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Oct. 20, 1997 CLUB FEDBy Jerry Capeci
Vaccarezza, whose restaurant was named in the same civil lawsuit as the Ravenite, left town four years ago and opened a restaurant in Miami. But these so-called wiseguys aren't too smart and hung on until the bitter end, and last week they were kicked out of thjeir beloved Little Italy social club where they've been holed up for 75 years and which may be worth up to $1 million. Nearly seven years after the FBI nabbed the Dapper Don at the Mulberry Street club, the U.S. Marshal service returned to officially "arrest" the building that houses the social club and an infamous apartment above. Armed with a warrant from the same judge who sent Gotti to prison for life, Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Lawrence Parker gave the club's hanger-ons 30 days to find new digs. The five-story brick building at 247 Mulberry St. was ordered "forfeited and condemned" because it was the hub of racketeering activity during Gotti's tenure as boss of the Gambino family. And from early reports, the building that housed America's most famous mob clubhouse is the hottest property in Little Italy. Neighborhood real estate brokers are dying for the chance to list the 247 Mulberry St. building with its 18 apartments and a two-room storefront that was also the headquarters of Gotti's mentor and former underboss, Aniello (Neil) Dellacroce.
Owned by Gambino mobster Joseph (Joe The Cat) LaForte, the feds moved to seize the building in January 1993, six months after Gotti went to prison. LaForte indicated he would fight the lawsuit, but never did, and two weeks ago, Brooklyn Federal Judge I. Leo Glasser forfeited the building. When Parker and seven other deputies arrived, the Ravenite was empty, so they slid a notice under the door and went through the building, telling the building's other tenants who were home that they had a new landlord - the U.S. government.
However, the apartment two flights above the Ravenite, the one the FBI bugged to overhear Gotti talking about whacking guys with top mobsters like Salvatore (Sammy Bull) Gravano will not be available for some time. Nettie Cirelli, widow of a former Gambino mobster who served as the club's caretaker in Dellacroce's day, still lives there. Mrs. Cirelli didn't understand why the government had taken over the building but she knew she wasn't moving. "Where could I go?" she asked. "I'm 84 years old. Who's going to give me an apartment?"
ASK ANDY
"The roots of the Outfit go back to around 1915 and Big Jim Colosimo," says Andy. "Colosimo was active in the First Ward district, influential with the local politicians who controlled the activities of the police force. He had gained this power by organizing some city workers and by paying bribes to run houses of prostitution. Unfortunately for Colosimo, this stature made him a ripe target for extortion that he did not have the muscle to ward off. "Colosimo turned to Johnny Torrio, a relative, who had learned the ways of the street in New York. Torrio quickly "organized" many of the Colosimo interests and saw the immense potential offered by the coming of Prohibition. However, it soon became clear to Torrio that Colosimo was not interested in expanding his organization. So as Prohibition was just beginning in 1920, Colosimo was gunned down in his own restaurant. "Like Colosimo, Torrio found himself in need of a reliable right hand. Once again, a Chicago gang leader turned to New York in the person of Al Capone. . Capone had been a lowly soldier in the New York Family of major mafia boss, Joe Masseria. Capone served under capo Frankie Yale and got Masseria's permission to move to the Windy City. After being seriously wounded in 1925 , Torrio stepped down and Capone took over. "It is well documented how violent Chicago became as the various gangs battled over bootleg booze. Corruption became even more rampant and Chicago was a virtual Wild West town. In quick order, Capone became a media darling and systematically began eliminating his major competition. Capone was behind the famous St. Valentines Day Massacre of 1929 in which seven hoods connected to Capone rival Bugs Moran were gunned down in a warehouse. Earlier, Capone had master minded the killing of the two previous leaders of the Moran gang. The surprise attack ended Capone's problems with Moran. "About this time, Capone's battles began to have "national" significance in the Cosa Nostra world. Since Joe Masseria had given Capone permission to move to Chicago, Masseria expected to gain influence in that mid western city through Capone. When the Aiello Family began resisting Capone's dominance, Masseria ordered three other Cosa Nostra Families, whose membership was primarily from the Castellamarese region of Sicily, to stop aiding the Aiellos. Masseria was resisted and the famous Castellamarese War of 1930 broke out. "The net result of the war was Masseria's murder and the short lived ascension of his chief rival, Sal Maranzano. Capone and Maranzano had been on opposite sides during the war, but came to an understanding. Maranzano recognized Capone as the Cosa Nostra boss of Chicago. Maranzano had little choice, since Capone had succeeded in killing Aiello, his last rival. But it was an acknowledgement by both powerful leaders that further war would be bad for both of them "In September, 1931, a few months after Masseria's death, Maranzano was murdered. This killing ushered in the era of the Commission, the Mafia's Board of Directors whose purpose was to avoid the bloodshed of the 1920's. The Commission recognized Capone's great power and named him one of the seven original bosses to sit on this influential body. Unfortunately for Capone, he was convicted and jailed for income tax evasion that same year and would never again be influential in mafia business. Capone's slow decline from the ravages of syphilis ended with his death in 1947. "Through movies and the highly fictionalized Untouchables TV series, Capone has remained a famous and fascinating character throughout the decades. The release of the Untouchables movie a few years ago ensured that the Chicago gangster would be known by another generation of Americans. In real life, Capone's Hollywood nemesis, Elliot Ness, never met Capone and had nothing to do with his conviction. "After Capone, the mantel of leadership fell on the shoulders of Frank (The Enforcer) Nitti. The Outfit began expanding it's operations and further solidified it's corrupting arm which was vital to it's continuing growth. By 1943, Nitti was despondent over a coming jail sentence and decided to take his own life rather than be incarcerated. Some accounts have Nitti on the outs with other powers within the organization which perhaps also contributed to his suicide. "Paul Ricca served as boss from about 1943 until he was convicted and jailed in 1948. Tony Accardo, a one time Capone bodyguard, moved to the top spot. He spearheaded the Outfit's further expansion into control of union locals and began the Outfit's long association with Las Vegas. By 1956, Accardo felt it was time to step back into the shadows and he pushed Sam Giancanna into the boss's chair. But Accardo remained the real power. "As it turned out, Giancanna was the wrong guy at the wrong time. It was his misfortune to be front and center when the first big public relations disaster hit the Mafia. When the police broke up a National Meeting of Cosa Nostra at Apalachin, New York, in 1957, the media and politicians went wild. It became apparent that the FBI had no idea who most of the 58 detained mobsters were. Before long, FBI leader J. Edgar Hoover ordered the secret, illegal bugging of mob haunts including the Giancanna headquarters. In addition, the FBI began tailing Giancanna and made his life miserable. His dating of a top singing star and his association with Frank Sinatra increased his visibility. He became a target of Attorney General Robert Kennedy and Giancanna eventually served a year jail term for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury. Even before his release, Accardo had decided that the Outfit no longer need such a high profile leader. For the next ten years, Giancanna led a nomadic existence mainly in Mexico. When he returned to Chicago, he was in ill health and much out of favor. His murder in 1975 had to have been approved by the Chicago leadership, no doubt concerned that Giancanna might begin to turn against them. "Giancanna was succeed as boss by Sam Battaglia, then Phil Alderisio and Jackie Cerone. All three were convicted and sentenced to jail terms after short reigns. What is notable about this period was the Outfit's gradual withdrawal from participation in much of the Commission business. The common interest in the Teamsters Union would be the main item which kept Chicago tied to the New York mobsters. "Next up was Joey Aiuppa who became boss in 1971 and managed to stay in the top spot till 1986. It was Aiuppa who would be caught in a court case that highlighted the Outfit's influence in the Teamsters Union and Las Vegas. Through the Outfit's control of key Teamsters officials, they influenced the granting of large loans from Teamsters Cental States Pension Fund. Often, the borrower bought a Las Vegas Casino, then placed a Cosa Nostra approved man on his payroll to skim fund from the Casino and funnel millions of tax free dollars to several Families. Aiuppa and his underboss, Jackie Cerone, were convicted for one such scheme, and both died in jail. The capo in charge of Las Vegas, Joe Lombardo, would also be put behind bars in a case that involved the attempted bribery of a Senator. Capo Joe Ferriola took over as boss. He appeared to be a capable leader but died in 1989 of natural causes. "Around this time, Accardo's influence began to slip. Aging and in ill health, his interest was also on the wane. Sam (Wings) Carlisi became boss but by 1993, he was jailed on various gambling charges and died in jail in early1997. Underboss John DiFronzo was also convicted, but won an appeal after 37 months. It has been reported that he now heads the organization but but long time capo, Joe Lombardo, is often touted as a potential boss. What is certain is that Tony Accardo no longer is the king maker. He passed away in 1992, basically untouched by the law. "Weakened by a decade of convictions and deaths, the Chicago Outfit remains a strong and viable organized crime force in the Windy City, with about 50 made mobsters, according to the latest FBI estimates obtained by Gang Land."
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QUITE a few Gang Land followers have written for information about the focus of
this week's report by Andy - The Outfit, the Cosa Nostra family based in Chicago.
