By the late 1950s, Chicago's crime bosses needed to find a way to settle the their illegal income, meaning their legitimate enterprises werent enough because during those days the Outfit began stashing so much dirty cash that they had to find a way to hide it. After the numerous convictions for tax evasion, all members realized that they were too vulnerable to a similar prosecution.

To protect themselves, the Outfit transferred huge part of their illegal earnings to Swiss bank accounts, where at the time anonymity was assured by the Swiss Banking Act in Switzerland. Reports say that most of the cash went first to the Federal Reserve of Chicago and from there was wired to banks in Switzerland, England, Italy, Panama and the Grand Caymans.

On April 16, 1960, there was a meeting between Murray Humphreys and Frank Ferraro regarding this situation. Keep in mind that besides acting as advisor for the top administration, Humphreys was also the syndicate's main treasurer and oversaw all of the main finances and loans.








On one of the first travels to Zurich, Switzerland, Alex was accompanied by Outfit boss Tony Accardo and one corrupt police lieutenant known as Tony DeGrazio. In fact, the two Tonys were making a European tour of their own. So the trio decided to meet at the Baur Au Lach Hotel in Zurich. The local police in Zurich reported that Accardo and Alex had very mysterious huddle during their stay in the city. The Swiss authorities already had Alex on surveillance because they suspected him of being linked to a $100,000 jewelry robbery in St. Moritz, Switzerland.



According to mob author Gus Russo in his book “The Outfit”, he talks about the same situation of Alex’s travels to Switzerland, but he also included that in fact Virginia Hill, the infamous mob moll and alleged spy for the Chicago mob who by now lived in Zurich, was the contact person over there and received the Outfit’s pension money and that Alex was the one who contacted her.

During the early 60s Alex, together with his new paramour, began travelling extensively to Europe. The lovely pair usually first took an airplane to Zurich, Switzerland, and rented an apartment and from there they went skiing in St. Moritz for three weeks.

In 1965, bad news struck the Outfit’s hierarchy and Alex regarding the ban which was issued by the government of Switzerland for Alex. He was banned from getting anywhere near Switzerland and later it became an on-going battle between the U.S. government and Alex.

The Chicago Crime commission, Better Government association, and the Chicago police have furnished Swiss authorities with reports on Alex, in an effort to preserve the ban and to curtail his annual overseas jaunts.

On the other hand, Alex’s lawyers had furnished letters to the Swiss government from respectable individuals such as Senator Everett Dirksen and U.S. Congressman William Dawson on behalf of Alex in regard to his efforts to get the ban lifted. Other individuals that wrote the Swiss officials on behalf of Alex were many famous Chicago lawyers including Maurice Walsh. As additional info, Congressman Dawson was a very close friend of Outfit boss Paul Ricca and the late Jake Guzik, who in turn was Alex's previous boss and mentor.

Alex was also visited by a group of reporters regarding the Swiss ban. Alex and his lawyer Eugene Bernstein explained to the press that the intercession of Dirksen and Dawson was a routine and that political channels were normally used in such matters. Speaking of Dawson’s intervention, Alex said “The congressman said he’s known me for 25 years. I think it would be closer to 35 years. I was raised in his district.” The reporters also asked Alex about the speculations that he wished to go back to Switzerland because he had a hidden bank account there and Alex replied “I don’t have a quarter in Switzerland.” Furthermore he also explained that a person with money in Switzerland could make arrangements to obtain it without going there personally.

Alex became angry at the statement about him being a mob courier and said “How could I be a courier when I’m under surveillance night and day by the FBI in Chicago and every place else that I go, and by the police in Switzerland?!” Alex also added “And don’t forget, I’ve never been convicted of a crime. I want this ban removed whether I ever go to Switzerland or not.” He admitted to the press that he had been arrested numerous times, mostly as a kid, but stressed that he had never been accused formally of a crime or put on trial. Alex described himself as a skiing buff and said that he pursued the sport in Italy, France and Austria as well as in Switzerland.

But no matter how hard Alex tried to resist the pressure, in the end the ban was never lifted and to make things even more mysterious, after the ban or in 1966 Alex's alleged contact in Switzerland Virginia Hill allegedly decided to commit a suicide.














Cheers

Fantastic read. Thanks T

You're welcome bro and thank you too.

In the 90’s-2000’s I know the Colombo’s and DeCavs had money from brokerage firms they controlled and Penny Stock, pump and dump schemes in the Bahamas.

That was the move 30-40 years later.

Thanks for the additional example and info.

I have to check some of my old projects but I think that after the Swiss ban, the Chi boys transferred most of their own bank accounts in Panama.

I just checked and yeah, after the Swiss ban Alex found a replacement for his previous job and that was Red Larner. It seems by 1967/68 two FBI agents, who for unknown reasons diecied not to be identified (although one of them was probably retired agent Francis Marrocco), said that Larner was absolutely the guy who was responsible for moving the Outfit’s money through South Florida and then to Panama. Larner allegedly had connections to Panama's national bank where the money was stashed, and also took care of the Outfits coin machine shipments that went from the US to Panama and after that throughout the world.

During the 50s and 60s, Manuel Noriega worked with U.S. intelligence agencies and became one of the their most valued intelligence sources, same as Larner. So it is quite possible that Noriega probably helped Larner regarding him establishing in Panama and also regarding the Outfit's cash.