colorado crime family

In April of 1970, Checkers Smaldone and Joe The Ram Salardino would be arrested and indicted by a grand jury and charged with assault to murder, assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy. He also became a noted political donor, giving more than $3.8 million to the Democrats in the 2020 election cycle along with his wife, and $1 million to a pro-Biden super PAC. However, in 1949 the party more or less came to an end when a new law-and-order justice of the peace, Lowell Griffith, was elected and began applying heat to the operation. Chauncey, the handsomest of the brothers, had a favorite spot at Gaetanos at a table in the far back (Table 404 to the servers who work there today), where youd see him eating his now-famous Chauncey Burger a half-pound of ground chuck, melted mozzarella and roasted Italian peppers, served with a side of the house red sauce. JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/Stuff A man connected with Mama Hooch bar in Christchurch is on trial this week. However, his reign would be relatively short. Also, if youre listening to the audio-only version, subscribe and if youre willing leave me a rating and review to tell me what you think of the content. His passion for history, his interest in the mob, and his need to be creative and produce content led him to create this podcast where he provides his listeners with deeply-researched content on the plots, sub-plots, and real facts behind the American Cosa Nostra. As I shared in Part One, Denver and Pueblo, Colorado in the 1920s was a veritable shooting gallery. This would give the Feds the impetus they needed to launch a series of raids in Denver and Pueblo in which theyd confiscate the silencer, a .30-caliber carbine, twenty-seven stacks of ammunition, four handguns, $50,000 in cash and a treasure trove of valuable documents. Using vile language, he ordered decedents friends from the premises and threatened to blow their brains out. The deceaseds friends left and Spinuzzi then proceeded toward the decedent, exchanged words with him, held a pistol about two feet from his head and then hit and viciously kicked him. In early 1952, and its just going to keep building from here, Vigil would keep up the pressure when two law enforcement officials (so this is indirectly hitting at the Smaldones) were indicted for lying about payoffs they received to ignore gambling in their respective counties. One of these men, a former lawyer named Charles S. Vigil, had been appointed as the U.S. District Attorney for Colorado in 1951 by President Harry Truman, who himself of course was famously mobbed up and was an acquaintance of none other than Clyde Smaldone. WebAntonio Musso, boss of the Rockford, Illinois, crime family James and Vincenzo Coletti, bosses of the Colorado crime family Civello was a close friend or associate of these powerful people Benny Binion, gangster, poker enthusiast, and casino owner Giovanni Ormento, capo in the New York Lucchese crime family Now around this same time in 1951, Clyde and Eugene Checkers Smaldone were called before a Denver grand jury investigation on gambling (led by Melville) where as previously mentioned both men plead the Fifth over 100 times, essentially refusing to provide anything but name and address. Blanda died on February 20, 1969 in Pueblo, Colorado after suffering a stroke. This is why I referred to him as a Frank Costello-esque figure earlier on in the episode. It was just a fact of life at the time. Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone (left) poses with Clyde Smaldone (center). On January 29, 1974, just six months after LaGaurdia was hit, Pizzalato was found murdered as well. 4. Hes the guy you needed to know. Up until the Apalachin fiasco, Colletti had only minor arrests such as for drunkenness, vagrancy and disorderly conduct. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12014459/Trump-calls-Bidens-crime-family-Watergate-times-10.html?ito=msngallery, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12014459/Trump-calls-Bidens-crime-family-Watergate-times-10.html?ito=msngallery. If you consider the fact that in the 60s you had the Kennedy administration, you eventually had Joe Valachi, more visibility, the FBI beginning to take Cosa Nostra and the mobs more seriously, it was a good time to cut your losses and get out. While costs are disproportionately felt by victims, this implies an average cost per Coloradan of $4,762 per year. The brothers would go to work for their mother Mamie, who at the time owned a struggling establishment called the Tejon Bar and Cafe on 3740 Tejon Street, which the family owned before the more famous Gaetanos. Limon, Colorado Limon has a crime rate of 53.7 violent crimes per 100,000 persons. And the Smaldones would certainly experience the peril of their chosen profession as well. Scotty was a mean devil. Anyhow, coming up next, were going to be digging into maybe a biography, and then as promised previously I am going back into a family history to cover the little-known Cerrito family out of California. Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone is frisked by a deputy sheriff during a raid on a Smaldone-operated pool hall in 1953. 'That's below minimum wage in California after taxes.' Spinuzzi and the deceased wrestled toward the back of a station wagon parked in the area. He would be buried at the Crown Hill Cemetery in Jefferson County, Colorado. Hed share the following about how that relationship got off the ground in an interview that was later recorded in the book that Ill be citing many times in this episode, Smaldone: The Untold Story of An American Crime Family: I went up to Chicago and got talking about getting the stuff up in Canada. After the war, he returned to Denver and moved with his wife and 2 children into an apartment directly above Gaetanos, beginning work first at a filling station that he and Paulie Villano owned at West 46th Avenue and Pecos Street. Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed investigations into the 'Biden crime family' were 'Watergate times 10,' after the It was at this point when someone lying in wait stepped out from behind bushes and shot him directly in the face with a blast from a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun. And while the Smaldone family certainly was not destitute, they still had a lot of mouths to feed, and as was normal of the times, the boys would put in work to help support the family. Informants would claim they never put in any money, but would instead muscle in and make themselves partners in the businesses. On January 29, 1974, just six months after LaGaurdia was hit, Pizzalato was found murdered as well. Clyde Smaldone (left) and Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone (right) walking together in 1955 after U.S. Supreme Court reversed their convictions for jury-tampering. His family members refused to provide any specifics about his death and declined to comment when contacted by the Rocky Mountain News. The assassin would leave the gun beside the body (and the weapon was found to have the serial number filed off), which left the police investigating the murder to call it a professional job, going on to say the following: Lets put it this way. John J. Kincilja Jr., who was a Pueblo police officer from 1960 to 1997, would say the following about Spinuzzi: [Scotty] was plain old mafioso. Leo wasnt so lucky. WebColorado Crime Statistics. So theyd dodge that bullet so to speak, but the full court press from law enforcement would persist. A shot was heard. But on July 5, 1973 there was another incident in the sphere of the Smaldone organization, and this incident would touch off a period of violence in Denver. They would work together to hammer the Smaldone organization from multiple angles leveraging partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement. After all, at ages 39 and 35, it was probably too late to choose another career. as other LCN families. At the time, Smiling Charlie Stephens was running a popular restaurant and casino with a local gambler named Leo Barnes. The CBI does not offer analysis as to the reasons for changes in the crime rates or any other interpretation of the data; rather, those questions should be directed to individual law enforcement agencies. Clyde Smaldone was the oldest brother and veritable leader of the Smaldone organization. And a lot of the description I just provided makes Checkers seem like kind of a bad dude, but dont forget that he also had a big part in taking care of the local community, and there was even an infamous story of him saving a little girl (the wardens niece from when he did time in prison) and another child from being kidnapped as part of a planned a prison break by other inmates. Most notably, Carlo Gambino made his first millions selling ration stamps during the war. After doing a little digging, I found out that the Centennial State has a long history of mob activity, including the infamous Denver Crime Family.. WebAny person who is a victim of a criminal act or such persons designee, legal guardian, or surviving immediate family members if such person is deceased, shall have the right to be heard when relevant, informed and present at all critical stages of He had the closest ties to the feared Mafia bosses to the south in Pueblo. Clyde Smaldone, cigar in mouth, standing on a Denver sidewalk in front of cars sometime in 1940s. As West entered his automobile parked in downtown Denver, Smaldone enforcers Frank Mazza, Porky Routta, and Paul Enrichi, who long had been known as bodyguards and strong-arm men for the Smaldones, accosted West, forced him into the automobile and ordered him to drive out onto the Pecos Road outside of Denver. He told them, They [the police] are setting you up. Upon leaving prison, Clyde, ever the shrewdest brother of the bunch, saw which way the wind was blowing and made his move to retire from active family participation. And considering how competitive and volatile the Colorado underworld would be in the 1920s, anyone who chose this as a profession did so at risk of great personal harm and even death. It was later estimated by law enforcement that the Smaldone mobs annual revenue from gambling and loan-sharking during their heyday was around $1 million per year (~$7 to $12 million per year in todays money). Like a good-cop, bad-cop routine, Checkers was the Smaldone with the tough-guy reputation. Blandas immediate successor as Boss was his trusted aide, Vincenzo James Coletti, called Black Jim for his dark complexion and coal-black eyes. Gaetanos was the crime familys headquarters, and the people hanging around the wood-paneled restaurant were a whos who of the Colorado underworld. Carlino, Sam. Clyde and Mildred Smaldone (left) pose for a photo in 1973. The brothers would start by running booze locally, but as time went on would expand operations and would regularly be running liquor between Denver and several Midwest cities including St. Louis, Kansas City, as well as Chicago. And as a matter of fact, he really hated that nickname, and was never quite sure where the newspapers got it from. And through all of these activities, literal rivers of cash flowed into the organization. Everybody we had to know, we knew.. Law enforcement authorities would estimate that between 1919 and 1933 (the beginning and end of national Prohibition) there would be at least 30 murders relating to bootlegging and various gangster conflicts in the Denver and larger Colorado area. Firestone Source: Wikipedia User Jeffrey Beall | CC BY 3.0 Overall SnackAbility 9 /10 Thank you! He sentenced both Clyde and Checkers Smaldone to an astonishing 60 years in prison in 1953. Not a good look. Spinuzzi reputedly preferred to stay low-profile, but his colorful personality and a fiery temper, which would make staying low-profile pretty challenging. But Checkers wasnt all intimidation; with a few drinks under his belt, those at the bar would hear him launch into an impromptu one-man opera performance. Okay, thats it for this episode! Our ongoing accessibility effort works towards being in line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1, level AA criteria. From what I can tell, the lines here were very much blurred and the Smaldones certainly did hold true to some core values such as keeping their mouths shut (which they did almost until the end of their lives), as well as operating in a lot of the same rackets as traditional Cosa Nostra families, and even using the same tacticsup to and including being allegedly involved in several murders throughout their time running the Denver underworld. Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone in court after being investigated in a 1963 homicide. Bonanno worked with members of the Pueblo LCN family from the 1940's through the 1970's, and co-owned the Colorado Cheese Company with Vincenzo "Black Jim" Coletti, Boss of Pueblo from 1953-1972. Clyde and Checkers would both be released in the following year, 1934. Ten out of 11 of them have nothing but great things to say about the family, he said. The Smaldone organization was suspected, but no one was convicted in either murder. Informant stated a few days after this incident Colosacco went to talk things over with the Smaldones in their office at Gaetanos Restaurant and there Clyde and Eugene Smaldone told him if he and his partner desired to continue their gambling activities at Priolas farm, it would be necessary henceforth to pay to Smaldones 50% of the gambling proceeds. Foster Symes (pronounced Simms) would say the following: My only regret in this case is that the owners of the still didnt kill you all off. Eventually, hed move on from Roxy and brought his brother Eugene in as a partner once Checkers came of proper age. So that was a hit. I dont understand why the Department of Justice, which is charged with law enforcement, should refuse to assist in the investigation of jury tampering in the Smaldone casesbut they did Judge Ritter said. Smaldone: The Untold Story of an American Crime Family. Tom Lahey, who grew up a block from Gaetanos, said the following about the Smaldones and based upon my research the sentiment rings true: They did a lot of good in north Denver. Apparently during the proceedings, both Smaldone brothers attempted to rough up some photographers after entering the Federal Building. Yes. But then came the legal blow that would stop the brothers in their tracks, and would lay the foundation for the long-term decline of the familys power. His body would be discovered in the backseat of his Cadillac in a lot behind the same Alpine Inn that LaGuardia had just left (six months earlier). A few days after this incident Colosacco went to talk things over with the Smaldones in their office at Gaetanos Restaurant and there Clyde and Eugene Smaldone told him if he and his partner desired to continue their gambling activities at Priolas farm, it would be necessary henceforth to pay to Smaldones 50% of the gambling proceeds. As a result, Checkers second trial was immediately postponed and Clyde Smaldone, as well as associates of the family (and actual blood family members) cousin Louis Smaldone, uncle Fiore Fat Smaldone, as well as associates Michael and Jerry Benallo Jr., and William Willie Calvaresi were all arrested on charges of conspiracy related to the testimony coming out of the grand jury. One such example was later recounted to authorities by a confidential informant: On July 21, 1951, Confidential Informant Denver T-3 reported that for many years Clyde and Eugene Smaldone, former Denver bootleggers, had been recognized as the mobsters who dominated racketeering activities in the Denver area. I found legitimate businesses that were paying the LLCs that were then turning around and laundering the money back to the Bidens,' Comer said.Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12014459/Trump-calls-Bidens-crime-family-Watergate-times-10.html?ito=msngallery, 'But I haven't found any legitimate business dealings on the Biden end. Annie is a freelance writer, content editor, and marketing whiz with a background in broadcasting and a passion for chicken nachos. Within declassified law enforcement documents, my research almost always referred to the Smaldones using the words Suspected LCN rather than official LCN (which was used to describe some of their true Mafia associates). But Comer on Sunday was adamant that his committee had uncovered significant wrongdoing.Maria Bartiromo, host of the Fox News show Sunday Morning Futures, asked Comer: 'How many family members were involved?' Now, its around this timeframe that he got the nickname Flip Flop which was created by the local press whom hed historically disdained. The remains of the vehicle of Leo Barnes, allegedly targeted for assassination by Clyde Smaldone, Checkers Smaldone, and Smiling Charlie Stephens. At this time, the defendant Spinuzzi, who had been sitting in the club with Ricci and Parlato earlier in the evening, came upon the scene outside the club. By the time he got to the mid-1930s, he was in his late 20s (so still pretty young). I spent my money and I asked him to pay me the money I spent. In fact, after the murder of Joe Roma in 1933, the Smaldones and the Pueblo LCN worked close together and relatively harmoniously until the group in Pueblo became defunct in the 1970s. The area represents the number 3 safest spot in Colorado. We had friends every place in the United States. Gaetano's Restaurant interior as it looks today. An 81-year-old man in Colorado was arrested over the weekend for allegedly killing and dismembering his wife and daughter with an ax, telling police he did not regret the gruesome slaying because he knew his family was in a better place. Thats not the attention that you want. At the time, an economic boom had hit Colorado, which meant that there were plenty of jobs available for Italians if they were willing to accept the risk of taking on backbreaking and relatively dangerous jobs working on the railroads or in the mines. Charles S. Vigil (left), U. S. district attorney, and Max Melville (right), assistant Denver district attorney, who famously prosecuted the Smaldone brothers during the early 1950's. These two would begin to shift the organizations focus away from dice gaming, and more towards parlay betting cards focused on baseball, college basketball, as well as football as the popularity of those sports grew (making it a really important and growing revenue stream at the time). Now before we move on and briefly talk about the Pueblo LCN, here are a few other members of the Smaldone organization present on the infamous family chart that we really didnt touch on too heavily during the episode: Calogero "Charles" Blanda, Boss of the Pueblo LCN Family, from 1931-1953 in his younger days. It would certainly not be his last trip through the juvenile court system. A bondsman signs bail bond for Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone in 1960. He was arrested for gambling a few more times in the 1960s and 1970s, and would become Boss in 1973. Imagine pulling that out of your pockets?!? The trial was contentious from the get-go, with the judge accusing Checkers Smaldone of the old Mafia go-to of feigning illness when in fact he actually had to have a very real appendectomy in the middle of the trial. We brought truckloads [of food] to the orphans.. The restaurants owners, the Smaldone family, simply called it the place., In the 1950s and 60s, the Smaldone name was notorious in Denver, instantly recognized as the strong arm of the mob. Eugene (Checkers) Smaldone discusses his $12,000 bond, which was set for Checkers after he was arraigned on a habitual criminal charge and conspiracy charges in district court in 1953. As far as personalities go, the two brothers were very different. Checkers was clearly the most pugnacious and probably the biggest gangster of the three brothers, but by this time he was no longer the dominating figure hed once been before going away to prison. But I wanted every one of my listeners to see that with many in the life, everything isnt black and white, good guys and bad guys, cowboys and indians. You could find family patriarch Clyde Smaldone Gaetano is the Italian equivalent of Clyde seated at the bar, always at his spot furthest from the door. The explosion was so violent it drove a large piece of the windshield fifteen feet up the trunk of a nearby tree and scattered car parts in a hundred foot radius. In their own way, they were gentlemen.. This was an argument and a dispute between Joseph Nucci and Checkers that pretty much went from shouting to shooting really, really quickly. Clyde would be paroled from Caon City on December 24, 1942 after serving four years and five months when he received a pardon from his good friend, influential Governor Ralph Carr. He was mean. While the group was doing 6 months in jail for the charges, there were reports that came out in the Rocky Mountain News before the Smaldones were released on bond claiming their prison time was hardly hard time: various reports claimed they were being allowed the run of the jail, had a deputy sheriff preparing hot sandwiches for them on request and were using a jail telephone to make calls.. And though they werent true Cosa Nostra, the Smaldones by that time certainly qualified as a mob-style enterprise. Clyde and his younger brother Eugene, who went by Checkers, often would visit with the patrons at Gaetanos, inquiring about the food that was in the early days prepared by their mother in the restaurants kitchen.

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