Ladies & Gentlemen:

Here is an email I sent Carlos Hernandez Gomez after I listened to NPR this morning . Organized crime is about  to regain control of Laborers Local 1001, Streets and Sanitation via the election of Robert Chianelli who Jack O'Rourke said was an associate of the Elmwood Park Crew and a friend of bookmaker Bobby Garrippo. Chianelli will get elected because he has had 8 months to campaign as a local 1001 business agent and has the backing of corrupt ward committeemen and organized crime members/associates  Bruno and Frank Caruso et al.. In 3 to 6 years, The Outfit will regain control of the Chicago Laborers District Council. I am supposed to call Ron Huberman about this development after I talked to him briefly yesterday at City Hall. It didn't do any good telling Vroustouris about corruption  in the Hired Truck program in 2003 after I introduced LIUNA IG agents (O'Rourke and Scigalski) and Teamster Project RISE investigators (Luera and Houston) to Teamsters who had to pay for assignment to snow removal duty and Laborers who had to pick up garbage in non authorized containers. Will Huberman be any different? Vroustouris never called any of these ex-fbi agents investigating corruption in the Teamsters and Laborers unions. Ask them!

 

Jim McGough (CrimeDawg)

Carlos:

U.S. Attorney  Peter Fitzgerald misspoke yesterday when he said the arrests of Prado et al were unrelated to the Hired Truck Scandal. He just doesn't know the connection yet. It all goes back to Taylor Street, La Cosa Nostra, the Outfit, the connections between former alderman Roti, Pat Marcy, John D'Arco. the alliance between HDO and corrupt politicians and organized crime, the placement and employment  of  members/associates of the Outfit in key City of Chicago  jobs.

 

As a 60 year old Chicagoan who has been reading the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times et al and remembering what I have read, I have to laugh at the historical ignorance of the FBI when it comes to organized crime scams and rackets involving the City of Chicago. In 1967, Sonny Esposito, son of mobster Tony "X" Esposito was caught selling city of Chicago asphalt to private residences while employed with Streets & Sanitation , Laborers Local 1001, where Frankie was boss.

 

I have to laugh when I hear Mayor Daley profess ignorance of corruption in the City of Chicago. He was Cook County states attorney when informed by the FBI who were the organized crime members and associates employed by the City of Chicago. Like his father, "Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" Mayor Daley said they were mere allegations and not proven facts. Gimme a break!

 

Here is the recognized text from pages 245-246 of Antonio Napoli's 2004 book, The Mob's Guys available from  Amazon Books, a book I highly recommend as required reading for anyone who wants to know the genesis of organized crime's involvement with the City of Chicago. Organized crime finds employment for its members/associates through labor unions so that business agents, stewards, and key employees can sell drugs, collect juice loans, commit burglaries, rob job sites, etc etc

 

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Antonio Napoli

Tony and Frankie X were able to get Sonny back in the good graces of the outfit and he was allowed to return to Chicago. Once back, he was placed in another city position. Sonny managed to say out of trouble except when he was arrested in April 1963, for investigation in a burglary and possession of burglary tools. He tried to tell the police his name was Frank Esposito as he gave them his brother's birth date. The police knew of Sonny and knew he would sell out anyone including his brother to get off the hook. He was booked under his real name.

By 1965, Sonny had completed courses at the Harvard School of Business through Roosevelt University studying trade union management and was made superintendent of city streets. It was then that Frankie X secured Sonny's future in Local 1001 as the heir apparent to the union presidency. In October 1966, the FBI investigated Sonny when he was seen attending meetings with mob bosses at Gianotti 's restaurant, also known as Armory Inn, in which Sam Giancana owned a piece. There was one report that, while eating at Gianotti, Sonny's wife, Shirley, caused a scene when she stood up after having had a little too much to drink, then fell to the ground right behind the chair of Chicago newscaster, Walter Jacobson, who was sifting at an adjacent table dining with his family.

Another investigation was to see if Sonny had a partner-ship with Dominic "Hunk" Galiano and Tony Ponzio. Galiano, an ex-convict and manager of the mob-controlled Talk of the Town club who had been arrested more than 14 times for gambling and robbery, was murdered while playing cards. Ponzio, who was Galiano's nephew, was found strangled to death in the trunk of an abandoned car parked at O'Hare Airport. Sonny may have been in some kind of partnership with them, but the investigation went nowhere.

By 1967, Sonny and Butch were making money using city equipment. Butch, back from Vietnam, was on the city payroll as a paving foreman in the Loop district of Chicago. On any given day, Butch and his crew would be assigned to pave a city street, and on occasion, you could never find any sign of him or his crew. They would be off, driving down city streets, ringing door-bells and asking people if they wanted their driveways paved.

245

'The Mob's Guys
 
 

Since the asphalt was free from the city, the equipment was sup-plied by the city, and they were getting paid by the hour from the city, the money went straight into their pockets.

Butch wasn't the only one doing it. According to FBI files, Sonny had opened an asphalt company called Scott Paving and Seal Coating. He was using free asphalt from city plants and stolen equipment to run his business. At one time, most of the Local 1001's officers had their own paving companies and were using city material and equipment for their personal benefit. During this time, Sonny was reportedly running a small hand book in Melrose Park, controlling a few prostitutes on North Avenue, and running a stolen credit card ring. Sonny would furnish stolen credit cards to his lackeys and would given them instructions as to which items to purchase on a specified-order basis for his customers. The FBI observed Sonny selling items such as clothing and other material out of his car every day for six months.

In January 1969, shortly after the death of his uncle Frank, Sonny was placed in the offices of Local 1001 as a recording secretary. After Tony X died in July 1969, Sonny's position in the union continued.

Sonny's mother, Marilyn, was now a widow. Though she was living comfortable from the money Tony X had put away, mob bosses made sure she would be taken care of for the rest of her life. Gus Alex used his political influence and had a job created just for Marilyn at the Division of Motor Vehicles in Chicago--a job she would hold for almost 20 years.

By 1971, Sonny held a variety of union posts. In addition to recording secretary, he was a trustee for the Laborers Health and Welfare Pension Fund, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Chicago Building Trades Council, a member of the Executive Committee of the Illinois Prevailing Wage Committee and a delegate to the Laborers District Council. While Sonny held those positions, his brother Butch was arrested along with his paving crew on October 6, 1970 for starting a fight with a local street gang while on the clock. He was charged with battery and released.

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