosentino on March 15, 1977

John Mendell in Chicago on January 16, 1978

Donald Renno and Vincent Moretti in Cicero on January 31, 1978

William and Charlotte Dauber in Will County on July 2, 1980

William Petrocelli in Cicero on December 30, 1980

Michael Cagnoni in DuPage County on June 24, 1981

Nicholas D'Andrea in Chicago Heights on September 13, 1981

Richard D. Ortiz / Arthur Morawski in Cicero on July 23, 1983

Emil Vaci in Phoenix on June 7, 1986

Anthony and Michael Spilotro in DuPage Co. on June 14, 1986

John Fecarotta in Chicago on September 14, 1986

"Outfitician" to Testify at Family Secrets Chicago Mob Trial

Friends of ours: Joseph "The Clown" Lombardo, Jimmy Marcello, Frank "The German" Schweihs, Frank Calabrese Sr., Nick Calabrese, Tony Spilotro, Frank Cullota, Paul Schiro
Friends of mine: Michael Spilotro, William Hanhardt

Can you have a mob trial without a mobologist? But because this is Chicago, can you have an Outfit trial without an Outfitician?

No, according to U.S. District Judge James Zagel, who ruled Thursday that James Wagner, current president of the Chicago Crime Commission and former chief of the Chicago FBI's organized crime section, may testify for the prosecution in the historic Chicago Outfit case called "Family Secrets" expected this summer.

Wagner brings 30 years of expertise to what should be a sensational trial. He'll define Outfit terms such as "street tax" (what criminals pay the Outfit for operating licenses) and "juice" (high interest with severe penalties for late payments). Wagner will also provide an intelligence analysis of organized crime's command structure.

The case involves 18 previously unsolved killings, and it offers multiple defendants, including Joseph "The Clown" Lombardo, Jimmy Marcello, Frank "The German" Schweihs, and alleged Chinatown crew boss Frank Calabrese Sr. It will be prosecuted by several assistant U.S. attorneys led by organized-crime section chief Mitchell Mars.

"I watch 'The Sopranos,' " wisecracked a young criminal defense attorney in the hallway. "I could be an expert."

But Zagel didn't see it that way.

"The fact that a lot of stuff is on a television show does not give [jurors] enough information to make a decision," said Zagel, a former federal prosecutor. "This command and control structure is not often understood by any individual that is not in its highest rank."

Other prosecution witnesses understand the structure, but their testimony will be on the earthy side.

The star witness is Nicholas Calabrese -- the Outfit turncoat who is the key to "Family Secrets."

In 2003, I reported that Calabrese had slipped quietly into the federal witness protection program. That disappearance rattled the Outfit from top to bottom, because they knew what he knew and they were terrified. Calabrese, a confessed murderer, will be attacked by defense attorneys. His Chicago slang will typecast him, as certainly as the actor James Gandolfini has been typecast on HBO.

Another expected witness is Frank Cullotta, Outfit hit man, burglar and technical adviser on the movie "Casino ."

A few years ago, I interviewed Cullotta about former Chicago Police Chief of Detectives William Hanhardt, who was convicted of running an Outfit-sanctioned jewelry heist crew along with Outfit enforcer Paul Schiro, who is, coincidentally, also a defendant in "Family Secrets."

"Paulie [Schiro] was making pizzas when I met him," Cullotta said in that interview. "I took him out of the pizza shop and put him to work. We were sticking up bank messengers. That was big money."

Cullotta worked under Outfit middle-managers Tony and Michael Spilotro, whose highly publicized 1986 murders are also part of the trial.

Cullotta also testified against Tony Spilotro in a federal case in Las Vegas, but his testimony was undercut by none other than Hanhardt, who was portrayed as a bona fide Chicago police hero. The jury believed Hanhardt, not Cullotta, and jurors could not come to a verdict. Spilotro lawyer Oscar Goodman got a big payday, and he later became the mayor of Las Vegas for a happy ending.

And the Spilotros walked out of Vegas -- actually, they flew back to Chicago -- but there was no happy ending for them. Unlike the movie "Casino," they were lured to a suburban Chicago basement -- one theory is that they were lured there by Tony's sponsor, a little guy known as "The Saint." They were beaten to death and later dumped in an Indiana cornfield.

So you see how layered this is? Hanhardt just happens to testify. The Spilotros come marching home to the Saint. The connections are like ligaments, holding the muscle together. This is why Wagner's testimony is important.

Wagner held his own on the witness stand in Thursday's hearing before Judge Zagel.

Defense lawyer Thomas Breen, representing defendant James Marcello, asked Wagner if there was a decent Outfit reading list to be found. Wagner rattled off the titles to some books, which loyal readers have seen mentioned here previously.

" 'CAPTIVE CITY: Chicago in Chains.' by Ovid DeMaris," said Wagner, of the classic linking the Outfit to Chicago politics. He also mentioned non-fiction books by the late FBI supervisor William Roemer, but he disagreed with Roemer's contention that the late Outfit boss Anthony Accardo kept his soldiers away from narcotics trafficking.

Wagner also recommended the Gus Russo books, "The Outfit" and "Supermob: How Sidney Korshak and His Criminal Associates Became America's Hidden Powerbrokers." If you really want to enjoy this trial, you'll read the Russo books and "Captive City" for context.

"Have you read any books by Judge Zagel?" Breen asked as Zagel smiled. "No, I have not, sir," said Wagner.

Outside the courtroom, Lombardo defense attorney Rick Halprin wisecracked that "you can't have a mob case without a mobologist."

Or an Outfitician.

Thanks to John Kass

New York Biased Against Food Vendors with Reputed Mob Ties?

Friends of ours: John Cagginao

A produce vendor with reputed mob ties has sued city regulators who banned him from a public food market on grounds that he lacks good character.

John Caggiano, a two-time felon indicted last year on charges he helped run a gambling ring at the Hunt's Point Market, argues in a suit filed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan that the city had let his C&S Wholesale Produce Inc. operate for years despite knowledge of his prior convictions and alleged ties to organized crime.

A city lawyer, Gabe Taussig, said yesterday he is confident a judge would uphold the rejection.

According to a city Law Department spokeswoman, Connie Pankratz, 161 businesses are registered to operate in wholesale markets regulated by the city. Caggiano's registration is one of four applications the city has denied since 2002.

Thanks to The Sun

Undercover Cop Took Down the Mob by Fighting Fire with Fire

Thanks to the reader who directed me to this clip. It is certainly worth sharing with off my readers. This piece is part of the HBO Documentary, Confessions of an Undercover Cop, and various news clips. It tells the story of Mike Russell, subject of the movie script: "Fire With Fire" who was a leader of Newark's radical crime- fighting unit: "The Tactical Force" and later went Undercover to put away over fifty Mobsters.