The power that was the Chicago Outfit has faded pretty rapidly since the mid 1990s. It seems that no one new has been made since the 1980s. On the one hand, largely the same players are still in power for the past 20-30 years. But as members are sent to prison, no one has been replaced.

Into the 1980s, Chicago had LA and Las Vegas. They also had casinos throughout the world (Spain, Latin America, etc.) well into the 1990s, at least according to Michael Corbitt a la Hy Larner. Now it's down to Chicago and Aruba.

As the current members age, there seems to be no one replacing them in Chicago like in Philly, Jersey, Boston, Detroit. Philly and Jersey rebuilt the organization from the ground up in the 2000s. It's almost like the guys at the top in Chicago don't want to replace anyone. Or is there a group standing by waiting to rebuild?

The last known ceremony was in the late 1980's but, considering Mike Sarno is made, there may have been ceremonies since then. At least I don't recall seeing mention of him being made prior to that. That said, there's definitely a downward trend; much more so then the other remaining families. Where we saw estimates of 50-70, say, 10 or 15 years ago, the latest estimates don't top 30 members.

Far from reaching throughout the country, let alone to other countries, the Outfit is now a local mob just like the families in Boston, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. The vast majority of Outfit operations don't extend beyond Chicago and it's suburbs within Cook County. And if some articles over the past decade are any guide, the Outfit has intentionally downsized itself and streamlined it's operations in order to create a smaller profile. That may explain the sharp decrease in numbers.

Are there any younger members of the Outfit coming up other than Ferriola and Frank Caruso III?

There may be but I don't think any of them have been identified. Nick Ferriola was said to be an associate in the Family Secrets case. Maybe he's been made since then. I don't know about Frank Caruso III.

Outside of Chicago they have Rockford, Las Vegas (not much anymore), casino in Aruba, I've heard California and western Canada but not sure.

Philly and New England are a lot more local than Chicago .

Most of the known guys are over 50, especially in the areas outside of Chicago. The Vegas crew's average age has to be over 65. I wonder if there any younger guys who just aren't yet known.

why people think that chicago has absolutely no recruits is absurd

you'd be a fool to think they haven't made anybody in 30 years

How old is "Vegas Rick" Rizzolo?, also who else would be left of the Vegas Crew except Joey Cusomano?

The current Outfit is split into two factions--Cicero and Elmwood Park. Salvatore Cautadella and Jimmy I run Cicero for Michael Sarno...with Frank Caruso's 26th Street Crew reporting into them along with a small crew in Chicago Heights and NW Indiana. Their rackets tend to focus more on the street crimes--juice, extortion, burglary, etc.

Elmwood Park is run by John and Pete DiFronzo with Alby Vena's Grand Avenue crew reporting into them along with Solly DeLaurentis' lake county crew. Joe Calato who is frequently referred to as "Joe Kong Cullotta" is out of the rackets. this faction is far more into white collar things like zoning scams, bid rigging, etc. Most of these guys have legitimate businesses and restaurants.

There certainly have been ceremonies since the 1980s. There are rumors that Sarno made a new crop before he headed to prison. I don't think anyone is doing a ceremony anymore--that started in Chicago with Aiuppa and ended with him.

Where does Marco D'Amico fit into that group?

Slightly left of the middle.

great to see you back PB

Thanks, kid .

Marco seems to be in the middle of the two. I'm pretty sure he was in the Cicero crew and knew Sarno well but he's also involved with DiFronzo as well.

I agree and frankly, I'm not 100% positive. Marco essentially runs all bookmakers in Chicago with Tony Dote being his lieutenant. He's a longtime crony of DiFronzo and I would suspect Elmwood Park is where he shows allegiance. However, he's also regularly found with Cicero guys like Pudge Matassa who drives for him on a regular basis along with this giant blonde polish dipshit who looks like a bufoon.

I always thought Solly D. was aligned with Cicero?

He came up under Rocky Infelise early on but I believe his focus was always Lake County. I know he was tight with the DiFronzos and Marco D'Amico. He may very well be kicking up to Cicero.

The guy has like 8 kids and 3 ex-wives or something so even though he's probably still on parole, a guy has to earn haha.

they can't be that fractured if cicero guys are driving northsiders around

not shocked to hear that chicago heights/northwest indiana have a crew

they're alot of low income white suburbs they can capitolize in the area

Yeah and this Sal Cautadella fits in somewhere too, him and Sarno look like two obese blobs shaking down the video poker parlors of thd Midwest lol

Didn't know there's a lake country crew still. Is it really in lake county or is it just in name? Since lake country is by the border of Wisconsin.

Common misconception that these guys control or get a peice of every book in their area. Ill be the first to say, i dont know shit about chicago. So who knows, maybe its completely ass backwards from here. But i can think of about a dozen locals in north jersey (mostly morris, passaic, middlesex co), white suburban guys, some italian even. Most actually haha. That dont pay shit. I can think of guys that do tho too. But im saying, not all get taxed. And this is NJ.... An area with like what 7 families? Chicago has one? For the whole city? I mean there was a guy in Rockaway who ran 2 joker poker halls. You know the ones that call themselves lottery cafes or whatever? The guy was a fuckin skinhead biker. Nobody got a peice of that. Idk i mean it goes on a lot, guys just say fuck it, give up their sheets than pay a few k a month.... Just not on this huge daily scale of shakedowns.

Internet rumor taken at face value by some aside, there's no actual crew in Chicago Heights/NW Indiana. Going back to the Family Secrets case in 2005, there were 4 crews identified by the FBI - Elmwood Park, Grand Avenue, Melrose Park, and the South Side/26th Street crew. More recently, in 2011, the feds said the Outfit was down to "two or three crews." Even back in the later 1990's, the only crews the FBI was bothering to investigate were the Melrose Park crew and the South Side/26th Street crew.

I don't know if "fractured" is the word but there does apparently seem to be a divide of sorts. In a very real way, the day-to-day leadership of the Outfit seems to be out of the Melrose Park crew - recently Mike Sarno and Jimmy Marcello before him. The DiFronzos, Andriacchi, and the Elmwood Park crew seem to be keeping most others at arm's length while they just do their own thing - mostly legit or quasi-legit businesses. DiFronzo's companies, trade shows, strip clubs, some bid-rigging, etc.

The question is, how big are these independent bookies you speak of? Another question is, why is it almost unheard of (even in this day and age) to see a sports betting bust in the Tri-state area that doesn't involve the mob in some way? Some have responded that law enforcement only goes after the mob-connected bookies because it makes for better headlines but I've never believed that. It's not like they're going to allow a guy, who's taking significant action, to operate freely just because he's not mobbed up.

As for Chicago, while there's far less bookmaking busts there, all the ones going back over a decade have been connected to the Outfit in some way.

Perhaps Skinny can shed more light on the subject.

Smallest, like 10-12 regular customers. Biggest 500. 30 something agents. He was based in bergen county. Not connected in the least. Id say 90% of these guys dont get busted. The perna book? The one they arrested like 40 guys? A book that takes in the numbers theyre claiming will have a thousand agents. Easy. They only got the connected guys and the bloods. Some guys are just 70 yr old men that say my phones open from 12-6. Do everything on credit. Never change their lines..,,.. Some guys the opposite with agents. The agents may get shaken down or be with a crew but thats just them. By knowing an agent doesnt mean u can get to the office. Not all agents know the controllers. Levels of buffers in between. Works like a charm. Even if a agent knows his boss close enough to set him up, would he do that to a guy who gave him a job? The office can quit taking his sheets action and hes out of business. The media/cops drum up the connected shit for headlines. They go after them the same, imo, but most indy locals dont have lots of heat on them like a crew run book would. If ur just a book with say a dozen agents, say 80-90 customers, ur taking around 10-15m yr in action, keeping say 2-3% on average.... Big money yes? Say theres a gambino crew, set up exact same, same figures, number of agents, exactly. The latter arent just agents, theyre loan sharks, shooters, dealers, hustlers, plus they are Gambinos. Theres more that attracts heat on them, not most Independent guys. Not trying to say i know everything, just saying.

Also a connected office doesnt mean all agents are connected.

Solly D lives in Island Lake which is far north up there by Wauconda. It was his ambition to take over counties like McHenry and Lake and move things up north back when he was under Infelise. I believe he's begun doing that and has a few guys helping him. Like I said, Solly still has young kids and a young wife and needs money...I would assume he's still expanding the rackets up there.

I agree and in no way do I think the Outfit taxes all bookies in Illinois. Those they do tax however have advantages--various crews layoff action to each other on a regular basis and namely essentially being the sports book for the Chicagoland casinos like Rivers and Grand Victoria. So I think its if you are connected to the Outfit--you get more action. If not, you don't get beat, you just don't get in on as much new business and I'm sure that some guys are completely fine with that.

Tony Dote and Marco are in charge of sports books for the Outfit.

If the Outfit isn't physically harming anyone, who really cares anyway? Its all white collar crimes. Someone gets caught for stealing a little money, extortion, or loan sharking and goes to a federal prison for a few years. Big deal.

The business continues.