Before His Honor allowed the court call to begin, Zafiratos ordered the bailiff to stand in front of his bench. In the late 1990s, Matassa was kicked out as president of the Laborers Union Chicago local over his alleged extensive ties to organized crime a move Matassa fought for years. You dont know why theyre here. Zafiratos cared about people. Just another WordPress.com weblog. ReadMarch 3, 2023 | Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. Among the agents who investigated DiFronzo, according to the records, was Peter Wacks, who tracked him for years and signed off on some of the FBI paperwork that was released. Joseph Lombardo- Capo, Grand Avenue. Tony Spilotro with a VERY pregnant admirer. Michael Sarno- Capo, Cicero. No one beefed on Romie, nor did they beef on anyone for that matter, and therefore Romie never got in any serious trouble in his lifetime. February 27, 2023 By restaurants on the water in st clair shores By restaurants on the water in st clair shores The need of a double knee replacement confines him to a wheel chair. I was not too sure about the Del Giudice ring, since it ultimately is tied to the Outfit through Paloian but they are probably all associates in one way or another. CHICAGO (WLS) -- For decades, Chicago mob boss Marco D'Amico was dogged by a bad mugshot depicting him with Coke-bottle glasses that magnified a pair of bulging eyeballs. Congratulations to Joseph Epstein for committing the dual effronteries of calling for vigorous law enforcement as a remedy for the crime that plagues our hometown and for pointing out that the disabling of the Outfit was not an unmitigated positive for our city (Crime is No Longer a Family Business in Chicago, op-ed, July 31). When Calabrese and Marcello were later imprisoned together in Michigan, the two had a code to signify when they were talking about Matassa, Calabrese testified. Calabrese also testified that he and Matassa helped conduct surveillance in the late 1980s on a movie house operator who owed the mob money, according to the transcript. Thats all Im going to say here. Okay, so the Judge wasnt a poet. Faced with secret recordings, courtesy of corrupt ex-attorney Robert Cooley who was cooperating with the FBI, D'Amico pleaded guilty, admitting his role in the scheme and his position in the Outfit. Outfit guy didn't like dead guys being killed in thier neiborhoods. Shortly after being assigned to the Cook Countys Fourth District Courthouse in Maywood, Illinois, Assistant States Attorney Colin Simpson decided to enter Zafiratos courtroom to observe the proceedings. God rest his soul. Is that why you are nodding your head up and down and back and forth?. That said, average membership estimates for the Chicago Outfit are about 50. What it did release provides a window into a life of crime stretching from Al Capones time to the modern era. You will be charged The reason youre here right now is because you pleaded guilty to a felony to avoid going to trial, Kennelly said before sentencing Matassa to six months in federal prison to be followed by six months on house arrest. Its actually good for the game, Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. Daley gifted James with a token shillelagh. U.S. District Matthew Kennelly, however, told Matassa he didnt seem to get it. It should be noted that Murray Humphreys was already deceased, and Gus Alex was then already replaced as the Chicago Outfits head political and labor racketeer operative by Romie, which could support why Romie was contacted by Mayor Richard J. Daley prior to the start of the battery case. The chart is a good one simply because of the photos and it's very inclusive. Zafiratos replied, Its my job to hear cases, Mr. Mayor. Mayor Daley commended Zafiratos for doing his job in a fair manner. In addition to the prison time imposed by Kennelly, Matassa must also pay a total of $66,500 in restitution to the union and Social Security Administration. | Andrew A. Nelles~Sun-Times Media. Before I start sharing some interesting information about James Zafiratos, I will tell you a bit about my late step-uncle, Romie J. Nappi, and his role with the Cook County judiciary. If it weren't for the bad cops in Elmwood Park, Illinois (who were eventually forced out of the Elmwood Park, Illinois, Police Department), that brought a bogus case against me in 1992, I probably would . However, he was a phenomenal son, husband, father, grandfather, and a great judge. He was also part of John DiFronzo's inner circle, meeting with him every day at the old Loon Cafe and after that in another near west suburban location for an extended lunch" said Binder, author of the The Chicago Outfit in 2003. While assigned to court downtown, James experienced an interesting case before him. During the 2007 Operation Family Secrets Chicago Outfit trial in Chicago, hit man-turned-prosecution witness Nicholas Calabrese testified that reputed mob boss John No Nose DiFronzo was among those involved in the 1986 murders of the Spilotro brothers. Alex Murdaugh Receives Life Sentence: What Happens Now? not sure of the purpose of showing 4 dead guys or all imprisoned members most of which will die in jail. D'Amico's biggest clout, then-reigning boss John "No Nose" DiFronzo, died two years ago. No, You Cant Build Here, Opinion: About Those Free Tickets to Hong Kong, Opinion: Late to Work? My late father, Armando Mondo Fosco, was always by Romies side. In 2007, Calabrese said in court that DiFronzo was among those in the home. The trial took place, and Zafiratos found Flanagan not guilty. Its not uncommon for judges to recuse themselves when high-profile defendants with political clout come before them. Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit Addendum Nine, Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit Addendum One, Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit Addendum Two, Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit Addendum Three, Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit Addendum Four, Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit Addendum Five, Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit Addendum Six, Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit Addendum Seven, Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit Addendum Eight, Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit Addendum X, Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit Addendum XII, Mafia Report: Chicago Outfit Addendum XI. Romie was a political fixer and labor union racketeer for the Chicago Outfit for many years (please read the previous addendums for more details, including several FBI 302 reports and other exhibits, that support my information via links located at the bottom of this page). Didn't realize Schiro has chance at getting out. When Romie began working for his Uncle Tony Iorii (one of Al Capones most valued men) as an older teenager, James, who was 2-years Romies senior, went to school in pursuit of a law career. In years past, though, the files offer a sense of how much effort federal agents put into watching DiFronzo and his associates, including surveillance on an Elmwood Park delicatessen where they would regularly meet. Giacchetti also said Matassa has considerable health problems, including chronic heart disease, morbid obesity, diabetes and vertigo. One day while on the bench, an elderly lady appeared in Zafiratos courtroom. Mr. Fosco is a columnist for American News Post and a series of publications that began with The Keys To Faith (which was named by semi-retired media mogul Conrad Black). According to authorities, the drunk D'Amico asked "do you know who I am?" Despite being an octogenarian, when D'Amico died on Wednesday night, multiple sources have told the ABC 7 I-Team that he was still assigned to one of the highest-ranking posts in the Outfit: consigliere. Sarnos attorney, John Chwarzynski, requested that Sarno serve the remainder of his 25 year racketeering sentence (11 years to go) in home confinement. Sign In. When the officer answered that he didn't know, or care, D'Amico proceeded to bite off one of the patrolman's fingers. By now it should start making more sense to some of you how relevant Romies aldermanic influence was during his discreet meetings over the decades with any one of the eight Chicago mayors who Romie dealt with during his 40-something year run as a vitally important political and labor union racketeer in Chicago. I have decided to keep the nature of the crime and the defendants name discreet out of respect for the family of the late Adam Stillo, as I had a lot of respect for Stillo, and maintain a great deal of respect for his legacy. I had the opportunity to ask my father what made Washington so special. His Honor admonished the bailiff for insulting the defendants. One record suggests that, at one point, a suburban police officer helped scuttle FBI efforts to trail DiFronzo in a car, blocking its path. Colin immediately got up and left the courtroom. Onetime Chicago Outfit boss's FBI files shed no light on why he escaped charges in 'Family Secrets' killings But the once-secret records on John "No Nose" DiFronzo provide a window into . Mobster Marco D'Amico is peeking over the owner's shoulder. Salvatore "Solly D" DeLaurentis is the best known, un-incarcerated Chicago mob figure today-and considered "consigliere" to the Outfit. The bosses had all gathered that March day to discuss business and pleasures, unaware that they were being surveilled by an ABC7 news crew. ReadMarch 3, 2023 | The Editorial Board, Article viewed iconAn icon to mark the viewed articles Which is certainly a great deal less than they once did, given how their world has changed over the last several decades because of law enforcement efforts against them and a long list of other factors. Robert Pawlaszek, of SEIU Local 1, gathers with OHare janitors and other employees during a prayer vigil outside of Mayor Rahm Emanuels residence in Chicago, Ill., on Thursday, November 29, 2012. The elderly lady answered, If he needs a shirt, yes, Your Honor. Zafiratos laughed and allowed her to leave the courtroom without any further complications. Champaign, IL. In fact, Matassa was among those indoctrinated as a made member of the mob at an October 1983 ceremony at a shuttered restaurant on Mannheim Road, Calabrese testified, according to a transcript available in court records. Early in his judicial career, Zafiratos often told new professional acquaintances from the legal community, Remember, Zafiratos rhymes with arthritis.. Two Indiana state troopers kneel at the edge of a shallow grave in a cornfield where the bodies of reputed mobsters Anthony Spilotro and Michael Spilotro were found in 1986. Therefore, Romies and James paths (temporarily) divided and went off in somewhat different directions, as they reached their late teens. 41 Is the. Chicago Outfit-tied scammer Lee Anglin promised to make good to his victims. It is my desire to share in this record some interesting stories of this brilliant and endearing Judges experiences on the bench.
