They bribed the officials, they hand-picked the local candidates, they terrorised the voters. Al Capone, film clip
The death of Frank Capone I think had a profound effect on Al. And turned him from a kind of low-key Johnny Torrio-type of racketeer to a much more desperate and violent hoodlum. Laurence Bergreen, author Capone, The Man and the Era
Sam Giancana, leader of the Chicago Mafia. Clever. Most powerful mobster in America. Arrested more than 70 times for assault, larceny, bombing and murder, he personally tortured some of his victims. Thought responsible for 200 killings. Mobsters s1e2: Sam Giancana, Bio 2007
Sam Giancana was boss of the Chicago Mafia. And without doubt the most powerful gangster in America. ibid.
It’s the ultimate story of organised crime in America. ibid.
He became a gun for hire, a freelance enforcer who killed to order. ibid.
The Teamster’s pension fund controlled by Hoffa became a piggy-bank for Giancana. ibid.
For the big fellow, killing was just part of his business plan, a plan to become the CEO of organised crime in Chicago. But as king of the bootleggers during Prohibition, Scarface Al became more of a celebrity than any corporate executive. He became the most famous gangsta in the world. Mobsters s1e10: Al Capone, Bio 2007
Al could be an asset to [Johnny] Torrio … Capone rose quickly through the ranks of the underworld. ibid.
His 30-year-old brother Frank was killed in a shootout with Chicago police. ibid.
He was to become the target of criminals and lawmen alike. ibid.
May 15th 1962: a police officer on Chicago’s south side walks up to an abandoned car on 55th Street. Neighbours had complained about an intense stench coming from the car’s boot. The bodies were covered with maggots ... The victims were local thugs ... The Outfit considered the neighbourhood off limits ... Violating a mob rule meant a visit from 24-year-old Tony Spilotro ... The M & M murders. In the following months the story circulated around Chicago. One thing was clear – Tony Spilotro could get information from anyone and could use any means necessary. Mobsters s1e26: Tony Spilotro
After school he hung out with a local gang. ibid.
Spilotro was given a lucrative book-making territory on the north-west side of Chicago. Bookmaking was a major source of income for Tony. ibid.
The Mobsters pocketed the rest. The desert city had become a cash cow for the outfit. With so much money flowing from Las Vegas casinos the Mob needed muscle to protect its investment. Naturally, the bosses turned to a man who had killed and tortured on behalf of the Mob for years – Tony Spilotro. And the young mobster saw it as a chance to prove himself. ibid.
The judge found the mobster not-guilty. But his victory was short-lived. That same month was indicted once again. ibid.
In the wake of the indictments the Nevada Gaming Commission raided the Stardust casino. The move put a serious hole in the Chicago Outfit’s Vegas revenue. ibid.
In 1932 the notorious gangsta Al Capone was finally put away for tax evasion. Capone had run the Chicago outfit with an iron fist. He handed over control to his right hand man Frank Nitti. Mobsters s2e5: Frank Nitti
Nitti figured safety was in numbers so he befriended three Italian brothers who lived around the corner ... And their little brother Alphonse. ibid.
Nitti excelled at fencing stolen goods. ibid.
Nitti started out at the bottom as a debt collector. ibid.
On 10th November 1924 Nitti and Capone settled the score: three men walked into O’Banion’s flower shop on the city’s north side. ibid.
At just twenty-six Al Capone became the biggest mob boss in Chicago. Frank Nitti was his right-hand man. ibid.
In 1927 due in part to Nitti’s iron first and business acumen the Chicago outfit raked in over $100,000,000 (over a billion in today’s money). ibid.
The Capone gang’s chief rival for business was the north-side gang run by Bugs Moran. ibid.
Nitti had taken over the outfit at the worst possible time. ibid.
Labour unions ... Nitti had found a new source of income for the outfit. ibid.
The Feds indicted Nitti for racketeering, mail fraud and conspiracy. ibid.
January 1943: top mobsters in the Chicago outfit were knee-deep in a high-stakes shakedown. Mobsters s2e6: Tony Accardo
The Circus Gang had a special role in Capone’s outfit ... Capone needed protection more than ever: he was engaged in a fierce struggle for power with north-side mobster Bugs Moran. ibid.
His name has been linked to numerous assassinations. ibid.
By the end of the decade there were more than 7,500 gambling dens in the city. ibid.
The outfit-controlled unions demanded studio bosses make payments of hundreds of thousands. ibid.
With Nitty dead, Paul Ricca was now boss and Accardo his number two man. ibid.
Gambling was still the outfit’s most profitable racket. ibid.
In 1950 Chicago took centre stage in the Senate investigation of the Mob. ibid.
The Outfit’s Las Vegas casino the Stardust was full of gamblers spending money. ibid.
Accardo was indicted on filing false tax returns. ibid.
Sam Giancana, his number two man, was anything but discreet. ibid.
It was believed a hit on Giancana could come only from the top. ibid.
His death marked the end of the Capone-era gangsters. ibid.
Tony Accardo had achieved something very rare amongst mobsters – he died of old age. ibid.
In Chicago, notorious gangsta Al Capone had wanted to teach a similar lesson to his rival – Bugs Moran. Mobsters s2e7: Mob’s Greatest Hits
Al Scarface Capone rose to power in the 1920s. ibid.
Capone had had enough: he decided to end the war once and for all. ibid.
Valentine’s Day 10.30 a.m. ... The Moran crew was waiting for their leader to arrive ... Men dressed in police uniforms arrived at the garage and walked into the building. ibid.
No-one was ever arrested in connection with the St Valentine’s Day Massacre. ibid.
Frank Calabrese senior was born on March 17th 1937 in a tough neighbourhood called The Patch on Chicago’s west side. Mobsters s4e3: Family Secrets
The bosses of Chicago’s underworld were pleased with the Calabrese loan sharking business. Frank and Nick were good earners. ibid.
He looked to take his eldest son along with him. ibid.
On June 14th 1986 Anthony Spilotro and his brother Michael arrived at a house in suburban Chicago. ibid.
Frank junior was determined to break free. ibid.
Frank Calabrese junior types a letter and mails it to the FBI. ibid.
Nick Calabrese the first made man from the Outfit ever to flip. ibid.
The Mob would never be the same. ibid.
In a Chicago garage seven gangstas are lined up. They think it’s routine. But today is different. Behind them a group of men arrive. Two carrying Thompson sub-machine guns. It’s the most notorious slaying in mob history. America: The Story of the US: Boom, History 2010
Your nickname for years was Joe Batters. Is that right? Senate investigator to Tony Accardo
Accardo became a runner for a number of these operations – he was distributing liquor around the city of Chicago. Richard Lindberg, author Return to the Scene of the Crime
Sam Giancana liked to be number one. He let everybody know ... he was the capo die capo of the Chicago crime circuit. John Dineen, retired Chicago rozzer