And as a matter of fact, he really hated that nickname, and was never quite sure where the newspapers got it from. WebThe family is still active in the international drug trade and white collar crimes that include loan-sharking and extortion, and in the early 21st century at least four bosses of the Bonanno family were convicted of crimes, including racketeering and As of 2008, adjusted gross proceeds (total bets minus payouts) from gambling in Central City, and two other approved cities topped $715 million annually. Just 3 months later, Roma would have Carlino murdered. Please see a document housing a number of the charts referenced above. Clyde and Mildred Smaldone (left) pose for a photo in 1973. 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. Now there were different circumstances, but Frank also saw which way the wind was blowing (after he was nearly assassinated) and knew it was time for him to move on. And I think its fair to say that their legacy contains with both good as well as bad. And so, its around this time in the 20s and early 30s that the Smaldone brothers began regularly showing up in police blotter, racking up many arrests between them. In January of 1966, Chauncey was again arrested as one of 20-28 people brought it and charged with gambling, along with cousin Paul Villano and associate Joseph The Ram Salardino. Hes the guy you needed to know. So at this point in time in the 1960s, its a growing area of concern. In both cases, the Smaldones (as they would throughout their lives) would deny any involvement, and as youll see during the rest of this video, I think there is a fine line between things that they actually did versus overzealous prosecution and sentences handed out by a government that had it in for them. Most Dangerous Cities In Colorado [2022]: Violent Crime and Chauncey would go on to serve in the army during World War II, serving time in the South Pacific theater. A young Mamie Smaldone, mother of the Smaldone brothers. Joseph James Scotty Spinuzzi is the last of the Pueblo mobsters that Ill cover, and in my opinion the biggest gangster of the bunch in terms of his reputation. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share by email. Clyde Smaldone (left) and Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone (right) walking together in 1955 after U.S. Supreme Court reversed their convictions for jury-tampering. He was also a liquor store and bar owner. Crime | 9news.com | 9news.com These two law-men, Vigil and Melville, would become part of what became known as the Colorado Crime Commission (known locally as little Kefauver after the infamous Kefauver hearings of the time), which Governor Dan Thornton put together in 1951. Up until the Apalachin fiasco, Colletti had only minor arrests such as for drunkenness, vagrancy and disorderly conduct. The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In Colorado For 2022 1. 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. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. Man on trial for alleged sexual violation of Christchurch bar Mama Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone shakes finger at photographer in early 1980s. During the Smaldone era, Checkers was the one brother most closely aligned to the Pueblo LCN and the brother who over time had the tightest connections in general to the Mafia. They knew what they were doing. A grand jury in 1951 would later claim that the Smaldone brothers and each of their partners made between $25,000 and $50,000 between 1948 and 1949 just out of Central City (thats roughly $307-615k in todays money just from that one enterprise). Trump, 76, seized on the claims from Rep. James Comer to attack his presidential rival by accusing the Biden family of corruption on a mass scale on the same day Joe Biden launched his re-election campaign.'What Congressmen James Comer and Jim Jordan have revealed about the "Biden Crime Family" would be Watergate times 10, if this news was revealed just 10 years ago,' he said in a post on his Truth Social platform. Before you go, please dont forget to Subscribe so that you can continue to enjoy my content as its released and if you have any thoughts please leave them in the comments on YouTube or write us a review on Apple. They were separated by one Watson and the fight terminated. Clyde and Checkers would both be released in the following year, 1934. Hed really be kind of in and out from this point without really doing too much major time during the 60s and the 70s. This was of course was not good at all. Arrests in the cold case followed a Stuff investigation and $100,000 reward that brought forward new evidence and more than 50 tips to police.. On Monday, Justice Retired Denver police captain Jerry Kennedy would later recall running into Roberts, who knew he had a major problem, just days after the devastating revelation: I ran into Walkie a day or two later in that Theater Bar on Sixteenth and Glenarm, doing a routine check, and I said, How you doing, Walkie?, He says, Hey, Kennedy, theyre going to kill me., I said, Walkie, theyre not going to kill you., He says, Hey, Im telling you, Borden named me on the stand. John "Porky" Routta: Smaldone family member and enforcer. While testifying for Mazza during this trial, Clyde Smaldoneclearly agitated (and youre going to see that both Clyde and Checkers did not like photographers)snapped on a Denver Post photographer taking pictures outside the courtroom, snarling the following: The next time you shoot my picture, Im going to punch you in the nose.. He related that during 1947, Denver gamblers Anthony Colosacco and John West opened a big barbuit game in a barn on a farm in Henderson, Colorado, owned by Joe Priola; that this undertaking was operated for only a few days when Colosacco and West received word from Clyde and Eugene Smaldone that they were to appear at a conference at the headquarters of the Smaldones at Gaetanos Restaurant in North Denver; that Colosacco and West declined the invitation and refused to confer with the Smaldones and a few nights later, 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. Additionally, Clyde would also get a charge of making false statements to federal agents about the number of slot machines he owned, while Checkers Smaldone (and this would end up being the big one) would be indicted on charges of failure to pay $5,000 in incomes tax in 1946 (which would be the charge that would come back to bite both brothers in the ass). Eventually, Raffaele changed careers and took up work as a fruit and vegetable peddler. Charley Blanda was born in Ames, Iowa in 1899, but at some point would move to Colorado where he would reside permanently. After getting out of prison back in 1991, Paulie returned to Denver and kept a low profile, dying in 2003 at the age of seventy-six. WebColorado Crime Statistics. His runners would be none other than his sons, Clyde and Checkers. Clyde by that point was entering his teens and Eugene Checkers Smaldone was not far behind during the early days of Prohibition. Colorados Carlino Brothers: A Bootlegging Empire. These 7 men ran Colorado's most notorious crime family - KMGH John "Porky" Routta (left): Smaldone family member and enforcer. I dont know anything about this gang stuff.. Clyde looked every bit the part of an Italian-American mob boss, of average height and above-average weight, dressed immaculately in expensive suits and the look punctuated by an ever-present cigar. Now, lets continue our story, Part 2 of the History of the Colorado Mob! And according to autopsy reports (this is where it gets truly heinous), Cohen was alive (though he may not have been conscious) when he was put into the lake. Only through the efforts of the Treasury Department and the use of their agents was the investigation carried on to a successful conclusion. Angela Blackmoore murder: Pair deny instrumental roles in her Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone (right) and Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone walking on a Denver sidewalk in 1982. Clyde Smaldone would famously say the following about gambling: Once the government found out how much money there was to be made in gambling, they would get into it.. A daytime burglary of a student flat netted a thief a collection of Nike Air Jordan trainers but he wasnt expecting a last-minute buzzer beater. An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Clyde Smaldone and his brothers gave thousands of dollars to the local Catholic churches over the years, and paid a handsome sum for the priviledge of carrying the statue of St. Rocco through the streets of Denver each year. Crime is rising in Colorado. This state data shows by how much Whats clear to me is that the Smaldones had formed close working partnerships with their counterparts in the Pueblo LCN, but it seems they were just never brought in nor did they adopt the formal rules of Cosa Nostra. This underworld murder was just the latest in a series of tit-for-tat slayings that had been plaguing the Colorado area for at least a decade dating back to the days of the Carlino-Danna family wars. As a result, the Smaldones would eventually pull their operations out of Central City. Retired Police Capt. It wasnt long before the duo was making good money, so much so that they were able to help their parents out even more by buying toys for their siblings, clothes for their mother and father, and even helping to fix up the family house. Were going to pick up where we left off in Part One. Mamie Smaldone stands with her six sons, from left, Clyde, Anthony, Clarence, Eugene, Andrew, and Ralph, in front of the family bar on Tejon Street in about 1940. And though he wouldnt do any time as a result, the Apalachin arrest would be the one to raise his profile so much so that in a Life Magazine article in 1967 he was named as the boss of Colorado. That statement would prove to be prophetic in later years when most states began to legalize many forms of gambling. Clarence "Chauncey" Smaldone (left) poses with Clyde Smaldone (center). The death of Roma led to a significant vacuum in the Denver underworld that would be filled in time by the enterprising Smaldone brothers in partnership with their southern Colorado allies in the Pueblo Mafia. With Clyde and Checkers away, the family needed someone to step up in order for them to maintain their grip over Denvers underworld. He was present during the famous 1957 Apalachin mob summit. Smaldone, Denver's Mob Family - Colorado Life Magazine In fact, two years later in February of 1950, Falbos good friend Harold Murph Cohen, age thirty-seven, was found by two young boys under five feet of water near the shoreline of Blue Lake (now Coors Lake), which is near West 44th Avenue and McIntyre Street in rural Jefferson County. Fast-forward to November of 1962, Clyde and Checkers Smaldone would get out of prison after serving 9 of their 12 year sentence. As previously mentioned, Spinuzzi along with his boss at the time Coletti, was picked up at the 1957 mob summit in Apalachin though no charges would ultimately stick. Like many other bootleggers, the lessons and experiences gained from running their business during the 20s would benefit them throughout their lives. The decedent lay on the ground mortally wounded. 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. Blanda died on February 20, 1969 in Pueblo, Colorado after suffering a stroke. Over the years, hed work with the Smaldones and members of his family to maintain a tight grip over underworld rackets including gambling, narcotics distribution, illegal alcohol sales, as well as rackets related to juke-box and coin-machines. Creating safer and more resilient communities across Colorado. stuff.co.nz As I mentioned in the first episode of this series, nobody really knows for sure except those involved who killed Roma, but it certainly looked very suspicious from a law enforcement perspective to be seen at the victims house less than two hours before he was shot and killed. This is a tremendous feat considering how close he was to so many of the key players who themselves ended up violently murdered. Spinuzzi was on top of him as he was falling. Now, I cant quite pinpoint why Im so specifically fascinated by the Smaldone brothers, but as youll see their story is pretty epic, and I think youre going to seesimilar to last episodethat there was just as much going on with organized crime in Colorado as other areas of the country, and it was well covered, but it just never got the publicity nor does it have the prestige of the East Coast mob. And unfortunately, Clyde was in prison in 1938 when his father Raffaele would pass away, and the real gut-shot was that the warden (with whom Clyde had a very poor relationship) would not grant him a release to attend his fathers funeral. He retired from the family in 1972, and thereby passed the mantle of Boss to Joseph Scotty Spinuzzi. How, this to me sounds like a major reach when you have to go that far back. 'I mean, it's the entire family. So theyd dodge that bullet so to speak, but the full court press from law enforcement would persist. Tributes to absolute legend rugby player stabbed to death near Despite their denials, Smiling Charlie Stephens, Clyde and Checkers Smaldone as well as another man, would be arrested and charged with conspiracy. Miraculously, Pernee, who was blown out the passenger side door she was about to shut, received only cuts and bruises. Hes not a guy you wanted to piss off. 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. Moving forward, Colorado Crime Stats will be available with a one-month lag before becoming accessible to the public. This is kind of the peak. An Glendale Glendale held onto its title of most dangerous place in Colorado for another year. There were a Similar to what youll hear in other mob-run communities during this time, its clear that the Smaldones took care of their neighborhood, and a large part of the local community saw them as Robin Hood type figures, though a large part of law enforcement hated them. Eugene "Young Gene" Smaldone, son of Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone. On the afternoon of February 18, 1933, Roma would be found slumped dead in a chair in his front parlor of his home on 3404 Vallejo Street in North Denver by his wife, Nettie. But as an Italian family, it was only natural to rely on your sons, and the money to be made was significant even with the obvious risks involved. They would scout their rivals to find out where they kept their liquor, and when the opportunity was right theyd swoop in. Hopefully that will be of interest to viewers since other families arent talked about nearly as often. That did not seem to be the case with the Smaldone family. It had just 15 property crimes and 2 violent crimes over the course of year. As a result, he made friends in high places, which would allow him to have significant influence with important businessmen, law enforcement, local civic leaders, and many high-end politicians (up to and including meeting and famously providing booze for none other than President Franklin D. Roosevelt during his 1931 whistle stop tour and meeting Harry Truman before he became President when he was just getting started in Kansas City). At this trial, Clyde and Eugene plead guilty to lesser tampering charges and on August 20, 1955 were re-sentenced to just 12 years in prison and a $10,000 fine (so still a lot of time but not as bad as the 60-year sentence theyd been stuck with). Photo Credit: Sam Carlino, A young Raffaele "Ralph" Smaldone, father of the Smaldone brothers and patriarch of the Smaldone clan. Spinuzzi would become involved in a vending-machine business and would also own a bar (Turks Tavern) with his brother, Tony Turk Spinuzzi. But Walkie Talkie had another problem (and even bigger problem). Barlock is explaining why Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone was jailed for contempt after he refused to answer questions at investigation into gambling and prostitution in the county. It would start off, in my opinion from a legal perspective, pretty innocuously and would go in a direction that they did not expect. Tributes to a kind-hearted rugby player have poured in from family, friends and fellow team members after he was stabbed to death near a nightclub in Cornwall. Thirteen months after they went away, Judge Ritters decision would be thrown out after the sentences would be ruled as excessive by the US Supreme Court. 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. So if you remember, the brothers Clyde and Eugene would be released from Leavenworth and would return home to Denver in 1934, but by that point things had changed. April 28, 2023 Testimony continued Friday in the Letecia Stauch murder trial; she stands accused of killing her 11-year-old stepson, Gannon Stauch. When Barnes hit the starter, a massive black-powder explosion demolished the sedan. By this point, they simply wanted to be left alone. [He] was a good sized man. Eugene "Checkers" Smaldone sits in police car in 1974. My goal will be to tell the entire history of those families so that people get a glimpse of what the Mafia was like outside the primary hubs of New York and Chicago. Photo Credit: Smaldone: The Untold Story of an American Crime Family. Standing are Eugene Smaldone (far left) and Clyde Smaldone (center. WebGaetanos was the crime familys headquarters, and the people hanging around the wood-paneled restaurant were a whos who of the Colorado underworld. Imagine pulling that out of your pockets?!? His family members refused to provide any specifics about his death and declined to comment when contacted by the Rocky Mountain News. Michael Roxie Villano: Smaldone Family member. In the early 1950s, the Smaldone brothers would begin to increasingly draw the ire of authorities, and it would eventually lead to the slow downfall of their organization. He was very close with Pueblo Mob leader Charley Blanda, and the pair often went gambling, drinking, and took hunting and fishing trips together. So anyone who controlled Denverwhich was the Smaldoneswas in the drivers seat in the Colorado underworld. 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. There were also other Italian groups including the emergence of Giuseppe Joe Roma beginning in the mid-20s, as well as Irish contingents butting heads and shooting it out as well. The Smaldones were in partnership with Stephens, overseeing the gambling on the casino side. Of course, they would from time to time run up against issues with the police, but Clyde made a habit of paying off the right peopleor decorating the mahogany as he would put itto ensure that his business could continue to operate. This all stemmed from an issue in which a man named Joseph Nucci, was shot and wounded (although not fatally). The stabbing occurred around 8:40 p.m. on January 8, 2020. The feds would confiscate Turks Tavern, both mens bank accounts, Tonys 1951 Oldsmobile, and Scottys 1950 Cadillac, but both men would pay fines and avoid jail time. 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. Second, and this would serve him well during his time in organized crime, he was very adept at building relationships with important people due to his gentlemanly, affable, and outgoing personality. At that time, Walkie Talkie had been developing quite a bad reputation for himself. Thereafter the deceased and his friends were pushed from the club by one Ricci and one Parlato who was the manager of the club. Friends would recall him as a terrific tap-dancer in his youth, and he would become a champion gymnast in high school, as well as a scholarship athlete at the University of Colorado, though he would put on the weight that gave him his nickname in later years. He wanted to take on a higher degree of control and kind of muscle in on the operations. Clyde would be the first-born son in 1906 followed by five more sons: Eugene (born 1910), Anthony (born 1914), Andrew (born 1917), Ralph (born 1921), and Clarence (born 1924). Clyde Smaldone smokes a cigar while shielding his face from photographers in 1951. 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. On January 29, 1974, just six months after LaGaurdia was hit, Pizzalato was found murdered as well. Letecia Stauch Murder Trial: Accused Killer Stepmom Says Her The state would enact Prohibition and go dry in 1916, a full three years ahead of the Volstead Act which was enacted nationally in 1919. The victims were identified as Yvette M. Siegert-Kreb, 50, Felicity Kreb, 13, and Barrett Kreb, 9, the El Paso County Sheriffs Office said. A common defense to this charge is that the arresting officer used excessive force.. CRS 18-8-103 states that:. 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. I dont care who he was. Raffaele Smaldone (the father of the Smaldone brothers) was born in Potenza, Italy in 1882, and at the age of two immigrated with his parents Gaetano and Katrina to the United States. Even with the reduction in prison time and the fine, the brothers still felt as if theyd been double-crossed by the legal system and would maintain over the years that they had not participated in any jury tampering of any kind, especially Clyde. The pair would do business with small-time gamblers, but would also be able to work with higher-stakes players as well. Three fellow defendants of the Smaldones drew lighter sentences. According to Smaldone: The Untold Story of an American Crime Family, Chauncey was dead-on the best looking of the brothers, was much taller than his siblings (six feet), and was blessed with a full head of wavy hair and piercing dark eyes, which got him quite a bit of attention from the young Italian girls in his neighborhood. Leo Barnes testifies after his car was blown up and he was injured in a murder attempt for which Clyde Smaldone, Checkers Smaldone, and Smiling Charlie Stephens were sent to prison in the mid-1930's. In fact, based on my research, I actually believed this number to be most likely understated. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has posted the 2020 crime data for hundreds of statewide law enforcement agencies through the Colorado Crime Stats website. Photo Credit: Sam Carlino. Max Melville, who served as Colorados deputy attorney general when prosecuting the Smaldone brothers in the 1950's. #14: Did Joey Gallo Really Punch Neil Dellacroce (During the Gallo Wars)? Clyde, by this time nearing 60 years of age, quickly recognized the fact that the law enforcement landscape had changed, and the FBI in cooperation with local police were cracking down on interstate gambling and devoting more resources to fighting organized crime. Student's Nike Air Jordan shoes stolen in burglary leads to slam 'There are six specific decisions that Joe Biden made either as vice president or president that are very concerning to us,' Comer told Fox. Its easier to take them down from a law enforcement perspective when theyre divided. In addition to running the Tejon Bar and Cafe, Clyde Smaldone began to enterprise, getting into lucrative slot-machines, beginning to dive full-force into sports parlay betting cards (which were coming into fashion around that time), and they would also partake in more traditional mob rackets including bookmarking and loan sharking. Eugene Checkers Smaldone would be quoted by police as saying: Maybe I like to go hunting. Mom Accused of Hosting Teen Sex Parties 'Tore my Life Apart Two years after the slaying of Mike "Fats" Falbo, in February of 1950, Falbos good friend Harold Murph Cohen, age thirty-seven, was found by two young boys under five feet of water near the shoreline of Blue Lake (now Coors Lake), which is near West 44th Avenue and McIntyre Street in rural Jefferson County. His body would be discovered in the backseat of his Cadillac in a lot behind the Alpine Inn. In 1927, Clyde and his confederates were arrested for possession of several gallons of liquor as well as hijacking 96 pints of whiskey from a competitors truck. DENVER Although Colorado may not have been a hotbed of organized crime, one infamous crime family made it clear that the Centennial State was their As a class 2 misdemeanor, resisting arrest carries up to 120 days of county jail time and/or up to $750. Angela Blackmoore murder: Pair deny instrumental roles in her For example, crime stats for April 2021 will be accessible to the public at the beginning of June 2021. I mean, there's not going to be anybody left for a Christmas picture if the DOJ did their job and went in there and indicted everyone that has any type of fingerprints involved in this influence peddling scheme,' Comer claimed. We had friends every place in the United States. The diminutive 52 mobster known as Little Caesar was found slumped dead in a chair in his front parlor of his home on 3504 Vallejo Street in North Denver by his wife, Nettie, riddled with seven bullets (including six shots to the head). Using genetic genealogy and familial DNA, police in Colorado have solved the decades-old cases of the deaths of four females, saying the killer was a man who In the relationship between Chauncey and Paulie, it was often said that the latter had the brains so to speak. They would work together to hammer the Smaldone organization from multiple angles leveraging partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement. Okay, so before we jump back into the chronological timeline of the Smaldone era, lets quickly jump over to talk about the other key brother, Eugene Checkers Smaldone. In addition to my other sources, I leveraged these books heavily and they are both pretty good reads about a family that is largely unknown to many around the country. And with the deaths of Coletti and Spinuzzi, the influence of the Cosa Nostra in Pueblo faded, and that faction of the national LCN went defunct as well. Though they were questioned and had an alibi, they were ultimately not charged in the assassination of Roma, and Romas murderers were never actually brought to justice. While this is going on, the primary source of their income, that being bootlegging went belly-up as growing public sentiments against Prohibition finally led the government to pass repeals of the Volstead Act in 1933, making alcohol production essentially legal again. Now before we go further with the chronology of events, lets take a quick step back so we can provide you with a brief synopsis of who the brothers were, so that you better understand the relationship between them and the other factions. Ova Elijah "Smiling Charlie" Stephens, Denver gambling kingpin from the 1930's to the 1950's and one-time partner of the Smaldone brothers.
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