Bernard J Bruno, Attorney and Author of The Chicago Outfit stories
My first exposure to the Outfit was when I was a kid looking out the window seeing Revenue Agents breaking up a neighbor’s, Jimmy G’s, moonshine still in his house. The Agents carried five-gallon moonshine containers to the parkway, pierced them with firemen’s axes, and poured the moonshine in the street gutter and then washed it down to the street sewer with water from a fire engine hose. The empty containers where thrown on the parkway near Jimmy’s parked Hudson Terraplane car which was banged by the thrown containers. He was ranting and raving that the car was being damaged.
Strangely enough, my personal introduction to the Outfit occurred during my youth as neighbor to the Aiuppa’s. As I and Joey Aiuppa grew older we went separate ways, I went to the Army, then law school for my law license. While in law school I was a law clerk ‘goffer’ where I was exposed to Joseph I. Bulger, an alleged Outfit lawyer. I knew him from association with his two sons who also were living in the neighborhood. Shortly after being licensed, I arrived in Bulger’s office as a junior lawyer. In my successful result with Paul Ricca’s employee in the story of the Internal Revenue Service hearing, my reputation rose in Outfit circles. Soon I was representing Joey Aiuppa’s civil legal matters along with his alleged associates, John Moore and Robert Ansani, also alleged Outfit guys.
From time to time Nick Palermo, a plumbing shop owner and my client, would have public holiday parties at his home. Anthony Accardo would be a guest. From sometime in the late 1950s, I also was invited. I met Anthony Accardo on a friendly basis and our friendship and business relationship developed and endured until “Joe” (we used to call Accardo “Joe Batters”) died peacefully in 1991.
Anthony Accardo, Boss of the Chicago Outfit
Accardo, Anthony J., emerged as Outfit leader after Paul Ricca’s conviction and imprisonment for extortion of the Hollywood movie industries. While Ricca was in prison, Accardo assumed his role as Boss of the Outfit. In general company he was a social gentleman. If you didn’t know him by name or if you didn’t know him by sight, you would perceive him as a successful businessman. However, in the Outfit he was the final word in all affairs. He had a salient ego. The history of the Chicago Outfit is the history of Anthony J. Accardo, who retained the position of Boss until his peaceful death in 1991.
Paul Ricca
After Al Capone was sentenced effectively to prison for life, Paul Ricca took over as Boss of the Chicago Outfit during the 1930s. A few years later, Ricca was found guilty of extorting money from the Hollywood movie industries and served time until paroled by US Attorney General Tom Clark.
Jimmy Hoffa
Hoffa, James, an early ruffian labor goon who rose to the Presidency of the largest American union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters so he had authority over the vast sums in the coffers of the Teamster’s Center States Pension Funds. He appointed Allen Dorfman, an alleged Outfit insurance man to administer the mortgages to finance Las Vegas Casinos as the show place of the world. It is purported that he bribed President Richard Nixon to get pardoned from his criminal record.
Sidney Korshak
Korshak, Sidney, master lawyer and fixer allegedly was first introduced to the Outfit by Jake Guzik, a/k/a Greasy Thumb, the Outfit’s paymaster, when he probably represented Guzik’s employee, Willie Bioff for soliciting prostitutes. Although Korshak did not want to be stigmatized with Outfit riff-raff he maintained a strong sotto voce relationship with the high level Outfit echelon. This has been established from FBI taps of his telephone. Korshak represented many notable persons: Frank Sinatra, Ronald Reagan, Hollywood types ….
John “Bulldog” Drummond
Legendary reporter John “Bulldog” Drummond worked at CBS 2 Chicago from 1969 until 1997. Known mostly for his crime coverage, especially of the Chicago Outfit, Drummond is a walking encyclopedia of Chicago mob history. Since retiring, Drummond has written two books about some of the characters and capers he has covered. He has also consulted on a few documentaries and has been back on the air at CBS 2 several times — although these days it’s mostly when a member of the Outfit passes away or on the anniversary of a grisly murder.
William Roemer
Chief of the FBI Organized Crime Department considered Sidney Korshak the most powerful attorney in the world and in his book, The Genuine Godfather, considered Anthony Accardo as the genuine godfather.
Willie “The Pimp” Bioff
An ordinary “stooge” controlled by the Outfit. Bioff was convicted for extortion of Hollywood companies and movie theater chain along with Brown and Circella.
Nick Circella
Nick Circella, allegedly a relative to Paul Ricca, was the owner and manager of an Outfit bar frequented by Bioff and Browne with whom he was convicted in the Hollywood extortion racket. He was put in the Federal Witness Protection Program and disappeared.
Sicilian Vespers
Sicilian Vespers is the Sicilian natives’ revolt of 1282 against the French oppressive and violent occupation of the people in the island. The Vespers is a Catholic religious ceremony at six p.m. during the Easter period. During the 1282 Vespers a French officer allegedly fondled a Sicilian married woman. Her angry husband pulled out his stellate and cut the officer’s throat. This action incited the crowd who then killed most all the present Frenchmen. The news spread and soon there was a general rebellion so the French decided to leave the Island of Sicily.
Tom C. Clark
United States Attorney General appointed by Pres. Harry Truman, Clark allegedly was bribed and then granted parole to Paul Ricca from federal imprisonment for Ricca’s conviction with Frank Nitti and others on charges related to the Hollywood extortion racket.
Clark later became a US Supreme Court Justice.
Pat Marcy
Secretary of Chicago’s Cook County Democratic Organization. In that position Marcy (born Pasqualino Marciano) exercised supreme, singular uncontested authority over the selection of Judges, political candidates and appointments. In his position he manipulated his choices for personal financial gain contrary to social, political, or judicial principles.
The FBI sting “Gambit”, which included the wiretap bugging of Marcy’s favorite corner booth at a popular downtown Chicago restaurant, resulted in Marcy’s indictment as the corrupt Big Fixer. He died of a heart attack during the 1993 trial.
Dominic Volpe
Volpe was a shirt-tail straight man for the Outfit’s beer sales company in Chicago. He introduced Jackie Cerone, an Accardo Outfit associate as a salesman to the Fox Head Brewing Co. in Wisconsin. When Fox Head Brewing was disappointed in Cerone’s results he was dismissed and replaced with Anthony Accardo.
Robert Cooley
Cooley, an attorney lackey for Pat Marcy, eventually turned as a government witness for the prosecution. After secretly approaching the US DOJ’s Organized Crime Strike Force and saying, “I want to help you destroy Pat Marcy”, he carried a secret wire for recording the illegal instructions and actions of Pat Marcy. Cooley, too, was indicted, found guilty, and served his time. Thereafter, he was protected in the government’s Witness Protection Program and faded away.
Joe Bonnano
The New York mobster was head of his own family east coast cosa nostra organization. He was colorful person, an Italian continental type of genteel persona, sociable, with a strong Italian accent. In his book he self-confesses his reputation as a mobster against those who exploited Italian immigrants. He claims participation in the activities of the New York family crime wars to maintain supremacy of his criminal activity.
Saturday Gourmet Club Members
Gino and Dan, Ed and Ray, along with Anthony Accardo and me constituted the Saturday Gourmet Club.
Father Hector Ansaldi
Father Hector was a Scalabrini Order priest who was once the rector of a Scalabrini Seminary in the United States. After a tour of assignments in the United States, he finished his station in Italy He was a very pious priest.
Frank Anunnzio
Anunnzio was a United States Congressman from Chicago and General Chairman for Father Pierini’s Committee to solicit funds for the Italian old peoples’ home at Villa Scalabrini.
Father Armando Pierini
Father Pierini, a Scalabrini Order priest, was the CEO of the Villa Scalabrini Italian old peoples’ home. Though a quiet and pious priest, he reasonably knew how to be headstrong to get his own objectives.
Roman Triumvirate/
American Triumvirate
Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey, is the ancient Roman Triumvirate to stem a Roman civil war. Caesar as the Roman dictator, Crassus the richest man and largest landowner, and Pompey, the greatest military commander of the time formed the first Triumvirate to save political power.
The American Triumvirate found a heuristic way to join forces and achieve their goals – Korshak, the fixer, Hoffa, with the money, and Accardo with the Outfit power. This tripartite partnership formed the modern time, legally devious, ruthless enterprise. They possessed secret and concealed ownerships.
Joey Aiuppa
Aiuppa sported a deviated, prone-to-violence personality. He had a superior attitude trying to disguise a conceited condescension.
Sam Balanca
President of the Italian Bread Union, Balanca was well-dressed in an effort to personify a successful businessman. He operated an illegal union for gain for him and his two strong-arm enforcers, George and Frank.
Joseph Bronge
Bronge was the owner of West Towns Distributing Co. who was indicted for perjury and killed three days before appearing in front of the Grand Jury. Allegedly, his business was an alter-ego company for selling beer for the Chicago Outfit.
Tom Letchos
Tom’s Steak House in Melrose Park was and is famous. Accardo was a regular customer as was author Bruno. Tom spent several months in prison for a perjury conviction due to his false testimony of not knowing Accardo. For details and testimony, see: United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Thomas Letchos, Defendant-appellant, 316 F.2d 481 (7th Cir. 1963) at https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/316/481/187092/
Frank Iatarola
Iatarola was the successful grocery store owner of Yamo Foods, also called the “Fruit Stand”.
Sollie Gigante
Sollie is a fictitious name of an illiterate Italian whose skills were raising fruits and vegetables, and serving as a general handyman for Paul Ricca. He was subpoenaed to give testimony against Paul Ricca, but his interrogation became farcical.
Pepe Secco
Pepe Secco translates to “dried pepper”. Pepe also is a shortened nickname for Giuseppe, that is, Joe. “Dried Joe” is the Italian idiomatic nickname of a long-ago Chicago restauranteur. During the Great Depression, Pepe and his wife “Filly”, Philomena, opened a small restaurant inside their home in Chicago’s old Italian-town on the near west side.
Don Primo
Don Primo is a fictitious name to protect an innocent person who was legally entertaining business customers. One of his customers, Sam, is a fictitious name intending to save him from himself.
Cat
Cat was the nickname of the manager of one of the Outfit’s burlesque shows on the west side. The district along South Cicero Ave. arrayed a number of sleazy clubs.
George Browne
Browne was a small-time Outfit Fulton Street extortionist and minor theatrical union officer. In partnership with Bioff, Browne turned as a government witness against Boss Paul Ricca and was convicted in the Hollywood extortion racket. He, likewise, was put in the Witness Protection Program and faded anonymously away.
Judge
Judge was a fictitious identification of a true, honorably positioned Chicago Judge in order to preserve his reputation, character and integrity. He was sneaking a good time incognito in Las Vegas.
Joseph Bulger
Bulger was the attorney to the Italian Civic Welfare Association and attorney to Outfit characters and their businesses. He died in a crash of his twin-engine plane in 1966. Author Bruno as a new lawyer was employed by Bulger.
Herman Brown
Herman Brown is a fictitious name for a rogue in the story, “Da Fixer”. He was a person without principles trying to outdo someone, a true reprobate deceitfully befriending a person with his devious ways.
